The University of Southern California's Senate on Wednesday passed a resolution to censure University President Carol Folt. It came after weeks of turmoil in which the administration canceled the valedictorian of Muslim students, cleared a protest encampment within hours and called in police to make arrests last month. Dozens of protesters.
The Academic Senate, made up mostly of faculty, also supported calls for an investigation into the administration's actions. The resolution, which passed by a wide margin after a several-hour meeting Wednesday afternoon, expressed “widespread dissatisfaction and concern among the faculty” over the decision-making of Dr. Folt and also-accused Chancellor Andrew T. Guzman. ” was cited as the reason.
Only a fraction of the university's 4,700 faculty members took part in the vote, and the Senate adjourned without voting on a motion of no confidence against administrators, which would have resulted in a harsher reprimand. It was supposed to be. Despite her criticism, Dr. Folt maintains significant support from the university's trustees, and some faculty secretly sympathize with her.
Still, William G. Tierney, a professor emeritus of higher education at the University of Southern California who has written about responses to protests on campuses across the country, said the vote was “important with far-reaching implications.”
Dr. Tierney, a former Senate president who criticized Dr. Folt's handling of the protests and approved the vote, said, “The petitions from faculty were thoughtful and the discussions were serious.” “No faculty member wants to reprimand the provost or provost. But this was to be expected.”
Christina Dunbar Hester, acting president of the American Association of University Professors chapter, who observed the meeting, said faculty were particularly frustrated by the lack of communication from administrators and the swift investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. She called on protesters not to be violent.
“The administration continues to rely on ‘safety’ without consulting or sharing their thoughts with the Senate or broader faculty,” she said. “While we do not necessarily doubt that there were safety concerns, this series of decisions harms and endangers members of the campus community, while at the same time ensuring that those threats function against those who threaten the campus.” Some people wonder if that message was being sent.”
Recent turmoil has once again put the South Los Angeles university in the spotlight.
Dr. Folt's hiring in 2019 was hailed as a fresh start of sorts following a series of highly publicized missteps, including his central role in the Varsity Blues admissions scandal.The past few years have been largely quiet for the University of Southern California.
Multiple university officials said last week that many members of the faculty and board understood the difficulties Dr. Folt faced in dealing with the protests. And many in the broader community say the USC experience has been relatively calm compared to the violence that rocked the UCLA campus as pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators recently clashed. It pointed out.
But many parents and students were heartbroken that the school's main graduation ceremony had been canceled and angered by the heavy security that accompanied the remaining ceremonies this week.
On Wednesday night, Dr. Folt said in a statement that she would continue to work with faculty and that she and Dr. Guzman welcomed their involvement in the task force created to investigate decisions made by administrators.
“We understand that there are differing views among members of the Trojan community regarding our recent decisions,” she said. “I am committed to working with the Academic Senate and the broader faculty who were not present at today’s meeting.”
Dr. Folt then noted that graduation ceremonies have been scaled back due to heavy security and the absence of celebrity speakers, saying, “Right now, our focus is on celebrating the University of Southern California's 19,000 graduates of the Class of 2024. There are certain things.”
Jonathan Wolf Contributed report from Los Angeles.