Students Petition Against Dean by John Byrne Against a backdrop of budget cuts and executive decisions, student activists have turned their gaze on the man many see as responsible, Dean of Students Peter D. Goldsmith. A coalition of students have launched a petition drive, collecting signatures to call for Goldsmith’s resignation. It lists what they perceive as his failures to fulfill his responsibilities as dean, but not specific grievances. By yesterday evening, they had collected 442 unverified signatures. Dean Goldsmith declined to comment. The petition, which has been posted online, has drawn signatures from a broad spectrum of the student body. Members of the Asian American Alliance, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Union, Oberlin’s Student Cooperative Association and Sexual Assault Support Team are among the largest constituencies represented. “We don’t hire or fire at this institution or any institution by referendum,” College President Nancy Dye said. “No decision will be launched based on such a petition.” An e-mail sent to the petition account drew a reply enumerating specific grievances. Dye has met with involved students this week. For many students, Goldsmith’s history at the College is just as important as the current situation. He has been under fire since even before he arrived at Oberlin, with students occupying Cox for 24 hours in 1999 when he was chosen over Associate Dean of Students Bill Stackman. “The job search under which Peter Goldsmith was hired was corrupt and fraudulent,” the reply said. “Search committee members were individually approached by Nancy Dye, compromising their ability to make independent decisions based on the need or wants of students.” “Goldsmith has repeatedly tried to undermine the program houses by saying they need to be...tied directly to academic departments, thus even in the language program houses, he would like to see only majors living there,” the reply continued. The petitioners also cited problems with his search committee approaches. “In a search for a first-year orientation dean, the search committee unanimously recommended a candidate. Dean Goldsmith didn’t agree with their choice…cancelled the search, and said that that there would be another search the next year, which there wasn’t.” The decision to cut the Multicultural Resource Center interns, which has been put on hold for a year, also continues to rankle students. Goldsmith has not informed the Standing Committee on Plurality and Equality, which is charged with making a recommendation on the MRC’s restructuring, of the financial resources that can be allocated for the center. In the letter, the writer says that this makes “the task of responsibly restructuring the MRC virtually impossible.” Goldsmith has also tried to implement a system of mandatory reporting for SAST, citing issues of College liability. Currently, SAST operates an anonymous hotline for questions or concerns of incidents of sexual assault. The drive to petition for Goldsmith’s resignation comes in the wake of a “no confidence” vote by Student Senate on Sunday. After a protracted one-hour discussion in closed session, Senate voted 9-1 with four abstentions that they had “no confidence” in his ability to fulfill his duties as dean. The vote was followed by a round of applause. “In a way we have a duty to vote this way because we’ve been asked by co-chairs of student organizations, students, faculty and administrators,” said senior Senate liaison Kasi Chakravartula, who is also involved in the petition drive. “It would have been irresponsible and even negligible not to have this vote.” Senior senator Christine Harley highlighted particular lines in the position description written for the 1998 dean search. Among the areas in which she believes he has failed are his inability to “foster the development of a diverse community,” “demonstrate success in working collaboratively with students” and have “excellent skills in communication and conflict resolution.” “Instead, he’s created conflict,” she remarked. “He’s demonstrated attacks on diversity in the community.” “There are specific sentences in the job description that he has not fulfilled,” she added. Another senator, sophomore Art Bueno, stated that he had been behind Goldsmith until the MRC and chaplain decisions were handed down. The two communities he was a part of, he said, were “directly threatened due to decisions that [Goldsmith] was either privy to or made himself specifically.” At least three other student organizations have followed suit, Oberlin Peace Activists’ League, the Student Labor Action Committee and Socialist Alternative. “I support the petition as an act of solidarity with the other activists that have been working on the MRC as much as an act of dissatisfaction with Goldsmith. I don’t think that the administration has been terribly responsive to widespread student dissent; I am unsure of how the College will respond to this,” senior Suzanne Fischer said. Goldsmith has been derided for not taking student voices into account when he makes decisions, including not heeding the input of search committees. Students objected when intern positions were cut, although Goldsmith rescinded this decision following student protest. Similarly, Goldsmith came under fire when students heard wind of a possible decision to cut the budget of the Office of Religion. Goldsmith heeded students’ warnings and made no cut. He has further been criticized for his refusal last Friday to sign a document stating that the MRC restructuring would be a collaborative process and that no summer decisions would be made. Students gave various reasons for signing the petition. “I finally decided to sign the petition because I think that what it calls for implicitly is for Dye to censure Goldsmith, acknowledging the extreme neglect for student concerns inherent in many of his actions, and that I think is a realistic request,” said senior Ian Wilson, an OSCA member. But Wilson also chided the petitioners, saying, “As characteristic as it is of Oberlin students to make unrealistic requests in response to (insulting) administrative action, this was the best example of that I had seen in all of Goldsmith’s years.” He cited the fact that no list of grievances was spelled out explicitly. “This petition is coming from conscientious students activists, many of whom I personally know and have deep respect for,” first-year Blaise Freeman said. “Peter Goldsmith has stubbornly and harmfully resisted their demands — demands which, considering all the rhetoric about diversity and progressiveness that the College spews, should not have been necessary.” “By keeping Goldsmith in his position, our tuition is funding policies and ideals that are contrary to the priorities of the students,” senior Emily Van Yuga said. Another student remarked, “Students will sign anything.”

May 10 Commencement

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