Faculty Investigates Chaplain's Firing

PROVIDENCE, R.I.--The Brown University Faculty Policy Group has appointed a three-member committee to investigate the recent ouster of Chaplain Richard Dannenfelser, known for his liberal activism and innovative sexual counseling.

Dannenfelser now is special assistant to the dean of student life and is scheduled to leave Brown permanently after spending next semester on sabbatical.

About 2200 students have signed a petition circulated by the Undergraduate Council of Students asking that the chaplain be reinstated.

New Demands

Peter Weinstein, chairman of the undergraduate council's Dannenfelser task force, said the council no longer is demanding that Dannenfelser necessarily be reinstated as chaplain but that he be appointed to any office that fits his skills.

Dannenfelser appeared at a meeting of the undergraduate council last week to reaffirm his desire to stay at Brown if he still could be connected with the chaplain's office.

William Wooten, secretary of the faculty policy group, said the new faculty committee will try to meet with both Dannenfelser and President Howard Swearer before reporting back to the policy group some time this month.

The committee was established "basically because we want to make sure this thing gets aired so people can make up their own minds about it," Wooten said.

Wooten said the committee would try to be "pretty neutral" in the controversy, but the policy group's chairman, Joseph Gurland, said the committee was created in part because of a feeling that "it would be nice if some way could be found to retain the services of Reverend Dannenfelser."