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DePaulia
The
2017 Pacemaker Award Winner
Volume #103 | Issue #8 | Nov. 5, 2018 | depauliaonline.com
Faculty seek affirmation of SNL tenure rights, move to unionize By Mackenzie Murtaugh & Laycie Dressler Opinions Editor & Contributing Writer
Faculty and staff of the School of New Learning (SNL) were left in limbo after a meeting of the Council of the Whole didn’t meet a quorum to vote on issues that have arisen from the school’s impending restructuring and other issues on Friday, Oct. 26 at the Merle Reskin Theater. Members of the faculty also sought to form a faculty union if at least 30 percent of
the faculty demonstrates an interest. The council only drew 156 faculty and staff, falling short of the 230 needed to meet a quorum. Instead, it became a town hall meeting to discuss the issues with an open dialogue but no issues could be voted on. Some faculty members criticized their colleagues for not attending. The first motion was “to reaffirm tenure-line status and the Faculty Handbook for School for New Learning faculty,” according to an email sent out to all faculty. Its purpose was to ensure the university follows the rules set forth in the
Faculty Handbook when dealing with the downsizing of SNL. Last month, The DePaulia reported that the university offered buyouts to tenured faculty after the decision was made to rename and reconstruct SNL as the School of Continuing and Professional Studies in July 2019. With this reorganization comes a reconstruction of faculty that calls for either buyout offers for tenured faculty or allow them to join another school within DePaul, according to the handbook. The council claims that the Provost Marten denBoer, who has since taken
a medical leave from the university, attempted to “circumvent the requirements [of the Faculty Handbook] by not committing to allow SNL faculty to move to other units that may agree to accept SNL faculty.” The council further claims that the provost attempted to coerce SNL faculty to “forego their Faculty Handbook protections and procedures by offering a ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ voluntary buyout offer.” The final motion was a call to action for the university to address their alleged racial profiling in regards to the buyouts,
See COUNCIL, page 7
Heirman linked to convicted agent’s phone records By Shane Rene Managing Editor
What is beautiful does not last
XAVIER ORTEGA | THE DEPAULIA
Buddhist monks visited the Student Center last week to construct a mandala, a geometric sand sculpture. After painstakingly crafting the piece over five days, they swept it up and poured it into the reflection pond in the Vincentian Residence courtyard to demonstrate the impermanence of joy. The monks will return to their monastery after their yearlong tour of the U.S. and never leave again for the rest of their lives.
Story & photos, page 5
Following civil rights suit, law professor leaves DePaul By Benjamin Conboy Editor-in-Chief
Distinguished Professor of Law Terry Smith agreed to part ways with the university following an agreement with the university’s lawyers to end his civil rights lawsuit. Smith had been a professor at the College of Law [COL] since 2010. Before he left, he was one of only two tenured black male professors. The only one remaining is the law librarian. “I have no regrets. What I look back on are my achievements at DePaul,” Smith said. “I look back on my leadership of DPUBLC [DePaul University Black Leadership Coalition] and my advocacy for people of color and other marginalized groups.” “His voice and his advocacy for students of color, faculty of color and staff of color
has been very valuable at DePaul,” said Quinetta Shelby, a chemistry professor and a leader of DPUBLC. Smith said he doesn’t harbor any hard feelings toward the university. “That’s because I leave DePaul as a much better advocate, a much stronger person and a much better lawyer,” he said. Smith said his journey from poverty to being a distinguished lawyer was reason enough for him to be proud after leaving his post. Smith’s departure comes as the university is seeking to increase the diversity of the faculty, staff and students. Valerie Johnson, a political science professor and frequent critic of the university’s handling of racial matters, said there is a disconnect between DePaul’s goals and its actions. “The university indicates that it is interested in recruiting and retaining
See SMITH, page 4
PHOTO COURTESY OF DEPAUL UNIVERSITY
Terry Smith
DePaul assistant men’s basketball coach Shane Heirman was accused of paying former five-star recruit Brian Bowen II’s father to attend La Lumiere High School during testimony in the trial of sports agent Christian Dawkins and two Adidas executives last month. Now, phone records link Heirman to Dawkins, who handled Bowen II’s recruitment, after he was hired by the Blue Demons. Dawkins’ phone records show a series of calls linked to Heirman’s phone number beginning May 10, 2017, according to an Outside the Lines analysis of the convicted sports agent’s phone records. Heirman joined DePaul’s coaching staff eight days earlier. Testimony during the trial revealed that Heirman paid Brian Bowen II’s father to play for La Lumiere High School in La Porte, Indiana, before Heirman joined DePaul’s staff. Dawkins phone records now show he and Heirman were in contact after Heirman started working in Lincoln Park. “DePaul University takes seriously the high standards of conduct expected in our athletics department,” a university spokesperson said in a statement. “To date, federal prosecutors have not contacted us about the investigation into college basketball recruiting or statements included in testimony in recent weeks in federal court in the Southern District of New York. We will fully cooperate if contacted in the future by federal law enforcement, the Department of Justice or the NCAA.” The university has responded to a request for comment with identical statements every time the program or DePaul coaches were mentioned during the trial. The athletic department told The DePaulia last week that no changes
See HEIRMAN, page 26