Burton Dodd, the attorney representing CAU, told the justices Tuesday that school officials did nothing wrong in deciding to close the department.
“I don’t think the students and the faculty can prove that President Broadnax’s decision breached any contractual rights they had,” Dodd said. “The decision itself is clearly lawful and does not breach the contractual relationship.”
The seven justices mostly listened to the oral arguments, but also questioned both attorneys on what the contractual obligations the school had towards the students and faculty.
“What would be your solution to this?” Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears asked Mangham.
“They should at least fulfill their contractual obligation to these students,” Mangham said. ”We’re not conceding it is a good decision to close the program. Had they gone through the process outlined in the faculty handbook, they would have reached an entirely different decision.”
A decision from the Georgia Supreme Court is expected sometime in the next two to four months.
Meanwhile, the engineering program, which had 280 students and 19 faculty members in 2003, now has only about 60 students and seven instructors.
“[The situation] is causing students a lot of stress and anxiety,” says engineering department chairman Lebone Mobeti. “It’s put a tremendous strain on them.”
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
