DE PERE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Students at St. Norbert College are rallying behind their outgoing President.
A “Stand with Bruess” petition was started by a St. Norbert College student on change.org.
Randi Groff started the petition last Friday after President Brian Bruess’ announcement that he planned to step down.
“We were all just immediately saddened by the news,” said Groff.
The petition said:
This petition is to show the Board of Trustees how the students feel about their decision. The students STAND BY President Bruess and know for a fact that this is a problem. We will not be silenced. We know what’s going on. We will make our voices heard!
Groff thinks Bruess is a good president and his departure has left some students confused.
“Who’s going to be our president after he leaves? What are his policies going to look like? And then, also, why did he have to step down,” questioned Groff.
As of 3 Monday afternoon, the petition had 2,037 signatures. The goal is 2,500.
Last year, a group of students and staff members raised concerns about the college’s handling of sexual assault reports on campus under Title IX, a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on sex.
St. Norbert commissioned an independent investigation into whether claims were covered up. While St. Norbert leaders said the investigation concluded the school has solid policies for dealing with sexual violence, the investigator disputed that conclusion.
Rev. Jay Fostner, a key figure in the investigation, went on a yearlong sabbatical this spring.
During Bruess’ tenure, St. Norbert also received the largest donation in its history — $30 million from the family of Donald and Patricia Schneider — and announced its sports teams would move to a new conference in the 2020-21 school year.
Mike Van Asten, chair of the college’s board of trustees, released this statement Monday:
The St. Norbert College Board of Trustees accepted President Brian Bruess’s decision to not renew his contract. This came after thoughtful consideration and deliberation, which was solely focused on future direction and vision for the college. It did not revolve around any other issue of the past.
The board appreciates the fact President Bruess will remain with the College through the end of the academic year. This will allow for a seamless transition as we begin the process of searching for the next President.
While it has only been a few days since the announcement, we are already researching and gathering information about search firms to help us with the process of finding our next President. As part of the search, we are committed to providing the College community with opportunities for input and feedback.
After hearing the chair’s statement Groff went on to say, “There’s just been so much stuff going on over these past few years that [the statement] seems cryptic. It seems there’s something else that has to do with it.”
Another student, Neale Tracy said, “I am upset with the lack of transparency from the board of trustees. I think that transparency has been an issue that we as a college have been working on.”
Tracy said a student protest is planned Tuesday afternoon in support of Bruess.
