Argo: Volume 54, Number 4

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Vol. 54 No.4 S t o c k t o n ' s Premier Newspaper Monday, October 6,1997
Stockton Community Addresses Professor's
Remarks and Tenure Policy
by Paul Zema
STAFF WRITER
The p-evious edition of The Argo ccm-tained
a letter submitted by a freshman
student which appeared in the Opinions
section. In the letter, this student
described her experience in one of her first
classes here at Stockton. Instead of a pos-itive
first class, however, this student and
others heard racially discriminatory
remarks made by the professor.
The Stockton community was con-cerned
and full of questions about what
would happen next, and how the adminis-tration
was dealing with the problem.
These questions were answered at a panel
discussion held by the Unified Black
Students Society last Monday. The panel
was made up of people from off-campus,
professors, and students.
The first to speak was Reverend James
Washington. He told the student audience,
"Do not let what other people say define
you. Do not forget your hq)es, your
dreams, and why your parents sent you
here. Do not let the opinions of others
hold you down."
Brian Levin, Associate ProfessOT of
Criminal Justice, stated that, "No student
should feel that any doors are closed to
them." He stressed the importance of stu-dents
following up on this issue. Professor
Levin told the students not to let anger
control them, but channel it towards being
active in the college community.
Professor Sonia GcMisalves explained
the effect of tenure in this situation to the
audience. She stated that no large sanc-tions
can be imposed against this profes-sor.
She also said that, "a reprimand and
sensitivity training can be requested, but
this cannot be forced upon the faculty
member." Professor Gonsalvez cauticmed
students about the effect expectations can
have on their performance in class. She
said that average students who are told that
they are gifted will often perfcmn better.
She warned that these types of expecta-tions
work in reverse: students who are
told that they will do poorly, as in this
case, are likely to have problems. She
warned students who may find themselves
in this situation to watch the grade book
and be sure that they receive the profes-sor's
attention and fair treattnent.
The three students on the panel, Wayne
Sloan, Afiya Kai Crawford, and Naimah
Myhand, all stressed the importance of not
letting a professor get away with making
racially discriminatory statements simply
because the professor has tenure. They
also advised their fellow students not to let
negativity keep them down.
After the members of the panel spoke.
Dr. Harvey Kesselman, Vice President of
Student Support and Educational Services,
addressed the audience on behalf of the
adminisuration. He stated that, "This
opening to the year has not been a proud
moment in Stockton's history. It is unac-ceptable
for any student to experience
Davis Launches Urban Initiative
by Brian Nelson
STAFF WRITER
Arthur A. Davis, Director of
Administrative Services at Stockton and
Chairman of the Chamber's President
Council, has launched a program spon-sored
by the Chamber of Commerce of
Southem New Jersey to gain new mem-bers
from the ranks of minority business
and create jobs for people in the area.
The program, called the Urban
Initiative, is the brainchild of Davis. It is
the Council's most recent program devel-oped
to increase membership. According
to the Minority Business Journal, Davis
says there is a great need {(x coordination
of such an effort, "in the next three to five
years, the area's economic development
will explode because of the expansion of
the area's gaming industry and the
Camden port area."
The Urban Initiative is currently
working with three companies in
Camden. One of these companies is
Lightcom, the first black telecommunica-ticms
company ùi the New Jersey area.
Davis has received a commitment from
Lightcom to produce 100 jobs
far the area's residents.
Davis also has a short term goal
of recruiting 30 mincarity and
small businesses as Chamber
members. According to the
Minority Business Journal,
Davis said, "the project is
important because there has
never been this focus on diversi-ty,
and on minority business
enterprise." Activities like this
is one of the reason that the
Chamber of Commerce of
Southeam New was ranked num-ber
one in the July 14 issue of
Business News' Top 50
Chambers of Commerce,
according to Davis.
this." He told the audience that the admin-istration
has addressed the problem, giving
the professor a fair and due JMXKCSS. The
results of the administration's investiga-tion
into the discriminatory remarks made
by this professOT were that the professor
issued a letter of apology and he also apol-ogized
to the class. Dr. Kesselman went
on to say that, "This does not make it
alright, but hopefully it makes it a little
better."
When the meeting was open for dis-cussion
and questions from the audience,
many students expressed disafi^intment
in the results of the administration's inves-tigation.
Many thought that the penalty
imposed upon the professor should have
been greater, but as stated earlier in the
panel discussion, heavier penalties would
be impossible because the professor is pro-tected
by tenure. The students of the audi-ence
also echoed the members of the panel
by speaking about not letting the opinions
of one person ruin their college careers.
INSIDE
FYI 5
A&E 9
Opinions 12
Classified 13
Comics 14
Sports 15-16