Dunster Tutors Threaten Suit

Responding to student and tutor criticism from last spring, Dunster House Master Karel F. Liem changed the house's tutor hiring system this summer.

The new system, which was published in this year's house facebook, includes a new committee to review applicants, new restrictions on tutor hiring and enumerated grounds for tutor dismissal.

The old process came under fire last year when eight tutors said Vincent W. Li '87, the assistant senior tutor in charge of hiring, influenced Liem to hire his brother, Dr. William W. Li '84.

Under the old rules, which were not publicized to students, the assistant senior tutor for hiring narrowed the pool of applicants for any open tutor slot to a short list of finalists. Students and house officials interviewed those finalists, and the co-masters, Karel and Hetty Liem, made the final decisions.

Last year, Vincent Li attended a student interview of his brother, William Li. William Li, who was a non-resident tutor at the time, was the only candidate for a resident pre-med advisor position.

With the new hiring process, the

With the new hiring process, the co-masterswill still make final decisions about tutorselection, but an advisory committee will screenapplicants and select two or three finalists. Thenewly appointed committee consists of sevenpeople: the co-masters, four members of the seniorcommon room and Vincent Li.

Veteran tutors will now be required to reapplyto the house each year, and members of theadvisory committee will review their applications.

Students will be encouraged to submit written"confidential comments" about tutors in theirentry-ways. According to Liem's statement in theDunster facebook, "the principal aimunderlying these comments should be to praisethose tutors who do make active contributions tothe House."

The new hiring system will prohibit all Dunsteralumni from serving as tutors until five yearsafter their graduation. All tutors who graduatedfrom Dunster House from 1989 to 1993 are nowineligible for reappointment--a rule that affectssome current tutors.

David Bear '92, a non-resident tutor inphysics, said he was upset that the new policywill exclude him from returning next year.

"That's disappointing because I really love ithere," Bear said in an interview last night. "Ifind it strange I'm going to be dismissed in theyear everyone I know as an undergraduate is gonefrom the house."

Angela Lee '92, a non-resident tutor in publicservice, will also be removed from her positionafter this school year. Lee did not return a phonecall last night.

The masters also will hold office hours thisyear, Acting Senior Tutor Mark Mueller announcedat a house-wide meeting Sunday night. Althoughtutors and faculty members praised Liem forpublicizing the new hiring rules, some wereunhappy with many of the details of the updatedprocess.

Some said the published reasons for dismissalof current tutors were broad and arbitrary. Amongother reasons, tutors may be dismissed for "beingdisruptive to the House community," for "inabilityto work in a team setting" and for "setting a poorrole model for students.""Who is to determinethat?" Bear said of the newly codified grounds fordismissal.

Some tutors and one faculty member expresseddispleasure that Vincent Li was named a member ofthe advisory committee.

"It is totally inappropriate for Vincent to beon the committee," said Professor of MicrobiologyEdmund C.C. Lin, a member of the Dunster HouseSenior Common Room. "He's in the controversy.There's a conflict of interest there."

Lin said last night that he will issue awritten warning to two faculty members who are onthe faculty advisory committee. "I think they needa warning so they won't be taken in by theothers," he said.

One committee member complained about imbalancein the committee's makeup. Of the seven people whowill serve on the committee, six have careers inmedicine or science. All of the members wereselected by Liem, who is a professor of biology.

"It's a little weak outside the naturalsciences," said Herbert Bloch, Pope professor ofLatin language and literature. "The sciences aremore strongly represented than perhaps isjustified."

Liem could not be reached for comment

With the new hiring process, the co-masterswill still make final decisions about tutorselection, but an advisory committee will screenapplicants and select two or three finalists. Thenewly appointed committee consists of sevenpeople: the co-masters, four members of the seniorcommon room and Vincent Li.

Veteran tutors will now be required to reapplyto the house each year, and members of theadvisory committee will review their applications.

Students will be encouraged to submit written"confidential comments" about tutors in theirentry-ways. According to Liem's statement in theDunster facebook, "the principal aimunderlying these comments should be to praisethose tutors who do make active contributions tothe House."

The new hiring system will prohibit all Dunsteralumni from serving as tutors until five yearsafter their graduation. All tutors who graduatedfrom Dunster House from 1989 to 1993 are nowineligible for reappointment--a rule that affectssome current tutors.

David Bear '92, a non-resident tutor inphysics, said he was upset that the new policywill exclude him from returning next year.

"That's disappointing because I really love ithere," Bear said in an interview last night. "Ifind it strange I'm going to be dismissed in theyear everyone I know as an undergraduate is gonefrom the house."

Angela Lee '92, a non-resident tutor in publicservice, will also be removed from her positionafter this school year. Lee did not return a phonecall last night.

The masters also will hold office hours thisyear, Acting Senior Tutor Mark Mueller announcedat a house-wide meeting Sunday night. Althoughtutors and faculty members praised Liem forpublicizing the new hiring rules, some wereunhappy with many of the details of the updatedprocess.

Some said the published reasons for dismissalof current tutors were broad and arbitrary. Amongother reasons, tutors may be dismissed for "beingdisruptive to the House community," for "inabilityto work in a team setting" and for "setting a poorrole model for students.""Who is to determinethat?" Bear said of the newly codified grounds fordismissal.

Some tutors and one faculty member expresseddispleasure that Vincent Li was named a member ofthe advisory committee.

"It is totally inappropriate for Vincent to beon the committee," said Professor of MicrobiologyEdmund C.C. Lin, a member of the Dunster HouseSenior Common Room. "He's in the controversy.There's a conflict of interest there."

Lin said last night that he will issue awritten warning to two faculty members who are onthe faculty advisory committee. "I think they needa warning so they won't be taken in by theothers," he said.

One committee member complained about imbalancein the committee's makeup. Of the seven people whowill serve on the committee, six have careers inmedicine or science. All of the members wereselected by Liem, who is a professor of biology.

"It's a little weak outside the naturalsciences," said Herbert Bloch, Pope professor ofLatin language and literature. "The sciences aremore strongly represented than perhaps isjustified."

Liem could not be reached for comment