The elected members serving on your Executive Council have heard numerous expressions of concern from our members regarding the recent article in the Oregonian that made a series of alarming allegations about PSU President Rahmat Shoureshi. We have been asked often in the past few days whether PSU-AAUP has taken, or should take, a position on the allegations.
Every one of us on the Executive Council has read the article and we have discussed it at length. Individually, and collectively, we are very concerned. What has PSU-AAUP decided to do about this?
First, we have decided it is prudent to reserve judgement. Here is the reason: some of the allegations had significant inaccuracies, others need additional review, and on a great many our Executive Council simply does not have the data needed in order to judge. Therefore, we decided to reserve judgment for the time being.
Second, we have communicated our concern to the Board of Trustees and requested action.
At the last meeting of the Faculty Senate, President Shoureshi addressed the allegations published in the Oregonian one by one, detailing all the areas where he believed there was significant misinformation. Our union does not have the information needed to pass judgment on President Shoureshi’s rebuttal either. That information, and the immediate responsibility to act on it, we have to assume is in the hands of our Board of Trustees.
Consequently, we have communicated to the Board of Trustees the general sense of malaise this article has created on our campus, and let them know there is an urgent need for faculty, academic professionals, other staff, and students, to hear from them something that sets the record straight.
To our Trustees: If any, some, or all of the allegations are true, action is required. If any, some, or all are not, the longer the Trustees are silent, the more damage to our university. I therefore hope we hear from you soon.