Mirror - Vol. 26, No. 07 - November 02, 2000

              TheMirror
FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY
Volume 26, Number 7 www.fairfieldmirror.com Thursday, November 2,2000
Faculty Homecomingweekend
wants say *
in pay
ByDonovan Wiedmann
CONTElffilJriNGWRITER
Many Fairneld University faculty
members are upset with a proposal by
the school administration to do away
with traditional salarynegotiationswith
the university professors.
The dispute arose whenAcademic
Vice President Orin Grossmanproposed
a change in the process ofsalary nego-tiation
in a letter sent to the general fac-ulty.
Traditionally, afaculty salarycom-mitteebargainedwithanadministrative
committee over salary, but this only
"took on the appearance ofnegotiation"
according to Grossman's letter.
"There are no negotiations in the
normal sense ofunion bargaining," he
said, butratherdiscussions, since faculty
are guaranteedto be paid at the 95thper-centile
in salary and benefits ofcompa-rable
schools.
Grossman suggested the salarycom-mittee
talk directly to the budget com-mittee.
"Itwould be better ifthe faculty
salary committee did not meet with a
separate adrninistrative committee, but
instead maderecommendations directly
to the to the budget committee, which
has become the appropriate group of
ackninistrative officers regaidingfaculty
salaries and benefits," he wrote in the
Sept. 22 memo.
The faculty reaction was swift.
"There are a fair number offacultywho
found the tone ofthis memo threaten-ing,"
professor George Langofthe math
departmentsaid
Lang said that a strike was out of
the question because itviolated contrac-tual
agreementswiththe university.
In 1992, informational picketing and
protests occurred at the university over
a faculty disagreementwith the admin-istration.
The resultwas the forming of
the FacultyWelfare Committee,which
became a chapter oftheAmericanAsso-ciation
ofUniversity Professors.
"There was never a strike or talk of
a strike, and there won't be one now,"
saidLang. KathyNantz, secretary ofthe
general faculty said, "The current sys-temshouldremain
thewayit is until the
faculty, alongwith the aclministration,
can determine anewwaythatwillwork
better. There can't be one person decid-
Fairjield's annualhomecomingtookplace thispastweekend. Many alumni witnessedthe Stags'
38-14 victory over Georgetown. Some went to see Colin Quinn atAlumniHall
ForcoverageofthefootbaUgame, seep. 20. Forcoverage ofQuinn'sperformance, seep. 7.
ing that there is a new waythings will
be done."
Donald Greenberg, professor of
politics, felt the letter implied that the
salary committee was unnecessary. It
was an "attack on faculty governance,"
he said, adding, "Vice President
Grossman is attacking a fundamental
principle ofwhat constitutes workers'
rights."
Although not explicitly stated in
Grossman's memo,manyfacultymem-bers
feel he intends to dissolve the fac-ultysalary
committee,whichhas existed
for over 30 years, and leave the salary
issueup to the budget committee, which
consists ofthevice presidents, three fac-ultymembers,
astudentandastaff mem-ber.
Greenberg questioned Grossman's
view ofthe budget committee. "They
don't really represent faculty interest,"
he said. "Faculty representation on the
budget committee is not sufficientinany
stretch ofthe imagination."
Grossman said "The present system
is deeply flawed."With the university's
commitment to the 95th percentile in
salaries andappropriate discussionwith
the budget committee and salary com-mittee,
he said, "compensation should
remain competitive."
Thejournal "Academe," published by
theAmericanAssociation ofUniversity
Professors, ranked Fairfield in the 95th
percentile for compensationamongcat
See"Faculty"onp.4
With election day less than one week away, The
Mirror continues witha variety ofcoverage. Look for
the following stories inside this week's MiiTor:
NEWS:
•k Profiles ofthe democratic and republican candidates for
thel34th district-See p. 5
COMMENTARY:
C< Student urges peers to get out and vote-See p. 10
iV Debates criticized for exclusion ofthird parties-See p. 10
iSr Bush's environmental policy criticized-See p. 11
)< Two students debate abortion-See p. 11
)< Campus Forum: IfI were president for a day...-See p. 12
k HE SAID, SHE SAID:Awoman president?~See p. 13
ARTS &ENTERTAINMENT:
JV Late night with the candidates-See p. 14
HiVR^^H
Alumni
See page
L1 «j *m•. i 11■■Kill1Kf
udents' opinion:
of the Mirror
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