THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 9, 1996 TAG: 9602090436
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHILIP WALZER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
Pass the sherry, and let the good times roll.
State officials announced Thursday that Timothy J. Sullivan, president of the College of William and Mary, may continue the Friday afternoon sherry gatherings in his office.
The state's acting internal auditor, Joseph D. Freiburger, had said the soirees violated state personnel policies prohibiting ``the unlawful or unauthorized manufacture, distribution, dispensation, possession or use of alcohol or other drugs in the workplace.''
But the state Department of Personnel and Training, which reviewed the matter this week, found that the get-togethers were in no way illegal and had, indeed, been authorized - by Sullivan himself.
``It appears that the serving of alcoholic beverages by Mr. Sullivan in his office during the workday does not constitute a violation of state policy,'' the state's education secretary, Beverly H. Sgro, said in a statement.
College of William and Mary officials, tired of what some have termed ``Sherry-gate,'' weren't exactly breaking open bottles to celebrate the decision. Sullivan issued a one-sentence statement, ``It's now back to the budget,'' referring to the current deliberations over the state's 1996-98 budget. He didn't return calls seeking comment.
Stewart Gamage, vice president for public affairs, said: ``From our standpoint, we're just happy to get back to business. We've got a lot of important items - like the budget, faculty salaries, dormitory rehabs. . .
Neither Sgro nor Charles James, director of the Department of Personnel and Training, returned calls Thursday.
Sullivan began the sherry gatherings for his staff after he was appointed president in 1992 so he could get to know them better and they could voice their concerns informally. He said he was recapturing an old tradition at the college: Its first president, James Blair, had such gatherings in the early 1700s.
After the state received a couple complaints about the gatherings on its ``fraud and abuse'' hotline, Freiburger late last year asked Sullivan to stop them. He refused. Freiburger referred the matter to Sgro, who passed it to the personnel department this week.
Sgro on Thursday did offer Sullivan a slight reproach. ``I personally would suggest that this activity might best be held in the president's house or another facility not closely related to the work environment,'' she said in her statement. That decision, she said, was up to him.
But Gamage said Sullivan wasn't planning a change of venue. ``The initial decision to have the functions, going back to James Blair, was to find an opportunity to visit informally with people he works with on a regular basis,'' she said. ``It would be in the office for that reason.'' by CNB