In a recent letter to the Crimson White, I voiced the community’s collective anger at the involvement of several fraternity and sorority houses in altering the outcome of the recent Tuscaloosa Board of Education election. I ended that letter with a call for a response from our president at The University of Alabama.
While Dr. Bonner’s silence would not be surprising to some, it would speak volumes to the parents and faculty affected by this shocking abuse of the greek system’s power. But we do not have only her silence to go on. It is public record and now widely known that Dr. Bonner made a sizable donation to the campaign that helped bankroll this sorry little episode.
So while she’s following the media fallout, she can think about this. That maybe (just maybe!), University presidents should remain above the fray of local politics and give their money to a charity instead (that goes for chancellors too). If that doesn’t resonate, perhaps this will: every parent (and prospective parent) considering a move to this campus agonizes over the potentially negative consequences for their children’s education.
When Cason Kirby stepped on this battlefield (dirty tricks and all), he unwittingly detonated a landmine of discontent. No issue could be closer to home or generate such strong feelings among faculty with children. Small wonder that the greek system’s shameful involvement in Kirby’s unethical campaign has generated such a howl of protest.
If my point is still lost, I hope this will hit home. Despite all the cheerleading and backslapping, The University of Alabama still does not appear in a widely-used ranking system of the world’s top 500 universities (yes, Auburn is on the list, as are many of our neighboring institutions we flatter ourselves by considering as peers).
Do Dr. Witt and Dr. Bonner really think we can change this situation with faculty who are impressed by our greek system’s idea of democracy and respect for the rule of law? I hope not. Does the national media coverage of this election help our future chances of attracting the new faculty needed to raise the University’s status? I sincerely doubt it.
And what effect does it have on our students’ and bright young faculty’s morale when they see that the University’s leaders are actually complicit in this mess, and by doing nothing give it their tacit approval? A devastating one, I would guess. The faculty will not stand by. This regrettable new chapter in the University’s history requires immediate action.
Jon Benstead is an associate professor in the University of Alabama department of biological sciences.
