Foreplay

"You can't be serious," exclaimed Diana Trenchant, leaning toward the man sitting behind the desk. "Incredible! Why on earth would I want to fill out and turn in student feedback forms in my own course? All of my semester student evaluations have been excellent."

Dr. Lyle Stone, Chairman of the Nutrition, Embryology and Radiology Department, relished the power of his position as fervently as he detested the acronym, NERD, that had been irreparably attached to it. He passed a small pile of forms across his desk to Diana. "Obviously you wanted to cause harm to the two other instructors in the course," he replied smugly. His expression and demeanor suggested a small boy torturing a bug and extracting the utmost enjoyment out of it.

"Harm them?" Dr. Trenchant laughed scornfully and sat back in her chair scanning the evaluation forms. "You claim I wrote these five which are derogatory toward them and the course. Five! Over two years and hundreds of feedback forms? How could there be any harm attributed to these particular forms when you know that both of those instructors have consistently received derogatory evaluations from the students since they started teaching the course?" Diana held the offending papers out in demonstration toward Lyle, indignation rampant in her gesture. Lyle ignored her question and picked up two other papers from his desk which he handed to Diana saying accusingly, "Besides those five, here are copies of two you also wrote concerning the nutrition course. Together, these constitute repeated acts of dishonesty which are grounds for termination for cause. "However. . ." Lyle tried for a kindly expression and failed, "we are prepared to forget these charges if you resign."

"Oh, that's the game, is it? No way. I'm going to talk to the faculty ombudsman about this and find out what steps to take," returned Diana, hotly, rising from her chair and starting toward the door.

"You can't." As Diana turned back to look at him, Lyle continued with some desperation, "You have no recourse, no appeal. The entire academic council have met and decided already on this course of action. If you do not resign on your own, you will be terminated."

"But not without a hearing certainly--according to the faculty handbook. Or are you suspending those rights along with my access to the ombudsman?" Grabbing up the copies of the forms, Diana left the room.

As the door closed behind her, Lyle reached for the phone and dialed with considerable agitation. "Henry, she won't resign. She's gone to see Jonathan and intends to make a public mess of it," he babbled hysterically. "Calm yourself, Lyle. I've already spoken to Jonathan and if it comes

to a hearing, well--don't forget, I select the hearing panel and chair it. Her public mess be damned, all our hearings are closed to the public. Get a grip and stop blubbering."

GIVE THE DEVIL HER DUE