Students in the Barrett Honors College have started to petition administrators because of gender equality concerns with the hiring process for two faculty positions.
The honors college decided to not renew the contracts of Pamela Stewart and Lenore Brady, who teach The Human Event, to hire faculty from the natural science and social science fields, according to honors college Dean Mark Jacobs.
Brady earned her doctorate at ASU in literature, and Stewart is completing her doctorate at UA in history.
All of the candidates to replace the professors are male.
Jacobs said the decision not to renew the contracts was based on a decision to alter the focus of The Human Event's course.
"When I came to ASU, delegations of science majors came to me saying they wanted [natural and social science]," Jacobs said.
"Both the associate dean and I felt that it would be a better education for the body of the honors students to have natural science and social science viewpoints," he added.
Though the administration has not hired new faculty yet, students are petitioning for the honors college to take into consideration gender and racial equality when hiring new faculty members.
"There is a clear discrimination in hiring practice here," said Mel Bogden, the history and political science junior and honors college student who started the petition.
Bogden said students received an e-mail listing five applicants and inviting students to review the applicants.
Some students then put together a petition requesting that the honors college include more diversity in their hiring practices.
"No one is looking harder for diversity in the honors college than I am personally," Jacobs said.
Jacobs said the percentage of freshmen minorities in the honors college has grown from 14 percent to 23 percent since he assumed leadership in 2003.
Jacobs said Brady and Stewart are the only two professors on one-year contracts in the honors college.
"A one-year contract comes with the expectation that the job ends at the end of the year," Jacobs said. "All of the other lecturers and senior lecturers are hired on multi-year contracts, which have the expectation, despite yearly reviews, of a three-year stint."
Brady and Stewart have worked at the honors college for three years.
The honors college faculty includes seven men and six women.
Jacobs said the students who created the petition have contacted his office and scheduled a meeting with him.
Meanwhile, Brady and Stewart are looking for new positions.
Brady said she has not found another job at this time. She applied for a position with the English department but has not heard back yet.
"This is the best teaching gig at ASU," she said. "I get to work with the brightest, most talented and enthusiastic students on campus. I'm sorry I won't be able to do it again."
Reach the reporter at katherine.ruark@asu.edu.
ONLINE EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was modified April 5. It was incorrectly reported that there are six male and six female faculty in the honors college. There are seven male and six female faculty in the college.
It was also incorrectly reported that the students have not contacted the dean's office to discuss their petition. The students have scheduled a meeting with the dean.
