Western Front - 1975 March 7

              Faculty votes no strike
CAROLYN CRAIG
By his estimation, he is a
friend of the faculty. By the
estimation of one faculty
member he is a "hired teeth
puller." In any case Rep. Art
Moreau, D-Bellingham, was
instrumental in cooling the
strike ambitions of Western's
faculty.
With More'au as "concrete
evidence" the legislature is
taking steps in the right
direction on faculty salary
increases, the faculty voted
Wednesday against a proposed
walkout scheduled for Monday.
An estimated 450 students
and faculty members squeezed
into Lecture Hall 4 for the
Wednesday meeting called
j o i n t l y by the American
Federation of Teachers (AFT)
and the American Association
of University Professors
(AAUP).
The meeting was to discuss
possible action against what
AFT President Mark Wicholas
called "gross discrimination" on
the part of the Washington
House.
A bill recently passed by the
House calls for a 10 per cent
faculty pay raise to be
distributed on the basis of
merit, with no across-the-board
cost of living increase.
"That," _said one faculty
member, "simply means that
some' of us will be allowed to
starve meritoriously more
slowly than others."
The strike was proposed, in
the words of AAUP President
Harry Jackson, "to find some
kind of two by four to hit
them (the legislature) between
the ears with, because we
haven't as yet been able to
convince them that we're
serious."
Moreau's presence at the
meeting seemed to indicate
Olympia was aware of the
s e r i o u s n e s s of faculty
disatisfaction with the House
action. Moreau flew in from
Olympia on short notice at the
request of the governor's office.
He said it was his
understanding that there was a
bill on the drawing board of
the Washington Senate which
w o u l d provide for an
across-the-board 12 per cent
increase, and a faculty strike
would- only hamper these
efforts by bringing • "undue
pressure from the public and
the press to bear upon the
senate:"
Moreau's statements were
supported by several members
of the AFT and AAUP
Executive "Committees. Maurice
Foisy of -political science
faculty said he had received
several calls from Olympia prior
to the meeting that had
indicated the legislature's
concern over the salary
question." One of these came
from Chairman of the House
Ways and Means Committee
Hubert Donohue who said he
was "firmly committed" to the
12 per cent, no merit .increase.
The strike was rejected by
an estimated four-fifths of the
faculty, which brought charges
by some that Moreau had been
effectively "hired to come up
here and pull teeth" from the
faculty appeal.
"" Although there will not be a
strike Monday, the faculty
adopted a resolution which
rejects the 10 per cent merit
increase and provides for the
creation of a strike committee
which could organize another
strike vote early next quarter
should the legislature fail to
act.
"We would not hesitate to
do so if our demands are not
met," Jackson said.
It was expected that faculty
on the campuses of Eastern,
Central and Washington State,
who had similar meetings
scheduled for yesterday and
today, would follow Western's
lead in the no-strike vote.
The action of the faculty,
however, does not preclude the
possibility of a strike at
Western this quarter. It is not
connected to the proposed
strike by the Washington
Federation of State Employes.
Fairhaven pig axed in head;
Humane Society summoned
Members of Fairhaven's
Outback program are sickened
by the death of their only pig
after the animal was apparently
axed in the head Friday
evening.
Outback is an alternative
energy and agricultural research
program at Fairhaven.
"It was obviously a knife or
an axe, more likely an axe due
to the type of cut," Outback
member Sandy Morris said.
The pig, a brood sow, was
still alive when found Saturday
morning. But due to the extent
of the wound, Outback
members asked the Humane
Society to dispose of her.
"It could have been someone
who wanted revenge against
Fairhaven or Outback," Morris
said.
There is speculation that it
may have been one or more of
a group of transient hitchhikers
who were upset after being
asked to leave Fairhaven the
same evening.
They had been asked to
leave by several Fairhaven
students because they had been
"bothering people, ripping off
the cigarette machine and
being generally obnoxious,"
Morris said.
Although, no one has been
arrested, campus security
reports it is still investigating.
"We were all sickened by
this," Morris said. "But the
person who did it was really
sick.
"We don't think there will
be any pigs for awhile. Now we
are watching all the animals
very closely."
Jerry Flora, biologist
Quit ting, as Western's president this summer, Flora is easing
himself back into nature with a Shannon Point biology class.
Story on page 2.
Strike information booth planned
In the event of a strike by Washington state employes, rumor
control and information centers will be operating. Story on page
3.
Xz
^ SCORE TWO - Western lost to Portland State last weekend in the district playoffs, but a
the two Steams could materialize as both squads play in this week's regional tourney.
rematch of
A regional
preview^and\more photos are on page 10.
Tenure. Part 3
Tenure system alternatives
j
Ed. note: Tenure is an issue that generates much
talk of alternatives. This last installment of a
three-part series deals with alternatives to tenure.
An often mentioned criticism of tenure is that
it protects incompetent and unsatisfactory
faculty members. Another criticism is that of
having too many tenured faculty members if
financial cut-backs force layoffs.
Basically, the only way an incompetent
faculty member can be forced to leave is if he's
committed a concrete and provable offense such
as plagiarism. Very few subjective judgments of
incompetence have forced out faculty members.
Peer pressure and "social ostracism" have been
mentioned as the only alternatives.
One faculty member has begun looking, in the '
last several days, for channels to charge another
faculty member with incompetency. He has not
found any. Dean of the College of Arts and
Sciences, James Davis, said he did not know of
any college in the country with those types of
procedures.
Huxley's policy
Huxley College has such procedures. The
Board of Trustees adopted a unique policy for
Huxley last, month. The policy calls for
evaluations of faculty members at least every five
years.
Procedures for charging other faculty members
with incompetence are included in the policy. A
Personnel Committee will reevaluate a faculty
member if three or more Huxley faculty
members make a written request.
This cannot happen less than two years after
the last evaluation. A faculty member is
dismissed if h$. receives three successive
unsatisfactory evaluations.
Not all observers are enthusiastic about the
Huxley policy. Harry Jackson, vice president of
the local American Association of University
Professors (AAUP), had doubts about the
five-year evaluations.
"If you give people that out, decisions may be
made rather sloppily because they could be
reviewed in five years," Jackson said.
Jackson, although skeptical of the-policy, said,
"They have more homework to do to solve the
problem -of tenure but it's a step in the right
direction."
Fears of stagnation voiced
An opinion voiced by many students on
campus is that the livelier and better instructors
. are those young teachers without tenure. This
opinion expresses fear of having too many
tenured faculty.
Although he doesn't profess to hold this
opinion, College President Charles J. Flora has
recently voiced concern over the high percentage
of tenured faculty. Western now has 82 per cent
of its faculty tenured. Three departments are 100
per cent tenured.
"It's quite important to bring in new
individuals," Flora said. "A department which is
100 per cent tenured tends to become
unresponsive and without vigor."
Not everyone agrees with Flora's calls for new
blood. David Ziegler of the political science
department calls the phrase "devoid of meaning."
He also objects to the charge that having too
many tenured faculty members causes stagnation.
"What evidence I have seen suggests the
contrary - that there is no foundation to the
charge of stagnation," Ziegler said. "In the most
recent poll of students, tenured faculty were
statistically no less likely to be cited for
excellent teaching than non-tenured."
The most often mentioned solution to prevent
stagnation is continued faculty research. Most
faculty members and administrators agree that
released time for outside research is essential for
a vital learning experience.
Several faculty members cited instances in
which faculty members generated enthusiasm
among their students via research projects and
grants. However, most of those projects need
money, which is scarce at Western.
Another proposal, currently being studied by
several groups on campus, calls or a one-year
faculty exchange program.
Flora has proposed a controversial plan calling
for a halt to the granting of tenure. New faculty
members would be hired on a two or three year
non-renewable contract.
Flora's proposal has been greeted with jeers
and disdain by the faculty. One faculty member
asked, "How are we going to hire quality
instructors if we tell them there is no chance
they can stay here?"
"He's offering a brand new person the
opportunity to join Western at a pauperous
salary - with no possibility of tenure when he
could go somewhere else that pays better and
offers tenure," Jackson said.
Enrollment declines hurt tenure
Western suffered considerably during the
financial crisis of the past few years. Layoffs of
tenured faculty were thwarted but the college
may not be so lucky the next time around.
Another enrollment slump would pose a
serious danger to Western. A declining national
birthrate has educators around the country
predicting a serious enrollment drop between
1978 and 1980.
Flora said his plan to form a pool of
non-tenured positions by refusing to grant tenure
would solve this problem.
"By 1978, we sould have built up a pool
sufficient to reach into if we need it," Flora said.