Northeastern Illinois University was at the center of an embarrassing kerfuffle earlier this year when word got out that it had extended tenure to a faculty member with a PhD from a California diploma mill. At the unaccredited Pacific Western University (subsequently sold, moved, and renamed), you could complete your doctorate in a quick two years for a flat fee of $2,595.
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The Okosun incident was just one of a number of events that drove NEIU history professor Zachary Schiffman, who’d seldom been active outside his department, to initiate the senate’s extraordinary vote. Convinced that the school’s future is at stake and outraged by what he calls blatant discrepancies between the administration’s rhetoric and its actions, Schiffman asked the faculty senate—of which he’s not a member—to consider the no-confidence vote at its October 12 meeting. But faculty groups aren’t generally known for rushing into action; the proposal was discussed and set aside in two subsequent meetings. In the meantime the NEIU student government went ahead with its own resolution. As reported by the student-run Northeastern Independent newspaper, on October 26, by 11-1 with one abstention, the student senate voted no confidence on Frank while giving Hahs its thumbs up, 10-2 with one abstention.
Now the faculty senate has outdone that. With 19 of 20 senators present, 11 voted no confidence on Frank and 12 on Hahs; seven abstained on both counts, and Frank got a single vote of confidence. Since abstentions aren’t counted, the motions, Schiffman says, passed “overwhelmingly.” The only objections were procedural, he adds. Faculty senate vice chair Gregory Anderson, a physics professor, says, “My impression is that some of the people who abstained feared retribution.”
Other bones of contention include the administration’s approval of ROTC classes and, as I reported here in 2008, a policy proposal that would’ve stifled free speech on campus.
In a press release responding to the faculty senate vote, Hahs is quoted as saying that times are “very difficult” and “tensions are high” at NEIU because of the contract negotiations. “I have expressed my commitment to working together with the Faculty Senate to address our issues,” the statement continues, “and I stand by that commitment as we move forward.” As of press time, NEIU hadn’t answered further questions.
