Western Front - 1983 November 4

              Western Front Friday, November 4, 1983 Western Washington University, Bellingham, Wash.
Many profs may
get merit awards
By Nevonne Harris
The salaries of one third of
Western's faculty will be
increased by a total of about
$380,000 if President G. Robert
Ross and Provost James Talbot
follow the Faculty Affairs Coun­cil's
suggestion made Wednesday
afternoon.
The $380,000 is Western's share
of $3.1 million the Legislature
mandated state-wide for faculty
merit increases in the 1983-85
budget.
The. Faculty Affairs" Council
recommended to Peter Elich, act­ing
dean of the College of Arts and
Sciences, that the merit step
increases be distributed in three
levels to more faculty, rather than
more merit step raises going to a
smaller number of deserving
faculty. The council also sug­gested
a committee be set up to
select faculty who would get the
merit increases.
In addition, the council sug­gested
that all faculty have the
right to apply for an increase
individually without going
through a "departmental seive."
This would avoid some depart­mental
politics, council members
suggested.
The money was not a surprise,
but had been planned for, Elich
said. "The administration got the
ball rolling last week. The quar­ter's
only just started," he said.
The money must be in the pay
checks by Jan. 1, 1985, so the
decision on who gets how much
must be made by the end of this
school year, he added.
The Legislature stipulated that
the increases "be based solely on
formal merit evaluation pro­cedures."
The merit increases are
"designed to make substantial
rewards," Talbot said in a memo
to the council. "As such, there­fore,
the record of the past five
years or so should be paramount
even if the individuals were pro­moted
or awarded merit in that
period.
Since it is a one-time thing, Lyle
Harris of journalism suggested
giving across-the-board increases
to the 260 faculty in the College of
Arts and Sciences, as he said he
feels it is not appropriate to eval­uate
every faculty member.
Elich, however, said the money
can't be distributed across-the-board
because it is in violation of
what the Legislature mandated
when they offered the money. If
everyone happened to get a merit
increase, the money probably
would be taken away, he said.
Rudolph Weiss of foreign lan­guages
said the money is
intended to recognize merit and
productivity and if only a few
"super-people" are given raises, it
will defeat the purpose and "alie­nate
the productive element.
"I don't think everybody
deserves a step increase. Not 100
percent of the faculty are deserv­ing,
but 33 percent or so are," he
said.
In the past, Assistant Dean of
the College of Arts and Sciences^
George Gerhold said, merit steps
have been given to 10 or 15 per­cent
of the faculty.
Talbot's memo suggested, "In
an effort to reward our most meri­torious
faculty, our active stars, it
seems appropriate to maintain a
10 to 15 percent range of faculty
to be rewarded but to substantially
increase the rewards."
The value of these rewards
would be made so as to encour­age
professors, such as those in
computer science* not to leave
Western for private enterprise.
The average increase could be in
excess of five steps, the memo
states.
Talbot suggested that at the 10
percent range, 26 Arts and Scien­ces
faculty would get an increase,
mre^hgulfed ah'abandoned building at State arid York
Streets yesterday. No injuries were reported. See story on
page 3; Photo by Sheryl Nichols
four faculty in each of the colleges
of Business and Economics, Fine
and Performing Arts and Educa­tion
and one in Fairhaven and
Huxley. At 15 percent, 40 faculty
would receive raises in the Arts
and Sciences, six in CBE, CFftP
and Education and two each in
Fairhaven and Huxley.
"Given that the rewards would
be greater than in the past, we
would urge you to make the
competition as broad as possible
within your college/school," Tal­bot
added.
The council, however, sug­gested
a higher percentage of the
faculty get raises. Of the 260
faculty in the Arts and Sciences,
the council suggested 92 faculty
be given merit increases, about 33
percent of the faculty.
Last Wednesday's meeting
took place to decide how the
merit raises should be distrib­uted
throughout the faculty.
Elich will take the council's
recommendation to Talbot and
Ross, who will decide by next
Wednesday.
The council then will meet to
decide how to allocate the pack­ages
and what procedures to use
within the College of Arts and
Sciences.
Pub feasibility being researched
By David Wasson
If further research proves early
findings on campus pubs, a
majority of Associated Students
Board of Directors said they
would favor a pub proposal.
Board members said they
would approve a pub if atmos­phere
was emphasized rather
than alcohol.
The 117 surveys returned in an
initial informal survey, indicated
a pub would discourage drunken
driving among students.
According to the results, 80
percent of students who said
they would use the facility, would
find other means of travel other
than driving.
The results showed support
among students and faculty for a
pub. This was the second such
showing of approval among stu­dents.
The first was last spring's
ballot referendum.
Questions about the pub that
board members want answered
still exist.
Overall, members said they
want more information than Vice
President for Activities Kevin
Lohman presented Oct. 25.
Lohman, who claims not to
have an opinion on the matter,
has been the fact finder for the
board. He said he's been collect­ing
new information every week
and is preparing a report listing
all the pro's and con's for the
issue.
AS President Dana Grant said
he hasn't seen any evidence
against the pub, but, he stressed,
research must be thorough.
Grant is expected to announce
soon, the organization of a com­mittee
that will investigate all
aspects of a pub.
AS Secretary/Treasurer Jon Sit-kin
said he hopes the committee
will report back with a lot of
community response. He noted
that if a campus pub duplicates
present establishments, it might
not get a liquor license.
• See PUB, page 3
Vol. 75, No. 52
Classified
staff fears
job loss
ByElisa Ciaassen
Temporary staff employees at
state higher education institu­tions
are concerned they could
lose their jobs to lower-paid stu­dents
in times of budget cuts.
Some employees have ap­pealed
to the Higher Education
Personnel Board, which sets the
rules for employees at state uni­versities
and colleges.
Jean Timmins, personnel
director at Western, explained
that some employees who are
reduced from full-time to half-time
status believe students are
taking their jobs though students
continue to do the same work.
Timmins gave an example: A
secretary worked full-time while
a student helped with some
menial duties. After the reduction
of the secretary to part-time sta­tus,
the student continued to do
the same duties as before. Was
the student taking the staff
employee's position? she
wondered.
Kathy Sahlhoff, student
employment coordinator, said
Western's students work in
almost every department. Less
than 10 percent work in clerical
areas, according to a study done
last year. Out of the 2,200 to 2,400
positions, 700 are in areas that
she termed "professional"
including teaching, tutoring,
researching, grading and peer
advising.
Classified employees, hired
through tests and eligibility lists
established by the HEP board,
work in many of the same areas as
the students with the difference
being in hours and benefits.
Sahlhoff said students are sup­plemental
rather than replace­ments
for classified staff. She said
she would like to see the students
continue to work at current
levels.
An Oct. 24 memo firom HEP
board chairman R.R. Rathfelder
to HEP board director John Spitz
stated: "All parties seem to agree
"that student employment must
not be used to lay off or displace a
classified employee."
"If a person is a student first
and foremost, and only secondar­ily
an employee, what is wrong
with exempting him or her from
HEP board rules?" the memo
added.
Students currently are exempt
from the policies of the HEP
board which covers the activities
of those who work half-time or
• See CLASSIFIED, page 7
Halloween
today differs
from memory
p. 4
AS Day Care
doesn't serve
infants
p. 9
Boxer's gold
medal chance
awaits in '84
p. 11