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Show k ;t ,,,,. e'''''''''-- ,,,,,, ,, ..., (L' ,.., ,,- ' , ,, .,' ,,''''' - - - ,... ' , - - ',,, , , ,, , Fl out Gody gafnue about 0013 ocrastinat N.1 , e W 2 ' co fot as , . , .k wL W 'COM. , to ,. , ' , -- 2- - , WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, DIXIESUNNEWS.COM DI yo sai li 20 ect 16 0 Vrii' UYEM 39 c7o: 171 n u sta E' eD be the ID no Li an( bifi ask him anything." Not everyone is happy with Williams, though. members. Twelve students, upset over Williams "My door is always open," Williams firing a faculty member in the theater said. "I am very devoted to hearing the President Biff Williams' honeymoon department, attempted to approach Wilstudent voice and understanding what stage at Dixie State University is over. liams in protest March 15 at his office. they need and what they want." Already having dealt with student In a March interview, Dean of StuWilliams did a "listening tour" during protests and lawsuits, Williams said he the beginning of the fall semester, trying dents Del Beatty said Williams could is starting to be accustomed to the stress have easily refused to hear from them to speak with as many DSU students as and importance of the position. He said Wilbecause the students were not truthful his goal since the beginning was to make possible. Some students appreciate about the reasons of the appointment liams' openness. DSU the best it could be. when they scheduled it with his secreMatt Devore, a junior integrated Williams hoped to initiate a strategic studies major from Mesquite, Nevada, tary. plan for the future of DSU, increase en"Their intent was not to talk and said student elect, and body president rollment, maximize student success and it was to protest," Beatty said. listen talk to to is more than willing encourage community engagement when Williams "But Williams sat down with them and anybody. he was hired as DSU's 18th president heard from them regardless." "He's approachable," Devore said. last summer. or about JaNay Maxwell, a senior theater major anything Williams said the most important thing "You can talk to him from St. George, was one of the protestors and said Williams lied to them and did little to acknowledge their concerns. Williams said he had met with the faculty member three times before firing him, which Maxwell said was false. Williams corrected himself after a Future , of Dixie forum on March 17 and said he 7 - ;.: "., never met with the faculty member, but I administrators had. 1 "We also asked if we could count on r , Williams to helprebuild our depart, is ment that falling apart," Maxwell ) said. "He said he would. When we asked , how, he said they have opened up two new positions. He wants to put a Band-Ai- d over an infectious wound." , Williams said he appreciated how , passionate the students were about their , i , I professor. "Sometimes as a university president, ti have to make some tough calls for the good of the university as a whole," Williams said. "When I was hired, I pledged ) to be accountable for all my decisions." , I , When other students filed a lawsuit -- , i a against DSU for restricting free speech . ,i 1 in March, Williams said he never heard ?! from the students before they pursued 1 legal action. "The first I heard of the lawsuit was ' , 1 1 t in the newspaper," Williams said. "If f ' the students had come to me and voiced ,'. r their concerns to me, 1 would have i I known it was a problem to possibly look , into." .',,:'Williams said some of the highlights '''' ,.. of his first year as president as being the "tremendous student support" for the kltk input on DSU's strategic plan, moving forward with construction plans for a 11 new health sciences building, J:ledicat0 ing the light post in front of the Gardner in honor of Martin Luther King Center I t Jr. on Jan. 19, and hearing the success stories of DSU alumni. Williams said be hopes to continue to listen to student and faculty input and President Biff Williams stands in front of the clock tower Friday. Williams' goals to make DSU a "target university" for for next semester include fundraising, increasing student housing on campus and increasing student retention. people searching for universities to at 9 co. at. he has learned to do as president is listen to the input of students and faculty BY SPENCER RICKS Spencer Ricks What do you think of big Th wil use President Williams? my ,r11., for on( edt , , $ , t t 1 - I 4 - , t, r , , t, 1. it r- t , -- If , 1 ' I t , Z' i , ,, ,;..' .1 ..wil. ,,, ., r 41, I Haleigh Saunders, a sophomore education major from Sandy: "I feel like he's given more effort than the last president. I feel like he's done a better job at getting to know the students." I , ., I - '; .1 -- . -- -- t , i , rcp Stu , cho , 1, , S ILJ con a , . - , i , I 1 , Christopher Cleveland, a junior science major from Moab: social ; "In the case on Varlo Davenport, just rehir him please." , ,,F , deta nate Afri ers by f then , i ! ' , Ti. , , rell4 by r - -, ',', , Han , I I & - -t gam wen to "am ings ' t 1.1 AL Tun sem acct of d ' Miriah Kessler, a sophomore conunni cation major from St. George: "He's young. He seems like he's got a direction for the college. I heard there are plans for improvement, so that's good." corc , 1. C.-- ---J PROFESSOR m continued-fro- Page 1 place on campus and in a classroom setting. The university administration took this incident very seriously and strongly believes the decision to terminate Professor Davenport was the correct decision." DSU administrators declined to comment further "out of respect for the ongoing investigation and pending criminal charges." Some students at DSU have protested Davenport's termination and started a petition, claiming he was denied due process. Williams said he fired Davenport because he had a responsibility to protect the students at DSU. Williams said he followed all policy "with exactness" and ensured Davenport was given due process. "It's a hard situation because it affected a student," Williams said. "I don't think Davenport had intent to hurt anyone. That said, it had been going on for a long time. I made the right decision in firing him." Jeffrey Jarvis, dean of visual and performing arts, held a meeting Dec. 9 with theater students to answer questions about Davenport's termination. Erica Whalen, a sophomore theater major from Las Vegas, attended the meeting with Jarvis. According to Whalen, Jarvis said Williams made his decision to suspend Davenport in "10 seconds" after reading Jarvis' report of the incident. Several other students, including Serena Dabney, a sophomore theater major from Las Vegas, were witnesses of Jarvis' state ments at the meeting. Jarvis now refuses to comment on the case. Dean of Students Del Beatty heard the complaint from the student first and supports Williams in his decision to terminate Davenport. "I can only speak for the student that came to me with the assault complaint on Davenport , tears in her eyes," Beatty said in a March interview. "Speaking as an advocate for all students at DSU, President Williams did make the right choice in firing Davenport. There is so tend in the months and years to collie Williams said he is going to start focusing on fundraising, increasing student housing on campus and reto ing more students at DSU during 2015 semester. much information that once it becomes public, everyone's opinion will cpange." Davenport was planning on suing the university for wrongful termination before the charges were filed. He said he only found out charges had been filed against him when a reporter from The Spectrum texted him the news. Davenport said he plans on bringing the case to trial. "It has been such a bizarre experience for me," Davenport said. "In some ----- - ways, I'm looking fop to fighting this in court There is so much evide that I believe will wori; Or my favor when it's sented to the court. I nothing to hide." as Davenport said at as he loves teaching slit4t DSU, his goals are to clear his name so he. agal: will be employable elsewhere. I "President reac' I me I will never r1111 at DSU again," Davenr ha' said. "I only want to can St clear record so I teach acting somewhere, else. That's my passion a |