Faculty at Everett Community College have voted to censure President Charlie Earl, but a light turnout has the Board of Trustees questioning what the outcome really means.
Of the 117 ballots counted June 9, 92, or 78.6 percent, favored a formal censure.
However, 383 ballots were sent to full-time and part-time faculty, meaning about 70 percent did not express an opinion.
Earl has come under criticism since May when he reassigned Stu Barger, the college’s vice president of instruction, to become his executive assistant. The reassignment prompted faculty members to speak out against other decisions Earl had made and his management and communication style.
A censure is a statement of dissatisfaction but is not a vote of no confidence, faculty members said. It is a political slap but carries no consequences.
The ballot count came hours before a Board of Trustees meeting. The board declined to take a position June 9 but plans to discuss one at a meeting in July.
Board members did, however, defend Earl and questioned the vote results.
Nancy Truitt-Pierce said she applauds Earl for some of the strong stands he has taken, knowing that change can be difficult but is necessary to continue to improve.
“We are mindful that 70 percent of the people are not being heard on this … issue,” said Sanford Kinzer, chairman of the college board.
Although the EvCC chapter of the American Federation of Teachers union sponsored the vote, ballots were distributed to union and nonunion and full-time and part-time instructors.
Mike VanQuickenborne, an EvCC instructor who represents the local union, said the faculty had a narrow window of time to take the vote. Many faculty, particularly part-time instructors, would not have received the proposed censure letter until Friday, June 11, and ballots had to be counted the afternoon of June 9 to give results to the board of trustees, he said.
Of those who voted, “some felt it was too tame and those that voted no said it was too harsh,” VanQuickenborne said.
In the letter, faculty said Earl didn’t communicate well before making decisions that affected them and created “excessive and disruptive turnover at the senior administrative level.” They complained that there is a hierarchical structure that “discourages upward communication” and “pointless and redundant planning processes.”
Faculty approving the censure letter asked the EvCC board to re-evaluate Earl’s performance and address the communication and management issues.
Earl declined to comment on the total vote count, but said the message he has heard in recent weeks is clear.
“I take the input very seriously and have begun additional meetings with faculty across campus,” he said. “I am learning a lot from the additional perspective.
“The message here is communication and decision-making style,” he said. “I am working hard to get my arms around it in other meetings with faculty.”
Eric Stevick is a reporter with The Herald in Everett.
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