WEDNESDAY | 04.23.2014 | MaceandCROWN.COM | Vol. 56, Issue 23
Old dominion university
Mace & Crown Featured Stories RIDEWALL Students design a free webbased ride-sharing services exclusively for college students.
BOSTIC DENIED TENURE,
CAMPUS CONFOUNDED
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1 ODU The Student Government Association officially launched its 1 ODU campaign, an effort to recognize diversity and instill campus unity.
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The World Must Respond Professor Dennis Darby, Ph.D., reveals new work that adds further warning to the already alarming report from the International Panel on Climate Change.
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QUEER INTERSECTIONS A panel discusses African American LGBTQ experiences in Hampton Roads.
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By:Adrienne Mayfield & Derek Page Copy Editor & Editor-in-Chief Mace & Crown A controversial decision to deny Dr. Timothy Bostic tenure, effectively ending his employment as an English professor at Old Dominion University, has left many faculty members and students disconcerted.
“The loss of Tim Bostic is a heavy blow to the English Department,” professor Manuela Mourao said. “We will be hard pressed to hire someone to replace him who will match his extraordinary energy, dedication and talents, or who will bring to the department’s Teacher Preparation Program his extensive knowledge about, and connections to, the area’s high schools.”
Formerly a teacher at Maury High School, Bostic is a renowned and respected educator and member of the Hampton Roads community. He serves as coordinator of the teacher prep program and faculty member in the masters and Ph.D. programs at ODU. He was also one of the plaintiffs in this year’s landmark marriage equality case. Some are suspicious the decision is a con-
sequence of his involvement with the federal lawsuit. “Denying his tenure cannot have anything to do with his competence nor his effectiveness,” student Gary Welliver said. “I have to believe it must be political. My opinion of the character of the university leadership has been dashed.” Provost Carol Simpson declined to comment, but noted the lawsuit was unrelated to her decision. Dean Charles Wilson of the College of Arts and Letters also declined to comment, saying tenure decisions are a personnel matter. Professors can apply for tenure after six years at the university. An applicant must be approved by department, college and university committee as well as by a department chair, dean and provost. If denied, applicants are allowed to continue working for one year and are also given the option of appealing the decision. Bostic decided not to appeal and is resigning at the semester’s end to return to public education. Faculty and adminstrators take into consideration the applicant’s research and publication record, teaching and department service. According to those who worked closely with Bostic, he excelled in each of these areas. Dr. Joyce Neff, professional writing professor and graduate program director, said she was “shocked, saddened, and angry,” when she heard the news. She was on the search committee that hired him as a specialist in English Education and was a top candidate among dozens of applicants. Neff said Bostic “has more than lived up to the department’s expectations.” (See TENURE on A1)
A CATATONIC CONVERSATION: Can Campus CanN Crime? By: David Thornton Staff Writer Mace & Crown Crime. Safety. Whenever Old Dominion University is mentioned, the conversation inevitably turns to these controversial topics. John Cann wants to make the conversation productive. Cann is not your average graduate student. The 43 year-old is the founder and CEO of Twisted Ink LTD, a design company that has been based in Norfolk for 14 years. He is the publisher of multiple local publications, including Twisted Ink
Magazine and MicroCulture magazine. He is also a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Sigma Tau, both prestigious honor societies. He boasts a 4.0 GPA throughout his academic career. He was also, until recently, a resident of Norfolk, living on 49th street. He lived there for two years while attending ODU, but the local crime situation forced him to get rid of his house and move to Portsmouth. “I never thought I would want to live in Portsmouth, but I actually feel safer there,” he said. Immediately after the murder of Paul Johnson in February, Cann contacted President Broderick about organizing a town hall meeting where the student body,
off campus residents, ODU administrators and the ODU Police Department could begin a dialog to address the safety concerns surrounding ODU. “It’s not about pointing fingers,” Cann said. “It’s about confronting the problem.” Cann is no stranger to organizing public events. For the past five years, he has co-produced the immensely successful Hampton Roads Tattoo Festival in Hampton. In his own words, his goal was to “contribute to helping create a safe learning environment.” But the responses he got from campus administrators have been less than productive. First, the president’s office referred him to Don Stansberry, the assistant vice
president of student engagement. Stansberry informed Cann that student forums on the subject were in the planning stages and that Alex Asta, the chair of the SGA safety committee, would be in contact with him in order to work with him on these events. This was on Feb. 25. After more than two weeks with no contact, Cann again attempted to engage campus administrators. This time, he was referred to Mike Debowes, the director of student conduct and academic integrity and assistant to the vice president for off-campus initiatives. This time, he was assured that an off-campus advisory meeting was being planned in order to address safety and “other issues.” Again, he was
promised an invitation to participate, and again, he responded enthusiastically. This was on March 14. After a couple more weeks without any contact, Cann became frustrated. He sent an email inquiring about the status of the meetings. He never received a reply. Following the recent incident at the District, Cann’s patience reached its limits. He sent an email to administrators asking “How many people have to get raped and murdered before this meeting happens?” There was no response.
(See CATATONIC on A2 )