After meeting with UI faculty members who presented her with 200 signatures asking for the reinstatement of Marcus Mills, University of Iowa President Sally Mason said Thursday that she is standing by her decision to fire two former vice presidents last month, the Iowa City Press-Citizen reported.

“While I understand that some faculty and staff were disappointed with my decision to terminate the employment of Vice President (Phillip) Jones and Vice President (Marcus) Mills, both individuals were at-will employees, and it is my responsibility, and mine alone, to determine whether they should continue in their positions,” Mason said in a statement.

Mason fired Marcus Mills, former vice president of legal affairs and general counsel, and Phillip Jones, former vice president of student services, last month for their role in the handling of a sexual assault case.

UI Political Science Professor Michael Lewis-Beck began circulating the petition a few days after Mills was fired following the release of the Stolar report, an independent investigation which implicated Mills for his role in the handling an on-campus sexual assault case involving two former UI football players in Oct. 2007.

Lewis-Black told the Press-Citizen after the meeting that the opposition plans to form a “reconsideration committee” that will meet regularly and continue to push the issue.