Dear Colleagues,

As the elected representative of the Communication Design Dept. to KU APSCUF, I was surprised and saddened by Dr. Gambone’s Wednesday announcement. When a CD prof asked for details I admitted I was in the dark. She said a union that harps on failures of transparency in governance should have at least informed department reps on a topic of this magnitude.

Meanwhile, the press was alerted; an elaborate No Confidence in Cevallos blog was rolled out and a No Confidence Facebook page launched. I have since spoken with other department reps. Like me, most do not recall any discussion of a no confidence vote at ASPCUF meetings this year. One rep said it was mentioned in a larger discussion. If so, it certainly was not a substantive discussion, as I take notes to share with my dept.

Kevin Mahoney, via email, tells me things might have been different if it had not snowed Dec. 13. He says this action would have been discussed at that cancelled APSCUF meeting. It is not, however, on the printed agenda. If this concept had been brought up, I believe someone might have tried to convince the authors, at the very least, to make it less personal and reword it as a vote of “No Confidence in KU’s Administration.” True, Dr. Cevallos would have been alerted to the impending attack and had a chance to change his schedule. I suspect the APSCUF Exec Board deliberately avoided any discussion with reps who might not share their zeal, in a strategic move to shock and awe the campus.

Like everyone else, I have my own personal frustrations with this administration (as I did with the one before it.) I am teaching in the Academic Forum next fall. I am heartbroken that my big, beautiful office it took me 14 years to reach will be bulldozed at the end of this semester. But, I remind myself, it is not just an adventure, it is a job. And teaching at Kutztown University has opened many rewarding opportunities for me far beyond our campus. I work with very talented, committed students. I am also thankful one of my own children attended KU during these Cevallos years. Though he transferred to Pitt, Daniel still holds his academic experience here in high regard.

The news media has made much of the union’s complaint that KU fell from the third to fourth tier in U.S. News & World Report’s 2007 ranking. These rankings mean absolutely nothing. We in Communication Design had a substantial increase in applicants this year. Over 350 students applied for 60 or so freshman seats in our program. I hope all our hard work recruiting these applicants is not jeopardized by this negative publicity.

More important than any magazine ranking is the opinion of KU around Pennsylvania’s dinner tables. Our reputation in the eyes of art teachers, guidance counselors, parents and students is what matters most. The KU APSCUF Exec Board will never get this no confidence genie back in the bottle. Already there is a string of inflammatory commentary on the Morning Call site. For example, a self-described Kutztown resident and KU alum is posting racist remarks about President Cevallos’s accent. Another disgruntled PA citizen has taken the time to repeatedly list names and salaries of those few faculty who earn over $100,000 annually. We are being smeared in the arena of public opinion.

Dr. Cevallos has made some mistakes, the ELC closing plan looms large among them. I would say he has also had some great successes, notably the Residential Honors Program and the tremendous expansion of merit-based scholarships. In my opinion, his handling of the anti-abortion protestors was pitch perfect. I believe many of the things he is being condemned for, such the Academic Forum, and the willy-nilly growth of KU, are either inherited projects or Harrisburg initiated plans. We haven’t got a viable Gen Ed model? From my perspective as a member of the Gen Ed Restructuring Committee, APSCUF shares the blame for that melt-down.

Some say town-gown relations are at an all time low, but I recall when a large part of Kutztown was absolutely infuriated by KU student behavior in the annual Halloween parade. While some in the borough disdain him, I know others hold Dr. Cevallos in the highest regard. I live here and see him getting his haircut on Main St. His kids go to Kutztown’s public schools. He is a member of a local church; he joined the Kutztown Rotary. In short, he seems more committed to this town than many of us.

Dr. Cevallos is being unfairly blamed for violent events that could happen at any school. The KU Code of Conduct is a pathetic document if it allows a football player to graduate smiling with his class just because the jaw he broke was not another student’s jaw. That is plain sick. But this document was codified in a previous administration. We faculty who have served on ASPCUF or the Senate, all share the shame and responsibility for it. We should repeal this code immediately, and find the best most effective code of conduct in use in SSHE or beyond, and adopt that.

In conclusion, forgive my arrogance, but I find this whole no confidence thing repugnant. It is like the political trick of asking, “Senator, when did you stop beating you wife?” A lose-lose situation, it creates a long-lasting negative impression of Kutztown University, no matter what the outcome. KU APSCUF may have a great new generation of leaders, but I decline to be led on a forced march. I’ve read just about everything on the Anti-Cevallos blog. If there is a vote, I expect to vote that I honestly do have confidence in Dr. Cevallos.

If it comes to a vote, I would suggest a second question appear on the ballot: Do you believe the union is doing the right thing?

Sincerely,

Kevin McCloskey