Blair Resigns from BOV by Alex Guillén Flat Hat Assoc
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Today’s Board of Visitors schedule Tribe outlasts Dragons 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.: Meeting with College staff, Commonwealth Auditorium Proficiency at the free-throw line coupled with a gritty defensive 2:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.: Meeting with faculty, Commonwealth Auditorium performance pushed the College over Drexel 57-50 Wed. night. 4:45 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Meeting with students, Commonwealth Auditorium See basketball page 10 The twice-weekly student newspaper of the College of William and Mary F Est. 1911 VOL.97, NO.34 FRIDAY, FEBRUary 22, 2008 FLATHATNEWS.COM BOV BACKLASH Protest groups COURTESY PHOTos — WM.EDU/BOV organize Board of Visitors Rector Michael Powell ’85, Secretary Suzann Matthews ’71 and members John Charles Thomas and Barbara Ukrop ’61 will attend today’s forums with students, faculty and staff. BOV members Anita Poston J.D. ’74 and Kathy Hornsby ’79 will also attend. Focus shifts from anger about Nichol’s resignation to calls for BOV transparency Blair resigns from BOV By ALEX GUILLÉN Flat Hat Assoc. News Editor Robert Blair ’68 raises questions on non-renewal consensus; More than a week after former College President BOV here for open forum with faculty, staff and students Gene Nichol announced his resignation, student pro- test groups are transforming into cohesive organiza- By BRIAN MAHONEY cussion and a consensus,” Powell said. “There board’s decision. Ukrop said that she had agreed tions with specific goals aimed at the reformation of the Flat Hat News Editor was a discussion about speaking with one voice with the non-renewal decision. Board of Visitors. and whether anyone objected to describing our Ukrop said that the non-renewal decision had One group, Tribe United, was formed before the In an e-mail addressed to the College com- decision as unanimous. I did not hear any ob- been agreed upon at BOV’s decision in an effort to promote Nichol’s con- munity Wednesday, Robert Blair ’68 announced jection and believe other board members under- a BOV dinner in the tract renewal, according to founding member Sarah Ro- his resignation from the College’s Board of Visi- stood this. I deeply regret if I misunderstood Mr. days leading up to Yesterday, the jas ’10. tors. Blair’s intent.” the board’s Febru- College denied a “Once the decision became public, we transformed Blair said that he was “one of several” board Blair reaffirmed his position in an interview ary meeting, but did Flat Hat Freedom into an all-inclusive organization working to promote members who supported the with The Daily Press Wednesday, after board not recall Powell us- the best interests of the College,” she said in an e-mail. contract renewal of former members Henry Wolf and John Gerdelman said ing the word “unani- of Information “We embody the values that President Nichol stood for, College President Gene Nichol, that the board had reached a unanimous deci- mous.” request for the and we are now all different sections of the College who resigned Feb. 12. sion. “I guess maybe Board of Visitors’ community working together to keep our College head- “Although no vote was “There was not a unanimous consensus, deci- what [Powell] meant ing in the right direction.” taken, one was not required if sion or other unanimous action against renewal,” is that he thought the 360-degree review She added that there are approximately 35 students at the contract was not to be re- Blair said. board agreed to speak of Nichol and the the core of Tribe United. As of press time, 427 students FILE PHOTo — THE FLAT HAT THE FLAT — FILE PHOTo newed,” Blair said. “Those for Wolf told the Daily Press that several board with one unanimous findings of the were members of the Tribe United Facebook group. Blair ’68 renewal were given ample op- members had approached Nichol on February 10 voice,” she said. Rojas said the group is looking forward to today’s portunity to argue their points. and informed him as a “courtesy” that his con- In his e-mail independent con- forums. We ultimately found ourselves in the minority.” tract would not be renewed. Wolf said that he Wednesday, Blair at- sulting firm that “We hope that this meeting with the BOV is the first Blair’s statement contradicts earlier state- and other board members had not known Nichol tributed his resigna- appraised him. of many and that we can continue an open and transpar- ments by BOV Rector Michael Powell ’85 that would resign until the morning of Nichol’s res- tion to an “incipient ent relationship in the future,” she said. “It is important the board’s decision was unanimous. Powell told ignation. effort” on the part of that students, faculty, staff and alumni are able to voice The Flat Hat in an e-mail this week that he had In an interview with The Flat Hat, BOV BOV members to “pick apart” Nichol’s presi- their concerns to the BOV when they come to campus spoken with the board about holding a unified member Barbara Ukrop ’61 confirmed that she dency. and in the months to follow.” position. — along with Powell and one unnamed board “I have said there was not a vote, only a dis- member — met with Nichol to inform him of the See BOV page 4 See PROTESTS page 4 BOV BACKLASH ACLU willing Alum shaken by shootings Bowers ’89, now an NIU history professor, watched of campus were immediately placed on lock- the shooting aftermath from window down. to sue BOV In the aftermath of that afternoon, Bowers received more information on the shootings. By ANGELA COTA By ALISAN VAN FLEET could hear the sirens of the arriving emergen- They had taken place in the very classroom in Flat Hat Assoc. News Editor Flat Hat Staff Writer cy vehicles — police, fire, ambulances — and which he had lectured to 325 students every sense the fear.” Monday and Wednesday during the previous The American Civil Liberties For J.D. Bowers ’89, an assistant professor NIU’s emergency plans, instituted in light semester. Friday, Bowers received a “most Union is willing to help students COURTESY — ACLU of history at Northern Illinois University, col- of last spring’s Virginia Tech shootings, were sue the Board of Visitors because lege campuses have always been a place where implemented. Bowers’s building and the rest See SHOOTINGS page 4 they claim that the board’s actions vote after that needs to be taken in the free exchange of ideas was a welcome and were a violation of Virginia’s open session,” he said. secure tradition. But after last week’s fatal Freedom of Information Act. “They had a right to meet in shootings at NIU, Bowers says these beliefs In a closed session last week, closed session … on Nichol’s job, have been shaken to the core. BOV members decided to make but they did not vote in the public, Last Thursday afternoon, Bowers and the Dean of the Marshall-Wythe and it is clear to us in that regard entire NIU community experienced tragedy School of Law Taylor Reveley that they did violate the open vote when a lone gunman opened fire on a large the interim president. Virginia law,” Willis said. lecture class in Cole Hall, law states that motions agreed to The ACLU is willing to send killing five students and in a closed session must also be out a press release or help with wounding 17 others before agreed upon in an open session in litigation based on the violation of taking his own life. order to take effect. FOIA law. Bowers, who was in his Rector of the Board of Visitors “The basic rule is in law 2.2- office when the shootings Michael Powell countered that the 3711, section B,” Staff Attorney occurred, received a call BOV had to make a decision due for FOIA Alan Gernhardt said. — niu PHOTo COURTESY from a student at 3:12 p.m. to Nichol’s early resignation. “They can do a straw poll to get Bowers ’89 After explaining that there “[Reveley] is president desig- a sense of what their general con- had been a shooting, she nate and the board will formally sensus is in closed session and asked what he thought she should do. Bowers appoint him this week,” Powell people can say, ‘Hey, I’m going to told her to remain where she was and stay safe, said. “Counsel has approved of vote this way,’ but it doesn’t take then ran down the hall to the history depart- this approach given the vacancy effect until agreed upon in open ment office, which overlooks Cole Hall. suddenly created by Mr. Nichol’s session.” “Students were fleeing … some were down unexpected resignation.” The law reads: “No resolution, on the ground bleeding, paramedics were al- The director of Virginia’s ordinance, rule, contract, regula- ready on the scene, and police officers in branch of the ACLU, Kent Willis, tion or motion adopted, passed full gear, with high-powered rifles and flak disagrees. or agreed to in a closed meeting jackets, were everywhere,” he said. “At least “[The BOV] can go into a shall become effective unless the two students were down and visible in our line COURTESY PHOTo — niu media SERVICES closed executive session to dis- of sight, just across the bridge. Even through Students at Northern Illinois University held a candlelight vigil for the five students killed in cuss personnel decisions, but any See ACLU page 3 the closed windows of a seventh floor office, I last Thursday’s shootings.