A Westfield State University student holds a sign during a Board of Trustee meeting at the university Wednesday. (File photo by Frederick Gore)
WESTFIELD – The media cameras were rolling at Westfield State University., collecting footage for Wednesday evening’s news broadcasts.
And there they stood, holding signs and standing tall, against both the conference room walls and their school’s president.
The gavel fell at 2 p.m. to begin the Board of Trustees’ meeting open session, with students filling in the available space in the packed boardroom of the Horace Mann Center.
“Don’t Reward Greed” and “Throwaway Kids Fight Back” signs were held in quiet protest of university President Dr. Evan Dobelle, who was placed on administrative leave with pay following a ten hour executive session.
Calling themselves “real change agents”, a pointed play on the “change agent” title Dobelle has bestowed upon himself, the students were more than happy to give their opinion on the once-popular president.
“The fact that they haven’t included us in anything, and statements directly from President Dobelle have ostracized us in a way from this process is very disheartening to us… the number of students we have here in support shows that,” said senior Victor Martinez-Diaz of Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood. “I feel like he has no respect for his student body, for his faculty, for his higher ups. I don’t think he’s taken into account the lives he’s affecting. There should be some accountability.”
Martinez-Diaz added that he is seeing how it’s impacting students on a state level.
“They’re withholding a lot of funds from us because of President Dobelle’s actions,” he said. “Students should know that their money is being manipulated… If students really knew what’s going on, there would be more of an uproar.”
Students also took offense to the infamous “throwaway kids” remark reportedly made by Dobelle to the media during the summer, referencing the university accepting disadvantaged students.
“Every single one of us had to go through a lot to get here, and for him to say that we’re throwaway kids is not fair for us or our families,” said student Mohammad Abdelmagid of West Springfield.
He added that events such as “Pancakes with the President”, when Dobelle assists the university’s dining commons’ staff in serving breakfast to students once a semester, were just a show.
“Regularly he’s never on campus,” said Abdelmagid. “The only activities we see him at are ‘Pancakes with the President’ and pep rallies.”
“I think this is just a setup for him to leave,” he added. “It’s an opportunity for him to get as much money as he can… He doesn’t want to stay here because of all the scrutiny.”
Other students say there is more than enough blame to go around on the board of trustees, who selected Dobelle in 2008 from a pool of 140 candidates.
“Dr. Dobelle is a candidate of unmatched experience, outstanding credentials, and demonstrated commitment to the ideals and goals of Westfield State College,” said Thomas J. Foley, then-chairman of the then-college’s board of trustees, in January 2008. “The references examined by the college’s search committee and by the board, as well as the feedback we received from the campus community, express utmost confidence that Dr. Dobelle would provide the kind of collaborative leadership that will enhance Westfield State’s already considerable strengths well into the future.”
Foley, a retired colonel in the Massachusetts State Police, was replaced as chairman by Jack Flynn, a chief administrative officer with the State Police.
“Knowing the history he had in Hawaii, why would you pick him to be our president?” asked one senior from Boston.
“I’ve heard the (expletive), that he’s trying to make us compete with private schools,” she added. “If you’re trying to make us compete with private schools, use the money for school funded things, not for vacations in Bangkok and $900 suits.”
Asked whether Dobelle’s repaying the school and speaking to the Student Government Association meant anything to her, the student said no.
“You still used it the first place,” she said. “I bust my behind to pay my student bills. I don’t have health insurance, I pay for the school’s. Why don’t you use all that money to give school scholarships? To give it out to students?”
“I don’t trust him. Hes’ a liar. He wants to say it’s all a conspiracy theory against him,” she said, adding he spoke only to SGA and the school’s Hall Councils, and an open forum to all students would’ve been appreciated.
Dobelle publicist George Regan said Friday that Dobelle is “responding to the overwhelming letters of support from faculty, students, alumni and other college presidents,” and that a federal lawsuit against Higher Education Commissioner Richard Freeland, Flynn and the rest of the board of trustees is still being drafted.
The statement thanked members of the WSU community who “continue to stand by him” as he fights those looking to “malign him to advance their own personal and political agendas.”
“Two thirds of the faculty and librarians voted no confidence in the president,” said Buzz Hoagland, president of the union. “I don’t believe he has shown the ability to lead… we need a leader who can lead the entire campus. Only 60 people believe he can lead our campus, that’s not a majority.”
Dr. Elizabeth Preston, vice president of academic affairs, is serving as interim president, and with the school’s 175th anniversary being tarnished by the controversy, urged the campus to “try to set aside our strong feelings and prioritize taking care of our campus community and the university.”
“We share a deep and abiding commitment to academic and personal growth… this stands at the heart of who we are as an institution of higher learning,” she said. “That passion for the institution has resulted in heated debate over the past few weeks but is also a source of strength for us as we wrestle with the challenges we now face.”
“Our 175th anniversary serves to remind us both of our achievements and the long and rich history on which they are built,” Preston said. “Together, we are Westfield.”
