Some students are taking action to oppose Ball State University's decision to not renew the contract of Eric Belky, assistant professor of psychology.
Belky said Wednesday that Ball State will not renew his job contract for next year. He was advised not to comment on the circumstances of his contract, but he is contesting the decision, Belky said.
Freshman Lacretia Roberts said "The Dr. Belky Fan Club," a Facebook group originally created to continue interesting class discussions and advice on how to excel in Belky's classes, has posted a petition calling for Belky's rehire. Roberts created the petition and is an administrator for the Facebook group.
"I'm hoping that the dean of Sciences and Humanities will realize what a prominent professor [Belky] is to a lot of the students," Roberts said. "He has a lot of fans and he's a great teacher and, for us, it would be a great loss for him to not be teaching anymore."
University officials Michael Maggiotto, dean of the College of Sciences and Humanities; Bernard Whitley, chairman of the Department of Psychological Science; and Sali Falling, executive director of University Compliance, all declined to comment Monday about why Belky's contract was not renewed.
"From my understanding, this is a personnel matter, and at this point, we can't comment," Marc Ransford, media relations manager for University Marketing and Communications, said Monday. "There are many factors going into the review of a contract when it's up for renewal, but, at this time, we cannot comment."
The offices of the president and the provost said they were not involved with issues such as contract renewals.
As of 6:12 p.m. Monday, The Dr.. Belky Fan Club had 133 members, and the petition had 144 signatures.
Senior Amber Bevars said Belky was a good teacher because his methods help students remember the material.
"He could always find time to meet with you outside of class too," Bevars said. "He just genuinely cared that you got information out the experience."
Bevars, who was Belky's teaching assistant last semester, said she remembers a time when she forgot all of her class materials for one of the study sessions she was supposed to lead. She caught up with Belky as he was leaving his classroom and told him her dilemma, she said.
"I was in a panic, and he just walked over to the room casually and started teaching a review session over the chapter," Bevars said. "He remembered a lot of the material; it just seemed natural to him."
Roberts said Belky stood out because he was outgoing and open with students.
"Dr. Belky connects with students on more of a personal level," she said. "He uses fun approaches so we can retain information better."
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