CHAPTER 7

"Now what did you do with these SmurFFs that Dr Fecesi brought you?" questioned Henry.

"At first, I just thought about them. Then I took them to Jimbo Jones who was chair of the department before me.

"I thought he might have some idea of what should be done and he, of course, knew Trenchant since she had been in the department during his tenure as chair."

Lyle continued, shifting in his chair so he appeared taller. "Jimbo immediately took them to Mark Rogers who is the university attorney and Mark sent them out for analysis.

"I looked through other SmurFFs and picked out a couple that seemed strange, that didn't seem to me to be what students would write, and Jimbo found a couple in the nursing course and all those were sent out to the examiner.

"The document examiners reported that, to the best of their knowledge, Trenchant had written the SmurFFs we had sent them so I went to you, Henry, to the administration, and it was decided that I meet with her and give her an opportunity to resign. When she refused, I wrote the dean and he initiated the termination for cause action."

Henry appeared pleased, consulted his notes and asked if Lyle could explain Trenchant's conduct.

Certainly, Lyle would be happy to. His eagerness to answer this question lent strength to a skeletal system already overtaxed with maintaining a taller posture.

"It had to do with the problems in the radiology course. Ian and Randy were trying to make the course better. She fought them on everything and finally she quit the course--said it was too much along with her other teaching responsibilities. It was about a year ago that. . ."

Randy called another meeting to discuss the Radiology course changes. Ian attended reluctantly. He was not convinced but Randy swept him along and Randy had Lyle's approval. All Ian had was a poor track record teaching the course.

Randy delineated the changes he was going to make in the manual. The first one was that Trenchant's name would not appear on it. Instead, it would be the product of the course directors, Ian and Randy.

He was quietly and firmly told by Trenchant that he did not have her permission to make any changes. The manual was copyrighted by her and would stay that way. He had the option to either use it or not, but he could not change it as he was indicating. As for legitimate suggestions or ideas, she would certainly, as always, welcome constructive criticism and make the necessary changes herself.

This was not an arbitrary determination by Trenchant. Her manual was written expressly to teach a circumscribed area of the course. It did not pretend to be otherwise. Even though more emphasis was to be given to recent developments in the field, the radiology course must still devote a great deal of time to the basics. This was because the students had to be prepared for the courses to follow.

Randy announced that he would use what he wanted, as he wanted and the meeting broke up.

The accused was busy in her office when Lyle burst through the door in his customary manner of no manners.

"What do you mean telling Randy and Ian that they could not use the manual and make the changes they want in it?" He yelled at her, continuing with threats of what would or might happen if she didn't do as she was directed.

When Trenchant was finally given a chance to answer, she told him simply that the manual was copyrighted and that she had told Ian and Randy that they were free to use it or not as they chose. They were not to edit it or change the authorship, however.

When his browbeating failed to move her, he left. Within the hour, Jimbo accosted her in much the same manner.

Becoming a Vee had not changed Jimbo. He was still unable or unwilling to govern his temper.

"You cannot claim copyright to the radiology manual because it is illegal and the university will sue you and put you in jail."

After he had stopped yelling, Trenchant told him the same thing she

had told the others.

He left and went into Lyle's office where they were joined by Ian and Randy.

It was decided that they would retype the radiology manual using as much of it as they wanted. "To hell with that trouble-making broad," was the decision of the assistant vice president for academic affairs of Belmont University. This was done. Without permission, they used large portions of the manual in the fall radiology course, giving no credit to its author.

Diana was not the only author so honored. In the manual, and in other material that these men put together to teach the radiology course, complete excerpts were taken verbatim from four standard radiology texts. No source was cited. No author was credited. Also, an entire atlas on radiology was photographed. Several copies of these photographs were made and put out in the lab with absolutely no credit given to its authors or publisher.

At least one medical student was incensed by this. He or she wrote to the publisher anonymously.

The accused learned through the student grapevine that the department got into serious trouble because of this and that Dean Broadhurst was furious.

Lyle blamed Trenchant for blowing the whistle, conveniently forgetting that it was a student who had written the letters.