DAVE HILL/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Chancellor
Albert Carnesale speaks with students about the
tenure process in front of Perloff Hall Wednesday afternoon.
Students are staging a hunger strike through Thursday.
By Kelly Rayburn
Daily Bruin Reporter
Meeting with fasting students on the lawn near Perloff Hall
Thursday, Chancellor Albert Carnesale called the tenure process
“too opaque” and expressed a willingness to work with
students to change that.
“I am sympathetic to the concern that the process is not
transparent,” he said. “In a general case my office is
willing to work with students.”
Many of the students Carnesale met with were in their second day
of fasting to call for tenure for geography Professor Joshua
Muldavin and for more student say in the tenure process.
“The lack of student input shows that we are not trusted,
that our views are not wanted,” said third-year environmental
studies student Gregory Hom. “That’s a funny thing for
a democratic place where voices should be heard.”
The 10 fasting students say they will not eat until sunset
today.
Carnesale made one point clear during the discussion: he was not
going to entertain questions regarding Muldavin’s tenure
case. He insisted questions about the tenure process be
generic.
“I am not going to discuss this case,” he said to
one student requesting the creation of an external review committee
to look over the process by which Muldavin was denied tenure.
“That would be like if someone called me and asked for
your grades,” he added.
Carnesale said discussing Muldavin’s case would betray the
confidentiality of the personnel involved and would involve himself
too much in the tenure process.
“The last thing I would want is for donors or legislators
or regents or students to come to me thinking they can influence
the tenure process,” he said.
Student Regent Justin Fong, who is fasting, said he understood
such concerns, but that the chancellor is in a position to take
action.
“We have put forth a very reasonable request in asking for
an external review committee,” he said. “That is well
within the realm of possibility.”
Fong had not eaten for 40 hours when Carnesale finished his
discussion with the students a little after 5 p.m.
With Carnesale’s approval, the students were granted
permission to protest and spend the night on the lawn. But the
chancellor said if people begin having serious health problems,
they will have to disperse.
“The permit is not for fasting, it’s for expressing
views,” he said.
Throughout the discussion, Carnesale repeatedly told students
that the fact they are not getting the outcome they want does not
mean no one is listening.
“It is not fair to assume that because you feel strongly
that the process did not yield the results you agreed with, that
your points of view were not considered,” he said.
But Fong said because the process is so confidential, students
have no way being guaranteed their opinions were considered.
“(Fasting) is the only way students can express
themselves,” he said.
An hour after Carnesale left, students remained resting in tents
and reading. One lightly beat a drum to the beat of music from a
boom box.
Hom said he had been tired and “a little out of it”
all day.
“I’ve never fasted this long,” Hom said.
“It really takes it out of you.”
Hom said though many are feeling the effects of fasting, morale
remains high.
“The general feeling is that this is the right thing
we’re doing,” he said. “That’s why
we’re able to keep going.”