First of all, the AUB Administration issued the "disappearance statement" about the former Dean of Student Affairs in a lapse of time of less than 24 hours.
    As far as I know, if a three-year-old kid disappears in the Bronx in New York, no statement is issued before 24 hours have elapsed. This hasty reaction reflects a lack of respect from the University Administration towards the Lebanese state and the Lebanese people at large.  They inadvertently caused a national crisis.  Why didn't they take into account the possible repercussions such a statement would have?          
    Moreover, considering the subsequent statements and e-mails addressed       to the AUB community one cannot but notice a mismanagement of the crisis. While the right thing to do would have been to issue a public apology to the Lebanese people and to the AUB community, we found only a thank you addressed to the three Lebanese presidents for their "personal attention" to this issue. The way our University dealt with the Kevlin affair is scandalous indeed.
 On the other hand, this affair raises a lot of questions on the internal level of the University.  Don't get me wrong: I am not referring to the former dean's personal life, which, in my opinion, doesn't count in the evaluation of his professional capabilities.  But despite that fact, one might ask:  wasn't the Administration aware of the irregularities the former Dean committed on the professional level while in office?  Weren't they aware of several incidents that reflected the failure Dr. Kevlin to deal with students,  namely his behavior in the New Women's Dorm and with former student representatives in the USFC?   If the Administration wasn't aware of this behavior, it would constitute a major problem since senior
administrators are responsible for the efficiency and the proper functioning  of every AUB department and office. If they were aware, then why didn't they take the proper measures before this incident since the previous irregularities were far more important on the professional level than his
recent "disappearance"?

    I think the breach lies also in the recruitment of senior administrators. My main concern is about the salaries and benefits these people are getting. The University has published on its website the average salaries of its faculty and their average benefits: a good step, although not much indicative of the real situation we are facing, since the figures are average figures.  Surely Bill Gates and an ordinary Lebanese citizen would have an average salary of millions of dollars! The issue is about the exact figures of the salaries of AUB senior administrators.  Are they justified?  Can a University relying for 60% (minimum!) of its revenue on tuition paid by students afford such salaries?  Can a country facing an economic crisis such as Lebanon afford such salaries?  If the answer to all of the above questions is affirmative, what quality of administrators are we getting in exchange?
    It is well known to all of those who dealt with Dr. Kevlin that he was looking for another job as early as April 2000, six months after his appointment! This fact is documented on the Internet
(www.pressrepublican.com/archive/2000/04_2000/042420001.htm) in an article stating that he prepared a presentation for the public at Plattsburgh State University to apply for the position of "vice president of student affairs and enrollment management."  How in the name of god can a new Dean be seeking another job as early as six months after his appointment? Who was on the search committee that hired Dr. Kevlin?  Who interviewed him? Those are the people who should be questioned.  On the other hand, was Dr. Kevlin the best candidate for the position of Dean of Student Affairs or was he the best candidate among foreign applicants?  When will the AUB Administration stop viewing foreigners as the best candidates for administrative positions?
    Where does the AUB deficit come from? Why do we keep on hearing rumors about several renovations on campus that cost thousands of dollars namely in faculty apartments? What about the compensations for those who leave the administrative body by either resignation or termination? What about other administrators who have left AUB after a very brief stay? Why and how did they leave?  How much compensation did they get?  What is happening in CAMES, the medical center (AUH), the Comptroller's Office and the Development Office?
    In the President's last e-mail, there was a clear statement that the opinion of both faculty and students will be taken into account in the recruitment of a new Dean. Why wasn't this policy applied before? What is its exact mechanism?  Why wasn't this mechanism applied in the recent recruitment of an Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, a position with high importance and direct interaction with students? Why doesn't any new applicant go through a public presentation as is the case in Plattsburgh State University?
    Those who are paying the money, students and alumni, have the right to know if they are making a good investment. Some alumni chapters have already voiced this concern. A vibrant statement was issued in Assafir newspaper on February 7 by Mr. Gergi Bachir, the president of the Abou Dhabi chapter.
    We students need to know everything!
    No more secrecy should be tolerated, no more bargaining should be allowed. The outcomes are turning out to be very negative;  we need full transparency. We need to know how much each senior administrator is getting. We need full transparency in the issue of recruitment. We need to know why all those administrators left AUB after very short stays. We want the students' opinion to be taken into account in every administrator's recruitment in AUB. We need a public apology from the AUB Administration.
    We need an investigation committee established by the Board of Trustees to look into those mismanagement cases to restore to AUB its dignity and reputation.