Mystery Shrouds Lorch Dismissal

Dr. Lee Lorch has not been reappointed to his position on the mathematics faculty of the City College of New York. He feels that his dismissal is for political reasons. The College denies this.

Dr. Lorch, who obtained his Ph.D. in 1941, was offered several jobs on college faculties upon his release from the army in 1946. After he had been assured by Professor Maximillian Phillips, then chairman of the C.C.N.Y. Mathematics Department, that normally he would receive tenure after the required three years work, Lorch accepted the C.C.N.Y. position.

His work there received favorable reports, and he was appointed to handle elective courses and honors students, tasks assigned only to "selected instructors," according to the college catalogue.

In December of 1948, Lorch was recommended for promotion to the position of assistant professor by a majority vote of the sixteen members of the mathematics department. This is highly unusual inasmuch as Lorch was not yet on tenure.

Yet less than two months later, the Committee on Appointments voted by four to two not to grant him tenure. This was tantamount to dismissal.

Hubert New Chairman

By this time Professor Phillips had died and Professor Hubert had become the chairman of the Mathematics department. At no time has either Hubert or any other university official given any reason for the dismissal of Lorch.

The Review board and President Wright consulted only Rubert and not the dissenting members of the Appointments Committee when they were considering the case. A member of the review board has indicated that the reason for the dismissal was testimony by Hubert to the effect that Lorch did not get along with other members of the department. However, the vote of the 18-man committee to promote Lorch in December seems to contradict this.

So far the Young Progressives, the C.C.N.Y. Student Council, and the Teacher's Union--all Lorch backers have not claimed that there was any single cause for the Lorch dismissal.

They have however, suggested that there might be anti-Semitic overtones to the incident. It is pointed out that in 1941. "Professor Hubert, as supervisor of mathematics for the evening session, required all members of his department to report their religions affiliation to him in writing.

Lorch backers also suggest that the fired instructor's work on the Stuyvesant Town anti-discrimination committee a group trying to see that Negroes are committed into the housing project may have had some effect on his status.

The College's opinion was revealed by Lesley Nichols, the Director of Public relations. He wired the CRIMSON: "Doctor Lee Lorch not reappointed by a unanimous vote of the Budget and Personnal Committee of the College. In my opinion his activities at Stuyvesant town had nothing to do with his non-reappointment."