By Sarah Gadsby

I’ve been a student writer for the Baylor Line this semester, my last semester here at Baylor. That’s right, I’m graduating in less than four weeks now, and I find myself in limbo between finishing up all my work for school and taking every opportunity to be with my friends before we disperse. I have seriously had the best time at school and have developed such amazing friendships, but I have to admit that I have been a little apprehensive regarding what the future holds for my life and also these friendships. Many of them are strong, but how many of them will really last? Does anyone really keep in touch with their friends from college?

This past weekend, I was asked to attend Fling and write a story about the bi-yearly conference for Baylor women alumni. Originally, I was just excited that I would get to go inside the Harrington House Faculty Center–sort of like how a third grader would be elated to catch a sneak peak inside the teacher’s lounge at school. And I was also interested to hear the musical talent that a group of professors, After Midnight, would be able to produce. But honestly, I attended the event thinking I was going to “fling” in and out, get the material that I needed to write my story, and go meet up with my roommates to enjoy the beautiful sunny Saturday outside. I had no idea what was in store for me. Not only did I meet some very lovely ladies with whom I could have talked forever, but I ended up staying for the entire duration of the event–way past the prime hour to be in the sun–because being there was refreshing, and I was filled with peace and clarity.

I loved observing how this event brought together multiple generations of Baylor women. I met so many mothers who had brought their daughters to the event and also many sisters who attended together. It really encouraged me to see the groups of friends that not only reunited at Fling, but have serisouly been keeping in touch for the fifty-some-odd years since they graduated. I had the opportunity to visit with some of these very lovely ladies, and to think that they were in my very shoes just thirty, forty, and fifty years ago! It was surreal to ponder that in that same amount of time, I will be in their shoes–which I noticed were much dressier than the Keds I was wearing. My hope is that it will be me and my group of friends in the next fifty years–not only more put together than college T-shirts and jeans, but having remained close to each other with the understanding of how important it is to maintain connection.

The wildest part of the weekend for me came from a simple thing that the speaker Jeanie Ball Miley shared with the ladies. She posed the main question, “What are you going to do with your one wild and precious life?” You see, I’m in a transitional stage of life on a cliff overlooking the vastness of the world before me. At times, I find myself overwhelmed at the thought of actually being launched off the cliff into the unknown. My tendency is to avoid reality, hide from it, or simply become immobilized so I don’t have to face it. But the morning of Fling, the Lord showed me a verse in Deuteronomy 30:19 that gave me hope: “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life!” To hear this same verse from Jeanie in her speech later that very same day was even more confirming to me of the opportunity I have in this stage of my life: I can dwell in my anxieties and allow that to keep me from what is ahead of me, or I can choose life and choose to move forward.

Even Baylor student Keron Jackson, who performed at the end of the event, confirmed this theme. He went from being hungry, homeless, and living in his car six years ago to becoming an incredible singer who is using his gift to bless other people. Just hearing him sing and witnessing what he has done with his musical gift even further confirmed the concept of choosing life. With his deep, resonating, operatic voice, he sang a song that brought tears to my eyes–and looking around the room of ladies, I noticed that I was not the only one. At one point, he sang, “He’s got the whole world in his hands.” What a simple reminder. Keron’s faith and testimony have brought hope to me in my time of uncertainty. I will never forget the closing words he said about his own life. “Look what the Lord had for me! And I didn’t even know I could sing. . . . When I wanted to give up on life, look what the Lord had for me!” In remembering this, I am encouraged because I know that the Lord has something huge in store for me as well. If I don’t choose to make the most of every opportunity and situation that I am in, I may miss out on something incredible that the Lord has for me. Therefore I choose life!

I left Fling with what I needed to write the story, but I also left unexpectedly, yet completely blessed. I made so many connections with such wonderful ladies, and I was seriously empowered to move forward and do something great with the life that I have been given. Thank you to all the ladies that took the time to know me this weekend. You were all blessings to my life. I’m not even sad that I didn’t make it outside in the sun on Saturday. I was compelled to stay, and I know that is exactly where I needed to be.

Sarah Gadsby is a professional writing major from League City. She will be graduating in May.

Matthew C. Cordon
Director of Legal Research, Associate Director of the Law Library, and Professor of Law
Chair, Baylor University Faculty Senate, 2007-08

Recent news stories about the denial of tenure to a high percentage of Baylor University faculty members have to some degree renewed discussion about the place and importance of tenure in university life. Questions about tenure from those outside of the academic environment are certainly understandable, for the system has few analogies outside of the academic context. Those engaged in academic life as members of a faculty, however, understand the essential purposes of having such a system, especially the need to protect academic freedom.

Universities thrive through the free exchange of ideas and in fact provide a proverbial marketplace for these ideas. A university requires diverse viewpoints to foster a culture where these ideas can be explored unreservedly. The idea of academic freedom in a university promotes this need to allow a free flow of ideas, and universities as a general principle adopt policies that guarantee, within some parameters, that faculty will enjoy academic freedom at those institutions. The academic freedom concept is almost universally accepted in the academy and encapsulated in the 1940 “Statement on Principles of Academic Freedom and Tenure,” approved by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and which has been adopted by more than 100 academic and professional organizations. It reads, in part:

Institutions of higher education are conducted for the common good and not to further the interest of either the individual teacher or the institution as a whole. The common good depends on the free search for truth and its free exposition.

Academic freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research. Freedom in research is fundamental to the advancement of truth. Academic freedom in its teaching aspect is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the teacher and of the student in freedom in learning.

The National Education Association has further explained the importance of academic freedom in the university environment:

Academic freedom also includes the rights of scholars to publish freely the results of their research, to retain the rights to their intellectual property, to participate in the governance of the institution, to advance in their profession without fear of discrimination and, when necessary, to criticize administrators, trustees, and other public officials without recrimination. College and university faculty and staff have the right to assist colleagues whose academic freedom and professional rights have been violated. Tenure, academic due process, and faculty self-governance promote stability, continuity, and a scholarly environment on campus.

Tenure itself provides a lifetime guarantee of continued employment to those who have earned the distinction. At Baylor and most other institutions, faculty members on the tenure track must prove their value during a six-year probationary period. Tenure-track faculty members are required to show excellence in the area of teaching, research, service, and collegiality. Those on the tenure track are evaluated and eventually judged by their colleagues on several different levels before their six-year records are finally reviewed by a university-wide tenure committee, which makes the final faculty recommendations for whether tenure candidates should receive tenure. These recommendations are then sent to the final decision-maker, which in the case of Baylor, is the president of the university. Where the university denies tenure to a faculty member, the results are harsh: the faculty member is given a one-year contract, after which time the faculty member is dismissed from the university.

Tenure decisions are typically reserved for the faculty to make, and even where an administrator or administrative body makes the final decision, the faculty’s judgment is given significant deference. According to the AAUP, “[the] president should, on questions of faculty status, as in other matters where the faculty has primary responsibility, concur with the faculty judgment except in rare instances and for compelling reasons which should be stated in detail.”

Once a faculty member has earned and been awarded tenure, the university cannot terminate the faculty member without cause, such as committing a crime or engaging in academic fraud. In some rare instances, a university may discharge faculty members due to financial constraints. As a general matter, it is highly unusual for a faculty member to be discharged once the university grants tenure. Tenured faculty members do not, however, continue without expectations; with regard to quality (and often quantity) of teaching and with regard to their scholarly output, tenured faculty members are continually evaluated based on their productivity. The essence of tenure is that these faculty members can continue to be productive without fear of retribution for espousing or otherwise discussing unpopular ideas.

Click here to respond to this blog: Defining Tenure

By Claire St. Amant

When I walked into Bennett Auditorium Monday evening for the Student Q&A session with Dr. Lilley, I didn’t know what to expect. For starters, I didn’t know if anyone would actually show up. And even if they did, I didn’t know if they’d come with serious questions or just curiosity about Lilley’s favorite movie. Apparently I wasn’t alone in doubting the student body. Lilley seemed pretty unprepared himself.

He opened the session with a quip about the Dr Pepper/Coke fiasco, and even gave Kappa Omega Tau a shout-out as the culprit behind the report that Baylor had struck a deal with Coca-Cola to replace DP as the official beverage. He also said he wanted to dispel the rumor that the interlocking BU was being phased out. Lilley said if there were any remaining questions, he’d be happy to answer them. I must admit he looked a bit shocked as hands flew up amongst the two hundred-plus students in attendance.

While some questions were more biting than others, students weren’t afraid to raise big issues, including concerns about student loans, parking, and tenure. I was proud to be part of such an engaged student body. I wish I could say I felt the same about my president.

He appeared taken aback when I asked about the feasibility of a student regent. Even though this issue is on the platform of every candidate for student government, Lilley asked why it was important, as though he’d never heard of it before. To make matters worse, he made a wisecrack about the risk of having a student regent get arrested. This is hardly the norm at Baylor, and for Lilley to insinuate that students are so unreliable that not even one could be above reproach is insulting.

When a sizable group of engineering students began to take their turn at the mike to address specific tenure decisions in the department, Lilley had to explain the legal issues surrounding their disclosure. He hadn’t opened the student session with ground rules about tenure as he had for the faculty. After all, why would a bunch of silly students care about tenure when there’s a faux soda controversy to address? The mood quickly became hostile in the auditorium as students defended their professors, calling several out by name and asking for answers. Lilley could only respond with variations of, “It’s against the law for me to tell you that.” But the students, like their faculty counterparts in the previous hour, weren’t satisfied with his citing of legal loopholes.

Besides tenure, the issue of the branding and the interlocking BU took center stage. It was this subject that elicited the most crowd response, including one student who cried, “You’re out of your mind!” Although he reiterated that the symbol wasn’t disappearing completely, Lilley maintained that the decision to emphasize “Baylor” over “BU” was sound, and “Marketing 101.” I know this will probably draw a lot of ire, but I agree with Lilley on this one.

Why not put our whole name out there on the national stage? Why not utilize the exposure of Division I athletics to promote Baylor in the clearest way possible–by writing our name on our helmets? Although cries of broken tradition abound, how is it untraditional to call ourselves “Baylor”? It seems to me that’s tradition boiled down to its core. As long as we don’t abandon the BU entirely, I’m OK with prioritizing our full moniker.

Despite a somewhat tumultuous atmosphere, the overriding feeling was one of appreciation for the forum. Even though students may not be pleased with the quality of Lilley’s answers, we were still glad to have the opportunity to raise them. This type of access to our president is exactly what we’ve wanted for years. Hopefully, as the number of conversations that Lilley has with a diverse group of students grows, so will his awareness of important issues.

Claire St. Amant is a professional writing major from Katy and is the current city editor of the Baylor Lariat. She will graduate in May.

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