Faculty committee issues
statement on procedure
The special faculty
committee that studied the
Stephen L. Rozman case has
issued a 7-page statement that
both criticizes the Regents'
firing of Rozman and offers
suggestions for avoiding such
an affair in the future.
"We are not attempting to
challenge the integrity of the
Board or of the Administra
tion," the statement read. "We
are, rather, attempting to
demonstrate the need for
defining procedures by
detailing the breakdown of
procedures currently used."
Written especially for the
Faculty Senate Liaison
Committee, the document is
signed by chemistry professor
Henry Holtzclaw, chairman of
the fact-finding committee,
and the four other professors
who helped investigate the
case. ....
As a fact-finding
committee, we felt it our
responsibility to separate facts
from impressions, and to base
our conclusions upon the
facts," the statement read. "We
did so."
The Holtzclaw report was
sent to the Regents on Feb. 2
and on Feb. 5 the committee
discussed the report with the
Board. The next day the
Regents fired Rozman, "a
decision incompatible with the
facts as we found them" the
statement said.
The committee was limited
in its consideration to
determination of facts, the
statement pointed out.
Conclusions were reserved for
board consideration since this
involved fac ors not under
consideration by the
committee.
Rozman's boss:
'No problem' with teaching
"We found no reason why
he should not be reappointed
on the basis of scholarship and
teaching performance."
The speaker was Carroll R.
McKibbin, chairman of the
political science department
and Stephen L. Rozman's
immediate superior. McKibbin
stated his professional support
for Rozman in testimony
before the Holtzclaw
Committee, the group of
faculty members who
investigated the Rozman case.
"I, personally, as chairman
of the department, I find him
quite easy to work with. When
Teachers' union
censures Regents
A teachers" union at the
University of Nebraska at
Omaha has joined the
pro-Rozman ranks, labeling the
Regents' action an attack upon
academic freedom.
Eugene Freund, president of
the local American Federation
of Teachers at UNO, issued a
statement on Wednesday
censuring the Regents' decision
to fire Stephen Rozman.
Freund said, "We deplore
the action of the Regents in
terminating Prof. Rozman's
appointment. Their decision to
nullify the faculty report is a
clear attack upon academic
freed on".
"We stand firmly in support
of our colleagues at Lincoln in
their attempt to achieve justice
for Prof. Rozman and to
protect the academic freedom
of the institution," he
concluded.
"It is improper, we feel, to
appoint any committee to
investigate one aspect of a
situation when decisions will,
in reality, be based on factors
not under consideration by the
committee. Such an
appointment merely wastes the
time of all concerned," the
Holtzclaw statement read.
In another criticism, the
statement disputed contentions
that Rozman chastised a
statement made by President
Joseph Soshnik during the
ROTC Building occupation last
May.
"We found no support for
this allegation despite the fact
that - we repeatedly and
pointedly asked the question of
witnesses who were in a
position to have heard if Dr.
Rozman had in fact made such
a statement to members of the
group in the pit. We can only
assume tbit the Board had
access to substantial testimony
not presented to the
committee. The difficulty and
the solution here seem patently
obvious."
Accuracy in communication
is imperative concerning
important matters, the
statement said. If the various
groups that comprise this
University community are to
cooperative effectively, they
must not only be honest with
each other, they must appear
honest.
To prevent such situations
in the future, the Holtzclaw
group urges the Liaison
Committee to consider a
number of courses of action:
-to ascertain precisely those
areas in which the faculty will
have not only an active role,
but also a voice, in decision
1 ask him to change courses or
to take a few more students or
ta.ch at a different time of the
day or tell him he probably
isn't going to get a very big pay
increase or something he says,
'Just fine, no problem.' He's
very easy to worK with, a very
low level of self interest,"
McKibbin testified.
McKibbin also said student
evaluations of Rozman's
courses put the now-dismissed
assistant professor near the top
in the department.
"We did review his
professional performance, as
we would anybody else, in
November," the testimony
read. Because of that excellent
rating, and other evidence, the
faculty of the department
recommended unanimously to
rehire Rozman for the next
academic year.
The evaluation was designed
by the political science
department for
inter-departmental use only.
Figures revealed that in each of
his three classes, over 80 per
cent of the students rated
Rozman outstanding or good.
In his largest class, 54 per cent
rated him outstanding.
Rozman has a strong
rapport with students and many
of them feel he represents their
interests, McKibbin told the
Holtzclaw Committee.
"1 think that is useful, and
Steve has an identity with
some students that you don't
find very many faculty
members that they feel that
they can identify with. . .he
appeals to students that
otherwise might not have any,
or few links with the faculty,
so in that connection I think
making;
-to clarify the meaning of
"uncooperative" and
"inappropriate behavior"
during negotiating sessions, and
to cooperate with the
administration in formulating a
procedure by which a faculty
member may, when possible
ajid necessary, be clearly
notified that his actions are
becoming "uncooperative" or
"highly inappropriate" before
they are so judged;
The Holtzclaw committee
also recommended that the
University work to establish
procedures to guarantee due
process to faculty members,
especially untenured teachers,
whose positions at NU are in
jeopardy.
More specifically the
committee suggested that
provisions for retaining an
attorney who can impartially
investigate cases and present
his findings be made.
And the Holtzclaw group
suggested formation of a
committee composed of
representatives of the Regents,
the Administration, faculty
and students. It would have
authority, if it deemed such
necessary, to conduct a further
investigation, including the
right to hold hearings in a
manner consistent with
recongnized and accepted legal
procedures. Recommendations
of such a group would be
binding.
"We feel that such a
procedure would eliminate
much of the embarassment and
misunderstanding generated by
the necessary, delay and
clumsiness of present
methods," the Holtzclaw group
said.
that perhaps he is of some
value to the University."
McKibbin was asked if
Rozman used the classroom for
proselyting. He said he had
heard of no specific instances
but, when the subject of
Vietnam is discussed, students
thoughts are pretty strong and
"from what I can gather it
doesn't interfere in the
classroom."
Regarding Rozman's
academic ability, the final
report to the Board of Regents
from the Holtzclaw Committee
said: "He is seen by his
colleagues as professionally
competent, and by his students
as a fair and dedicated
teacher."
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Special
A speciil faculty meeting, called by the Faculty Senate
Liaison Committee, will be Monday at 3:30 p.m. at Kimball
Recital Hall.
"The meeting is for the purpose of consideration of the
Regents' actions in the Rozman case and any resolution,
pertinent thereto, which may be offered at that time,"
according to Wallace C. Peterson, professor and chairman of
the department of economics who issued the meeting call.
Norman J. Rosenberg, professor of horticulture and
forestry, has returned from an out-of- town trip and, in his
capacity as chairman of the Liaison Comittee, will preside over
the Monday afternoon meeting.
President Joseph Soshnik wDl attend the meeting and
answer questions regarding the issue, Peterson said.
In order for more faculty members to have the opportunity
to attend the special meeting, the Faculty Bowling League has
canceled its Monday afternoon meeting, according to a
spokesman for the group.
YAF circulates petitions
supporting Regents 9 action
The Young Americans for
Freedom, a conservative
student organization on
campus, has begun a petition
drive to show support for the
action taken by the Board of
Regents in not rehiring
Stephen L. Rozman, assistant
professor of political science.
"The actual purpose of the
petition is to clearly show the
Regents, Legislature and
people of Nebraska that the
majority of University students
are attending college to obtain
an education and not merely to
participate in a seemingly
endless round of sit-ins, fasts
and abortive strikes,"
commented Terrell R. Cannon,
"The petition is also meant
SPIRIT
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for
HAMBURGER, FRIES & COKE
Feb. 15-20
TERHATIOiJAL
HOUSE OF PANCAKES
What a
beautiful
way to
betaken
out of
circulation!
Serving Lincoln Simee 190S
112f "V STRUT
WISTERED JEWIURS AMWCAN OEM KOtTT
meeting
to show those semi-professional
activists seeking a repetition
of the tragic strike of last
spring that the majority of
students is simply not on their
side," Cannon, a University
student, said.
The petition reads: "We, the
undersigned members of the
University community,
strongly affirm our support of
the decision of the Board of
Regents not to rehire Dr.
Stephen Rozman.
Petitions will be available at
the YAF booth in the Nebraska
Union during the coming week.
They also will be circulated
through the living units by
YAF members, Cannon said.
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1
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1971
THE DAILY NE3RASKAN
PAGE 3
