Aura Velasquez/THE RIDER
Luis H. Zayas, UTRGV provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, recently apologized via email to the political science faculty, following his controversial remarks referring to the department as “a viper pit” during a panel discussion held in October.
Zayas emailed the apology on Nov. 15 to faculty, and Dongkyu Kim, an associate professor and interim chair of the Political Science Department, forwarded the email to students who attended the discussion.
After Zayas’ apology, The Rider interviewed Kim and asked what initial reactions the faculty had over the email.
“We had a department meeting after [the email],” he said. “ … Everybody, I think, was a little bit relieved that Dr. Zayas apologized. And everybody welcomed Dr. Zayas’ promise to meet with our faculty face-to-face in December.”
The Rider asked Kim if a date had been selected for the meeting, and he replied that scheduling conflicts were still being worked out to find a date that would meet everyone’s needs.
The meeting, expected to be held privately, will serve as an opportunity for an open dialogue and a chance to hear what priorities or vision the provost has for the university, according to Kim.
“And then, the second part [of the meeting] is the political science faculty’s agenda to move forward,” he said.
On Nov. 6, The Rider reported on Zayas’ “demoralizing” comment, which occurred during a panel discussion on Oct. 20 that was Zoom-bombed by graphic images of an alleged beheading.
Kim called the comment demoralizing when asked how it affected the morale within the department.
In response to the Zoom-bomb attack, in an email to faculty and students, Kim pledged to take proactive steps to ensure that similar incidents are avoided in the future by following the university’s best practices for securing Zoom sessions.
More information on these practices can be found online at utrgv.edu and the Center for Online Learning and Teaching Technology.
An audio clip of Zayas’s comment was posted online at utrgvrider.com on Nov. 14.
“It’s apparent that he was talking to somebody over the phone,” Kim said. “… So, it’s like we’re hearing his inner voice, basically, so that had some impact.”
The Rider asked Kim if he believes the release of the audio influenced the provost to apologize.
“He didn’t believe what he said, right?” the interim chair replied. “… At least, he said he didn’t remember saying it. So once the audio came out, it didn’t take him much time to write an apology email.”
The provost released a statement expressing remorse for his choice of words.
“Please accept my sincere apology and know that the remark I made does not reflect my appreciation for the contribution that the Political Science Department makes to our academic enterprise,” Zayas wrote in his email to the department.
The Rider requested an interview with Zayas on Nov. 21, but in an email he replied, “Please refer all questions and interview requests to University Marketing and Communications office.”
Kim told The Rider that although this was an important issue to resolve, he personally felt a lot of time was wasted going back and forth through emails within the department and with the provost, time that could have been better spent teaching and conducting research.
The Rider asked Kim how the department plans to rebuild a positive relationship with Zayas. He replied that since Zayas is a new provost, one had not been previously established, so their upcoming meeting is about creating one.
“It’s very unfortunate that we start a relationship with this event,” he said. “But, I believe a face-to-face conversation is the very first step to start building a [positive] relationship with Dr. Zayas.”
