The Bloomington Faculty Council discussed a proposition by the University Faculty Council to prevent future University presidents from selecting or firing athletic officials without consulting the faculty. The proposal is in response to controversy over former IU men's basketball coach Bob Knight's departure in 2000 and former IU Athletic Director Michael McNeely's dismissal in November. \nThe proposal aims to make changes to the Intercollegiate Athletics Program Policy to create a personnel subcommittee of the Campus Athletics Committee to be consulted with before athletic directors or the president makes any hiring or firing decisions.\nBFC President Bob Eno said the proposed changes are a compromise intended to prevent administrators from saying it is unfeasible to meet with the entire Campus Athletics Committee, as the rules state, because confidentiality cannot be ensured with such a large committee. The personnel subcommittee will be much smaller, consisting of two members of the committee, the chair and the faculty athletics representative.\n"This is an issue that (the UFC) feel needs to be addressed," Eno said. "Consultation has been a problem that has soured (IU President Myles Brand's) experience at IU."\nAthletics Committee member Bruce Jaffee said this is only one part of a series of changes to athletic policy. He said the committee wishes to build strong relations with the new University president in order to improve the faculty input in athletic issues.\nBFC member Michael Morgan of the philosophy department said he feels the BFC should take a stand by supporting these proposed changes.\n"I'm not saying they have to consult all the faculty, but some before they make a decision," Morgan said. "And all they would be doing is listening to them. The faculty wouldn't vote on the issue, but they should at least have a say. They shouldn't be bypassed in the process."\nEno said these changes may take a while, until a new president and/or athletic director are chosen, but the committee should begin discussing them now.\nStill, Jaffee said not all of the Campus Athletic Committee agrees on this issue.\n"To some extent, the committee feels like it is compromising," he said. "They feel the president should have to follow the rules already in place and there is no need to create this committee."
Eno's Goodbye
April Fools' Day is most commonly a day full of tricks and surprises. \nYet IUB Chancellor Sharon Brehm, along with other members of the BFC, planned a surprise that was not at all unpleasant.\nGiven that Tuesday was Eno's last meeting with the council, members decided to surprise him with a going-away ceremony.\n"April Fools' Day is the a perfect day to surprise him," Brehm said. "He has done so much for the faculty in the past two years, and we are very grateful to him."\nEno said he decided not to continue as BFC president next year because he will be on a sabbatical where he'll relax and write.\nBrehm said Eno's departure was very emotional for her because she began serving as chancellor the same time Eno began serving as president.\n"To me, there is no other BFC president," Brehm said. "From the moment I got here, he imprinted on me."\nBrehm said the nature of her relationship with the faculty has made Eno a close consultant.\n"You would think (Brand) would be the person I worked most with, but actually I spent more time with Bob Eno," she said.\nBFC Secretary Julie Bobay spoke about Eno, noting that in the past two years, he has attended 56 consecutive BFC meetings.\n"He should be honored just for sitting through all those meetings," she said.\nBobay said Eno has been a strong leader for the faculty. She said Sept. 11 was Brehm and Eno's first BFC meeting and from that moment, they both rose to the occasion to calm campus fears.\nRecently when debate on the council arose about PeopleSoft, the controversial new software for IU, Agenda Committee member Michael Hamburger said Eno worked hard to keep the committee working together.\n"He has been a model for how to diffuse a difficult situation," he said.\nThe council then presented Eno with personal gifts, such as an L.A. Dodgers -- one of his favorite baseball teams -- cap and books of poems from a favorite poet.\nOverall, Eno said he was satisfied about his time working with the committee.\n"I am so proud to have worked with so many wonderful individuals," he said. "It's too bad I can't be here for the last meeting"
