366 students petition in support of THRS professor

While  the THRS department searches for a tenured professor, students advocate for Joel Gruber, Ph.D. 

Amy Inkrott / News Editor / The USD Vista

“O Captain! My Captain!” 

Similar to the students who rallied around their English teacher in the movie “Dead Poets Society,” senior Camille Morales and hundreds of students at the University of San Diego came together in support of their religious studies professor, Joel Gruber, Ph.D., as fears of him being ousted caught wind this past December.

“There’s one professor who defines your college experience, and for so many people it has been Gruber,” Morales said. “He’s a professor who makes every relationship seem so meaningful. At the end of our last class with him, people were crying, we literally stood up and started clapping. I felt like we were in the movie ‘Dead Poets Society,’ but it was 10,000 times more real.”

Over the past four years as a full-time assistant professor at USD, Gruber has made an impact on the lives of his students. Every semester, his courses in Exploring Religious Meaning, Buddhist Thought, and Hinduism are among the first to fill up, with numerous students on the waitlist. 

In May of 2018, the department of Theology and Religious Studies (THRS) posted a job advertisement for a tenured Buddhist studies professor to the USD website. This advertisement began a nation-wide search to fill the position. Three finalists were invited to campus in December of 2018 for a final interview. Among these candidates was Gruber.

In late November of 2018, junior THRS major Cooper Kent received an email from the department inviting him to have lunch with each of the finalists. Although the email did not provide the candidates’ names, Kent was confused that the THRS department was looking elsewhere to fill a position he thought Gruber was clearly fit for.

“On November 30th I received an email from the THRS executive assistant saying the first lunch would be with Dr. Joel Gruber,” Kent said. “I was concerned from the first email, and the second email confirmed my suspicions.”

Kent, having taken three of Gruber’s courses, was bewildered by the national search. He considered Gruber to be one of the most inspirational and thought-provoking professors.

“He nurtured the curiosity and creativity of students and tailored his lectures to challenge and include each individual present,” Kent said. “Some of the best writing I’ve ever done has been for his class simply because he intentionally draws deep thought and interdisciplinary analysis from his students. Here, the department is hiring a tenure-track Buddhist studies professor, and my current professor – easily one of the best professors I’ve had at USD and in the THRS department – was only one of three candidates, even though he already worked at USD. Why do the search?”

Moved by his connection to Gruber, Kent sought to voice his support for the professor as he believed the professor’s position at USD to be at risk. Kent reached out to those students who knew Gruber personally and emailed those on his class lists. Through these emails and one Google Sheet, he made a petition and garnered a massive number of student voices, all advocating for their professor. The petition included signatures from a wide range of current students and alumni. Some students chose to participate even though they have yet to take one of Gruber’s classes. 

Kent also contacted the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Noelle Norton, Ph.D. In response, Norton addressed the student body at an Associated Students Senate meeting on Dec. 13. The normally-sparse public seating area quickly filled up as a group of concerned students anxiously awaited the Dean’s words. Norton spent her time before the senate detailing the difference between a tenured and non-tenured position, leaving many of the students’ questions unanswered. After the meeting, Kent asked Norton additional questions. 

“Most of the information given was information I knew already, information that wasn’t specific to Dr. Gruber’s situation,” Kent said. “I understood that Dr. Norton needed to address the student body, not just me, but I did decide to follow up in order to see if I could get some of my more specific questions answered. She was extremely respectful and open to answering my questions, but I gathered from her that the situation was largely out of her hands.”

Meanwhile, more students chose to participate in Kent’s petition. Over the course of nine days, 363 students and alumni added their name to the document, and many included stories of their own personal experiences with Gruber. Senior Grant Sampson didn’t hesitate to participate in the petition.

“It was a no-brainer,” Sampson said. “You don’t save your kind words for a eulogy when those same words could save that same person now. It also takes a very specific professor to make you look forward to a three-hour class. His class was a way for me to examine big philosophical topics like existence and my purpose in a way I’ve never been able to delve into my other classes.”

The complex topics discussed in Gruber’s classes encouraged Sampson to look beyond his plans for the future and consider a greater meaning for his life. 

“For most of my time at USD, I have been really focused on getting good grades, going to graduate school, getting my Ph.D., and eventually curing cancer,” Sampson said. “It made me think about what more is out there, and how restrictive that tunnel vision can be. After I moved away from that singular focus, I have been doing so many more things that actually make me happy.”

Sampson also highlighted the ways in which Gruber challenged him to be a changemaker on campus and in the Linda Vista community. Gruber helped Sampson in his efforts to start a non-profit organization, the Locus Initiative, focused on community action. According to Sampson and senior Maya McAuliffe, Gruber has consistently looked to help his students achieve their goals.

McAuliffe signed the petition due to the influence of Gruber’s Hinduism class on her journey with ADHD.

“For a really long time I was taking stimulants for my ADHD,” McAuliffe said. “I got to the point where I didn’t want to take them anymore. But if I stopped taking them I couldn’t focus or do my work. (Gruber) really encouraged our class to meditate. Through doing that, I realized I didn’t need to take the medication anymore.”

Gruber insisted that he did not instigate the formation of this petition. Upon reading through the petition, Gruber was greatly moved by the outpouring of student support.

“The fact that so many students took the time during their finals-week schedule was really touching,” Gruber said. “I go back and read it and it still brings tears to my eyes. It was so humbling. There were times when I wanted to quit and not come back. It was too much to deal with psychologically. This petition is what I read when I want to walk away from it all. It’s the most meaningful experience of my life.”

Shortly after the petition was made public, Gruber was questioned by THRS department chair, Emily Reimer-Barry, Ph.D., about his involvement with the petition. In this meeting, it was made known that these additional student voices would not be considered in the tenure process. In an interview with The USD Vista,Reimer-Barry placed an emphasis on the procedures involved with the tenure-search process. 

“We have a policy of giving all candidates equal consideration,” Reimer-Barry said. “Part of our process also has the importance of confidentiality. Any violation of our procedures with regard to confidentiality is a really big concern. Student voices are considered when the candidates come to teach and when the majors are asked to have lunch. We can’t take into consideration anything that is not written down. The rules that we placed on this search may have seemed restrictive to some people, but it really is important for us to follow our own internal policies.” 

Reimer-Barry expressed her concerns regarding this outpouring of student voices. She pondered the ways in which this could impact future departmental issues. 

“We’re trying to figure out if a new wave of student activism and engagement on issues means that we as a faculty need to include or exclude students from conversations in the future,” Reimer-Barry said. 

Many students were concerned that Gruber would lose his position at the university should he not be offered the tenure-track position. However, Reimer-Barry was confident that this was not the case.

“Dr. Gruber continues to have a benefits-based renewable contract for a full-time teaching position in our department,” Reimer-Barry said. 

On Dec. 17, 2018, Gruber received an email explaining that the search for a tenured Buddhist studies professor was canceled due to “internal reasons.” The reasoning behind the search being canceled has not been given further explanation. Reimer-Barry noted that the decision to cancel the search was made by the Office of the Provost and not within the THRS department. The USD Vista reached out to the Office of the Provost, but was unable to schedule an interview in time for publication. However, Provost Gail Baker, Ph.D., echoed the need for impartiality in the search process. 

“Because search processes involve personnel matters, I am limited in the information I can provide,” Baker said. “What I can share is that the university strives to ensure that every hiring process is conducted in a fair and inclusive manner. Based on information the Dean and I received, we decided it would be best to discontinue the search until a later time so we can ensure it meets our standards.”

Some of the students who participated in the petition were deeply frustrated by the decision to cancel the search. Camille Morales sees this decision as disrespectful to the students.

“It shows the phoniness of the university,” Morales said. “They claim to care about students but it seems like our voices don’t matter. It’s condescending and hurtful especially when we’re the ones affected by this.”

Currently, the THRS department is hosting a search for a tenured Indigenous Studies and Religion professor. The department of human resources is investigating the failed Buddhist studies search. 

Despite the results of the tenure search, many students have continued to support Gruber in his position at USD. Some of the students who participated in the petition continue to look forward to taking their first class with Gruber, having seen the impact he has made on the lives of so many of their peers.