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Thursday, March 23, 2017
A student voice of Saint Louis University since 1921
Vol. XCVI No. 19
University-wide layoffs SGA Oath of Inclusion leave staff dismayed suspended
By KRISTINA DEYONG Staff Writer
floor. This idea is at the core of the changes that have been The SGA recently passed pushed in recent weeks. a resolution that suspended “Because the Oath of the use of the Oath of IncluInclusion was an initiative sion by nonstarted by students at students for SLU, claimstudents, Because the Oath ing that many memof Inclusion was an several debers of Seninitiative started partments ate and their were using by students for constituents the Oath in students, many find it troupromotional bling that members of materials to the Oath is Senate and their deceive miused by deconstituents find nority stupartments to it troubling that dents. solely gain “I hear the Oath is used greater repover and resentation by departments to over that first of minorsolely gain greater year black ity students representation of students on campus,” minority students feel like they wrote SGA were tricked on campus. President and lied to. I Kevin Lynch, SGA President Kevin Lynch feel like SLU in his most tried to write recent upa check for date. inclusion and it bounced; Since the decision passed, there is a gap between what comment threads have been we say we are and what we actually are,” said Senator See “Oath” on Page 2 Noelle Janak on the senate By JUSTIN SEATON Staff Writer
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Emma Carmody / The University News
PESTELLO: Before break, staff, faculty and students had an open discussion forum. there was a number, and we knew there would be layoffs, but we were not told what that number was or how the decisions were being made to reach that goal.” She said that this caused an unpleasant work environment as people worried, discussed layoffs and looked for new jobs.
“That kind of thing really colors the way you feel coming into work,” she said. “We sat in that kind of work environment for several months.” Rubén Rosario, associate professor of theology, expressed a similar frustration with transparency in his department. “They act like we can’t question the funding,”
Rosario told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “We’re only seeing what they allow us to see.” Students were less prepared for the upcoming layoffs. “My boss [Dr. Alex Wulff ] sent us an email See “Layoffs” on Page 2
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On March 7, just a few days before spring break, President Fred Pestello sent out an email calling students’ attention to an issue that had been on staff members’ minds for months: the 120 layoffs made in order to combat SLU’s current $16 million deficit. As a result of this deficit, consulting company Bain & Co. was hired last year to help identify points of financial waste and to provide possible solutions to these problem areas. In short, their suggested budget cuts were too large to be met without layoffs. Staff members had known for months that the layoffs were going to take place. According to one staff member who wished to remain anonymous, her department was notified in January. They were told that there was a “magic number” that had to be met and that this number was large enough to necessitate layoffs. “The truth is, they were both communicative and not communicative,” the staff member said. “We knew
SLU medical school on life support Accreditation despite probation On March 14, Saint Louis University Medical School accepted a status ruled by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education — LCME for short — which established the medical educational program noncompliant with six of the twelve standards, thereby placing it under a probationary period. The LCME survey team conducted a visit for full accreditation in early October of 2016, concluding deficiencies strictly involving that of documentation, missed opportunities for a self-directed learning environment, curricular management discrepancies, and an abridgement of central oversight; because the educational shortcomings related solely to curricular content and not to that of patient care or physician medical practice,
the medical school remains fully accredited. “We are fully accredited from the standpoint that all students have the same right as any other student in a different medical school to
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All our students and any future students we enroll will continue to exhibit the same rights during this probational period.
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By MEREDYTH STAUNCH Associate News Editor
Dr. Kevin Burns, Dean of SLU school of Medicine
sit on a national board and enter the National Resident Matching Program,” Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean of SLU School of Medicine Kevin Behrns, M.D., said. “All our students
and any future students we enroll will continue to exhibit the same rights during this probational period, but there are areas we need to fix to strengthen our educational program —there are certainly things we could improve upon.” Of the required remediation that is necessary for the medical school to retain its accreditation status, it must comply with the missed standards following a 24-month span before it is reevaluated. These missed guidelines specifically include, but are not limited to, the mentioned: mission, planning, organization and integrity; academic and learning environments; competencies, curricular objectives and curricular design; curricular management, evaluation and enhancement; teaching, See “Probation” on Page 3
Courtesy of SLU
ACCREDITATION: SLU med is on probation for 24 months beginning in March.
INSIDE SCOOP: Women’s Basketball advances to National Invitation Tournament
A tribute to St. Louis icon Chuck Berry Page 5
ARTS
Trump’s budget cuts to have longterm ramifications Page 9
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