Forced dismissal contradicts University's spirit
Jennifer Belliveau
Madeleine Heck
Something is not right in Pasquerilla West. Upon our return from fall break, we found that our assistant rector, Cynthia Phillips, was being forced to leave our dorm suddenly and without explanation. Our first knowledge of her situation came to us in the form of an e-mail from our hall president, which stated that Cynthia would "no longer be continuing her ministry as assistant rectress." Today, one week later, we are left without an AR and with confusion regarding the method of her removal. Countless questions remain unanswered, and many dorm residents are afraid they may stay that way.
The only official information we have received came in the form of an abbreviated voice mail from our rectress, Sister Sue Bruno, which stated simply that Cynthia would be leaving the dorm and that all wish her well. We were surprised at Cynthia's silence during the ordeal, especially since we are used to her enthusiastic presence in the dorm. Later, we found out that she had been issued a gag order by her superiors forbidding her to release a statement without first passing it through Sr. Sue and the Assistant Vice President for Residence Life and Student Affairs, Bill Kirk.
When we finally got a chance to speak with Cynthia, after she had moved out, we heard her side of the story. We learned that Cynthia has not been "fired" or "dismissed" from her position, but that she does have to leave Pasquerilla West. She is now living in graduate housing and is no longer our assistant rectress, but she continues to receive her salary and benefits. While some might consider the "free paycheck" situation ideal, Cynthia wanted desperately to be allowed to stay in Pasquerilla West and continue her duties. Cynthia Phillips was forced to leave her position unfairly.
This decision, which was not based on any action of Cynthia's, has damaged her reputation as people speculate on the reason for her removal. For the record, Cynthia is not pregnant, she has never done drugs and she does not drink alcohol; anyone who knows her well realizes that her behavior is nothing less than exemplary.
The University of Notre Dame has always purported that people can put aside differences and learn to get along; that's why we call ourselves the Notre Dame family. A computer randomly matches freshmen roommates, and they are expected to learn to live together. We can't help but wonder whether roommate switches are ever granted on the basis of one roommate "not liking" the other. If freshmen are expected to resolve their differences and live with a randomly selected person for a year, surely we can expect our rectress to maintain a professional relationship with her handpicked staff for one year. If it happened to Cynthia, who's next? This incident cannot be ignored; the University should be held accountable for similar situations in the future.
Cynthia only wanted what was best for our dorm. Everything she did as assistant rectress was aimed at helping Pasquerilla West residents. As stated in Du Lac, "Residential life has a rich tradition at the University of Notre Dame. The University strives to provide opportunities for students to prepare themselves for constructive and responsible living in an environment which recognizes and values the needs of both the individual and the larger community." It is not fair to keep Notre Dame's hall staff in constant fear for their jobs when they are the very core of the sense of community at Notre Dame.
Jennifer Belliveau
Madeleine Heck
freshmen
Pasquerilla West
Nov. 6
All Viewpoint Stories for Thursday, November 7, 2002
