March 22, 2011 12:18 am
Programs Board Faces Difficult Controversy Over Firing Chair
By Kyle Jernigan, Editor-in-Chief
The recent termination of junior Reid Levin from the position of Programs Board Coffeehouse Chair, ostensibly related to lackluster attendance at meetings, is leaving some students crying foul play.
According to Levin, the incident occurred Sunday, Feb. 20, when he was called into a meeting with Director of Campus Programming Jessica Harvey.
Levin said that Harvey confronted him at the meeting about missing two Programs Board meetings and not attending other Programs Board events (the latter not mandatory, but encouraged), which she said was grounds for his dismissal. Levin said, “essentially [Harvey told] me that I’d been kicked off of Programs Board.”
Levin said that, although he did miss two Programs Board meetings this semester, he notified Harvey both times of his absence and claimed that she said at the time that it was okay. Levin also said that he was not aware of the two meeting policy before his termination, and that although he had missed other Programs Board events, he rarely if ever saw other members of the Board at Coffeehouse.
Levin believes that there are no solid reasons for his termination and that the reasons for it are likely related to a personal issue with another member of the Board.
Junior Dave Gittes, who Levin said had “been involved with everything from the beginning”, added that Levin had attended peer mediation for the issue and that both he and Levin believed the issue was settled at its conclusion. However, Levin said that even after the mediation, he felt ostracized by the Board.
Harvey, however, gave a much different timeline of events. According to her, Reid was provided with the Programs Board Mission Statement, Goals and Expectations during the first week of last semester.
She added that she and Programs Board coordinator Clint Neill became concerned about the fact that Levin neglected to fill out a number of evaluation forms for Coffeehouse events and missed two meetings, a Coffeehouse, and a Programs Board mini-retreat on Jan. 29; she added that although he warned Harvey of his absences, he did so either immediately before or during events.
That following day, Harvey said she and Clint met with Levin to discuss his lack of attendance, but the situation did not improve and Levin missed a third meeting.
Additionally, though Levin said that many of these absences were the result of illness, Harvey claims that other members of Programs Board informed her that they saw Levin out at parties on days he claimed to be ill. She said, “I felt like he’d been lying to [Neill] and I the whole time.”
According to Harvey, this, combined with what she termed “consistently poor communication” regarding event planning and Levin’s inability to help at welcome-back events at the beginning of this semester, led to his termination.
She also said that his termination had nothing to do with any personal issues with the Board or its members. “Although Reid held several excellent Coffeehouse programs,” she said, “there is a lot of behind the scenes work that Programs Board members must do in order to maintain their position on Programs Board.”
Complicating the matter further, a swarm of rumors began to surround the incident almost immediately after Levin’s termination. One of these, according to Levin, was that he quit Programs Board on his own volition.
Levin said that this is completely untrue, and that he has repeatedly tried to tell people that he was terminated, and did not quit. Levin said, “I essentially want people…to know that I still want to do Coffeehouse.” Harvey said she was unaware of the origins of these rumors, and said she had immediately informed all members of Programs Board of her decision (and her reasoning for it) shortly after making it.
More troubling, perhaps, are the rumors that Levin drained the Coffeehouse budget, causing the program to have to go on semi-hiatus during April. According to a Programs Board balance sheet provided by Levin, the Coffeehouse was allocated $5,500 for fiscal year 2010-2011.
Of that $5,500, Levin claims that $1,000 was spent prior to his knowledge by Harvey for the band Pearl and the Beard at the beginning of the school year. Levin used that money to book six bands, including Holy F**k, his most expensive band at $1,500. However, Levin said that the Holy F**k’s performance brought out some of the highest attendance in Coffeehouse history, and he believed the booking was justified as a result.
About $1,890 of the budget was left over at the end of last semester, and after the booking of three separate bands this year the budget still contained $490, with which Levin said he was “completely comfortable” completing the rest of the year’s Coffeehouse events. Harvey, however, pointed out that the stated budget was actually $100 less as a result of an unreported receipt for the reward gift card for AirBands.
Gittes is also upset about the Student Government Association’s (SGA) handling of the issue and the fact that Levin’s termination was not mentioned by Harvey at the SGA meeting the following Tuesday.
He said, “[Harvey] is required to discuss Programs Board activities; she did not. [It was] business as usual, which was the most perturbing part.” Gittes also said that he considered discussion he had witnessed on Facebook about Levin’s termination obscene and uncouth.
Harvey said that she did in fact report that the Board was looking for a new Publicity chair at the meeting, but did not mention Levin specifically because she felt uncomfortable doing so with him and his friends in attendance. She added that she believes in retrospect she should have done so.
Despite these issues, some students have stated that Levin’s actual work on Coffeehouse was exemplary. Gittes for example, pointed out that the Coffeehouse chair is only required to have one Coffeehouse a month; Levin had one every week, except in cases of inclement weather.
Dom Morris, in an unpublished editorial for The Point News, said, “I can honestly say that this year has held some of the best, and most well-put together Coffeehouse events that I have seen during my time at SMCM…I have watched Reid plan these events with great care and effort, I’ve watched him work hard to run the events, and most importantly, I’ve observed how much it meant to him.”
Harvey also said that Levin’s work, up to the current semester, was “phenomenal”, and added, “I’m really upset this had to happen.”
Harvey said that Coffeehouse will continue to run until the end of March with the Battle of the Bands and a concert for Invisible Children, but will be put on hiatus during April because of the large amount of other programs being offered around campus.
I smell foul play. I was at the SGA meeting mentioned above and she did not even mention the opening for publicity chair.Also,she did tell other chair members that Reid had quit, as I was eating lunch with the gentleman who is in charge of the comedians, who mention that Reid “stepped down” according to Harvey, the day she had actually fired him. It is quite obvious she is trying to cover up something.
Why else would Reid go to the news paper? Purely for attention? Doubtful. If he had done something wrong with in programs board he would have accepted his faults and moved on. I know this man and it is not his style to do other wise. The problem with this case cannot be spoken about public ally, and its unfortunate because if those details were released, people may really see why Reid is fighting against this bureaucratic nonsense.
First of all I want to inform you that the Open Publicity Chair was discussed at the very first SGA meeting of the semester and an all student email was sent out regarding the open spot and I received 7 applications for the position and the new chair was selected by the second week into the semester.
Secondly, Reid was appointed by myself to hold the position of Coffeehouse chair, he was not selected by the student body. Therefore, I am not required to report the SGA Senate about his removal.
Thirdly, I am not trying to hide anything! Reid was not meeting his expectations and requirments to be a chair on Programs Board and frankly I see it amusing that he is putting more effort into fighting his dismissal than he put effort into doing his job as a Programs Board Chair this semester.
The article suggests that there was a problem between Reid and another member of the board. Jes with one S, can you honestly say that this had nothing to do with Reid’s termination? Could this mysterious feud have affected Reid’s performance with in the group? Btw, you do not answer the first post’s hefty accusation about telling programs board chairs he stepped down, is that person fibbing?
For real who cares, she can get rid of whoever she wants to, she hired them, she can get rid of them
She, as an executive member of the Student Government Association is to be held responsible for her actions by the student body. Obviously, some of the student body are trying to hold her accountable.
“For real who cares, she can get rid of whoever she wants to, she hired them, she can get rid of them.” That kind of lax attitude regarding the actions of someone publicly accountable is scary. There’s oversight for a reason. When oversight isn’t exercised and people get away with informing their decisions through personal feelings you get what’s called “totalitarianism” eventually. Look it up in the dictionary.
I do not believe any foul play was involved. This article is unnecessary and the point news should not have wasted time talking about things that are mundane and irrelevant! There are bigger issues going on at this school and in this world. Clearly this guy needs to stop thinking the world revolves around him. Especially since this isn’t the first time he’s bitched about something that didn’t go his way with the SGA. I know for a fact from an previous OL that when he and friend Kenne Toula did not get an OL position last summer they did the same thing that they are doing here and thought that the SGA or the school was out to get them. They sent emails to the OL coordinators stating how upset they were and how not getting an OL position was an “injustice” because of “related personal issues” with the office of Student Activities. This guy and his friends are always looking for attention in whatever way they can get it. This article is a bunch of poppycock.
Dear @11:17am I wish I could “like” your comment
I second that!!!!!
Also I totally agree with Jes about how Reid is putting so much effort into the “injustice” of him being asked to step down but clearly from this article it is obvious that he wasn’t putting effort into maintaining his position in programs board. Missing your own event is a big no-no!
I was out of the country for 11 days over spring break. Out of all the events that happened in my absence – the earthquake in Japan, the activity in Libya, the nuclear meltdown, etc, THIS is what the Point News is reporting about?! Can we see articles about something that actually matters?
And why does this article quote two people who have NOTHING to do with SGA or Programs Board who are obviously friends with Reid. This article is disgustingly biased and a poor excuse for journalism. Get a life.
I too personally would like to know why the Point News Staff thought that this was news worthy and held such importance to be published on the front page of the paper? The Point is only published evey two weeks and there is deffinitely more important things happening on campus that I would like to see highlighted then “Programs Board Faces Difficult Controversy Over Firing Chair.”
As a student leader myself I know that it is very difficult to run a cohesive club when an exec board member is dropping the ball. It puts a burden on the remaining exec board and the club in general. Dissmissing a fellow peer from their position is not exactly what I would call a fun or easy task. Therefore, I do not believe that Jessica choose to dismiss Reid just because she felt like it and by the arguments stated above it seems pretty obvious that Reid was not pulling his own weight and in fact was putting a burden on the entire Programs Board. Also, I’m not sure why Gittes can accurately state that “Coffeehouse chair is only required to have one Coffeehouse a month” beacause as far as I am aware he has never been on Programs Board and would not know the underlying expectations for all chair members. As far as I am concerned this article is absurd and a complete waste of space, especially on the front page, in the Point News!
We need more articles by Zach Eser AMIRITE!?
First off, get off your high horses and take a step back: this isn’t the NY Times here people, not that the Times is some awesome news source, but just saying.
Bottom line: this isn’t “news” worthy, and is it quite personal. It doesn’t seem to effect more then those involved in the actual story. (One could argue though that with Levin’s dismissal Coffeehouses may not appeal to some, but that is a case of personal preference. Personally I thought the Holy F*ck coffeehouse was fantastic, and I think any one that actually went to that show would agree. Levin definitely deserves credit for that.)
I know the story of what happened between Levin and a certain female on SGA, and the story is quite awful on both ends. I’m assuming most of you don’t actually know it, or even who the female SGA member is, but trust me what happened was quite bad for both parties.
Based SOLEY on this biased article, you all have very valid points. But again, based ONLY on this article that was constructed by a single person for you to read, and on what was SAID by people, who may or may not be lying (that goes for both sides, you simply just don’t know). As with every single thing that is written in the Point News or any other “news” source, you should read every article with scrutiny and realize that the facts may or may not be represented, and bias is ALWAYS present.
For Reid’s close friends this is utter nonsense, to others the fact that it’s in the paper is total nonsense. But remember: Kyle came to Levin and Harvey about the story, and decided to publish it, not Levin or Harvey. What Kyle choose to write about and who to interview/include in this article should not reflect upon Levin or Harvey, they did not help Kyle write this.
Also, try not to judge a person based on what you here from others: that is true ignorance. Know the person, then judge.
Snootch.
I would like you to know that I actually know all people involved in this article. I also know the entire story you’re referring to probably better than most of the people on this campus.
I still think there are bigger and better things to write about than a one-sided article about something that happened a month ago.
Dear 1:30 PM
I totally agree with you about any news paper article in any paper world wide would have misleading facts and biased opinions.
However the fact that students (including you) are being led to believe that Levin was dismissed because of the incident that happened between me and him is absolutely wrong. I can honestly say that the personal issue between me and the coffeehouse chair was not the reason he was asked to step down. Jes Harvey DOES NOT KNOW ANY DETAILS on what happened last semester between myself, Levin, and several other people. The only people I shared details with were Pro staff and my closest friends. None of the members of Programs Board know what happened so I’m not sure why Levin felt ostracized by the entire board. Jes Harvey had no personal motives or did not informing her decisions through personal feelings.
Clint Neill never (and still has not) revealed any details to Harvey about the intimate and personal issue that happened at the end of last semester. So Harvey let Levin go based on the details she listed in the article above. None of the programs board members had any influence what so ever on her decision. I never spoke to her about Levin’s work ethics because I simply did not care. Several PB members however did speak up and mention at several meetings that it was not fair Levin had been missing so many meetings and events when they still had to show up to everything even on days they were feeling under the weather. Harvey also told us, during a meeting that Levin did not attend, that he texted her and said he couldn’t come to a meeting because he was stuck in traffic. Ten minutes later she saw him make a FB status during the time he was supposedly stuck in traffic. This frustrated all the members in the meeting because after she saw that status she revealed to us that in that text he mentioned he did not have internet connection at home to email her about several events he had been planning and promised to email her information on. Several PB members felt they had been lied to and again they voiced it was unfair.
Though members were upset no one ever voiced having him removed so it was a small shock to the entire board when Harvey told us he wasn’t coming back. When we found out he was removed we asked Harvey to explain to us why she did it and she told us the same thing that she has told the student body in this article.
Every one just calm down and relax and read this wonderful article:
http://thepointnews.com/2011/02/video-applications-on-youtube-only-benefit-internet-%E2%80%9Ctrolls%E2%80%9D
Hahahahahaha at Zach! You’re awesome!
[Inappropriate content removed by Dave Chase]
A quick note on our editorial policies, we don’t report on things like Libya and Japan because we couldn’t possible report fast enough to be of any use. With a small staff and no international branches we would have to rely on wire services. Instead, we focus on campus issues and leave the state, national and international stories to other papers.
As for this story, there were rumors flying all over campus that Reid was fired for personal reasons including accusations from Reid and his friends in an unpublished op-ed. We chose to instead report both sides of the story. As I read it, looks like Jes Harvey was perfectly justified in firing Reid. Where is the bias?
When it comes to our news articles, our job is to dispense with rumors, which is exactly what this story does. If anyone disagrees, we would welcome an op-ed. In fact, I would love to do a point, counter-point on the role of student newspapers on college campuses. Feel free to email me at dechase@smcm.edu if you are interested.
Finally, please refrain from personal attacks. We want these comment sections to be a place for open, respectful discussion.
I believe everything thats written in the point news!