The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 67, No. 13, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 17, 1991 Page: 1 of 4
four pages : ill. ; page 14 x 10 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
TLXAS Vu.oU.tnH
■ ^ COLLEGE LIBRARY
The Rambler
The Loyal Opposition
Volume 67, Number 13 A Student Publication oe Texas Wesleyan University, Fort Worth, Texas January 17,1991
University feeling Impact of general spending freeze
Wesleyan administration cuts faculty, staff
by Emcsl Todd
Editor
Trying to make do with
less after the enrollment decline in
the fall semester, the Texas
Wesleyan University administration
has let go of four tenure-track fac-
ulty members who did not have
tenure, and has not renewed the
conuactsof some faculty members'
tenure track one year contracts and
several faculty members’ non-ten-
ure track semester contracts.
Dr. Hailey, the Interim
President of TWU said “Its a nor-
mal adjustment based on the needs,
which are less, because of a lesser
enrollment”.
These cuts in faculty are in
addition to the reductions in staff, a
general spending freeze, ending of
the university-sponsored continu-
ing education of faculty members,
and an announced 10% across-the-
board reduction in budgets for the
next fiscal year.
Dr. Gail Young, Director
of Public Information said that the
faculty cuts were “atypical expan-
sion and constriction in line with
either increasing or decreasing en-
rollment”. Young also said that
TWUs’ action is fairly typical of
every university that she personally
had been associated with.
According to Dr. Mark
Wasicsko, Provost of TWU, con-
tracts for full-time tenure-track fac-
ulty members from the following
departments were not renewed:
education, library, music, and sci-
ence. One year non-tcnure-track
contracts for a faculty member from
the Theatre Arts Department, and a
faculty member from the Music
Department were also not renewed.
Departments that lost part-
Rambler Managing Editor fired;
Committee cites letter as reason
by Ernest Todd
Editor
Derek Dexheimer, a senior
English major, was fired from his
position as Managing Editor Dec.
24. The firing resulted from a vote
by the Student Publications Com-
mittee to recommend to then
President Dr. Jerry Bawcom the
removal of Dexheimer for disci-
plinary reasons, and made
Dexheimer one of the few Editors
or Managing Editors to be removed
from his position since the forma-
tion of the Department of Mass
Communications in 1980.
Susan Hodson, a recent
graduate of TWU and Vice Presi-
dent for Development of the Arts
Alliance of Fort Worth and Tarrant
County, spoke with Dexheimer
about the “Toast of the Town”
benefit, and thought that he worked
for the administration of TWU.
Feeling misled after giv-
ing information concerning TWUs'
donation of $2,000.00 to what she
would later discover was merely a
student on a student paper, Hodson
called to complain to Carol Pollard,
President of the Student Govern-
ment Association. Pollard recom-
mended that Hodson put her com-
plaint in writing, so that it could be
brought before the Student Publi-
cations Committee. Hodsons’
complaint was that she felt misled
that Dexheimer had not identified
himself as a reporter, but implied
that he worked for the administra-
tion of TWU.
Dexheimer denies not
identifying himself, and said “I
identified myself; she contends I
didn’t. There are two sides to this
story and they don’t coincide.”
Dexheimer continued, saying
“When I first called. I got a recep-
tionist, and I identified myself; she
then transferred me to a person who
spoke terrible English, I identified
myself, and asked for the informa-
tion and she started to look for the
information. She came back on the
line, and said that it would take too
long to find the information while
you were on the line, and she got my
name and number, and an hour,
hour and a half later Susan Hodson
calls.”
“I answered either “Ram-
bler" or“StudcntPublications,” and
she asks for me, I identified myself,
and she gave me the information.
“Later, around eight
o’clock, she called me at home,
quite upset, and said I forced her
into her giving the information.”
Dexheimer also said that the con-
versation then deterioated into an
argument of the “I did” —“you did
not", sort, and ended with Hodson
saying “I just don’t want my name
used in an article you write."
The committee directed
Dr. Michael Sewell, advisor to The
Rambler, to instruct Dexheimer to
write a letter to Hodson.
At the next meeting of the
committee, the committee, along
with its normal business, reviewed
See Dexheimer, on page 4
Dexheimers' letter that got him fired
Mrs. Hodson:
This letter is in reference to our conversations some time ago on a
contribution Texas Wesleyan made to your organization. Our
discussion omitted certain points of which you should be aware.
Despite your conviction to the otherwise, 1 did identify myself as
a student journalist employed by the Wesleyan student newspaper.
While I cannot be certain in my recollection about when I spoke
with you, there is no question in my mind that I described myself
as a reporter when I spoke to your receptionist and then one of your
colleagues, to whom I had to spell my name.
While I do not understand the fracas that has come from a request
for information available to the public, it is clear you feel you were
mislead. Your disdain for Wesleyan is equally visible. While I am
not in a position to dictate your attitudes, I ask that you reconsider
your harsh words in light of the above and that the matter be
dropped for the pursuit of better things.
Sincerely,
Derek Dexheimer
Managing Editor, the Rambler
lime faculty included: mass com-
munication, music, art, theatre,
education, physical education, so-
ciology, physical science and biol-
ogy. According to Wasicsko, the
faculty reductions were based on
the student/faculty ratio, and did
not eliminate any program.
Olheractions to reduce the
payroll of TWU included three staff
contracts reduced from 12 months
to 10 months and seven clerical,
food service and maintenance staff
positions were eliminated.
A sophomore business
major who wished to remain
anonymous said “I think it is a ter-
rible way to cut back... they should
cut back some of the administrative
assistants... there has to be a better
waytomakebudgetcuts”. Ajunior
Art major who wished to remain
anonymous said “it had to be done".
Dr. Robert Landholt, head
of the American Association of
University Professors groupat TWU
said that he believed that all AAUP
procedures had been followed con-
cerning therecentuniversity faculty
cuts.
Editorial that appeared in Star-Telegram
In response to firing by Texas Wesleyan
A.B9lQSLdU£
hired editor was merely doing his job
Texas Wesleyan University’s Student Publications Commit-
tee owes Derek Dexheimer an apology.
Firing Dexheimer from his position as managing editor ofThe
Rambler, the university’s student newspaper, was not justified by the
circumstances cited.
By asking questions about a university contribution to an arts
orgnization, the student was exhibiting the most important quality of an
aspiring journalist, scholar, attorney and good citizen: an inquiring
mind.
Although there is some disagreement about weather he prop-
erly identified himself as a journalist to everyone with whom he spoke
on the matter, the simple fact is that he was seeking public infor-
mation that any citizen had a right to seek.
Dexheimer’s dismissal was excessive punishmenL Such
overreaction cannot but have a chilling effect on the free flow of
information at the university and the community.
The ostensible cause of Dexheimer's termination was not
his inquiry but his failure to write a satisfactory letter of apology to the
Arts Council official from whom he got his information.
If his apology was “sarcastic,” that is understandable because
he really didn’t owe anybody one. But Dexheimer is due an apology
now from the Student Publications Committee.
Editorial Reprint Courtesy The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
From the Jan. 9,1991 Issue
Texas Tech to make law scholarships
Available to two Wesleyan graduates
by Ernest Todd
Editor
“They will certainly pro-
vide an opportunity and incentive
for our students to enter the legal
profession,” said Dr. Jerry Bawcon,
then president of TWU, concerning
the establishment of two full schol-
arships for graduates of TWU to the
Texas Tech University School of
Law.
“We are grateful to the
Texas Tech University School of
Law for making these scholarships
available,” said Bawcom. Both
scholarships are for fees, tuition,
and books, worth roughly $3,700
per year, and are awarded to a quali-
fied minority student and a student
with a high academic standing.
“The Texas Tech Univer-
sity School of Law has benefited
from dual connections with Texas
Wesleyan University," said W,
Frank Newton, dean of the School
of Law. “The Texas Tech Univer-
sity School of Law has benefited by
virtue of having Texas Wesleyan
graduates attend law school. These
students have done well in their
legal studies and enjoyed success
after graduation."
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 67, No. 13, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 17, 1991, newspaper, January 17, 1991; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth641766/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Wesleyan University.