On Monday, June 14, 2010, just days after assuming his new role as vice president for student affairs, Father Thomas Doyle, C.S.C. fired long-standing employee, Bill Kirk, from his position as associate vice president for student affairs.
University spokesman Dennis Brown explained to The Rover, “Mr. Kirk’s position was eliminated as part of Father Doyle’s organizational restructuring.” Brown also told The Rover, “More information will be provided on the restructuring in the near future.” […]
Some have speculated whether Kirk’s connection to the pro-life movement was a factor. In March of 2009, Kirk’s wife Elizabeth, the faculty advisor for the Right to Life club, helped students to organize NDResponse, the coalition that protested the university’s invitation to President Obama. Part of Kirk’s role as associate vice president was to approve or reject any demonstration requests from the students, including those from ND Response. Kirk was known within the administration to be sympathetic to the students’ pro-life efforts.
In the days preceding commencement, Kirk attended the Palm Sunday rally held outside the Main Building, and he joined faculty and NDResponse students in praying the Rosary in the grotto the night before Commencement. On Commencement Day, when NDResponse hosted a rally on South Quad, philosophy professor David Solomon asked the university faculty, staff and administrators present to approach the podium in support of the students. Kirk was the only senior administrator to do so.
Finally, some suspect that the continuing litigation involving the “ND88” (the protesters arrested before Obama’s commencement address) may have had something to do with Kirk’s termination. The university recently filed a motion to quash Judge Michael Scopelitis’ ruling that ND88 defense attorney Thomas Dixon could depose university officials. Dixon is attempting to depose Kirk. Dixon told The Rover:
“I am seeking to depose him [Kirk] because he was in charge of granting demonstration permits, and there discrepancies in the application/enforcement of ND’s demonstration policy, which have already been brought to light.”
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