Vol. 7 No. 3                                                                                             March 7, 1996

THE PATRIOT REPORTS

THE SENATE ELECTION AND ITS AFTERMATH; UNSETTLED RESULTS AND IRREPARABLE DAMAGE TO THE KCC FACULTY UNITY
A blow by blow account of events and anger, frustrations and influence peddling by Susan O'Malley

An Investigative Report, No. 1

AN END OF "THE GOOD LIFE WITH RELEASED TIME?"

      On December 6, 1995, as the clock struck twelve noon, there was a sudden realization that KCC faculty is not a docile faculty who come to the campus to teach and leave the campus after the teaching assignments are over, but rather it is a vibrant faculty demonstrating concerns for the College as well as the University, and very much committed to electing only the most qualified candidates appropriate for positions to be filled. One could sense the tense atmosphere in the computer room in the Library where the Chair of the Legislative Committee, Dr. Bernard Klein and members of that Committee were busy counting the ballots manually as well as with the aid of the computer, of the most hotly contested election in our memory. Prof. Susan O'Malley, Chair of the KCC Union Chapter and a senator for too many years, was pacing back and forth with noticeable unease. She appeared to be engrossed in her deep thoughts, wondering whether she was going to win this election, perhaps thinking what it would mean if she lost. This was the moment which would determine whether or not she was going to continue to enjoy "the good life with released time."

       Dr. Cliff Hesse, the opposing candidate was not to be seen around the computer room. Probably, as usual, he must have been busy with students or faculty members discussing, ever so politely, the issues affecting the College.

       As seconds and minutes ticked away, tension in the room reached its high peak. Suddenly, the computer spat out the results of the election. Cliff had won the election - Susan had lost. Cliff Hesse had become KCC's new Senator. As Dr. Klein was busy signing the official forms recording the results, angry, frustrated Susan made a quick dash for the exit and disappeared. Although she had lost the election by only two votes, the fact, was that she had lost the position which she thought she had the right to hold for life. Susan had thought all along that the Senate seat was hers and hers alone, and no one had a right to take it away from her. She had served in the Senate for so long, so many years, that it was absolutely incomprehensible for her to realize that in a democratic system, others have an equal right to seek the position. What is she going to do now?

By the time the counting was over and all the figures had come in there was a realization that:

       1) the number of votes cast in this election (over one hundred and fifty) was the highest ever recorded in the history of the College for Senate elections, and

     2) this was the first time that a union chapter chair, supposedly an unquestionable faculty leader on the campus failed to receive majority of votes in a Senate election, a position considered to be relatively minor because of it being one among four other Senators from the campus.

       Prof. O'Malley, obviously shaken, angry and furious at the supposed role played by the Patriot in this election, found the Editor sitting alone in a room on the eighth floor of the Library, and took the opportunity to verbally attack him in words unfit to print. Calm and gentlemanly as he always is, this Editor sat thru it silently and took the barrage of abuse he had never experienced in his over thirty years in the academic community. "How can an educated and sophisticated lady like Prof. O'Malley utter these words?" he wondered. "Doesn't she know about freedom of the press? Doesn't she understand that people have the right to oppose her, especially when she runs for a public office?" Uppermost in his mind was this question: How can the KCC faculty depend upon Susan O'Malley to protect their contractual rights if she is intolerant to the guaranteed constitutional rights of the freedom of the press? Has the faculty realized that they have made a fatal mistake in electing her their Chapter Chair in that uncontested election? Should they start a movement to recall her? Should they demand her resignation as their Chapter Chair?

       The same day, later in the afternoon the Editor was confronted by one member of Prof. O'Malley's small band of loyal supporters, Prof. Norah Chase. Prof. Chase is a long time disciple of Prof. O'Malley and a recent recipient of four hours of released time for grievances donated to her by her guru, Prof. O'Malley. (Previous grievance officers have received only three hours of released time.)

       Prof. Chase shouted at the Editor of the Patriot accusing him of using the tactics of the McCarthy era. Although fully aware of the fact that this Editor has a Ph.D in Politics (majoring in American government from a very reputable institution), she gave him a long lecture on McCarthyism as he sat thru it silently. Prof. Chase too was visibly angry and frustrated that her Guru, Prof. O'Malley had lost the Senate seat, and she was blaming it on the Patriot. Grave injustice was done by the Patriot, she claimed, for it was the Patriot which disclosed the fact that Prof. O'Malley has served The Radical Teacher in various capacities (Editorial Chair, Joint Editor, member of the Editorial group and contributor), that this magazine is indexed in the Left Index and the Alternative Index, and it explored as diverse topics as "Columbus: Liar, Slaver, Murderer, Thief," "Gay and Lesbian Studies," "Teaching Sexuality," and "Campus Racism." Prof. Chase argued that mention of The Radical Teacher and subjects it covered had a negative impact on the KCC faculty resulting in the defeat of Prof. O'Malley. This Editor was unable to convince Prof. Chase that perhaps, because of the mention of the Radical Teacher in the Patriot Prof. O'Malley had received many more votes than she deserved. It apparently did not occur to her that the faculty want to know of the political beliefs and involvement of people who are supposed to represent them. To our question "Is Prof. O'Malley ashamed of her association with the Radical Teacher?" Prof. Chase had no response. Prof. Chase left with a warning to the Patriot not to get involved in the future.

       The Editor of the Patriot is baffled and deeply saddened that the two important officers of the Professional Staff Congress, the union - the Chapter Chair and the Grievance Counselor who also "occupies" a seat on the Central PSC's governing board, the Executive Committee, in whom the responsibility is entrusted for the protection and enforcement of faculty's contractual rights - fail to grasp the importance of protection of the basic fundamental and First Amendment Constitutional rights - freedom of speech and the freedom of the press - of an American citizen . Indeed, a very dark cloud hangs over K.C.C. faculty's academic freedom, contractual rights and fundamental constitutional rights.

       (Please note that this is the first of several articles on the controversies surrounding the Senate election. Part II will focus on "The Week After the Election: the rush to cash in on the power of the Chapter Chair.")

Forthcoming issues of The Patriot may be accessed at the www.patriotreturns.com web site. Archived editions are available at http://www.patriotreturns/archive.htm.