In the wake of the recent dismissals of dedicated staff members and highly-regarded faculty by the Ave Maria University Administration, the Board of Trustees needs to provide their employees with security and freedom of speech as a sign of good faith to the faculty, students, and the greater Ave Maria community. These terminations (and many others like it) have destroyed the credibility of the Board of Trustees in the eyes of many students, alumni, and members of the Ave Maria community.

We insist that President Towey, the AMU Administration, and the Board (1) take immediate action to provide a safe, protected forum for faculty to voice their concerns and to effect change in the form of a faculty senate, (2) institute a system of unbiased tenure for the sake of charity, justice, academic integrity, and excellence, and (3) elect alumni as members of the Board of Trustees.

The power structure of Ave Maria University is currently based on antiquated practices dating to the 19th century when many professors were at the mercy of the Board of Trustees at American universities. It is inconceivable, outrageous, and unacceptable for professors and staff to be terminated in this day and age simply for expressing differences of opinion with absolutely no system in place for them to have job security.

Academic professions are different than traditional careers since professors who are fired cannot simply get a job next door; they are forced to uproot themselves and their families to travel across the country after they have strenuously searched for new academic positions. Right now, Ave Maria University is simply not a safe environment for professors to speak openly their thoughts or opinions.

In addition to the harm that occurs through apparent purges, there is the harm that arises from hanging a sword over professors' heads. Dialogue has always been the most efficient method of arriving at the truth and of arriving at decisions that benefit all. This is the basis of the Socratic Method. By using apparently intimidating tactics, the Administration circumvents dialogue, takes into consideration only its own will, and increases the magnitude of its myopia.

Essential to this beneficial dialogue is the presence of alumni on the Board of Trustees, as is the tradition at many universities. There are currently no alumni on the Board of Trustees. None of the members of the Board had the experience of attending Ave Maria University as a student. They do not know what the traditions mean to the students, they have never experienced the camaraderie of student life at Ave Maria, and, although they may care about Ave Maria, they will never have the same kind of love for AMU as alumni. Ave Maria University is dear to alumni, and they have the right to be represented on the Board of Trustees and to be able to voice their concerns about the future of the university.

Together, we can make Ave Maria University a better place by standing up for its dedicated and much-loved professors and their freedom of speech. Together we can foster dialogue in lieu of fear.