0 FAMOUS FO R ESTAURANT HOME-MADE BREAD * BEST BREAKFASTS IN TOWN (Try the waffles t) " SANDWICHES a SALADS * DINNERS * SEAFOOD + CARRY-OUT SERVICE-668-9538 Corner of Catherine and Glen (short walk from Med. Center) Page 12 -Thursday, September 10, 1981-The Michigan Daily Tenure: By LORENZO BENET Daily News Analysis The debate c AL z 12 V V low 0 V When Was- The test lime You' Were Sick? - Did you have a healt insurance covera - What did your icy cover? - Were you co ting on the Universit ealth Service?* If you are not s e about these questions, perhaps you sh Id contact the Michigan Stu- dent Assem y which sponsors a student group hea insurance program that offers medical insurance coverage to students, their ouses, and/or children at low cost.. Loo for the brochure that will be mailed to, y , or get one through MSA, 3909 Michigan nion. Ca1l763-9904 for more information. * UHS fee is not an insurance. You're daydreaming one afternoon in your "University Political System" class and your professor decides to give a surprise exam. There's just one question, and it reads as follows: "Define tenure in one sentence." THAT'S EASY, you say: "Tenure is security of employment based on peer evaluation." But the per- son sitting next to you writes: "Tenure is the ability to pursue new ideas without fear of harrassment from the outside." Meanwhile, the intellectual sitting at the front of the class jots down: "Tenure is the entitlement to a hearing under Regental Bylaw 5.09.X before dismissal." In spite of the widely varied definitions of tenure, everyone can probably agree on one point: tenure is "controversial." IN THEORY, tenure decisions are based on scholarly record, teaching, and service. Usually, af- ter assistant professors enter their sixth year, they come up for tenure review by the department. If the departmental tenure review committee and the department's tenured faculty decide a faculty mem- ber deserves promotion, it passes the recommen- dation to the school or college executive committee, which begins the review process all over again. If the executive committee votes to promote the faculty member, he or she is virtually ensured a job at the university until death or retirement. All promotion decisions are subject to the final (usually rubber-stamp) approval of the Regents. Critics through the years have pointed out flaws in the tenure system. These include a lack of a student involvement in the selection process, an overem- phasis on a faculty member's research, the politicization of the tenure process, and a failure to promote significant numbers of minorities and women. BUT SOME SCHOOLS and colleges at the Univer- sity-such as the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, the School of Natural Resources, ahd the School of Public Health-have student members on their executive committees. These students participate to varying degrees on personnel and policy matters. They are visible forces offering audible perspectives on faculty mem- bers-opinions which can't be lost among a stack of letters of recommendation, course evaluations, and publications. Yet these schools are the exception-most have no students. on their committees. The majority of ad- ministrative officials and professors say they think !students aren't qualified to provide substantive evaluations of a faculty member's research and teaching abilities. In most situations, the student voice in the tenure process is limited to writing a let- ter of recommendation and filling out a course evaluation on the last day of class. PAST AND present student government leaders have advocated greater participation by students in tenure matters because teaching isn't given as much consideration as research when promotion decisions are made. It's true that the University prides itself on its research component-the research budget here exceeds $100 million annually. If you still don't believe the University places a 6 2ntinues high priority on investigative study, take a little walk up to North Campus and gaze on all those mega- structures-they aren't classrooms., One look, and it's hard to refute the truth for University faculty of the old saying, "Publish or perish." - % Most executive committee members and ad' ministrative officials argue that teaching receives much consideration, though perhaps not as much as research. But, they argue, this imbalance is net unreasonable because research bears on teaching: If scholarship is not strong, then the basic intellectuAl strength of the teaching will be affected over tIe years. IF A GOOD research record is essential for a' faculty member to join the tenured ranks, knowing the right people in the right places doesn't fall too far behind. As in any subjective process involving people iid personalities, politics can become a factor in deciding whether a professor should be granted tenure. So faculty, such as history professor Shaw Livermorr have said personality and politics play too large part in the tenure process. Last year, for example, political science professor Samuel Eldersfeld said that in 1978 the political science department was unable to objectively decide if former political science professor Joel Samoff - deserved tenure. Samoff had been an outspoken ad- vocate of Affirmative Action, and of University divestment from South Africa. LAST YEAR IN ANOTHER controversial tenure case, several professors agreed that former political science professor Clement Henry may have been See TENURE, Page 14 GEO vs. University The struggle goes on N0 0 h. 0 a. 0 P' 0a TIME GET YOUR BEAUTIFUL BLUES AT SKLAAR INT 0 0 0 BLUE JEANS, THAT IS FOR YOUR LEISURE LIFESTYLE Sklaar international brings all the 'famous designer names together into one fabulous selection at ONE OUTSTANDING PRICE. PICK YOURS FROM THIS GREAT GROUP By SUSAN McCREIGHT The University Administration stirred considerable controversy among teaching assistants in 1973, through two actions and one inaction: It raised ruition by 25 percent and staff salaries by 12 percent, but pay for teaching assistants remained the same. An informal group of distressed TAs with no previous bargaining experience attempted to negotiate with ad- ministration officials, and were prom- ptly turned away because they were ndt members of an official union. In April, 1974, a union was organized, and its bargaining team fruitlessly negotiated with the University through the Fall. It wasn't until February, when the graduate students organized a five- week walk-out, that they won an initial contract. BUT WHEN THE contract expired, the University refused to renew it. The Graduate Employees Organization (GEO), the legal bargaining agent for, the TAs, decided against striking again. The two teams negotiated through November, when the issue of two pen-. ding grievances which had been filed by GEO in 1975 brought talks to a halt. The grievances charged that the- University illegally removed people from the union by changing the definition of "Research Assistant" (RA) or "Staff Assistant" (SA) in cer- tain departments. Specifically, they charged, the University failed to assign the titles to psychology graduate students Jeff Evans and Joel Hencken, who worked in the Psychiatry Depar- tment of University Hospital and at the Counseling Center of the Institute for Human Adjustment. "THERE WAS A very loose definition of who was in the union by the titles RA, SA, and TA," said Doug Moran, former GEO President. "The University ap- plied all of its muscle in subverting those titles to remove members from the protection of the union contract," he charged. Although both sides had agreed to everything in the new contract, the University refused to sign it until GEO dropped the two grievances. The ad- ministration also demanded that the union sign a memo promising not to file the grievances again, and that GEO acknowledge the grievances were "in- consistent with the current and preceding collective bargaining agreements." GEO refused, claiming the University was "holding up the signing of the con- tract for non-mandatory bargaining issues," and the TAs filed an unfair laabor practice charge against the University with the Michigan Em- ployees Relations Commission. "WE CAN'T RESOLVE a contract until we know what the language means," said John Forsyth, chief University negotiator at that time. "And if we have to go to the MERC to settle it, then we'll see them at the MERC." * * * The issue remains unresolved, and since 1976 the union has risked breaking up because of a shortage of dues. "We ran on voluntary dues. Money See GEO, Page 15 Calvin Klein-JORDACHE* -chardon Sergio Valente-GIVENCHY These are the same jeans retailing around the town at up to $42. SPECIALLY FOR YOU $3190 BRiARWOOD MALL ANN ARBOR-761-27206M[MWK a ar intefljatli 'ja Daily Photo by JACKIE BELL Members of the Graduate Employee Organization picket outside the Admin- istration Building for recognition from the University. Information Center fills the gaps. By ANNETTE STARON 4, k : .... ~41 Have a question? Need an answer? The new Campus Information Center (CIC, for short) believes that if you give them a call, you're no more than one step away from the information you seek. CIC IS CENTRALLY located on the first floor of the Michigan Union, con- veniently located for walk-in-and call in-information needs. The Center is a "facility in the Michigan Union to respond to the wide- ranging information needs on cam- pus," according to Art Lerner, CIC's manager. With information ranging from emergency medical data, questions about financial aid, and different bodies and activities within the University, the Center is a "single location where the information needs of students can be, met," according to the Center's direc- tor, Don Perigo. "IT'S A BIG challenge" to handle all the information needs of the students, faculty, and visitors to the University Perigo said, because there are about 100 different offices and about 500 bulletins, brochures, and pamphlets for students and others on campus to refer to. While gathering information from those offices during the last two years, the interviewers from CIC received "good to outstanding cooperation" from the different departments of the University, according to Lerner. He also said that CIC isn't trying to usurp the information capabilities of the different units in the University. Rather, he said, it wants to "bridge the different information gaps," and bring both the people and the correct infor-F mation together. PERIGO SAID the Center "will use, students as much as possible" for staf. fing the Center during its business. hours-from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m., the same hours the Michigan Union is open. There will be a walk-in desk where visitors and others can ask questions, and a phone line-763-INFO. There will also be information and.. events tapes providing frequently requested information, which will run 24 hours a day. The information will be updated daily. Lerner said the Center hopes to be on an information computerized data base in the future, but for the time being all ;, information in handled manually. Have a question that needs an=- swering? Call 763-INFO. They may not, have the answer right at their finger- tips, but they will probably be able tq direct you to the person or office whichr does. tep Ino.to Shepard' ShS We're the new folks on the block, featuring your favorite names in footwear. At Shepard's Shoes you'll find the kind of good looks and quality construction that wears well all around campus -- plus: * brand name selection, including Bass, Naturalizer, Bare Trap, Zodiac,Timberland, Rockport, Docksider's by Sebago, Freeman, Dingo Boots and many more. * a wide range of sizes and styles " your satisfaction assured by Shepard's famous 4-month guarantee against defects in workmanship " tickets validated for free parking' Visit our location soon! I- -%. - ., u*__ etc nnIdhtbsat*L'mi t3* FOODM 1ART 1123 S. UNIVERSITY at Church St. Groceries, Produce, Beer, Wine, Pop, Candy, Milk, Cheeses, Frozen Fo6d, Hardware, I Newspapers, Cleaning Supplies and more . . . " 2 Campus Locations to Serve You " /..II Open MON-SAT I I '1