Majority Of Trustees Say Ladner Must Leave

The Ad Hoc Committee called yesterday for decisions on the future of the university to be made by the full board.

Thomas A. Gottschalk, vice chairman of the board and an ally of Bains's, did not return phone calls. But in a letter to the acting president, Cornelius Kerwin, that was widely distributed on campus this week, he explained the Executive Committee's decision to suspend Ladner. He said the president was "vigorously disputing" the initial conclusions of the audit and lacked an understanding of how the spending could be perceived.

"There were allegations that the president had been uncooperative with the Audit Committee's inquiries, which itself is a serious charge, and was perceived as intimidating witnesses."

And committee members did not think the president would be able to answer questions while leading the university, Gottschalk wrote.

Last night, Bains defended the investigation. She said she told faculty members, deans and students Wednesday that the board had begun to institute changes -- ensuring that Ladner's compensation was not excessive for a leader of a nonprofit institution, as required by law.

Yesterday, it became clear that even those trustees who were among Ladner's most fervent supporters recognized that he would have to leave, sources said.

On Wednesday evening, hundreds of students rallied on the main quad, shouting into bullhorns and waving signs reading "Hail to the Thief" and "Ben Ladner has a French chef. Adjuncts eat Ramen Noodles." Someone suggested going to find the trustees, and the crowd hurried through campus, downstairs, across a street, yelling, "Who pays his salary? We pay his salary!" outside Butler Pavilion, where trustees were meeting on the sixth floor.

Student government President Kyle Taylor was just finishing his speech to seven trustees when he heard the roar. "Look out the window," he said he told them. "Listen to those students. They represent 11,000 members of the community and 90 percent of the budget, and they feel incredibly let down by our president."

Students stormed upstairs and demanded to speak to board members, and 20 were let in.

"I think it was the tipping point," Taylor said, and a couple of trustees agreed.

Yesterday afternoon, the Faculty Senate voted unanimously in favor of a no-confidence motion, urging Ladner to resign. It also resolved to discuss the governance structure at the university soon.

"He's become a liability to our university," senior Megan Linehan said.

Staff researcher Bobbye Pratt contributed to this report.