A storm of dismissals.

WHILE HURRICANE KATRINA WASHED AWAY so much in New Orleans, it didn't rid the city of contentious disagreements. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and Tulane University leaders have been exchanging tense letters as of late. The disagreements center on whether Tulane's decision to dismiss large numbers of tenured faculty adhered to appropriate policies and involved faculty input.

AAUP has asked Tulane to disclose information about its finances, since the university declared financial exigency that cleared the way for faculty dismissals in December. Tulane President Scott Cowen and Board of Tulane University Chair Catherine Pierson have not yet responded to the latest AAUP's missive of March 14, but they noted in a February 7 statement, "We believe that your letter does not reflect a full understanding of the unprecedented devastation this area and its institutions have suffered."

Faculty are worried that the Tulane dismissals might set a bad precedent. Says Roger Bowen, AAUP general counsel: "While we can empathize with the terrible disaster, it's difficult to be silent when so many faculty are losing their jobs, and in the absence of good data to demonstrate that that should happen." The AAUP sent a letter to the University of New Orleans in April addressing faculty layoffs there.