This fall has been a tumultuous one for Saint Louis University. The Dean of Saint Louis University’s law school resigned at the beginning of the school year with a scathing resignation letter that called into question the integrity and honesty of the institution. And most recently, professors at Saint Louis University had voted “no confidence” in the university’s president, Fr. Lawrence Biondi, S.J., in retaliation for his short-lived proposal to reform tenure among other issues.
But late last week, the Board of Trustees and the faculty Senate released a joint statement vowing to dialogue peaceably. The statement said the groups intended to engage in “more frequent and effective communications throughout the University Community.”
That seemed to quiet things down. Until now.
A letter written by the head of the St. Louis University Board of Trustees, Thomas H. Brouster, was leaked and heightened tensions immediately at the Jesuit university. The letter urged fellow board members to remain silent on the advice of a public relations firm. It asked trustees to not speak to media, faculty, or students which obviously seems counter to the aforementioned commitment to dialogue.
The letter went viral over the weekend among students and faculty and now it’s been posted on a Facebook page entitled SLU Students for No Confidence which is calling for students to march on the next trustees meeting. They’re also calling for a weeklong novena.
