Two weeks late now and still no word from Lowden Hall.

After announcing that he would have a decision within two weeks concerning an internal or external search for two vice presidential positions, President La Tourette has gone two weeks past his deadline while keeping NIU waiting.

Now the editors would never ask La Tourette to make a hasty decision, but why impose a deadline if you don’t intend on meeting it?

It could have been just as simple to say that he would have a decision in the future, yet he chose to give himself a deadline and therefore he should keep it. Then again it could be that our president has already made his decision and by not announcing it he might be implicitly implementing it.

It was known in the beginning that La Tourette was leaning toward an internal search to fill the vice presidential positions and the more he waits the more it looks as though he will get his way. As La Tourette stalls with his announcement the possibility for an external search becomes more and more difficult. Sufficient time is needed to conduct an adequate search and enough time for an external is exactly what La Tourette is killing as he keeps his mouth shut.

La Tourette could be reconsidering his decision; there has been substantial opposition to an exclusively internal search. NIU’s Faculty Senate voted for a national search. Also some minority organizations have raised concerns that an internal search will severely restrict the minority pool of applications.

The argument is that a national search would provide the best pool of applicants and the largest pool of minority applicants. If NIU’s internal people really are the best ones for the positions they would stand up in a national search.

The issue of minority applicants is a touchy one, especially at a school with few minority faculty members and a past scarred with racial incidents. La Tourette might be reconsidering his original position.

If La Tourette is going to set deadlines on decisions and make speeches about diversity, he should not only talk the talk, but walk the walk instead of simply delaying.