Reporter Volume 26, No.5 October 6, 1994

By STEVE COX
Reporter Staff
Following recent assertions of racism in the appointment of a new
academic advisor, President William Greiner expressed his frustrations
to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee at their Sept. 28 meeting.
	The issue stems from a Sept. 19 report in the student
newspaper, the Spectrum, that Michael Kustreba had not received
appointment to the academic advisor post that he had occupied on a
temporary basis for nearly two years.
	Two academic advising positions were filled over the summer
following an extensive search. The successful candidates were an
incumbent black female and a black male, formerly a counselor with
UB's Educational Opportunity Center. Kustreba is a white male. 
	"When a person of color gets appointed to a position," Greiner
said, "that anyone would argue that his race is the main reason for
the appointment, well, I just find that really appalling."

Greiner had received letters and phone calls from students
disappointed with the loss of Kustreba. At least one letter charged
that there was "an element of (reverse) racism" in the appointment
made by Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Nicolas Goodman.
"It's the first letter I've received that I simply would not respond
to," Greiner said.
	The controversy was further fueled by another published report
in a student publication, Generation, that quoted anonymous search
committee members saying that they had rank-ordered the candidates and
unanimously selected Kustreba as their first choice.
	A five-member search committee screened 23 candidates before
producing a list of five finalists, said Goodman. He and Karen Noonan,
associate vice provost for undergraduate education, interviewed the
five finalists. 
	"Legally, if the search was broad enough to ensure minority
representation in the pool of candidates considered, then my
obligation was to select the two best candidates recommended by the
search committee," explained Goodman, "or return the whole list to the
search committee saying 'none of these candidates are acceptable;
please search further. Mike Kustreba would have been a good
appointment, but I had to select whom I thought was best."
	Goodman has strongly denied any racial implications in the
selections he made, but accepts some of the blame for
miscommunications in the search process.  "It was too informal a
process," he said, "and we did not communicate clearly that there was
not to be a ranking of candidates." 
	Goodman added that it was also unfortunate that Kustreba had
held the position for 18 months through separate six-month temporary
appointments. "This creates a sort of incumbency which can skew the
search process," he indicated. 
	Goodman added that the transition of employees in several key
posts in the undergraduate education department during that time,
including his own new role as vice provost for undergraduate
education, contributed to the delay in the search process.
	As a result of the controversy, Goodman indicated the
administration will be developing a student evaluation form for
academic advisors, similar to the SKATE forms for professors, and will
seek to integrate them into the search and appointment process in the
future.