(Nashville, TN) Today at 9am, plaintiff’s in the legal challenge filed against Watkins Commissioners to “Save Watkins,” are scheduled to appear in Davidson County Chancery Court. Judge Patricia Head Moskal will hear the arguments of Save Watkins' amended complaint and Watkins Commissioners recently modified “motion to dismiss.” The central legal claim of the litigation continues to emphasize the public status of the Watkins Institute's trust, which would make it subject to legislative and judicial oversight. The Watkins Commissioners contend that Watkins falls under the jurisdiction of being a private nonprofit and, as such, permitted to conduct its business largely in secret.
The plaintiffs in the legal challenge filed to Save Watkins are Kenneth Strawn and Amari Harris, two Watkins students, and Mark Schlicher, a faculty member at the institution. The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys Kevin Teets and Jonathon Fagan.
The spring semester at Watkins College concluded last week through virtual coursework due to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite a tumultuous semester, the students, faculty and staff persisted without support from the Watkins Board of Directors. As the Watkins community scrambles to imagine their futures, plaintiffs reflect on their decision to pursue the legal action to Save Watkins.
Plaintiff, Kenny Strawn, decided to represent Save Watkins in the legal case “because I want to ensure that Watkins students are given the best deal possible.” As a member of Watkins’ Queer Student Union, Strawn had private meetings with Belmont University’s president, Bob Fisher, to ask if Mr. Fisher would affirm publicly that Belmont accepts LGBTQ individuals for who they are and that LGBTQ individuals do not choose to be gay, which Mr. Fisher refused the request.
Prior to attending Watkins, Amari Harris actually attended Belmont, only to leave two years into their undergraduate study because of not feeling welcomed and accepted. Harris states:
"I chose to represent Save Watkins in the legal case regarding the secretive Belmont-Watkins merger deal in order to not only help those who have been harmed by the greedy, yes I say greedy, actions of certain individuals who were tasked to protect and nourish the school so that it could continue to grow but also to express confidence, strength, and care for the community.
This is the reality we live in and it (greed) still exists, I can not help everyone but if this life has placed these tasks in my hands, then I will use my strength, love, and confidence to hopefully bring out the good in this corrupted situation."
Adjunct Film faculty and alumnus, Mark Schlicher, notes:
“My love for Watkins College is fierce and deep. I have a twenty-five-year history with Watkins. I was a student in the first cohort when the Watkins Film School was founded in 1995 by visionaries including David B. Hinton and Valorie Stover among many others. For the last three years, teaching cinematography has been one of the highlights of my career. The Belmont takeover of Watkins has been exposed as a dirty deal.
We are asking for a seat at the table, a transparent process, and an equitable deal for the Watkins community. I am privileged to stand up to defend the legacy of Samuel Watkins alongside the nearly six thousand others with the courage and conviction to put their name to our petition and join the Save Watkins community.
No matter what happens (today), it's not about me. It's about "us"-- all of us whose love for Watkins runs fierce and deep.
Watkins College of Art was established by an act of the Tennessee Legislature in 1881 that accepted the will of Nashville philanthropist Samuel Watkins, which donated money and property to develop an independent, affordable public educational institution for the benefit of "the youth of Nashville." Originally named "Watkins Institute," the College has been in continuous operation for 135 years. The law directs that the Governor appoint three Commissioners to oversee the Watkins public Trust for the benefit of the citizens of Tennessee.
On January 28, 2020, the Watkins Commissioners and Belmont University, a private Christian College, abruptly announced a merger plan that sparked immediate student protests, creation of an online petition garnering nearly 6000 signatures, and resulted in the filing of the lawsuit that seeks to halt the deal to seek public transparency and oversight. The merger would close the Watkins campus in North Nashville and sell the property, giving the proceeds to Belmont for a scholarship fund. In return, the art department at Belmont would be rechristened as "Watkins College of Art at Belmont."
CONTACTS:
Save Watkins, Quinn Dukes, 646.704.4761, quinndukes@gmail.com
Kevin W. Teets Jr., 615.933.8230, kevin.teets@kevinteetslaw.com
Jonathon Fagan, 615.604.1030, jd@faganjd.com
Select Save Watkins Press
- Dulce Torres, "Lawsuit Alleges Belmont-Watkins Merger Violates Public Trust," May 15, 2020.
- Emma Whitford, “Watkins-Belmont Merger Controversy Continues,” Inside Higher Ed, March 20, 2020.
- Jason Hall, “'Save Watkins' group calls for resignation after alleged armed incident,” Fox17 Nashville, March 19, 2020.
- Taylor Dafoe, “A Nashville Art School Made Headlines When It Announced a Merger With a Christian University. But a New Injunction Could Stop It,” ArtNet News, March 16, 2020.
- Full list of media coverage available here.