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USC Faculty Censured Their President, UCLA Faculty Might Too. What Does That Mean?
Carol Folt speaks after being named as University of Southern California's 12th president at the Town & Gown of USC building on Wednesday, March 20, 2019.
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Damian Dovarganes
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AP
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Southern California university administrators are now at the center of the turmoil over campus encampments that went up over the Israel-Hamas war.
USC’s faculty senate issued a censure resolution on Wednesday against university president Carol Folt and provost Andrew T. Guzman.
UCLA faculty will vote Friday afternoon on whether to censure Chancellor Gene Block, and will conduct a vote of no confidence.
USC has been in the national spotlight since the provost's decision last month to cancel the valedictorian's traditional commencement address over alleged safety concerns. That student, Asna Tabassum, had come under criticism by pro-Israel student and outside groups for her social media activity; her Instagram bio linked to a slideshow critical of Zionism.
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In the weeks since that decision, the university canceled its main commencement ceremony altogether and has faced off with numerous student encampments now seen at universities throughout the country. Many students have been arrested or suspended.
Faculty have been critical of Folt and Guzman's ability to respond to these events, culminating, for now, in the censure resolution on Wednesday.
UCLA has also been under scrutiny for its handling of campus protesters and encampments, with many faculty condemning Block's ability to rise to the occasion.
What is a censure?
A statement of strong disagreement.
In its resolution, the USC Academic Senate wrote that faculty are dissatisfied with how top administrators decided to withdraw a valedictorian’s speech, cancel commencement ceremonies, and the treatment of student protesters and faculty.
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WAIT, REAL QUICK: WHAT IS A PROVOST?
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The provost is a college or university’s chief academic officer, the administrator that sets priorities for teaching and learning. The provost can oversee budgets for hiring faculty in one school or department over another. The job has been typically held by a professor on campus who may return to their teaching if they leave the provost job.
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There’s a tension: Does the provost represent faculty interests to the college or university president or does the provost push the president’s priorities for faculty to follow? Some campus presidents look for provosts who will carry out their priorities, such as hiring more part-time faculty over more expensive full-time professors.
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Source: Adrianna Kezar, Professor of Higher Education at USC
“I understand there are many different viewpoints among members of the Trojan Community regarding our recent decisions," Folt said in a statement to LAist.
While Folt didn’t respond directly to the censure motion, she said she’s committed to working with the senate and other faculty through a task force recommended by the academic senate.
What is a vote of 'no confidence'?
Six years ago, USC faculty issued a vote of no confidence against then-president Max Nikias after several scandals rocked the campus. What’s the difference?
A vote of no confidence is basically asking the president to resign. That’s not the case here at USC. The resolution calls for a task force to investigate top administrators' decisions, and faculty say that will lead to transparency
A vote of no confidence is still an option.
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"I hope the administration realizes ... it really depends on what they do next," said Devin Griffiths, an associate professor of English and comparative literature at USC. He is not a member of the academic senate, but he helped start the petition that led to the censure resolution, and attended the Wednesday meeting.
"[The academic senate] need to explain to faculty what a vote of no confidence would mean," Griffiths said.
But the bottom line: faculty are upset that top administrators haven’t shared decision-making with faculty or talked to student protestors and faculty to understand the various reasons they’re upset about the encampment and commencement.
How damaging is this action?
There are no real teeth to censure. USC trustees hire and fire the president. It’s unclear whether trustees have lost confidence in Folt.
It took much bigger problems and a no confidence vote for Nikias to step down.
What's happening at UCLA?
An online petition said to be started by UCLA faculty and staff is asking UCLA Chancellor Gene Block to resign over the police clearing of protestor camps. Block had already announced he’s stepping down this summer.
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On Friday, UCLA faculty announced they'd be considering a vote of censure and a vote of no-confidence.
UCLA did not reply to a request for comment.
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