Jaak was now sure of what he must do with regard to Denis, and he would do it this week. He still had not solved the mystery of the “sea gulls”; it really bothered him that he found the birds but not what they represented. When he got back to the Library, he tossed the deck of cards on the poker table. He would take another crack at the puzzle when he had time.
CHAPTER 22
Scott practiced with his flag football team Monday afternoon. It was the first practice of the semester, and he left the field tired and a bit bruised. After a hot shower, he called Jennifer.
“Hi, Jen. How did it go today?”
“The operation went well, but they want to keep him in the hospital for a couple more days. If he’s still doing OK in the morning, I’m planning on returning to school tomorrow afternoon.”
“Good. I know your dad will do just fine.”
“How are things there?” asked Jennifer.
“I ran into Professor Nolan this afternoon,” Scott said. “He asked if I knew why you had missed his class, and I told him. He said he had the case file for the Atlanta trial competition and was holding a witness role open for you.”
“I wonder if I’m taking on more than I should,” said Jennifer. “Missing these two days of classes is going to put me behind, and I’m afraid this witness business is going to take more time than I can afford.”
“I wish I could convince you of that. You really have no business getting involved in this during your first semester.”
Jennifer’s response was quick and curt. “Don’t go there, Scott. You know that I’m entitled to make my own mistakes.”
“Yes, as you say, you are entitled to make your own mistakes. But you should know something that I doubt Professor Nolan will tell you. And that is, once practice gets underway, it’s going to be almost every night. Just give it serious thought.”
“I’ve already given it serious thought. I’m going to do it.”
“OK. I just hope I have more luck convincing a jury than I have convincing you.”
“Scott, I appreciate your advice, and I know you are right. My mind tells me you are, but my heart says ‘go for it.’ I’m just going to make the time.”
Scott knew now that he was going to be seeing much less of Jennifer this semester than he had hoped. Between his trials and trial preparation and her classes and trial competition practice, joint leisure time for them would be rare. Professor Denis Nolan would be seeing a lot more of Jennifer than he would. Nolan and Jennifer would be traveling together to Atlanta in midsemester, and they would be gone for several days—and nights. What had prompted Nolan to make this offer to a first-semester student? Scott was sure that he knew, and he was also sure that Jennifer did not have a clue. Scott recalled the meeting in the courtroom when Nolan did not— and perhaps could not—take his eyes off Jennifer. He also recalled Nolan asking Scott to support him in his campaign to become the new dean. It made Scott smile. Sure he would.
CHAPTER 23
Tuesday, August 29
Dean Adams had been at his desk for two hours when Roxanne buzzed him on the intercom. The registrar had the final fall enrollment figures ready, and she would like to bring them by at his convenience.
“Tell her this would be a good time, to come right over.”
Deborah’s office was only a few doors down, and she was knocking on Winston’s door within minutes. As soon as she was invited in, she walked briskly to the framed photo of the Board of Trustees and moved it into the usual crooked tilt, laid the fall enrollment report on Winston’s desk, and took a seat.
The enrollment figures were good. As usual, there were a few transfers to state law schools by students who received late acceptance letters. If tuition cost was the primary concern in school choice, it was easy to understand why someone, given the chance, would leave Savannah Law for a state school. Nevertheless, there had been only a half-dozen transfers, and he knew the faculty would be pleased with the latest enrollment report.
“Deborah, I’d like you to be there this afternoon to present the report to the faculty. There may be questions, and you are the expert. Would you mind?”
“That will be fine, Dean. I’ll be there.” In fact, she did mind. She had a stack of reports to complete, and drop/add was still in progress. Besides, she would prefer dental surgery over a faculty meeting. But Winston was right; the registrar should be there to present the report.
“Anything you think I should know before the meeting this afternoon?” asked Winston.
“Yes, you should know Denis is actively seeking your job. Of course, you know that, but you probably don’t know how much progress he’s making.”
“No, of course not. How much progress is he making?”
“I believe investors call it ‘due diligence.’ He’s doing a lot of that—talking one-on-one with all the faculty members, laying out his plans as dean.”
“Apparently he’s gone beyond due diligence,” said Winston. “That’s the step before you make a decision. He’s already made his decision; that’s pretty clear. But you say he’s ‘laying out his plans as dean.’ Let me guess. Everyone, at least everyone on the voting faculty, gets a pay raise, right?”
“Everyone on the voting faculty, yes. No promises to the staff yet, but I’m sure that’s just an oversight.”
“Sure, just a minor oversight. Have you heard of anyone else on the faculty who is considering applying?”
“Haven’t heard a word about anyone other than Denis,” said Deborah. “But I’ve received inquires from a number of faculty members and administrators from other law schools. I’ve mailed application forms to them. Ben Sterner phoned me this morning. He’s calling the first meeting of the committee for the afternoon of September 15. That’s a Friday. I’ll be mailing notices this afternoon. We should know soon if we need to increase our advertising for the job. Personally, I expect we’ll have plenty of applicants.”
“Well, we know we have one. Let’s hope we have more. Anything else, Deborah?”
“Nothing except I’ve been burning with curiosity about the faculty meeting last week.”
“Burning with curiosity? About what?”
“About Denis. I left after I gave my report, but I’ve heard about it.”
“Now you’ve piqued my curiosity, Deborah. What have you heard?”
“About his so-called motion, if that’s what it was, to have a first-year student on the Dean Search Committee.”
“If the saying is true, about curiosity killing the cat, I guess you have a dead cat on your hands, Deborah. That pitch for a first-year student on the committee was rather strange, even for Denis. I’m not sure what he has in mind, but I’m sure he’s given it much thought. I think he has a Machiavellian gene. And your curiosity won’t be quenched when I tell you what Harry Ramsey said when I called him.”
“You called him about it?”
“Of course. I promised I would, so I had to. Frankly, afterwards, I found myself wishing I had not made that promise, but at the time, I was trying to prevent a rather unpleasant situation from developing further. Velma was in her ‘fighting mad’ stance.” Winston chuckled lightly.
Deborah grinned. “Yes, I also heard about that. I’ve seen that stance—not a pretty sight.”
“I thought it was time to end the meeting. After all, it was our first faculty meeting of the year, and we had several new faculty members and had planned a nice little reception for them. So, when I said I would contact Harry Ramsey about adding a first-year student, I thought I was merely expediting a quick and peaceful end to the meeting. It wasn’t until I spoke with Harry that I realized how determined Denis was to have that first-year student added to the committee.”
“What did Mr. Ramsey say?” asked Deborah.
“As soon as I mentioned the ‘Dean Search Committee,’ he said Denis had already contacted him about it. That surprised me. But I was even more surprised when he said he had given it some thought and liked the idea. ‘So do it,’ he said. That end
ed the discussion.”
“So Denis had greased the way. What do you think he has in mind?”
“At the faculty meeting, he said he had ‘a few’ he could recommend. But I have no doubt he has a particular student in mind—someone he believes will look favorably on his candidacy. How can he be so sure and so fast? But that’s Denis. It’s going to be an interesting semester. I will inform the faculty this afternoon and request nominations. Now, Deborah, we have not only failed to resolve your curiosity but have replenished it. Anything else on your mind?”
“No, Dean, I think that’s enough. I’ll just go bury my dead cat. I’ll see you at the meeting this afternoon.”
After Deborah left, Winston looked at the center of the righted photo and saw the smiling face of Denis’s father. Indeed, he thought, the apples don’t fall far from the tree.
CHAPTER 24
It was 4 p.m. The second faculty meeting of the new school year was about to begin, and, as usual, it would begin late. Dean Adams had just entered and made his customary announcement: “We were scheduled to begin at four, but something must have held up our faculty.”
Then he walked over to where Bernadine Garcia, the newest Research and Writing hire, was seated and wished her a happy birthday. She smiled and looked surprised. She should not have been. Winston never failed to remember each faculty member’s birthday with a personal office visit or a phone call. He asked Bernadine how her first week went, asked if she had found suitable housing, and told her how pleased the school was to have her there.
Brian Latimer was already seated in his usual spot on the far right in the first row when Belinda Chapman arrived. “Mind if I take this seat? I may need an interpreter,” she said. Smiling, she took the seat beside him without waiting for a reply.
Professor VanLandingham arrived and settled into her seat, signaling that a quorum was likely. This was soon confirmed by Professor Rose, and the meeting was called to order. The minutes were not read, as they were attached to the agenda. This time, Professor VanLandingham’s name was correctly spelled, and the minutes were approved on voice vote without objection.
Deborah Channing presented the final fall enrollment report. She answered a few questions, after which Winston said she was free to leave or to stay. She quickly accepted the offer and left.
He then gave what was always listed in the agenda as the “Dean Scene”—changes and additions to committee assignments, new programs and staff appointments, commendations, report on Board of Trustees meetings—anything that should be of interest to the full faculty.
His final announcement was that he had contacted board chairman Harry Ramsey, and he had agreed to have an additional student—a first-year student—placed on the Dean Search Committee. Immediately Denis Nolan’s hand was in the air.
Rather than recognizing Denis, Winston merely said, “I’ll be pleased to receive recommendations. Please include the reason for your recommendation. I want to make the appointment soon. The first meeting of the committee is scheduled for September 15.”
Denis’s hand went down; apparently, the dean had answered his question.
Several committee chairpersons gave their reports. There was no “old business,” so Winston turned to “new business.” The first item of new business had been placed on the agenda by Professor Polanski. The topic was “Savannah College of Law’s Challenge to Global Warming.” Winston invited her to the lectern.
“I attempted to speak at the last faculty meeting but was ruled out of order. Rudely, I might add. I was attempting to address a serious health issue here at our law school—trans fat and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils used in our school cafeteria. But after that meeting, I began to realize that there were more serious problems here. Not only are we paying little attention to our students’ health, but, more important, we’re paying no attention to the health of our planet. It’s time we awoke to the major problem facing us today— global warming!”
The words “global warming” came from her lips almost at a shout. She was obviously warming to her subject; her voice now had the fury and vehemence of a war protester and the shrilling pitch of fingernail-scraping across a blackboard.
“And, of course, you ask,” she continued, “‘What does this have to do with Savannah Law?’ And I answer, ‘Everything!’ And then you ask, ‘But what can one little law school do?’ So here is my answer—my challenge—to this faculty. I have a motion to make.”
Professor Polanski produced a legal-size yellow pad and began to read. “Assignment of parking spaces in our student parking lots shall be based on the carbon footprint of the student’s vehicle. Vehicles with the lowest carbon emissions shall be given a decal for parking in the closest student parking lot, which shall be named ‘Gandhi Parking Lot,’ in honor of Mahatma Gandhi, who once said, ‘One must care about a world one will not see.’
“Those students who choose to drive to school in lumbering, gas-guzzling, demons—the Escalades, the Tahoes, the... the... you know, the SUVs and such—their vehicles will be assigned to the farthest parking lot, which shall be named the ‘George W. Bush Parking Lot’ to remind students of the absence of leadership on global warming by the president and his administration.
“I further move that a committee composed of faculty, staff, and students be appointed by the dean to administer and supervise this policy, assigning each vehicle a parking decal utilizing fuel efficiency data from the U.S. Department of Energy.”
She lowered her yellow pad. “That ends my motion. I ask that you join with me in this important, though small, step. In the words of Neil Armstrong after he first walked on the moon: ‘One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.’” She smiled and walked slowly from the lectern to her seat.
Dean Adams moved to the lectern to preside. “There is a motion before the faculty. Do I hear a second?”
“Second” came a voice from the Sudoku section on the back tier.
“Any discussion?” asked Winston.
There was an awkward silence for a few moments as the faculty members turned to each other with puzzled looks. Belinda Chapman looked at Brian Latimer with a whimsical smile, hoping for his usual discerning advice.
“You are on your own on this one, Belinda.”
Professor Smithfield, who rarely had anything substantial or worthwhile to say, held up his hand. When Winston gave him the floor, he did not disappoint.
He was seated on the left side of the rear row, and despite all of his personality faults, of which he had many, he did have a commanding voice. “Geraldine was wrong. Armstrong did not say ‘a man.’ He flubbed his lines; left out the ‘a’ before man, making it contradictory. ‘Man’ and ‘mankind’ mean the same. So what he really said was his small step for mankind was a giant leap for mankind. He blew it.”
Another voice from the opposite side of the back row was heard. “Wrong! Armstrong did put in the ‘a’—static drowned out the ‘a’ in the transmission—they analyzed the transmission and found the ‘a’.”
“They analyzed it? They ‘who’?”
“NASA! They had it on tape.”
“Yes, and the New York Times got those same tapes and came to the opposite conclusion.”
While the argument about the first communication from the surface of the moon continued, Belinda Chapman turned to Brian Latimer, and whispered, “You can’t just abandon me—what’s going on?”
Brian smiled and answered quietly, “This happens every time Geraldine puts one of her proposals before the faculty. Bless her soul, she’s the faculty’s foremost activist. She means well, and most of what she presents has merit, but it’s always a half-key off. And it seems to always bring out some of the worst in our faculty. Smithfield couldn’t sleep tonight if he didn’t prove again that he’s smart, well read, and the faculty’s trivia expert. He may be right about Armstrong—I think I read the same thing somewhere. But who cares? He’s really insufferable. Are you ready for this to end? I am, and I hope Winston is.”
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Professor Matthew Bruce, who taught Civil Procedure, entered the debate by raising his hand high to catch Winston’s eye. “Matt, you have the floor,” Winston said. Bruce, a tenured professor with an abundance of common sense, stood and moved to the end of the row where he could view the entire faculty as he spoke.
“Geraldine, you bring up a very timely issue, and I’m sure I speak for many on the faculty when I say I share your concern about global warming. None of us is unmindful that leading earth scientists have warned that this is one of the most pervasive threats to our environment. But some of us have questions concerning the appropriateness of the policies and action that your motion will require. Let me address a few of them.
“First, fairness. The motion addresses the problem only by policing the students. Nothing in the motion restricts or limits faculty or staff. There are quite a few SUVs and large trucks in our faculty and staff parking lot. I don’t think students begrudge the fact that our parking lot is the closest to the school—and frequently filled with empty spaces—but I am sure we would be courting substantial discontent if we were to implement this proposal.
“Second. Implementation of the proposal would be an administrative nightmare. The registration and monitoring process for our students’ vehicles is difficult enough, involving so many vehicles. Now you are proposing that these vehicles be registered and monitored for fuel efficiency and carbon emissions. This proposal diverts not only time but resources from our primary mission of education.
“Third. The tools to implement the proposed policy are illusive. Gas mileage does not always correlate with carbon emission. Some vehicles rated at twenty-seven miles per gallon produce more carbon emissions than vehicles rated at twenty-four miles per gallon.
“Now, Geraldine, while I oppose your motion, I support your purpose. We can and should do more. We all need to look around the campus and at home for other places to conserve. But, Geraldine, and fellow faculty members, let’s vote this down but do what we can to support the purpose.” Bruce then took his seat in the midsection once again, and the room quickly erupted into fifteen to twenty individual conversations.
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