University President Michael Adams addressed questions about his personal finances, faculty furloughs, credit hour requirements and the Freedom of Expression policy during an open forum with students Tuesday afternoon.

Jeremiah Johnson, a senior from Lawrenceville, asked Adams if he would be open to an audit of his finances, given the University’s tight budget and recent executive pay scandals at corporations.

“I don’t have any objection to any audit,” Adams said. “I have no secrets. I can’t have secrets even when I try.”

Adams said the University, as well as affiliated groups such as the Athletic Association and the UGA Foundation, routinely undergoes audits.

“Anything is open and I welcome anything,” he said.

Furloughs

April Greene, a senior from Tunnel Hill, asked Adams about the possibility of faculty furloughs.

“What steps are you taking to ensure the highest paid workers on campus – the administration – are the ones who will, if necessary, be compelled to take furloughs to ensure that low-wage workers do not continue to be disproportionately affected by the economic downturn?” Greene asked.

Adams did not address whether furloughs would be distributed equally among administrators and lower-wage workers on campus. He said the University is concerned with tenured faculty because their contracts do not permit furloughs.

He said the administration has asked the Board of Regents to insert “language” into those contracts, allowing the University to “legally ask people to take a day a month or whatever would be required if the economic situation demanded such.”

He said a decision has not been made on whether there would be a threshold protecting people below a certain pay level from furloughs.

“We have not worked out yet the plans or processes for such because we have no indication right now that that’s going to be necessary,” Adams said.

“If it did become necessary, I think it would be applicable to most employees.”

Adams said the University’s goal is to make the budget situation have as little negative impact on students, faculty or their families as possible.

“It’s not been an easy task,” he said.

“This has been the most difficult year to manage financially that I’ve ever dealt with.”

Residency requirements for language majors

Logan Krusac, a freshman from Smyrna, asked Adams if it would be possible to change residency requirements for language majors so more credit hours could be earned abroad.

Adams said he feels it is important for students to study abroad.

He said he encourages sophomore-level students to study abroad, but he cannot single-handedly change the residency requirements.

“We do have residency requirements voted on by faculty and I respect the faculty’s role in that,” Adams said.

He noted that for the residency requirements to change, a motion must be brought to the Curriculum Committee, a division of the University Council.

The University’s residency requirements state that students must complete 45 of their 60 upper-level course hours on campus.

Freedom of Expression policy

Another issue was the University’s Freedom of Expression policy.

Valerie Barnhart, a senior from Greensboro, asked Adams to explain the logic behind the University’s policy of “restriction of dialogue on our campus,” which she said does not allow for counter demonstrations.

“I’d like to ask you to comment here [on the policy], especially in light of the demonstration taking place at Tate [Tuesday] and the University’s unwillingness to allow counter demonstrations in the plaza, one of the only two free expression zones on campus,” Barnhart said.

A traveling exhibit against abortion displayed large photographs of aborted fetuses in the Tate Center Plaza Tuesday.

Adams said he did not know very much about the Freedom of Expression policy or “how it came to be” at the University, but said it is consistent with other universities’ policies across the country.

“Our effort here has been to guarantee the right of expression, even for people in groups – who sometimes an overwhelming group of students might disagree with or be offended by the position taken,” he said.

Willie Banks, director of Student Affairs, said his office has received complaints concerning demonstrations, but groups can conduct counter demonstrations.

However, when a group has the Tate Plaza reserved, they have a right to it for that time, he said.

“Groups can’t get into screaming matches or anything of that nature,” he said.

He explained that as long as a counter demonstration is not “impeding the flow of traffic” or disrupting the educational process, then it is allowed.