Course Guide Alerts Professor Arluck to his Dismissal

The administration of Yeshiva College has decided not to renew the faculty appointment of Dr. Gregory Arluck, a professor in the economics department. Sources in the Office of the Dean suggested that Arluck’s termination was the result of negative student views of his instruction. Additional questions have arisen concerning the manner in which the instructor was informed of his unfortunate situation.

Dr. Arluck, who teaches various economics courses including introductory ones, has been a professor at YC for two years. His most recent instruction appointment was for a single year and is scheduled to conclude following this semester.

When faculty members are eligible for reappointment, they are usually made aware of their status prior to the conclusion of their current contract. Dr. Arluck, however, learned of his fate through an indirect and embarrassing source. A student approached him with the coursebook for the Fall 1998 semester and asked Dr. Arluck why he was not listed as the instructor for any courses. The professor soon confirmed his impending unemployment.

According to faculty sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, failure to rehire the instructor and notify him of this decision has left Dr. Arluck without a way to sufficiently support himself for the upcoming year. Academic positions in the New York City area are difficult to obtain and it is unlikely that Arluck will be able to find a new post for next semester at this late date.

Dr. Arluck, who is still in contact with the administration at Yeshiva University, declined to comment on the situation.

Much confusion surrounds the details of the discontinuation of Dr. Arluck's contract. Although the Commentator was unable to ascertain the exact procedure by which an instructor is evaluated, it is apparent that Professor Arluck was the subject of intense student dissatisfaction. Student opinion on the matter suggests that the instructor's tendency to give out a disproportionate amount of low grades figured prominently in the malcontent of his pupils.

Some students, however, believed that Dr. Arluck was difficult but fair and treated students based on quality of performance.

Norman Adler, Dean of YC, explained that it would be inappropriate for him to comment on the record of any individual student or faculty member.

Among the University's faculty members, there is discontent with the way the current system deals with faculty evaluation and dismissal. There are various associations which maintain guidelines for the treatment of faculty within academic institutions. However, their standards are not binding.

Dr. Joan Haahr, who is the president of the Yeshiva University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), explained that the practices followed by YU do not comport with the requirements of her organization. The AAUP requires that faculty members receive notice of nonreappointment no later than December 15. According to the Yeshiva University Undergraduate Faculty Handbook, there is no requirement to notify faculty of their status. This was apparently the procedure followed in Dr. Arluck’s dismissal.

Additionally, no system of appeal is in place at YU. Therefore, dismissed faculty members such as Dr. Arluck have no recourse against the administrative axe. This too is in violation of AAUP regulations. For these as well as other infractions relevant to faculty treatment, YU has been on AAUP's list of censured institutions since 1982.

Dr. Haahr, who has been fighting to have YU removed from that infamous list, claimed that nearly one-hundred percent of the nation's universities adhere to the standards set by the AAUP. She also referred to the treatment of faculty as it occurred in the case of Dr. Arluck as a "severe violation of propriety."

However, Dean Adler emphasized that the "AAUP is only one organization and [YC] is not a member." He concluded that "we were lucky to have Dr. Arluck with us for a number of years and hope that he will continue his association with Yeshiva College."

The nature of Adler’s hopes for association, however, remain unclear in light of his failure to reappoint Dr. Arluck.