Letters to the Editor about Faculty Vote Page 2
Web Services Responds to Web Rollout Problems Page 3
Fact-Checking Faculty Senate, Wohlpart Pages 6-7
Vol. 133 NO. 4
February 26, 2026
81.6%
MAJORITY FACULTY
VOTE NO CONFIDENCE IN WOHLPART
BOARD OF TRUSTEES AFFIRMS ITS “SUPPORT” FOR PRESIDENT
THREE STUDENTS ALLEGE “SYSTEMATIC FAILURE” OF CWU’S
TITLE IX PROCESS
T
hree students came forward to The Observer in the last month to allege a “systematic failure” of the Title IX process at CWU, involving cases they had personally been involved with and claims ranging from prolonged investigations to miscommunication from the Title IX office. The Title IX Director Responds.
Full story on pages 4-5
Parker Wood
T
Sports Editor
he faculty-backed vote of no confidence against President Jim Wohlpart officially passed on Feb. 18, with 81.6% of voters stating “no” they do not have confidence in Wohlpart’s leadership. Some 375 of an eligible 455 faculty members voted through an anonymous online ballot. The Faculty Senate reported that in addition to the 306 faculty who voted “no,” 34 faculty members voted “yes” they have confidence in Wohlpart’s leadership, and 35 voted to abstain. The no confidence vote came after a petition, which was signed by 49 faculty members, was sent to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee (FSEC) on Jan. 20. The vote results were shared with Wohlpart on Wednesday evening, with the Board of Trustees (BoT) on Thursday and with faculty on Friday. The BoT sent an email Friday afternoon to all faculty, staff and students reaffirming their “support” for Wohlpart and announcing their plan to consult “external expertise.” The BoT added, in an official statement sent out Thursday to The Observer, that, “We have been listening carefully throughout this process, and we have engaged in a series of deliberate discussions around the issues that have been raised. At the same time, we recognize that there is much work to be done to rebuild relationships and trust.” “In order to move these conversations forward in a constructive manner, we have retained the services of external experts who will support improved communication, manage shared expectations, and ensure accountability among the Board, the President, the administration, faculty and staff,” the statement said. Feb. 19 BoT Meeting
The agenda for last Thursday’s BoT meeting included a private executive session “to review the performance of a public employee.” Jeff Hensler, the BoT chair, gave a statement
at the start of the public-facing portion of the meeting later that day. “We really do support the president,” Hensler said. “We think where we’re going is a good direction. We do understand there’s been miscommunication, and we are working hard to improve on those things, but we want to move forward together. We want to make sure that we can work as one Wildcat and we can just push the university to places it needs to go.” Hensler went on to explain that the BoT Academic Affairs Committee is currently working with faculty to create a clear path forward. Hensler also said that the board had received eight different communications in support of Wohlpart’s leadership at CWU. Associate Professor of Anthropology and Museum Studies Hope Amason, one of the petitioners, spoke up during public comment. “I want you to know that the faculty behind the vote of no confidence didn’t do this lightly. Moreover, this stuff was not meant to be an act of enmity but rather one of deep care and love for CWU.” “Insulted, betrayed, mortified, gaslit, tired, frustrated. These are the sentiments I’ve heard from faculty and students as they reflect upon what’s happening at this institution,” Amason added. “Over the past week, faculty of all ranks, colleges, disciplines and even political parties have cast their vote and made their voice heard. This voting process is the Senate’s way of letting you know how we feel, and no matter what the outcome, we hope that you take our voice seriously. Please do not dismiss it.” Professor in Mathematics, Dominic Klyve, attended the Thursday BoT meeting, and stated via email with The Observer that he felt the BoT’s response was willfully neglecting the concerns faculty had attempted to raise. “It was stunning to see the degree to which the Board demonstrated that they are not listening to faculty and students during last week’s meeting,” Klyve said. Klyve described how he felt that despite the original faculty petition, the subsequent jus-
tifications by the FSEC, a “92% approval” by the Faculty Senate for the vote and subsequent Observer coverage, the BoT looked past the various issues the Faculty Senate was trying to raise. “To all this, the Trustees responded with statements like: ‘We do understand there’s been miscommunication’ and ‘We should investigate whether Faculty Code is policy,’” Klyve said. “It felt to me like willful neglect of the issues faculty are trying to raise.” “The other vexing thing has been listening to Trustees remind faculty that students’ needs should come first,” Klyve continued. “We faculty have literally devoted our professional lives to students, it’s why we do what we do … I haven’t spoken with any faculty member who didn’t feel insulted when spoken and written statements from the Board asked us to put students first.” Faculty Respond to Vote
A Feb. 20 press release sent with the vote results by the faculty petitioners repeated the claim that Wohlpart “mismanaged university affairs by consolidating the power of administration and weakening the participation of classroom-based educators in matters central to the academic mission of the university.” “While the elimination of DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) is a concern for many faculty, the group who came together to voice their opposition to Wohlpart’s leadership represent a broad coalition that cannot be summed up by debates that frame national politics.” The press release continued: “In the end, the vote came down to one thing: Faculty need to have a seat at the table when decisions about CWU’s academic mission are made. The current feeling is that the administration, under Wohlpart’s leadership, has overstepped boundaries by making uninformed decisions that have harmed teaching and learning.” “Because the CWU faculty care about the institution and, most importantly, the students, they are hoping that the Board of Trustees will take the results of this referendum seriously.”