The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, April 8, 1987 -Page 3 Merit criteria unclear to faculty, survey says Daily Photo by SCOTT LITUCHY, By WENDY SHARP Forty percent of faculty members are uninformed about University merit review criteria and 20 percent believe there are no criteria, according to a survey released yesterday. The survey, called "Merit Criteria and Review Procedures," is the second part of a three-part study by the Committee on the Economic Status of the Faculty. T H E survey measures the faculty understanding of what is necessary to get a departmental salary increase: Sixty percent of the faculty responded. There were no differences in understanding merit review by rank and gender of faculty members. But ethnic differences were apparent. Sixty-two percent of Asian professors that responded to the survey said they had little or no information about merit criteria. Most Black faculty members who responded, 55.3 percent, also said they had little knowledge of merit criteria. Only 39.7 of white faculty members felt they had inadequate information. ANOTH ERenoticable difference about awareness of merit criteria is between various schools. Eighty-eight percent of faculty in the law school had littlecor no information on merit review criteria compared to 3.3 percent in the School of Social Work. More than half of the faculty, 55.9 percent, wanted more emphasis placed on the quality of teaching. Twenty-nine percent of the respondents wanted less emphasis placed on research support. Most respondents, 80.4 percent, said merit criteria are applied equitably in departments. Faculty also believe they are judged according to the amount of work they put in. EUGENE Feingold, chair of the CESF, said perceptions of minority faculty are difficult to determine since there are so few minority faculty members at the University. He also said minority faculty are more involved in committee work for which they do not receive compensation. Feingold said minority perceptions are "clearly a problem area." Roy Penchansky, a member of the CESF, said that faculty perceptions differed among schools because of their different organizations. In schools where a hierarchical structure is dominant, administrators do not communicate as well with faculty, Penchansky said. D E A N of the School of Business Administration Gilbert Whitaker said the survey measures faculty perceptions and therefore may not be accurate. Faculty may be "unhappy with a raise they get and might say they don't understand criteria," he said. Of the respondents who were discontent with their salary, 33.6 percent said they never considered leaving the University for salary reasons, and 18.7 percent said they seldom considered it. Over half of the faculty respondents (51.3 percent) said University compensation is fair, and 43.5 percent said it was less than fair. WHITAKER said the survey measures only relative perceptions when faculty compare their own salary with their peers. "Perceptions are hard to track down," he said. Penchansky agrees; he said the Cleaning up Robert Calcut, a University custodian, collects the trash left outside the Law Quad doors. Faculty react to strike threat survey aptly distinguished between faculty discontent with salary and information on merit criteria. "It's not just people saying everything's bad," he said. "Perceptions are important." Dean James Crowfoot, from the School of Natural Resources, said he found the survey helpful. "I thought the survey was done thoughtfully and systematically," Crowfoot said. "I found the information extremely important and will share it with the executive committee of my school." Harris McClamroch, chair of the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs, said the survey results are important. He said the University administration should address faculty perceptions on merit criteria and "SACUA will do what it can to bring it to their attention." McClamroch said one of SACUA's top priorities next year will be to address the study. Don't forget to pick up your Michigan Daily NV Imagine summer '87 by our pool! University Towers can give you a place in the sun next to our heated swimming pool. Live close to campus in one of our newly refurnished apartments with cool air- conditioning. TV lounge, ping-pong, pool tble. game room and laundry facilities. Why settle for less? Best yet. our summer rates are very reasonable. UNFRV SM TO WES 536 S. Forest (corner of S. Forest & S. University) Visit our model apartments today? Phone: (313) 761-2680 By WENDY SHARP The battle between the Graduate Employees Organization and the University could have pitted professors against teaching assistants. But many TAs found professors supportive when the negotiations ended yesterday without a strike. Some professors had decided to meet GEO requests and said they would have refused to teach in a University building if a strike occured. Norma Diamond, professor of anthropology, said she would have held her classes at home and scheduled a car-pool for students to get there. "It's a sign of support. I was taught in my childhood to never cross a picket line," she said. Diamond was responding to a GEO letter sent to all professors on Monday asking for support by either cancelling class, moving class to an off-campus location, or discussing the strike in class to prevent "business as usual." Bert Hornback, English professor, said he agreed with the TAs' demands but not with a strike. "The administration are being bastards about it (negotiations)," he added. Many professors supported the GEO but were unsure of what action to take in event of a strike. Peter Baulane, associate professor of English, said the possible strike put him in a dilemma: "I'm in a very uncomfortable situation. I support the graduate students, but I feel a loyalty to the undergraduates." Raymond Tanter, political science professor, said he wanted to meet the needs of both teaching assistants and students. He said he wanted to support the TAs but was concerned about his undergraduate students. Tanter said his department had asked him to teach extra classes to compensate for the potential TA loss, but he refused because he felt that would undermine the TAs' demands. The Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs did not support either the GEO or the administration, according to chair Harris McClamroch. "Taking a particular stand would be very counterproductive," he said. "The faculty is caught in the middle." II - - 1 NW 14- 1 It's Party Time! Jernigan victory helps Iepubs. Come to Where the Gowns are! d o 971-6455 3360 Washtenaw Avenue Mon -Thurs. 10 - 8 30 Fri. & Sat.10to 6 (Continued from Page 1) crushing her opponent in 1985, said she is still "in a state of shock" from the election results. "I feel like there's a message, here, but I don't know what it is," she said. "It may be that voters want us to deal with getting the streets cleaned and the more basic city services before we do anything else." LEADERS from both parties attributed Pierce's loss to overconfidence, his close political affiliation with the Nicaraguan Sister City Task Force, and his inability to reduce the city's rising crime rate. "I don't think people felt Pierce was as hungry to be mayor as Jernigan was," Edgren said. Pierce admitted he had expected his name recognition among Ann Arbor voters to insure his re- election. "I expected to win. I didn't think I could lose," said Pierce, who has also served as a councilmember and state senator. Democratic leaders said yesterday they expect to appoint Ann Arbor Democratic Party Chairman Dave DeVarti to fill Jernigan's empty Fourth Ward council seat. DeVarti, who came within 42 votes of upsetting Jernigan in last year's council race, said he will accept the post, if it is offered. STHE IS What's happening in Ann Arbor today Campus Cinema Mary Street Alinder- "Ansel Adams: One With Beauty," 8:10 p.m., Rebel Without A Cause (N. Ray, Angell Hall, Auditorium A. 1954), Hill St., 8:00 p.m., Hill St. Meetings James Dean plays an alienated teen who can't relate either to his father or to the "cool" kids at school in this Baha'i Club- 5 p.m., Michigan fine but overrated film. Union. Batman (Leslie Martinson, 1966), U of M Commission for MTF, DBL/7:00 p.m., Mich. Women- noon, IST, 6th Floor The Joker, the Riddler, the Penguin, Conference Room, North Campus. and the Catwoman threaten Gotham Barrier-Free Computer User City, and it's up to those two wealthy, Group- 7 p.m., Michigan League, unmarried men who live together and 3rd Floor. rarely part company, to stop them. LASC- 8 p.m., 1407 Mason Hall. It's A Mad, Mad, Mad World LSA Student Government- 6 (Stanley Kramer, 1963), MTF, p.m., Michigan Union, MSA DBL/9:00 p.m., Mich. Chambers, 3rd Floor. Almost every comedy persona of the ROTC Action Group- 5 p.m., last 50 years get involved in a zany, 4003 Michigan Union. slapstick search for buried treasure. Sid Ceasar. Send announcements of up- Performances coming events to "The List," co The Michigan Daily, 420 U of M Arts Chorale- 8 p.m., Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mich., Hill Auditorium, (763-4726). 48109. Include all pertinent in- formation and a contact phone Speakers number. We must receive an- nouncements for Fri4ay and Dr. Gary C. Mc Donald-"Some Sunday events at least two weeks . Statistical Design Aspects of before the event, and announ- -- .~- . iI If you know your way around a keyboard-typewriter, word processor or computer- we know a way to make your knowledge pay off this summer Just register with us at Kelly Services. We've got the kind of summer jobs you'll love to get your hands on. Choose your own assignments. Work as much as you want. Or as little as i IT(1 i f"1£zu yuu i lccu.