Benjamin Franklin said: "When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides
ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick.
When Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch 
for the latter."

Since January 2009 I pushed for both sides on the merger proposal to 
have the advantage of being heard by the faculty. In the process, I 
may have been strident at times and and may have offended some people. 
For that, I apologize, but the most important thing is the outcome.

The outcome is that the faculty has finally recived a substantial
amount of pertinent information. This was followed by a sharp
exchange, which should enable the faculty to judge the quality of the
information provided. Finally, the survey has provided us with a
picture of where we, the faculty, stand on the merger proposal.

The time has come for us to debate the substantive issues. We should
not fear a vigorous debate, remembering Jefferson's comments in his
First Inaugural Address: "During the contest of opinion through which we 
have passed, the animation of discussions and of exertions has sometimes 
worn an aspect which might impose on strangers unused to think freely and 
to speak and to write what they think."