CAHSS faculty has finally come to a decision on Jeremy Haefner, and the results are telling. 

On Friday, Feb. 21, the CAHSS staff held a no-confidence vote against the chancellor. 159 of the 185 participating voters said that Haefner was not the man for the job. 86% reported dissatisfaction. 5% abstained from the vote, which means only 9% of CAHSS voters opposed the no-confidence vote.

This vote is completely symbolic. Even if the entirety of the CAHSS demonstrated their lack of trust in Haefner’s leadership, he would still be presiding. However, this vote represents something irksome within the bowels of the current administration; no matter the public dissension of Haefner’s leadership there is no budging. There is very little reaction to the suffering of the faculty and the students.

The faculty came to the conclusion that Haefner was ill-equipped for his lofty position when his cabinet announced that they would be rearranging the CAHSS administrative staff. Three positions were completely eliminated while the remaining positions were tasked with reapplying to the newly formatted staff. These positions are classically what have made the gears of the college turn. Without these roles, there is no support for preparation with registration, course descriptions and external CAHSS-specific services. 

Haefner’s cabinet promised a swift ushering in of new administrative staffers upon his sudden and unexpected cuts. However, most of the CAHSS offices are ghost towns. Many of those roles are absent. One of the positions that was eliminated was the English department’s administrative staffer Noah West. This year, English faculty reported little to no assistance on the course registration process. Our faculty have hardly any support in vital areas of need. 

When I decided that I would be choosing the University of Denver over any other school in Colorado, it came down to one reason. I chose this university because they had a much better English literature program than any of the surrounding schools. 

I remember when I first visited the university. They presented a school that valued a robust education more than anything else. I was promised that upon my entry into the University of Denver, I would be met with a vibrant community that feverishly pursued academia. In the last one and a half years, I have had to fight to keep this fading dream alive.

Last year, the English department opened five faculty lines. This means that at least five areas of study are not being taught right now. Two of the lines are currently in the hiring process, while the three other lines are presumed “captured” by the administration’s current budget tactics. In a conversation last year with Mary Clark at the USG senate, Clark explained that the university was taking a method of cutting by attrition. This means that those open lines would not be refilled, until the university deemed it the right time. 

When I started my English degree, I remember being elated with the varying options that were provided to me. There were so many areas of study to choose from. I felt almost overwhelmed and devastated that I couldn’t take them all. Now, as I look through the course catalog, the options are sparse. The professors still manage to bring lively and interesting topics to the table, but there are significantly fewer to choose from.

In my Freshman year, I started a club on campus called the Student Union. Originally, we started as a group that would deep dive into the world of labor theory. We began as an organization that celebrated an academic institution that allowed us to go above and beyond our education. But swiftly, as the realities of the administration began to sink in, we realized we could not just be a club that sat by while our education diminished. We have fought tooth and nail these last couple of quarters to keep the focus of this institution on education. 

But, we are tired. We are tired because we have to fight against an administration that seems to not value the point of the institution: education. Community members who read this article, I ask you, why has it been thrust upon the students, the faculty, to protect the sanctity of our education? Chancellor Haefner is not fit for this position. He is eviscerating the pedigree of our liberal arts institution and the students and faculty are suffering because of it.

Currently, the student petition for no confidence against Haefner stands at 1,175 votes. If you feel passionate about making this community stronger, please sign the petition. Ask how you can help with community groups like the Student Union or Club for Collective Liberation.