FACULTY SENATE WELFARE COMMITTEE REPORT Committee Members: Ellie Shahinian Baldwin, Keith Fevurly, Rebecca Forgash, Derren Duburguet, Ibon Izurieta, Elizabeth Kleinfeld, Brandon Matthews, Sheila Rucki DECEMBER 7, 2011

Last year, the Faculty Senate voted to approve changes to the College Handbook concerning full-time, temporary faculty (called Category II [C2] faculty):  C2 faculty had been called Visiting Assistant Professors and carried a 4/4 teaching load.  The approved changes included:  Re-naming C2 faculty “Lecturers” and “Senior Lecturers” (other titles also exist in more specialized cases)  C2 faculty would teach a default 5/5 load (with no more than 3 preps) unless they were required to participate in scholarly or service activity, which would lower their teaching load to 4/4.

 Various negative reports regarding the changes were reported to and discussed in the Senate Executive Committee.  The EC charged the Welfare Committee to survey C2 faculty members about how the changes had affected them.  The survey was taken during the first two weeks of November 2011.

 70 of 86 C2 faculty responded to the survey (81.4%).  37 respondents feel the changes affected their morale negatively (52.8%).  Communication from department chairs about the changes tended to be late:  59 respondents were told in July or later, or not at all (84%).  16 were informed in August (23.3%).  13 were apparently unaware of the changes at all when they participated in the survey (18.8%).

 34 respondents reported that they now carry a 5/5 teaching load (48.6%).  13 of those faculty (nearly 20%) report that their department requires them to participate in service or scholarly activity in addition to carrying a 5/5 load, contrary to the Handbook policy.  7 C2 faculty (10%) report teaching a 5/5 load with 4 or more preps, also contrary to the Handbook.  48 respondents felt that their workload is heavier this year compared to last (68.6%).

 48 respondents reported that they received the title “Lecturer” (68.6%).  8 C2 faculty reported that they received the title “Senior Lecturer”(11.4%).  47 respondents are unsure how to obtain promotion to Senior Lecturer (68.1%).  10 C2 faculty felt they should have received the title of “Senior Lecturer” this year (14.5%).  14 C2 faculty reported that they had another title:  Instructor  Musician in Residence  Visiting Assistant Professor (at least 7)  Assistant Professor

 Did the changes make C2 faculty positions more stable?  Did C2 faculty salaries rise as was hinted when the changes were proposed?  46 respondents reported their salary decreased or stayed the same (66.7%).  A request has been registered with HR for C2 faculty salary data.  Comments indicated several C2 faculty members feel isolated and minimized in their departments. How can this be addressed?

(1) The ineffective communication of the changes to C2 faculty workload and title needs to be rectified immediately. We propose that the Provost and Office of Academic Affairs create a memo for all deans, chairs, and all full- time faculty in general that clearly and succinctly explains the changes.

 The rationale for the changes  How the changes affect workload:  5/5 standard teaching load with no more than 3 preps  4/4 teaching load if service or scholarly activity is necessary  What the changes mean (if anything) in terms of job security  What recourse faculty members have if their assigned workload violates the Handbook policies  A reaffirmation of the vital role C2 faculty members play in departments and the College at large

 (2) There are also a number of logistical issues that must be resolved and explained. We propose that the Provost and Deans swiftly create and publicize specific policies for the following issues:

 What are the requisite qualifications for promotion to Senior Lecturer?  What is the formula that determines whether one’s service or scholarly activity is sufficient to merit reducing the teaching load from 5/5 to 4/4?  If a C2 faculty member must teach more than 3 preps each semester, do they automatically teach a 4/4?  Can these policies differ at the school level or department level, or do they need to be consistent College-wide?

 How does advising, a vital activity for many C2 faculty in certain departments, function within the C2 faculty member’s workload?  For T/TT faculty, advising is considered part of the teaching load.  The Welfare Committee proposes that advising is too much to ask of faculty teaching a 5/5 load. Advising should be considered a service activity for C2 faculty.

 The Welfare Committee encourages all faculty senators to make sure their respective chairs, departments, and C2 faculty colleagues are aware of the changes and understand the policies as outlined in the current Handbook language.