History department chair resigns suddenly

  Brenda Stevenson

By Jenny Blake
Daily Bruin Contributor

The history department is in disarray after the chair
unexpectedly resigned at Friday’s departmental meeting.

History department chair Brenda Stevenson excused herself
mid-meeting after a faculty discussion, graduate students said.

A minute later, just as graduate students began to discuss
issues raised in a letter of concern submitted to top
administrators last week, dean of social sciences Scott Waugh
announced Stevenson’s resignation and then dismissed the
meeting.

Waugh notified those present that he will assume temporary chair
responsibilities until a new chair is selected.

“This is a temporary decision,” Waugh said.
“It’s difficult to say exactly when we will get things
ironed out.”

Stevenson was not available for comment, but according to
university spokesman Harlan Lebo, she is reconsidering her position
and has not decided what to do.

“Dean Waugh fully supports her and hopes that (Stevenson)
does not resign,” Lebo said. “He is prepared to work
through this issue with her.”

According to graduate student Megan Barnhart, there had been
some “acrimonious exchanges” prior to Stevenson’s
departure, but the discussion seemed to be progressing.

Four graduate students were invited to Friday’s
departmental meeting to discuss issues raised in a letter, signed
by 109 graduate students, submitted to Stevenson and top
administrators.

The letter addressed graduate student concerns regarding the
“hostile and distrustful atmosphere” of the department,
reduced teaching assistant resources and the recent resignation of
graduate student advisor Shela Patel.

“The relationship between graduate students and the
department administration has deteriorated significantly since the
summer of 2001 when the department set upon a course of
“˜professionalism,'” the letter states. “The
zeal with which the department management has pursued this course
has brought it into serious conflict with the graduate student
body.”

Stevenson issued a response immediately following her receipt of
the letter.

“I am quite saddened by the obvious sense of alienation
and ill treatment that our graduate students feel,” she
stated.

“I want to have a departmental environment in which
everyone, particularly our graduate students, feel welcomed,
respected, appreciated and able to do the important scholarly work
that is the driving passion of our lives.”

Stevenson left Friday’s meeting before issues about the
letter of concern were discussed, but had already met with several
students and other department administrators earlier in the
week.

“The other graduate students and I were pleased to see
that Professor Stevenson seemed to be taking positive steps in the
concerns we presented in our letter,” Barnhart said.

“What happened at the departmental meeting was a
tremendous shock.”

But Barnhart is optimistic that the department can overcome the
situation.

“I am very hopeful that all of this can be worked out
quickly and to everyone’s best interests,” she said.
“I know that the faculty and the graduate students are
genuinely interested in solving these problems and in creating
mechanisms to prevent things like this from happening
again.”

After Stevenson left the meeting, graduate student Matthias
Klein was a minute into explaining the background of the letter
when Waugh interrupted him.

“(Friday) was an interesting day, but we will work it
out,” Klein said. “We are more than willing and happy
to get the department into good shape and are confident that this
is going to happen.”

Though issues must be worked out, he said, teaching, research or
academia as a whole will not be affected in any way.

“I am quite certain that everyone will agree with me on
that,” he said. “If it had any sort of impact on
teaching, the university would have felt it.”