Ohio University President Rodericl McDavis spoke out about the controversy surrounding OU’s decision to move the president out of his former home on campus at a Faculty Senate meeting Monday.
Ohio University President Roderick McDavis broke his nearly month-long silence about the presidential residence at Monday’s Faculty Senate meeting.
“The issue of whether or not a president lives on campus is not a real issue,” McDavis said. “It’s the engagement and involvement with faculty, staff and students that matters.”
Faculty members were critical of McDavis, Vice President for Finance and Administration Stephen Golding and Vice Provost Pam Benoit at the meeting.
“If the last two weeks have made nothing else clear, it’s that the campus, the faculty, the staff, the students and the community want the president back on campus,” Joseph McLaughlin, associate professor of English, said.
McLaughlin, who co-wrote a letter with Distinguished Professor of Physics David Drabold asking the university to reconsider the lease-to-buy agreement at 31 Coventry Lane, said he believes the symbolism of the purchase of the house and its cost was “all wrong.”
Golding defended the decision to enter the lease, but said Monday he will ask the Board of Trustees and the OU Foundation to not purchase the property.
“This is a discussion. It is a normal conversation that campuses go through in terms of the best and highest uses for facilities,” Golding said.
Golding decided to not ask the OU Foundation and the trustees to purchase the property “in order to avoid even an appearance of impropriety,” after officials became aware of 31 Coventry Lane Owner John Wharton’s discussions with other OU officials on the deal.
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After Golding further explained the situation, McLaughlin said, “What’s very frustrating hearing this response is that there’s absolutely no sense of urgency whatsoever.” McDavis said his interactions and time spent on campus haven’t changed after moving from 29 Park Place.
He said he and his wife have had 16 incidents with bats while in the house, and added that his wife won’t be able to walk until June after breaking her foot during the last incident.
“It’s not a question of where I want to live, it’s a question of where the board says I will live,” McDavis said.
Golding provided updates about what will be done with 29 Park Place. He said the Campus Master Plan discussions would determine if the house should be used as the president’s residence. The plan will be recommended to the Board of Trustees, and a decision will be reached by March 2016, he said.
The university is hosting two public meetings Tuesday and Wednesday about the Master Plan, and Golding said people are welcome to attend.
Sarah Wyatt, professor of plant biology, said the problems with the purchase of the house are symbolic of problems across campus, such as deferred maintenance in campus properties.
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However, some faculty members said they believe the university made the right decision regarding the purchase of a new home for the president.
“If (McDavis) wants to live somewhere else, I personally don’t think that that symbolism has a whole lot of vigor to it,” Steve Hays, associate professor of classics and world religions, said.
The lease-to-buy agreement attracted national attention. The Associated Press and the New York Timesposted stories about it on their websites.
Also at the meeting, Faculty Senate Chair Beth Quitslund announced new faculty senators for the next academic year. The senate also re-elected all of the current Faculty Senate officers.
Faculty Senate passed two resolutions at the meeting. One updated wording in the Faculty Handbook to be consistent with university policy on sexual misconduct, and the other temporarily allowed health benefits policies that contradict wording in the handbook.
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