Dear Editor,
This letter is in response to the article "Hundreds rally to protest Ladner" from the Sept. 29, 2005 edition.
We all agree that the way in which American University is run must change.ÿ There are too many loopholes leading to misguidance and mismanagement.ÿ And the students, parents, and faculty have begun the fight.ÿ We demonstrated our First Amendment Right to Assembly on Wednesday with more than 100 students gathering on the Quad and marching up to the Board of Trustees meeting. ÿ
Believe me, I am very annoyed with the whole situation-both the way the Trustees and Ladner have handled themselves and the inquiry.ÿ We, with a little help from mom and dad, pay for our education, and about 90 percent of the university's budget comes from that money.ÿ So, the money being mismanaged is really ours, entrusted to the university for a world-class education.ÿ
But I caution, do not come to hasty judgments.ÿ We have not heard from Dr. Ladner himself.ÿ Nor have we heard the whole truth from the Trustees.ÿ I challenge them to come together, with students and faculty, to inform the public of the truth.ÿ And nothing but the truth. ÿ
There will be name calling and arguments aplenty, but until I am made fully aware of the facts as presented by both sides, I will not be able to make an educated and well thought opinion on the matter.
I also challenge the SG to come forward and sponsor the event, one that will truly bring forth the voice of the campus, unlike the SG endorsed (Secretary Joe Vidilich spoke about the SG's unity with the students in the protest) rally on Wednesday. ÿ
American University, in the United States, needs to act like it exists in such a wonderful country that claims "you are innocent until proven guilty."ÿ There is no such proof as of yet.
Thomas Leonard SPA/CAS, '07
Dear Editor,
For those of you who don't recall, AU has faced a similar scandal in the office of the AU president.ÿ In April of 1990, AU was rocked by allegations that then-President Dr. Richard E. Berendzen was caught making obscene phone calls to a female student from his campus office.ÿ The story, which appeared on 60 Minutes, was the most widely-known fact about AU for much of the early 1990s.
But when Dr. Berendzen was hauled before the Board of Trustees, students then sided _with the president_ and opposed his firing, protesting in much the same way you did on Wednesday.ÿ An overly forgiving Board of Trustees demoted Berendzen to the position he retains today: professor.ÿ That's right, one of our university's all-time biggest scandal generators - a man who led to the '4 presidents in 5 years' upheaval that marred AU's growth for a decade - is still drawing a salary from your tuition dollars.
So I encourage those who bellow from the moral high ground that President Ladner should be run out of town to take a look at the previous embarrassment who hides among the ranks of AU's faculty.ÿ Look at the treatment he received, and then look at what is happening with President Ladner.ÿ Does AU really have any credibility to argue that its reputation has been impugned by the actions of its President? ÿ
Further, invoking the image of Enron is inaccurate, and grossly blows out of proportion what appears (from the reporting I've seen) to be errors in financial judgment - something that perhaps a more attentive Board of Trustees might have caught if they were more diligent at their oversight job.
Perhaps we should give President Ladner the opportunity to defend his actions, or to install safeguards against future abuse, or to perhaps even admit contrition and pay restitution to the university for misappropriated funds.ÿ At the bare minimum, we should wait for the results of the investigation before acting on this new-found indignity that AU has suddenly developed.
I mean, it's not like President Ladner has actually been convicted and sentenced - like Dr. Berendzen.
Todd Lawson Class of 1996 Eagle Managing Editor, 1994
Dear Editor,
As a former employee of the radio station licensed to American University, WAMU and Alum of AU's School of Communication, I think it is important to note some interesting parallels in the current Ben Lander scandal. During my tenure at WAMU, the former General Manager, Susan Clampitt was ousted, essentially because of her poor relationship with staff. However, Ladner and many others alluded that she was "improperly" spending funds. Spending she still contends the President of the University was well aware of. Now he finds himself in the same situation and insists his rampant spending was "allowable."
In the three years I worked for AU and theÿtwo years I studied there, I saw President Ladner once. In my time as a student I observed school-wide frustration and low-morale on the part of the faculty and staff. He is guilty of the same offenses he has fired other high level-employees for. He should be held to the same standards he imposes on others. I think if it went to a vote of the faculty and staff of AU, Ben Lander would receive an astounding defeat.
Wendy Feliz Sefsaf SOC, Class of 2004
Dear Editor,
As students at American University we recognize that our campus community is committed to service, personal integrity and a moral and global conscience. We are taught by professors who not only dedicate their lives to education but also work to improve the world around them. So pervasive is this atmosphere one would have difficulty finding a dean, staff member or student who did not also reflect this level of devotion to a greater good.
We are not only disheartened but embarrassed by the recent actions and comments of President Benjamin Ladner and some members of the board of trustees. These individuals clearly do not reflect the ideals upon which this university was founded. If the board and the president had been more committed to interacting with faculty and students, then perhaps they would have developed some of our strongest qualities such as integrity, honesty and a commitment to service. Though we recognize the heightened prestige Ladner has brought, it is overshadowed by his abuse of university funds and blatant disrespect for students. After all, it is the students who fund ninety percent of the operating budget at AU. Who needs a president like that?
There is a grave disconnect between the "elites" who publicly represent AU and the genuine spirit personified by the faculty, students and staff. Therefore, we would like to see the reformed board of trustees include faculty, and students with voting power. The activities of the board should be carefully reviewed and made more transparent. A channel of communication is essential in establishing a board of trustees that can be "trusted" to fairly represent this university. This is Ladner's opportunity to step down without further tarnishing his reputation, or the reputations of the students, staff and faculty.
Dr. Ladner your failure to provide an ethical or moral example to our university leads us to demand your resignation (without taking any more of our tuition money, please).
Concerned students Rebecca Byerly, Jane Chun, and Cassie Weaver
Dear Editor,
As a former employee of the radio station licensed to American University, WAMU and Alum of AU's School of Communication (SOC, 2004) I think it is important to note some interesting parallels in the current Ben Lander scandal. During my tenure at WAMU, the former General Manager, Susan Clampitt was ousted, essentially because of her poor relationship with staff. However, Ladner and many others alluded that she was "improperly" spending funds. Spending she still contends the President of the University was well aware of. Now he finds himself in the same situation and insists his rampant spending was "allowable." In the three years I worked for AU and the two years I studied there, I saw President Ladner once. In my time as a student I observed school-wide frustration and low-morale on the part of the faculty and staff. He is guilty of the same offenses he has fired other high level-employees for. He should be held to the same standards he imposes on others.
I think if it went to a vote of the faculty and staff of AU, Ben Lander would receive an astounding defeat.
Wendy Feliz Sefsaf 4000 Tunlaw Road, NW Washington D.C. 2000
