The manager of Iowa State’s Education Student Services, Mary Lee Vance, will be dismissed Jan. 1 if Asian Pacific American Awareness Coalition and Minority Student Affairs officials don’t get their way.

Manager of Education Student Services is a position within the College of Education that assists students in career planning and placement, overall orientation and student schedule classifications. The position has a salary of about $48,000 per year.

Larry Ebbers, professor of education and program leader for higher education, created and held the position in the 1970s. He is now working with the College of Education’s reorganization process. He said as a part of the process, the college intends to switch the position back to a tenured faculty member as it had once been.

Theresa Thomas, a sophomore in graphic design and president of APAAC, said she feels this is just an extension of the university’s indifference toward minorities. Vance is an Asian-American and she is handicapped.

“This is not just a race issue. It applies to all minorities,” she said. “This includes women, handicapped and anyone who is outside the majority.”

Vance, who was informed of her dismissal on Sept. 27, said she was unable to comment because she and her lawyer, Mark Shirinian, are engaging in discussions with College of Education officials. “Unfortunately, because of this legal situation, I have to play it kind of careful,” she said.

Vance and her lawyer did release a statement to the press:

“During the two years I have been at Iowa State University, I have had only positive performance evaluations,” she said.

“[My ISU employment situation] was symptomatic of the hostile climate and intolerance referenced by the September 29th Movement. By telling my story, I wish to break up the ‘culture of silence’ that exists on many connected issues deemed controversial by the administration,” she said in the release.

In her statement, Vance claims the university is breaking its own policy for dismissal. “In a reorganization process, my position would have to be eliminated, and not refilled for at least two years (according to the P&S Handbook).”

Vance’s comments are in accordance with the university’s Professional and Scientific Handbook. In the statement, Vance said no attempt has been made to offer an “alternative placement.”

Camilla Benbow, interim dean for the College of Education, began the reorganization process after she took her position in August, Ebbers said.

He said the college is working to meet the university’s strategic plan for the year 2000. The position belonged to tenured faculty until Professor Norman Boyles stepped down in the early 1990s. The position was then turned into a staff position. Vance has held the position for two years.

“It has always been a faculty-led position until the 1990s,” he said.

Ebbers said the College of Education is following procedure. In a reorganization process, he said, it is the responsibility of the college to determine the guideline for “streamlining and downsizing the college.”

Bao Thao, program assistant with MSA, said the dismissal was “a whole big set-up.”

She said Vance has done well in her position. Vance has a doctorate in philosophy from Michigan State University.

“As a director they didn’t give her a chance,” Thao said. She said the university has not offered Vance another position.

Thao, who is Asian-American, said, “It is also a blow for us. We don’t have a lot of faculty involved in our community.”

Sources close to Vance said the tension began when Vance was hired while the college was involved in a grievance procedure with another ISU employee.

The employee claimed Vance was hired because she was handicapped.