Kat Pierce

Honors 391A
Charlotte Simmons and Stoner
UniversityAdministration

I am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe and Stoner by John

Williams both have unfortunate events where a professor tried to
prevent a cheating student from succeeding. Both cases were taken to
a higher power. In Stoner, the issue was taken to the head of the
English department, Finch. In I Am Charlotte Simmons, it was taken to
the president of the university, Cutler. The university administration
dealt with the academic issues presented with similarities and
differences. First, when the issue of academic dishonesty was brought
up to a higher power, the administration did not actually have the
power at all. Second, how the administration dealt with the issue is a
clear representation of what politics surround the university and who
exactly was favored. However, there was a difference in the way the
administration handled the situation and how they addressed both
parties. President Cutler was mostly silent and did not put any
particular input in the matter, whereas Finch fought and threatened the
antagonist with what little power he had.
First, the characters in the novel decided that the act of
academic misconduct should be brought to the university
administration so the argument could be settled by a higher power.

However, it could be argued that in both novels, the administration did

not have the most power in the room.
In Stoner, Finch talked to Stoner privately before Lomax arrived
for the meeting. Lomax believed that Walker should be able to
continue in the graduate school at the University of Missouri. Finch told
Stoner that he knew that failing Charles Walker in his preliminary oral
comprehensives was fair, but that he may not have a choice but to go
along with Lomax because of Lomaxs power in the department.
Lomax had arranged this meeting so that he and Stoner could settle a
debate in front of the department admin, Finch. However, it is clear
that Finch had no power whatsoever over Lomax.
In I Am Charlotte Simmons, the President was reluctant to speak
with two extremists on the faculty, Jerry Quat and Buster Roth,
considering they had never gotten along due to their difference in
values. He was fully aware that Jojo Johanssen, star basketball athlete,
submitted a paper that was far above the academic level he showed in
class. It was clear that Jojo plagiarized, which generally at any
university is not tolerated. However, the President knew that he must
keep Coach Roth happy, considering Coach was more well known and
respected to the university than Quat was. Prior to the meeting, Coach
argued that any act against Jojo, such as suspension or explosion
would result in a bad name to not only the sports program at the
university but the university itself. Because the President did not take

any serious action against Jojo, it was obvious that Coach Roth had the
most power in the room, even more than the President. The coach
brings in a ton of money to the university, and a high status in
athletics. At the end of the day, the President cared more about
making the coach happy than the professor. As Jojo said, Nobody gave
Coach any shit and remained standing afterward (Wolfe, 714).
Second, how the admin addressed both parties demonstrated the
politics of how the universities operate and who was protected.
In Stoner, two instructors fought to protect what they valued in a
student. Lomax believed that Walker should be able to continue his
education in graduate school. He did not believe Stoner when he told
him that Walker was a dishonest student. It is never mentioned
outright, but Lomax seems to want to protect Walker because of their
trait in common, a walking disability. Stoner believed that this is not an
excuse for Walkers academic misconduct. Of course students with
disabilities should have just as many rights as other students do, but
they should also have the same consequences. Finch tried to side with
Stoner, but Lomax overpowered them both, which shows how the bad
is protected and the good are attacked.
In Charlotte Simmons, the President himself declared that Jojo
Johanssen has basic rights, a small act of defense. He never
specifically admitted or addressed Jojos wrongdoing. It was clear that
the President did not want to penalize him, which would be detrimental

for the coach, the team, and Duponts athletic program and status. By
the President not taking any action against Jojo, it seemed completely
unfair when compared to Jojos tutor, Adam, who wrote the paper for
Jojo. Adam did write the paper, so he was still partially at fault but he
was not protected like Jojo. Jojo had his coach defending him from a
professor and making sure he stayed in school and more importantly,
on the basketball team. Adam, who was a hardworking student at
Dupont, got no help or protection from anyone. Later in the novel, the
President made no effort against Jojo, but Adam got in trouble with
Quat for writing Jojos paper. This showed which student at Dupont was
valued more, according to university admin: Jojo, a star athlete who
brought fame and fortune to the university is more important than
Adam, a scholar who brought the college GPA up.
Lastly, Finch and Cutler had different approaches when
addressing the antagonist. The approach did not have any affect on
the power figure considering the admins lack of power, but
nonetheless showed who was a genuine leader and who kept quiet for
money.
In Stoner, Finch tried to prevent Lomax from targeting Stoner,
and even threatened to ruin Lomax if he continued to create
unnecessary stress to the department or the college. This was probably
the only noble and genuine character in Stoner. He wasnt afraid of
Lomaxs power and stood against him without fear. Finch knew that

Stoner was right about failing Walker and tried his very best to protect
Stoner, which is what an admin should do. He told Lomax, There will
be no charges. I dont know how this is going to resolve itself, and I
dont particularly care. But there will be no charges If there are, I
promise you that I will do my damnedest to see that you are ruined. I
will stop at nothing. I will use every ounce of influence I have; I will life
if necessary; I will frame you if I have to (Williams, 172). It was a bit
drastic that he threatened Lomax, but Lomax seemed to be taking a
student issue on a personal level and Finch needed to let Lomax know
that he was serious.
Cutler, one the other hand, was extremely submissive and didnt
really speak out for either side. He let the two men yell it out and
moderated now and again, but otherwise didnt have much of a voice,
which only highlighted what little power he had. Cutler knew that if
Coach or Jojo suffered any sort of consequence, the basketball team
would suffer, as well as all the money athletics seem to bring into the
college. This was extremely surprising considering hes the president of
the university, a university which is known for their academics, and he
chose to side with the coach of the sports team. It showed a lot about
the schools tolerance for academic misconduct.
In conclusion, Finch and Cutler didnt have much say in the
matter and were easily overtaken by the antagonist. However, Finch
tried to side with Stoner and stand up for Stoners innocence in the

issue, in contrast to Cutler, who remained silent when confronted by

Quat and Coach. When looking at the university administration in both
novels, it is discouraging to see that the good people are attacked and
the bad people are protected. However, some say thats just how
power works. Narcissists who try hard to get what they want are often
mistaken as confident and powerful, whereas when good people bring
forth issues, it is sometimes looked at as being nitpicky or dramatic.
Both novels exemplified this idea.