Meeting with students and faculty regarding tenure and non-retention, 2nd session

[00:00:00] Beginning of conversation between Robert Kennedy, Clyde Fisher, Dean Ericson, Fred Rizzo, Ralph Vrana, and a few other faculty members [00:01:15] Vrana says he will accept the terms of the public discussion of his case [00:01:58] Vrana asks if he can ask a question about which texts an instructor can require for their class [00:03:00] Kennedy says that faculty teaching the same course have an obligation to work together and agree which texts they are going to use for the class to cover the agreed upon requirements [00:05:15] Kennedy explains the unfair financial obligation for students when instructors use additional books in their class [00:06:40] Rizzo says he feels that he is being censored being forced to use only specific texts [00:07:30] Kennedy says he can prove there are no contradiction in his position [00:08:33] Kennedy explains sometimes the faculty have not agreed on a specific text to use in a course [00:09:20] Kennedy says he can understand Rizzo's position as an English instructor, but the situation is not the same in other fields such as math or science [00:10:56] Rizzo disagrees with Kennedy and says that little difference would be made in math and science classes if they used different texts [00:12:36] Kennedy says he is not in a position to evaluate the quality of text that every instructor uses, but the other faculty members in that field are [00:13:38] Vrana asks how much influence Kennedy has on what is put in the Mustang Daily newspaper [00:14:40] Kennedy says he opposed a trustee committee that tried to put restrictions on what political matters could go into college newspapers [00:16:25] Kennedy says he defended the freedom of press of a student publication, yet the Mustang Daily did not write about the story [00:16:55] Vrana asks if Kennedy or any other administration faculty have conferences with the editors of the Mustang Daily [00:18:36] Vrana asks about an instructor who does not have a Ph.D, or a degree in English, yet Kennedy overruled the chairman and dean giving him tenure [00:21:10] Vrana says that this instructor did not have to pursue further degrees to be granted tenure [00:22:20] Kennedy says they should try to avoid bringing in other cases [00:23:03] Kennedy does not want to violate the confidence of other personnel cases [00:25:10] Vrana pushes the argument that he has not been released because he does not have a doctorate [00:27:18] Kennedy says he had recommendations all the way to grant tenure [00:27:56] Kennedy asks Vrana to tell him his academic background about his degrees [00:29:44] Kennedy says he wants Vrana back on the Cal Poly faculty [00:30:15] Vrana says the total sum of all of his course work is equivalent to just under two doctorates [00:32:30] Kennedy says his greatest concern and motivation for his actions is the need to importance of accreditation for the department [00:35:28] Kennedy says the institution has never required instructors to publish work in order to keep their jobs [00:37:14] Kennedy says he has offered Vrana reemployment without change in rank or salary within three years [00:39:48] Someone asks what the difference between the Vrana case and the other instructor's case [00:41:15] Fisher explains why he made his recommendation against tenure in Vrana's case [00:43:30] Fisher says the primary reason for Vrana's employment has disappeared [00:46:24] cut between side A and side B of tape [00:48:53] Vrana says there is supposed to be a broadening of courses fit to his skill set, contra what Fisher said [00:49:53] Fisher says there are already tenured members of the physics department that have Vrana's skills so it does not make sense to add another tenured member [00:50:43] Fisher says there is no evidence of what Vrana says regarding an interdisciplinary major [00:52:30] someone says that they and Kennedy need to leave to other appointments