Students feel left out of process

As faculty criticism of IU President Adam Herbert heats up, most student leaders say they feel like they've been left out in the cold.\nMany faculty members have been rallying against Herbert since he decided to restart the search for a Bloomington chancellor two weeks ago. Since then, the debate has reoriented itself as a referendum on Herbert's job performance.\nMost students, however, have not received the faculty's internal e-mails concerning Herbert and will not be allowed to attend the faculty's meeting Tuesday, which is closed to the public. As a result, student leaders are left to decipher the faculty's complaints.\nEric Zeemering, moderator of the Graduate and Professional Student Organization, said the initially vague criticism surrounding Herbert is becoming more specific. \n"I was surprised that things seemed to escalate very quickly, without very clear and coherent focus or leadership," he said. "A lot of people kind of jumped into the dialogue, calling for a number of different things, and over the last two weeks we've kind of seen the dialogue narrow to a more concrete set of issues. I think things have moved from a very emotional response to a response that's focused more on specific problems." \nZeemering, who still hopes to attend Tuesday's meeting, said having an open meeting would better honor the exchange of ideas that should occur in higher education.\n"I think that the exchange and contestation of ideas is critical to the nature of higher education," he said. "I think that we should always encourage students to think about professional ways in which debate can be carried out, to teach students about the nature of dialogue in a democratic society." \nIU Student Association President Alex Shortle said communication among the faculty has been very unclear, and he is glad the issue will be brought to light. \n"There's misunderstanding amongst the faculty," he said. "I think it's good for them to get together so they have a better understanding of the issues." \nShortle said he respects the decision to close the meeting, but as the student representative of the Bloomington Faculty Council, he feels he has a right to attend the meeting so he can educate students on what takes place. \n"I'm going to be writing to the president of the BFC tonight with my argument of why I should be able to attend," he said Sunday. "If that doesn't work, somehow I'll get into that meeting." \nSenior Andrew Lauck, chairman of the IU Republicans, said he does not agree with the faculty's criticism. "Honestly, it's very surprising because I have a lot of respect for the president's decision to continue the search," he said. "The move on the faculty now is rushing the process, and by rushing the process, they're denying the community and students the chance to have the best candidate the search committee can find." \nLauck also said he believes students should be allowed to attend Tuesday's meeting. \n"That's something I definitely have a major concern with," he said. "The faculty have had no problem writing a letter denouncing President Herbert and making sure that was public, but at the same time they have a problem with community members knowing what they're saying about him." \nJunior Laura Maul, speaker of the house for IUSA Congress, said she does not have a clear understanding of the complexities of the issue. \n"The upper throes of the administration are still somewhat of a mystery to me, despite my involvement with IUSA," she said. "It's a bit difficult to be interested when it seems so far removed from the students' hands."\nMaul said she feels apathetic as to whether or not the meeting is open, but she is glad that faculty members are speaking their minds. \n"I think it's admirable that the faculty are taking a stance," she said. "I'm not sure this is the best way to do it, but I'm glad the faculty isn't letting the president walk all over them"