Among other reasons which are listed in Chavez´s Performance Appraisal (in response, Chavez wrote a 23 page protest), the University of Vermont´s administration claims that chavez was dismissed on the grounds of "fiscal mismanagement." In examining the events surrounding his dismissal, Chavez´s removal from his office has been seriously called into question. Budget overdraft happens in other departments, yet fiscal mismanagement has never been cause for the termination of a university employee in this manner. Also, upon Chavez´s dismissal, the fiscal year hadn´t even finished yet. According to Barbara Martin, financial manager for Student Affairs, at the time of Chavez´s dismissal ´there were some transactions not completed. That"s the nature of the budget -- everyday figures change with new expenses and credits." Based on Martin´s statement, the charge that he went $58,000 over OMA´s budget is not accurate. OMA´s budget is equivalent to just three students´ undergraduate tuition, yet it is the only office on campus that is designated to help ALANA (Asian-, Latino American-, Native American) students.

President Thomas Salmon said that the economic situation of the university is in "tough times," but at a university where death threats are given to students of color (which UVM staff member Judy Ashley remarks are situations more appropriately called "tough times") the dismissal of Anthony Chavez is dangerously damaging to the future of race relations at this school. At a university where there are only two tenured African-American professors out of 3,000, only two people of color directing administrative departments, only five first-year African-American students, and three past OMA directors employed not longer than three years. Chavez was an integral part of informing and helping the multicultural and white communities of Burlington. The university fired Chavez after the spring semester, leaving little opportunity for the voice of the students to be heard. Even so, Chavez´s dismissal and the implications surrounding his dismissal had caused and is still causing an overwhelming and enraged response in the Burlington community, as well as nation wide.

In the weeks following Chavez´s firing, there was an immediate mobilization of activist students and staff protesting his dismissal. there were three speak-outs at the steps of billings led by ALANA students, faculty, and staff trying to educate the UVM and Burlington communities on Chavez´s dismissal, get Chavez´s job back, and expose racism at the university. A staff council meeting with ALANA was held. A meeting of the Commission on Racial Justice and Multicultural Education was called together in order to come up with a stance on Chavez"s firing. After that, a press conference was held with John Tucker, Director of the Racial Justice and Equity Project, and Larry McCrorey, former dean of UVM´ School of Allied Health. ALANA also met with President Thomas Salmon, Interim Dean of Arts and Sciences Joan Smith, and Provost Robert Lowe to present ALANA´s student bill of rights. These rights include the right to be consulted and conferred with for any official or unofficial UVM cultural event or program conducted in their name, the right not to have their cultures used, exploited, sold, or worn; the right to full civil rights and human rights that are afforded every person of the U.S. regardless of university policies or interpretations of policies, and the right for racial incidents to be defined and recognized as racial incidents. When ALANA asked these administrators to agree to sign the proposed 25 rights of ALANA students, they refused. When ALANA asked them to submit a statement of support, they refused. The administration did not agree with the tone of the document, so ALANA proposed that they sign a commitment to signing a bill by a certain date. Again, they refused to sign the commitment. ALANA student, Shontae Praileau explains the conflict with the administration.

"We know how administration is when it comes to their timetable. They´ll pacify you for five years, and if you´re actually here, you can work with them, but I´m not going to be here, so I need that signed now."

In return, Salmon did give ALANA a signed version of ALANA´s commitment for completion which was revised and changed.

"Again, we can´t sign that because that´s not what ALANA students wanted. Language is very important," Praileau said.

At the beginning of this academic year, Salmon did contact ALANA saying he would like to work on the wording and language of the ALANA student bill of rights. According to Praileau, all ALANA student groups have not met yet in order to determine a meeting time with Salmon.

On a later date, supports of Chavez held a rally involving about 100 people which began at City Hall and marched to Waterman. At the rally were a number of speakers defending Chavez, including UVM staff members Dare Mooko, Jeffery Jarrad, and Judy Ashley, and UVM students like Shontae Praileau and Kei Kurihara. There too, ALANA students publicly presented their proposed bill of rights.

ALANA students and supporters also organized actions around three different summer orientations for first-years and their parents. They handed out flyers by white students for white students informing incoming students of the racial situation on campus. In order to organize all these events, Chavez supporters held daily meetings throughout the summer. Shannon Williams, a senior at UVM and a "white ally" of the multicultural movement, explains the effects of Chavez´s dismissal.

"Our leader was taken out in a mean, racist, and premeditated way. He was fired in order to undermine us and make us weak, but it only made us stronger. We are coming together on a daily basis making connections with each other that can&#´t be broken." Praileau further comments on Chavez´s dismissal.

"Anthony was just like a climax to everything that happened last semester. There was a never-ending constant address of racism problems on campus. SGA had admissions and administration on the table about ALANA admissions...bringing students of color to UVM. As far as I know, that was the first time it was done with the ALANA community, SGA, and the administration all on the table with the press. There were death threats in Coolidge. And at the end of the semester, when people graduated, they all thought that there was nothing else that this university could do to top off the year....and then they fired Anthony." Praileau explains.

According to the other students who were involved in the summer protests, they were told that Rosalind Andreas, who was in charge of the decision to fire Chavez, reportedly moved office positions on the same day that Chavez´s 48 hours were finished, even though Andreas does not officially take this new position until January. Because of this apparent move, answers concerning his termination were limited, and there was no one to be held accountable. Andreas´ new position at the university will be as an associate professor of education, but she is on leave for the fall semester. Andreas could not be reached for comment.

Following Chavez´s dismissal, attempts to discuss the situation with Salmon have been futile. He attributes Chavez´s termination to "egregious management failures." When the Cynic contacted Jon Crystal, an employee of the Financial Analysis and Budgeting Office, he acknowledged that other departments in the university have overdrafted their budgets.

"There are offices in the past that have gone over budget, but it is not common, and it is very carefully scrutinized. The people in charge of those offices are held responsible." Crystal couldn´t recall that anyone had ever been fired for overspending their budget.

Praileau has investigated this situation herself and questions the validity of Salmon´s claims.

"If OMA wasnÍt the only office over budget, were other department heads fired? And if they weren´t, then what is the price for an office to over budget so that those in charge don´t get fired....and given 48 hours notice? Whose rules are we following? Nobody can answer that. "Who´s responsible and who´s accountable?"

When the Cynic contacted the office of Student Affairs for a copy of OMA´s last fiscal year´s budget, Dean Batt, the new vice president of Student Affairs claimed that his office (which oversees the actions of OMA) had "no documentation regarding the matter" and that he has "no direct knowledge of the situation."

When asked what will happen to race relations as a result of the termination, Salmon has replied "We´re going to do the best we can. Dean Batt is arriving."

This response enrage Praileau. "Well, Dean Batt is here. How is he going to try and direct all of Student Affairs and then try and direct the subsection of ALANA students? And how has he worked with the ALANA students where he came from? Has Salmon asked the ALANA students who Batt worked with how he worked with them? Salmon can only say that he is taking diversity initiatives. I´m dumbfounded that he can come up with a response like that. How is firing Anthony Chavez a diversity initiative? What is Dean Batt supposed to do? Did Rosalind do that? Was Rosalind expected to work with the ALANA students and if so, did she do it? And if she didn´t do it, then why did it take so long for her to leave that position? Was she given 48 hours notice because she didn´t do her job?"

Salmon claimed that there are people of color at UVM who favor Chavez´s dismissal.

"I can name students, staff, and faculty of color who find this situation....decent and rewarding, unless they were fibbing to me in my office."

Salmon also says that UVM is in the process of recruiting an ALANA recruiter for admissions, and that the allegations to those who say we (UVM) have done nothing to recruit "does not hold water." As for the way in which Chavez was fired, Salmon explained that the guidebook protocol calls for giving a written notice of termination and two weeks salary. No other criteria need to be met in a "termination for cause" and both of these steps were taken, according to Salmon. Staff member Judy Ashley questions these claims.

"In any other case on campus, employees of the university are given time to improve their performance if it has been questioned. Maybe people didn´t like Anthony, but he was doing his job. We need to look at how his dismissal could happen in the manner in which it did. And it´s not just Anthony. The bigger issue is racism on this campus. Anthony helped people to examine and expose racism here. We need to separate out the personality from the problem. The way in which this institute operates is racist. We´re talking about an institutional process," Ashley states.

Chavez was instrumental in bring together the Burlington and UVM communities on issues of race education. He was an instructor at UVM and Trinity College. He was a member of the Burlington Human Rights Council. He was the core trainer for the People´s Institute for Survival and Beyond, an organization based in New Orleans that he brought to Burlington. It was this institute that held "undoing racism workshops." Chavez was also a part of an organizational development work group that teaches local nonprofit members how to conduct their work in an anti-racist way. Also, Chavez was the co-chair of the Commission Summer Transition Team, where he played a significant influential role. The Commission was in session right at the time of the firing. Under Chavez´s leadership, OMA organized the Mosaic Speaker Series, a program which brings speakers to UVM to talk about issues regarding multi-culturalism, bringing awareness and analysis of racism to campus. While Chavez can be called an effective community organizer, Williams considers Chavez ´a strong, patient, solid leader and a friend."

"Anthony was and is a vital part of this community."

As for Chavez, he says "I will survive and reappear in more powerful forms."

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