Faculty from the biological sciences department took the initial step in trying to remove the chair and associate chair from office on Wednesday and Thursday.

Eight of nine full professors in the department initiated a vote of no confidence on Chair Andy Methven and interim Associate Chair Marina Marjanovic.

The result of the vote was 12 for no confidence in Methven and Marjanovic; 10 for confidence in Methven and Marjanovic, and two abstentions.

Five of the eight professors who initiated the vote replied to questions from The Daily Eastern News as a group, but chose to remain anonymous because “the continued criticism of one’s superiors can cause unnecessary anxiety and fear.”

The five professors said the idea of starting a vote of no confidence stemmed from a variety of reasons.

“We are concerned about decisions relating to our department that have transpired over the past seven months,” the group said in an e-mail to The Daily Eastern News.

The five professors said Mary Anne Hanner, dean of the College of Sciences, made a decision to extend Methven’s time as chair for another 16 months, after he announced that he would resign without giving a timetable for his resignation on Feb. 18.

The group added Hanner also gave Methven control of appointing faculty to various positions that include: a new graduate coordinator, a new coordinator for the graduate teaching program, a new associate chair, a new lab coordinator for the introductory biology classes, a new coordinator for the Environmental Biology Program, a new tenure track faculty member, and three new annually contracted faculty.

Methven will also administer the Master of Science in Natural Science Program and the alternative certification program, the five professors said.

“In our view, these decisions and their outcomes show a complete lack of any inclination to address the concerns that we and other faculty have expressed over the past years regarding the tenor of our department and the manner in which it has been administered,” the group said.

Hanner said she received a memo on Sept. 7 that notified her of the eight professors’ decision to initiate the vote of no confidence, but declined to give reaction to the vote and its outcome.

E-mails to Methven were not returned, and Marjanovic declined to comment.

Marjanovic took over as associate chair after Robert “Bud” Fischer took a job at the University of Alabama at Birmingham this summer.

Removal of a chairperson from office may be initiated by two-thirds majority of tenure and tenure track faculty through a vote of no confidence, according to the Board of Trustees’ Regulations, Section II.B.3.d(7).

Biology professor Chuck Costa said the faculty who initiated the vote needed at least 16 professors to vote for no confidence in Methven and Marjanovic.

“The people that voted for that didn’t really even get close,” he said.

The group said the results of the vote were sent to President Bill Perry; Hanner; Blair Lord, provost and vice president for academic affairs; and Godson Obia, associate dean of the College of Sciences.

The group said it hopes the upper administration will take steps necessary to move the department forward, regardless of not getting the two-thirds majority vote.

The group was also upset at the fact that Methven and Marjanovic chose to vote and compared it to faculty being able to evaluate themselves on student evaluation forms of their own course.

“Therefore, common sense would indicated only eight of 22 Unit A faculty in our department voted that they had confidence in our two department administrators,” the group said.

If Methven and Marjanovic decided not to partake in the vote, the group would still need 15 faculty members to vote for no confidence out of the 22 faculty members to receive a two-thirds majority vote.

Costa said the idea of taking a vote of no confidence seemed pointless since Methven is just a caretaker of the department.

A new chair was slated to take over July 1, 2009. A search committee is meeting and looking for a replacement to Methven.

“The dean has already decided he stays,” Costa said. “Someone has to do it until the new chair comes in. It surprised me that anyone would beat a dead horse.”

He added it seemed odd that faculty would pick on Marjanovic as well because Costa cannot imagine what she did to make some faculty mad. Marjanovic has been working at the associate chair position for a month, Costa said.

The group said trying to find a solution to the department’s problems should have begun years ago and, at the very least, last February when Methven announced his resignation.

“The situation in our department requires immediate action, and it was irresponsible of administration to re-endorse the chair and endorse his appointed associate chair, Dr. Marjanovic,” the group said.

Costa said he does not know why the eight professors went through with it when they did not have enough votes and Methven, whom they want out of office, is leaving in July.

Biology professor Jeff Laursen said the vote only showed that the department is divided.

“What might happen next? I have asked myself the same question, but have no real idea,” Laursen said. “What I hope will happen is that we can work together, recruit a new chair and rebuild our department.”

The group said the action was taken because other avenues for effecting change in the department have been fruitless.

“It is unfortunate that the tenor in our department has deteriorated to the extent that it has, but we felt initiating the vote was the only remaining option leading to change,” the group said.

Administration Editor Emily Zulz contributed to this report.

Stephen Di Benedetto can be reached at 581-7942 or at sdibenedetto@eiu.edu.