Campus Life administrators verified the rumor that Rebecca Saunders, Director of Student Involvement and Leadership, is no longer employed by Guilford College.
At last week’s Senate meeting it was confirmed to students that on Mon, April 12, Saunders had a meeting with Anne Lundquist, Assistant Dean of Campus Life, where she was given the opportunity to resign or be let go.
Saunders worked in conjunction with the Office of Campus Life. She reported immediately to her supervisors Lundquist and Randy Doss, college Vice President.
The Director of Student Involvement and Leadership position, held by Saunders, was created in summer 2003. According to the Guilford College website, the responsibilities of this position include “leadership development, working with Union, Community Senate, and WQFS, oversight of clubs and student organizations, development of a Short Course program and other opportunities for student involvement on campus.” The position also requires working with students at the Founder’s Hall information desk.
Between Monday night and Wednesday evening, controversy arose due to the lack of information released to students regarding Saunders’ absence. When the rumor first broke out the evening of April 12, it ignited a flurry of diverse responses from students, faculty and staff.
Student reactions were broad. Some students were concerned with Saunders’ overall job performance.
For others, first-hand encounters of Saunders’ leaving and rumors of her treatment were enough to spawn concern.
“In a forum (Monday night) on the history of racism at Guilford … administration, staff, and students were talking about how the way Rebecca was fired relates to Guilford’s history of racism,” said sophomore Sarah Green, president-elect of Union. “In discussion … I found out that the way she was treated – escorted off campus, blocked from reentering Founders and being forced to stand outside holding personal possessions – was not typical of Guilford policy. (There was concern) about this being related to race and not just (job) performance.”
“I saw her leaving Founders and I saw her carrying her boxes out,” said junior Abdul-Qawiy Abdul-Karim, president-elect of Senate. “Students have stated that they saw her physically blocked from her office and physically blocked from Founders.”
With the turbulence of reactions growing, Doss sent a community-wide e-mail on April 13. The e-mail acknowledged that developing information regarding “a recent personnel decision” led to “inquiries and comments” from the campus community. Accordingly, the e-mail noted the administrative obligation to respect “the law and privacy rights” of the unidentified Guilford employee.
In an interview with The Guilfordian, Doss further responded to the controversy surrounding Saunders’ absence, and the controversial reactions from students.
“Rebecca Saunders is no longer employed by Guilford College,” said Doss. “Federal law prohibits employers from commenting on personal matters (regarding firing procedures). The frustrating thing is at we literarily cannot say anything in respect for the individual.
“I can say that all employees are judged on their job descriptions and the ability, initiative, and success of completing the expectations of their job description,” said Doss.
In addition to Doss’ e-mail, the administration acted fast to qualm the responses to action that were already in motion. President Kent Chabator e-mailed the community addressing personnel confidentiality. Chabator’s e-mail also conveyed the parable of “The Blind Men and the Elephant” to assure that administrative personnel decisions are inclusive of the whole picture when issuing personnel changes.
Through student initiative, a massive e-mail campaign Monday night called for student action to discuss issues of racism on campus, the absence of students in personnel decisions, and the treatment of faculty and staff.
An organized forum on April 13 drew over a hundred students. The discussion gave students an opportunity to sort rumor from fact.
“Students … (are more concerned about) the manner in which (Saunders) was treated in leaving campus, than her actually leaving campus because no one really knows why she left,” said Abdul-Karim.
The forum was also an opportunity to address Guilford’s anti-racism policy, the myths and facts of the incident, and how to pursue student involvement in future personnel decisions.
Although Lundquist’s office hours were cancelled that week, she responded to the controversies that arose from Saunders’ absence through e-mails distributed to information desk student employees.
Lundquist will be handling the affairs of the Student Involvement and Leadership position for the remainder of the academic year.
The Campus Life administration is pursuing an immediate replacement.
Saunders was not available for comment.