Mirror - Vol. 07, No. 01 - April 21, 1983

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Volume 7, No. 1 Thursday, April 21, 1983 Fairfield University, Fairfield, Connecticut 06430 Incorporated 1977
Faculty Unanimously
Rejects Salary Proposal
by David M. Rothbard
News Editor
Fairfield's faculty unanimously
rejected this year's offer from the
administration which would have
given the faculty a salary increase
of 4% above inflation over the
next two years.
"We are not looking for a big fat
increase in pay." asserted one pro-fessor,
"but over the past 10 years
we have lost more than 17% of our
buying power."
Although the faculty has been
receiving increases each year cor-responding
to the inflation rate,
they have lost between 17 and
20% of their actual buying power.
"Even though we make more
money now, we are getting less'
money in terms of what we can do
with it," stated an angry faculty
member.
Last year the cost of living in-creased
3.9% (C.P.I) and the ad-ministration
this year offered
2.1% above inflation to total a 6%
increase. In February the Faculty
Salary Committee, in a memo to
the general faculty, stated, "We
had hoped that the low cost of liv-ing
would provide an opportunity
to make significant strides toward'
making up the buying power
losses we suffered during the
70's." The faculty is now re-questing
3% more than the ad-ministrations
offer which is 7%
over inflation over two years.
Said one assistant professor
"We understand the budgetary
problems which the university
faces but we must look out of our
families too. We've cooperated all
along."
Negotiations between the ad-ministration
and the salary com-mittee
had broken down after
what Reverend Christopher
Mooney, Academic Vice-Presi-dent,
terrned a "misunder-standing"
between the two par-ties.
In a memo dated March 23 to
Provost John Barone, George
Lang, Chairman of the Math
Department and the Salary Com-mittee,
informed Barone that the
general faculty had rejected the
1983-84 offer. It also stated that an
agreement could be reached "with
a rather reasonable salary in-crease
(3% more over two years)
and minor changes in the wording
of the offer (concerning the con-tingency
clause which would
make the increase dependent
upon successful fulfilment of the
enrollment projections)." Lang
wrote, 'If no movement is possi-ble,
we would prefer a time-saving
written reply."
Barone, in a memo sent the next
day to Lang, stated that the
university is not able to meet in
the increase or drop the clause.
He continued, "Our understanding
of your letter is that under the cir-cumstances,
the collegial negotia-tions
are therefore closed for this
year."
Negotiations are again under
the way though after President
Kelley sent a memo to the salary
committee which stated that there
had been a misunderstanding and
that negotiations should continue.
. One irate professor stated that
he would like to see the faculty
gain more participation in the
budgetary process and in he
governance of the university.
"After all," he declared "they have
considerable say in faculty expen-ditures
buy we have no leverage
and no say in the burgeoning ad-ministrative
bureaucracy."
Elie Wiesel, famous author and concentration camp survivor, will speak
this year at Fairfield's commencement exercises
(Photo Courtesy of Public Relations)
University Selects Elie Wiesel
To Speak At Commencement
Bloom Examines 'London'
by Tony Ghecas
Last week, Professor Harold
Bloom, Professor of English at
Yale University and noted literary
critic, appeared in the Nursing
Auditorium. Under the auspices of
the Fairfield University Honors
Program Professor Bloom was the
plenary speaker for the Honors
Program this semester. The Yale
professor spoke on the topic of
"Romantic Themes in the Work of
William Blake."
Bloom lectured specifically on
the poem, "London" by William
Blake. According to Bloom, "'Lon-don'
remains one of Blake's most
misunderstood poems." The pro-fessor
proceeded to explicate the
poem "London" by referring to its
"Biblical qualities." "I believe that
'London' has been misinterpreted
by many critics," said Bloom.
"When Blake speaks about 'the
Harlot's curse' he is not necessari-ly
talking of venereal disease as
has been commonly held."
Harold Bloom proceeded to
compare the rhyme of "London"
with a comparable passage from a
Biblical prophet. Unfortunately, as
the Yale professor later said, he
did not leave himself enough time
to properly explicate Blake's most
famous poem "The Tyger." He
proceeded directly to the
question-and-answer period.
During this period, Professor
Grossman of the Philosophy
Department pointed to the contra-dictory
nature of Blake. "It might
be difficult to interpret Blake
because, due to the contra-dictions
in his poetry, he can be in-terpreted
in so many different
ways," said Grossman.
As Professor R. James Long,
Director of the Honors Program,
said "The Honors Program was
proud to have such an outstanding
scholar as Professor Bloom ap-pear
as our plenary lecturer."
Tony Ghecas is former Politics
Editor.
Elizabeth Bartus
In-Depth Editor
Elie Wiesel has been named honorary commence-ment
speaker and honorary degree recipient for Fair-field
University's 33rd commencement ceremony on
May 22nd. Francis J. McNamara, Jr. and Margaret A.
Farley, R.S.M. will also receive honorary degrees.
Wiesel is presently a professor at Boston Universi-ty.
He was born in Transylvania (present day
Rumania) in 1928. At age fifteen he was sent to
several concentration camps. He was released two
years later and was the only survivor from his family.
At this point, in 1945, he went to Paris and remained
there until 1956. During this time he studied at the
Sorbonne. Since 1956 he has been a resident of New
York City, and a professor at Boston University.
Wiesel, who will be presented with an honorary
Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Fairfield, has
already received twenty honorary degrees from insti-tutions
of higher learning such as Yale University,
Emory University, the University of Notre Dame, the
Jewish Theological Seminary, Hofstra University,
Wesleyan University, and Brandeis University. Wiesel
has also received several awards. His ac-complishments
include the First Herzl Literary
Award, Phi Beta Kappa, New York UJA's Eleanor
Roosevelt Award, the First Jewish Heritage Award of
B'nai B'rith, and many others.
The Accident, Dawn, The Jews of Silence, Ani
Maamin, Zalmen, The Trial of God, and One Genera-tion
After are the titles of a few of Wiesel's published
works. His first novel was printed in 1960, and he is
still writing. Ani Maamin, Zalmen, and The Trial of
God have been performed in the United States, and
the former in France. Aside from being an author,
many books have been written about Wiesel. They
cover biographical themes, reactions to Wiesel and
his experiences, as well as literary value.
Part of Elie Wiesel's recognition has come through
his extensive public service roles. He is active in at
least fifteen various service organizations.
Francis J. McNamara, Jr., trustee emeritus of Fair-field
University, will receive the Honorary Doctor of
Laws degree. McNamara, a partner in Cummings and
Lockwood law firm in Stamford, is a member of four-teen
bar associations throughout the United States,
including the Connecticut and American Bar Associa-
Continued on page 2
Curriculum Committee Probes
Possible Grade Inflation
Young Democrat Club officers present the John F. Kennedy Award to
Sullivan. Standing left to right are club president Dave Weber, Sullivan,
See page 5 for story
Fairfield's First Selectman John
and Vice-President Tony Ghecas.
(Photo by RoseAnne LaBarre)
by Kathryn King
Staff Writer
Some changes may be made in
the grading system next semester
to combat the possible problem of
grade inflation. The matter is
presently being discussed by the
University Curriculum Committee.
Grade inflation has been a prob-lem
across the nation for a num-ber
of years. In the last few years it
has become apparent that the
grades given at Fairfield are higher
than the national average. This
fact is common knowledge among
other colleges and universities
and has become known to the
graduate schools that Fairfield
students apply to. They tend not
to take the grades on transcripts
literally, which puts the student at
a disadvantage. Dr. Dykeman, a
philosophy professor, who is a
member of the Curriculum Com-mittee,
said, "It's been a long stan-ding
worry in the college."
This year's freeman class
grade point average is higher than
ever before. Of the grades given in
the spring semester of 1982,
seventy percent of them were B or
above and only .93 percent were
failures. The average grade given
last year was a 3.01 which is a B,
according to Dr. Dykeman.
The problem was placed before
the Academic Council a number of
years ago, but it went to the Curri-culum
Committee in the fall of
1982. Alternatives are now being
discussed by the committee. One
alternative is the addition of
minuses to the grading system to
differentiate among students.
Dr. Dykeman said that there
is also "a proposal that the grade
entered on the transcipt be follow-ed
by the average grade given in
that class."
A new QPA system has been
suggested meaning that a plus
grade would be higher than it has
been. Also being discussed is a
straight one to one hundred point
grading system. Redefining
Continued on page 4