Finally, he closed the email with his official response on the vote of no confidence, and its potential impacts on the university. “A vote like this does great damage to a university. Likely effects include a further decline in enrollment, loss of reputation in the state with legislators and state agencies, a negative impact on our comprehensive campaign and, most importantly, damage to our students and their success,” he stated. “The damage cannot be unwound and will impact the future of the university for many years to come. Our nation is currently driven by a politics of fear, misinformation, and division. We should reject this kind of discourse in our university community and come together with open minds and open hearts, curious about how we can evolve our work to put students first,” his email continued. “I believe we can do better than that [spreading misinformation]. Our future depends on it.”
Desire for Real Dialogue
Erdman noted, “I haven’t talked to anyone who dislikes President Wohlpart personally. No one I know thinks he’s a bad person.”
Amason agreed with this sentiment. “I believe every person deserves another chance,” Amason said. “I don’t want to speak for 49 people. Myself, I like President Wohlpart as a person … I know that there are people who say they cannot trust President Wohlpart anymore. I’m not one of those people, but I believe people can change.” However, Amason still showed hesitation on whether Wohlpart could come to the table for a real dialogue. “I don’t know [the outcome of all this],” Amason said in an interview. “I don’t feel like I really know him. The person I thought I knew when he first came, it’s just not the person who he has become, at least in the eyes of faculty … I don’t know who he is anymore.” Lindsey shared her thoughts on the outcome of the vote and if Wohlpart could sway the votes of the petitioners. “I don’t think so,” Lindsey said. “That doesn’t mean we can’t try and continue on with mediation. We can try mediation, even as the vote is happening. We still have that option.” Lindsey continued, “I hope that the outcome is that we can figure out, as a university community, how to come together, how to come together and move forward so that we can keep together, and students can keep learning, creating.” Erdman commented on the potential vote results, “Whichever way the vote comes out, many of us hope that the outcome will be a renewed commitment by the president and the BOT to engage in real dialogue with the faculty and show a genuine respect for the shared governance processes we already have in place.”
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