Ithaca College Digital Commons @ IC The thI acan, 1995-96 The thI acan: 1990/91 to 1999/2000 2-8-1996 The thI acan, 1996-02-08 Ithaca College Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.ithaca.edu/ithacan_1995-96 Recommended Citation Ithaca College, "The thI acan, 1996-02-08" (1996). The Ithacan, 1995-96. 18. http://digitalcommons.ithaca.edu/ithacan_1995-96/18 This Newspaper is brought to you for free and open access by the The thI acan: 1990/91 to 1999/2000 at Digital Commons @ IC. It has been accepted for inclusion in The thI acan, 1995-96 by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ IC. ,,,,< • OPINION ACCENT SPORTS INDEX Accent .......................... 13 Falling beh_ind Soap standoff Working hard Classifieds .................... 20 Comics ......................... 21 College's lack of commit­ ICTV adds Andalusia Court Margo McGowan '98 Opinion ......................... 10 ment to diversity hurts all 10 to its drama lineup 13 strives for lady hoops 23 Sports ........................... 23 TheJTHACAN The Newspaper for the Ithaca College Community VOLUME 63, NUMBER 18 ThuRSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1996 28 PAGES, FREE Tenure decisions­ to be scrutinized Women in H&S THE EQUITY reduced due to Who gets tenure: tenure cap po 1icy a five-year retrospecive ofH&S By Andrea Bulmer 1991 3 men, 2 women Ithacan Contributor 1992 2 men, no women The Ithacan I Scott McDermott 1l1e Board of Trustees will meet 1993 1 man no women The Board of Trustees pose before their first meeting of the weekend-long series. this week to review the cases of 28 1994 5 men, no women tenure and promotion candidates, 1995 1 man, 1 woman many or whom arc women and mi- Board to make key decisions norities. Because the majority of tenured rr tl1cse candidates are denied faculty in the School of Humanities Trustees discuss tenure, budget and presidential search tenure, the diversity of tl1e faculty and Sciences arc white men, it is the will be reduced, said Faculty Coun- more recently hired minorities and By Amy Desson relation to the faculty. mcmhcrs will also have oppor­ di Chair Warren Schlesinger. women who arc being affected the Ithacan Staff Faculty Council Chair Warren tunities lo meet with faculty, Sixteen of these applicants arc most by the tenure cap. Schlesinger said the faculty has sev­ staff and students. The Ithaca College Board of from ilie School of Humanities and This compounds tlle problem eral concerns stemming from ilie "Our intent in doing tl1e fac­ Scicnces,said HowardErlich,dean that the non-tenured faculty mem­ Trustees arrived in town yester­ gender and ethnic equity issues ulty, staff and student meetings day afternoon to begin a three­ of Humanities and Sciences. "An bers have faced as a result of the raised. is to give them a chance to get overwhelming number of women downsizing process. day session of meetings at the "The faculty is clearly concerned out on campus," Pringle said. are up for tenure iliis year," he said. Announced downsizing cuts College. about this issue; the College has "They'll be in the various "The facts will speak for them- from 1995 to the 1996-97 school During these February meet­ worked very hard in the last few schools or in the campus center ings, the board will review ten­ selves." year include two women from the years to recruit a diverse faculty for some of iliose meetings," Four-fifths of the faculty ten- : · economics'department, two women ure and promotion cases and dis­ and we have been more sucessful Pringle said. ured in the School of Humanities in the department of modern Ian­ cuss the budget for 1996-97 and than in ilie past." Schlesinger said. Pringle said groups of six to and Sciences during the last five guages and literatures, the only the upcoming presidential He said the Board asked Longin seven students, faculty or staff years were men. woman in the history department search, said Nancy Pringle, col­ to pepare a report on the impact will meet wiili groups of two or In the English department, there and the only lesbian member of the lege attorney and secretary to downsizing has had on diversity. three trustees in order to give are eight tenured men and two ten- sociology department. the Board. Schlesinger said the Board will people a chance to communi­ ured women, said Assistant Profes- An open meeting ~acilitated by a At the Faculty Council meet­ also look into the possibility of sev­ cate one-on-one with the trust­ sorofEnglisbLeslieStratyner, who feminist caucus is being held in the ing on Tuesday, Provost Tho­ eral development projects, incuding ees. is now a tenure candidate. North Meeting Room Friday at 4 mas Longin said additional is­ the expansion of Ford Hall, a new "These meetings give an op­ In the economics department, p.m. to discuss the effects of down­ sues the Board will discuss in­ Health Sciences and Human Per­ portunity for the trustees to be there are no tenured women, said sizing on the female faculty. clude major facility consider­ formance program and new recre­ able to interact quite well with Sherry Wetchler, assistant profes- Next year, several other women ations and the gender and ethnic ation facilities. sbJdents, faculty and staff," she sor of economics. will be eligible for tenure, includ- implications of downsizing in While at ilie College, Board said. Wetchler is eligible for tenure ing Assistant Professor of politics this year. If she is denied, there will Asma Barias, the only woman of be no women in the economics de- colorinherdepartment. As of now, partment. Assistant Professor of English Assistant Professor of sociology Claire Gleibnan will be eligible only College offers improved Marcellina Offoha, who is the only if the tenure cap is not reached by woman of color in her department, this year's candidates. is also eligible for tenure tllis year. Professors wiili a tenure track early retirement program She teaches courses on global, line are eligible to be evaluated for multi-cultural and race relations. tenure in the sixth year of a se".en- By Edward Alessi Offoha' scolleaguesand swdents year term. "The president feels he has no choice but to Ithacan Staff have petitioned for her to remain on Ifa candidate is denied tenure, he or present a balanced budget to the Board because of the faculty in the sociology depart- she has one more year until the Faculty Council Chair Warren Schlesinger said he believes the the changes that are occurring at the College. We ment. contract expires. cannot afford to keep all the faculty, staff and "It would be a real crime, in my The tenure and promotion pro- College' snew volWJtary separation opinion, to lose a woman of color cess requires a tenure-eligible pro­ program may contribute to the programs. Either way, we are going to have to on this campus," saidJudith Barker, fessortosubmitadocumentation of institution's diversity efforts. reduce faculty. " . aswciate.prof~or of sociology. work to be evaluated by a series of The voluntary separation pack­ - Warren Schlesinger, Faculty Council chalf Schlesinger said tenure is based committees starting with the de­ age encourages long-time employ­ on merit and institutional need. The partmentandending with the Board, ees to retire. allowing new faculty the original package last January. College's commitment to diversity criteria for merit is based on teach- Erlich said. and staff to be hired. Those employees are also eligible might encourage tenured faculty to ing, scholarship, professional ac- "The process is carefully articu- The College offered an earlier for the enhanced benefits in the leave. tivity and service to the College. lated and provides protection," voluntary separation . program in new package. · Diversity is not the only justif - InstibJtionalneeddependsonthe Erlich said ...At any stage in the December 1994; it developed the Schlesinger said that although cation for the package; downsizing long-range cunicular and financial process a candidate has the oppor­ new program in I;>ecember 1995 the College d~ notbave a manda­ also plays a role, Schlesinger said needs of the College. tunity to appeal."A candidate can because some employees said the tory retirement policy, tenured fac­ 1be president feels he has no An important factor in these de- only appeal on procedural grounds. originaf package did not provide ulty who are given incentive may choice but to present a balanced cisionsis lhe tenure cap, a measure Thetenurecaphas beenremove.d sufficient incentives to retire, leave voluntarily. budget to the Board because of the used to keep departments from ex- in selected incidents in the past, Schlesinger said. .. I strongly support this plan and changes that are occurring at the ceeding institutional need. The ten- Erlich said. At Tuesday's Faculty Council (the College] hopes that those who College. We cannot afford to keep urecapensuresthatonly75percent Erlich said the purpose of the meeting, be said the new package is are financially able to take part, all the faculty, staff and programs," of any department is tenured, tenureandpromotionproce~isnot the most effective way to deal with do," Schlesinger said. Schlesinger said. Schlesinger said. to achieve diversity. He said diver- downsizing. If the faculty does not accept the "Either way, we are going to "Without the tenure cap, there sityisaddressedtbrougbaffumitive­ Faculty members who qualify incentive, probationary faculty may have to reduce faculty ,"Schlesinger is1 no opportunity for an infusion of action practices instead. for lhe new package were recently have to leaveasaresult, Schlesinger said. new ideas from hiring new faculty. "Valoe of lhe institution is not a oolifiedoftheireJigibilityandhave said. Schlesinger said the new pro­ We want a certain amount of flex- specific criteria of die handbook," mull next week to decide whether This will Jead to a less diverse gram addresses several concerns ibility in times of retrenchment," F.rlicb said.