THE AUSTRALIAN, Editorial
30 October 1995

RINDOS CASE IS HARDLY ACADEMIC

An injustice appears to have been done to Dr David Rindos
by the University of Western Australia and it needs sorting
out.  The university claims to have refused him tenure
because of insufficient productivity -- that is, that he
had not published enough academic papers.  Yet Dr Rindos, a
renowned archaeologist, has not lost his high reputation
among professionals worldwide.  In view of what seems to
have happened to him during his probationary period at the
university it is not surprising if his academic work
suffered. 

Kate Legge's report in The Weekend Australian on Saturday
shows how Dr Rindos' academic life was made unbearable.  He
was shunted around between departments and kept away from
the resources he needed to do his job. Minor and major
irritants were put in his way, apparently arising from
alleged problems in the archaeology department that senior
academics say were never properly investigated.  Legge's
account is that of a man who was hailed as a genius when he
was recruited but who became the target of a campaign to
undermine him.

There are serious problems about the way the case was
handled by the university.  First, it ignored
recommendations by its own internal review, which had
sought a full-scale investigation of allegations made
against Dr Rindos.  Instead, the university gave two
academics a brief that was really confined to reviewing
written submission, and no report was released.

Second, the process used by the university's tenure review
committee to assess his performance was riddled with
inequity.  Dr Rindos was denied tenure on the grounds of
low research output.  These grounds can only be called
specious.  The committee acknowledged other academics had
been granted tenure despite turning in a poorer
productivity rate, but said a "lowest common denominator"
approach should not be used to judge him. Fair enough.  But
the committee did not take into account the extraordinary
obstacles put in his path.  Dr Rindos was pushed around by
a series of transfers and departmental mergers.  He was
even relegated to the campus radio station office, with no
departmental affiliation, support staff or resources. 

The tenure review committee said it could not judge whether
his alleged low output was influenced by personal
limitations or outside forces. Frankly, a committee which
cannot consider such matters is not doing its job properly.
 Dr Rindos has appealed to the University Visitor for his
case to be reviewed.  This is the university's opportunity
to put things right.  The Rindos case continues to be
controversial because it was not investigated as thoroughly
as it should have been at the appropriate time.  It
warrants a complete re-examination -- and if there has been
an injustice it is up to the university to admit it and
take steps to rectify it.