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She quits her USF administrative post over a colleague's firing.
By BABITA PERSAUD, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 4, 2002
TAMPA -- Upset at the firing of University of South Florida professor Sami Al-Arian, a faculty adviser has stepped down from her administrative duties to return to the classroom.
Dr. Elizabeth Bird, a six-year veteran at USF, has resigned as the faculty adviser to the provost. She will return to her tenured teaching post in the anthropology department.
"I resigned as a matter of principle," Bird said Thursday. She said she does not know Al-Arian.
Bird said she took the administrative post two years ago because she already had taught 15 years -- nine of those years at the University of Minnesota Duluth -- and wanted to try her hand at administration.
She worked one year for president Judy Genshaft and this year for provost S. David Stamps. Her duties included speech writing.
Bird was troubled by Genshaft's decision to fire Al-Arian hours after the board of trustees held an emergency meeting to recommend his dismissal. "I felt I couldn't still function as a part of the administration and the faculty."
She said the Dec. 19 meeting made her "sick."
The meeting was called hastily, she said. The board issued a public notice of the 9 a.m. meeting at 4 p.m. the day before.
Few professors attended because it was held during holiday break, Bird said. It was unfair to hold the meeting without Al-Arian there to represent himself, Bird added.
She walked out of the meeting angry and turned in her resignation two days later.
"We have the utmost respect for Elizabeth Bird," said Michael Reich, a spokesman for the university. "We regret she felt this is something she had to do."
Originally from Newcastle, England, Bird received her doctorate from the University of Strathclyde in England. She is the author of two books, including For Enquiring Minds: A Cultural Study of Supermarket Tabloids, and numerous articles.
Bird teaches anthropology and folklore, among other subjects, and is an expert on media and culture.
Al-Arian's case continues to stir debate among USF professors. On Thursday, USF's faculty union will meet in an emergency session to discuss its next move. The union can file a grievance, which can lead to hearings. Or it can support Genshaft's decision. On Wednesday, the Faculty Senate meets in an emergency session to consider Al-Arian's case.