Evening star., 1940-03-29
GNU. Trustees Denv
Miss Gibbon'sC|aim
:0f Unfair Treatment
Committee. After Inquiry,
Holds Acceptance Of
/. Resignation Proper

board of trustees today denied
claims Of unfair treatment" by
Miss Martha Gibbon, recently re-
signed assistant professor of Eng
lsh, had any basis, and concluded
the boards act in accepting her
resignation was proper"
Z. Miss Gibbon resigned early this
month after differences with Uni
,versity President Cloyd Heck Mar
win over her future status She
placed her case before the American
Association of University Professors.
4, Robert V. Fleming, chairman of
athe board of trustees. made the fol-
lowing statement at conclusion of
the inquiry today:
: "At the regular meeting of the
Board Of Trustees held March IA,
1910, there was presented to the
board by the chairman a purported
copy of letter addressed by Miss
.Gibbon to the American Association
OF University Professors together
with petition which he had also re-
,ceived from group of students of
the university. The board was also
advised that Miss Martha Gibbon
had rendered her resignation as as
,sistant professor of English under
the date of March 6, 1910. This res
.ignation was read to. the board by
ithe chairman of the committee on
education policy. The board received
a report from this committee, and
'after thorough discussion of the
matter unanimously confirmed &C
,'ceptance of Miss Gibbons resigna-
,tion.
, Committee Personnel.
F, I'm view of certain statements
made by Miss Gibbon, the chairman
asked the board for authority to ap-
point a special committee to review
all the facts surrounding these
statements. This authority was
granted and pursuant thereto the
following committee was named:
DR.. Charles R. Mann. Mrs. Joshua
Evans, jr.; Capt. Chester Wells, Mr..
Charles S. Baker and Mr. Robert v.
Fleming, chairman.
This committee has met and has
received and reviewed the official
reports and statements from the
appropriate deans and executive
ofncers and has. given thorough
consideration to all the statements
and facts surrounding this matter
and is submitting the following re-
port to the entire Board of Trus-
tees:
81, Under date of March 6, 1910.
Miss Gibbon voluntarily submitted
her written resignation as assistant
professor of English in the George
Washington University.
q. If at any time prior to said
resignation Miss Gibbon felt that
she had a grevience, she did not see
f1t to avail herself of the right of
appeal as provided in the ordinances
and code governing the academic
personnel adopted by the faculty
and the Board of Trustees and pub
lished under date of June 9, 1887: nor
did she make any attempt to call
the attention of the Board Of
Trustees to what she termed in her
letter Of March 10 intelerable in
Justice
Was Secure Until 1914.
3. Under the faculty code Miss
Globon was secure in her position
as assistant professor until 1914 at
least, and was advised of this fact
by Executive Officer George w.
Stone and Dean William C. john
stone.
a. The committee finds that Miss
Glbbon was advised that she would
be recommended for sabbatical leave
Tor the academic year 194O-41. Un-
DER the rulings of the university, it
is expected that sabbatical leave
will be used for professional ad-
Vancement. The ordinances and code
governing the academic personnel
states that the salary paid for the
period of the furlough be under
stood to be contemporaneous COM
pensation for service rendered to the
university in acquiring efficiency for
subsequent service to be rendered to
the university. At the request of
Prot. Stone, the president and the
deans agreed that if at the end of
this furlough Miss Martha Gibbon
desired to accept an appointment
elsewhere, a recommendation would
oe made to the board that the re-
qulrement of subsequent service be
waived IN her case. The committee
IS ADVISED that Miss Gibbon declined
TO consider either suggestion.
Not Recommended for Promotion.
3. A careful review of the annual
reports and statements submitted
oennltely establishes the fact that
MISS Glbbon has never been recon-
mended for promotion to associate
professorship by the deans of her
college
q, The committee finds that con-
trary TO statements made bv Miss
Ilooon, the procedure with respect
to faculty personnel gives due re-
gard to the recommendation OF the
executive officers and deans con-
cerned. Formal recommendations
Tor promotion are made to the
Board Of Trustees upon the unani-
nous agreement OF the appropriate
executive officer, the deans con-
cerned and the president. No devla-
ton from the normal procedure has
occurred with respect to Miss Gibbon
during her term of service to the
university.
I'm view of these facts the COM
mlttee finds that there is no basis or
foundation for the statements made
by Miss Glpbon as to unfair treat
ment, and in view of all these cir
cumstances and Miss Gibbons VOL
untary resignation the action taken
by the Board of Trustees in confirm
ing the acceptance of her resigna-
ton was proper"
Alumni. Seek Probe.
A group of alumni championing
Miss Gibbon wrote President Mar
win a second letter yesterday urg-
ing "a fair investigation of your ad-
Saat at~%~