PSCecuny

TESTIMONIAL DINNER: OPPOSITION GROWS

A Vote of Confidence?

In the Fall of 1972, President Draper and the Board of Higher Education
intervened with the threat of a court injunction to stop a vote of no confidence.

Now the administration is organizing a vote of confidence, only they are
calling it a testimonial dinner. With much armtwisting and thousands of dollars
of promotional mailings at taxpayers' expense, Draper hopes to fill a ballroom
at the Americana with 800 people.

Draper is trying to consolidate his position with the Board of Higher
Education and the other people at the top who count, by proving that he can make
faculty and students do what they don't want to do. The dinner is a political

move, and our response, in turn, must be political.

Draper does not deserve a vote of confidence. A quick look at his record
will tell us why:

Tenure

He has publicly endorsed the BHE's tenure quotas. In 1972 he was the
only college president who attempted to implement the 50% "informal"
tenure quota promulgated by the then Chancellor, Albert Bowker.

‘mM’ Building

He never made a move to close down the 'M' Building until pressure
from faculty and students last term forced him to. The College Safety
Committee told him in the Spring of 1972 that the building was a
firetrap.

Adjuncts

His administration fired over 100 adjuncts last year. Several months
ago, it tried to lay off many more, but backed down in the face of
faculty and student protest.

Governance

He has sabotaged the new Governance plan, arbitrarily replaced elected
departmental chairpersons, and made a mockery of parliamentary proced-
ures at faculty meetings.

He has pushed many promotions on the basis of patronage rather than
merit.

Open Admissions Sabotaged

He failed to establish the necessary remedial and support services for
Open Admissions until he was pressured to do so last Spring. Even now,
the program is in turmoil as Deans fight for control, and students
have inadequate facilities.

His administration has done nothing to support student demands against
cutbacks in financial aid. Without adequate financial support services,
Open Admissions cannot survive.

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Clearly, faculty and students do not stand to gain anything from the dinner.
The only rationale for the dinner is Draper's own personal advancement.

People should not be intimidated into going to the dinner. Faculty and
students standing together are stronger than any administration. That is why
we urge faculty and students to boycott the dinner and join the informational
picket line in front of the Americana on March 29.

Ad Hoc Committee of the BMCC-PSC
to Boycott the President's Dinner