EDITORIAL OPINIONS Tenure System: Everyone is familiar with “the red tape phenomenas”; those frustrating systems of questions and forms that must be filled out before one is able to accomplish anything. But, one wonders how these phenomenas ever became part of life at Penn State. The history of only one of these phenomenas is documented. Once upon a time there was a fairy godmother who took a course at the nearest Penn State Campus. She didn’t do very well and after failing her final, decided she would get even with the “Professor, of the University” by creating a system to frustrate their efforts to get a permanent position with the University. So she cast an evil spell creating the TENURE SYSTEM. She immortilized this system by writing in an article known as PS 23 (Promotions and Tenure Procedures and Regulations) and slipping it into The Penn State University. Policy Manual. When being considered for .tenure, a potential Penn State professor undergoes the following process: He is evaluated in a series of reviews that take place in the first, third, fifth, and sixth years of his involvement with the University. The individual is evaluated in terms of 1) teaching ability and effectiveness; 2) research competence; 3) scholarship and mastery of the subject matter; 4) service to the University and the Public. He is evaluated by three committees. Initially, the individual is evaluated by a committee of his peers. This committee consists of members of the campus faculty selected by procedures approved by the faculty of the Campus, the compus director, and the Dean of Academic Instruction for Commonwealth Campuses. Evaluation of the individual’s academic work is done by this committee. ' Secondly, the individual is evaluated by a group of faculty from the college that the individual’s subject is" categorized under. This committee consists of members of the faculty selected by the faculty of those units and by the dean of the college. They make broader faculty and administrative judgments and monitor general standards of quality and adequacy of procedures used.. Finally, the individual is evaluated by the University Promotion ahd Tenure Review Committee. This committee consists of eleven members; six elected by the Faculty Senate from a slate of. nominations prepared by the Committee on Commit tees and Ryles, two are from among the recipients of the Lendbock Award for Distinguished Teaching and Evan Pugh Professors; three are senior academic ad ministrators appointed by the President of the University, and two must be from cam puses other than University Park. They evaluate the overall picture of the in dividual ’s performance presented by the other two committees. The reports made by these committees are compiled over the years and after six years, a decision as to whether or not to award tenure is made by the Provost of the University. If'granted tenure the professor becomes'a permanent member of the University. If denied tenure, the individual is given a one year notice to find employ ment elsewhere. But, what happens if a professor does something displeasing after he is granted tenure? Complaints about professors from students or faculty are handled through the Fair Offices Committee of the Student Government Association and the Office of Stu dent Affairs. If there is enough evidence, the complaints are incorporated into an in vestigation, and if warranted a hearing, which is an actual legal procedure, is scheduled. Charges are heard by the Standing Joint Committee on Tenure. This com mittee consists of five members; two members representing the administration, two faculty members selected by the elected members of the University Senate, and a fifth member or chairman who is chosen by the other four members. In the case of termination for cause, the faculty member shall before the hearing be informed in writing of all charges, and shall have the opportunity to be heard by the Committee in his or her own defense. In all cases before the Committee he or she shall be permitted to have present an advisor of his or her own choosing who may act as counsel... In the hearing of charges of incompetence, the testimony shall include that of faculty members and the scholar from this or other institutions. The committee’s report and recommendations shall be submitted to the President of the University who will then decide what action to take. And that is how the system works? From The Desk Of The S.G.A. President Winter term is traditionally the time of year when everything seems to drag. Between the weather being so cold and dreary, the classes seeming to drag on forever, and midterms, life seems boring. Well, maybe it seems boring because you have not been keeping busy with the on campus activities. Student Union Board is constantly having events and if you would read the posters that are around, you would find how many there are. Another thing that could be done is to utilize the gym. Check around for the schedule of times it is open. Unfortunately, the gym is not open as often or as long as it used to be because of increasing vandalism. It seems that some people really enjoy destroying property and we all have to pay for it. The gym is not the only part of the campus that is being vandalized. Even the pool tables and pinball machines on campus are regularly wrecked. The problem is everyone has to pay for the damage of a few people, whether it is by restriction of privileges, part of our tuition, in convenience, or a visual nuisance. The only way we can afford to stop these Red Tape By PATTY MARSH Collegian Staff Writer vandals is for everyone to watch out for people abusing anything on campus and speak up, telling them to stop what they’re doing. If they persist,. contact campus security. Remember, you’ll pay somehow for the damages. Help us stop, campus vandalism. Please. Nancy Klotsko Nancy A. Klotsko Substitute Gou rses Offered Editor’s Note: The following course suggestions will not be offered at Penn State and are the creations of the bylined writer. Dr. Elmo V. Sillietwit, dean of money grubbing and useless credits, announced today that Penn State, despite financial setbacks is going to offer many new courses for the Spring ’7B Term. Dr. Sillietwit was asked what his reasons were\ for these new additions. He responded by putting on a false nose and mustache, and cutting off our ties. This is a list stolen from his secretary; Psychology 99—Psychology of sheep; Modern day psychoanalysis and its relationship with twentieth-century mutton. Emphasis on the controversial “ba-ba” theory. Biology 48—Physiology of the nose; In depth study of sinuses and their relationship with the nervous system. Also covers nostrils, deviated septums, and “Dristan.” Sociology 66—Sociology of Short People; Emphasis on the Randy Newman theory which states that “short people got no reason to live.” Sociology 67—Sociology of Short People 'Hazleburg' Laundry Blues To do your laundry in the dorm you must follow three very simple step. First, you must excavate your laundry which is piled against your closet door. This can be a tricky procedure since you must firmly grip your door and tug just strongly enough to open it—without pulling off the door. You can be sure that there is enough laundry for two loads if, upon opening the door, you find yourself knee deep in clothes. Now before you start, there are certain things which you must remember; such as making sure all the washers and dryers are not in use and checking to see if you have enough money. If you happen to be broke, you can always turn to your dear, sweet, and kind roommate—who you should not threaten, but should plead with by using such heart-tugging phrases as ‘you’ve used your, last pair of under wear two weeks ago’. Now that you have in your possession the tear-soaked dollar your roomie gave you, you can venture out to the Change Machine. This can be a traumatic ex perience in itself because —as we all Know—change machines are known to sometimes feast on dollars at the most inappropriate times. ; If, by chance, you make it past the machines, you hurry back to your room and get your clothes, detergent, and bleach. Do not forget this, for if you do you will have to climb back out of the dungeon where the washing machines are located. You should also remember to bring along your arctic weather gear. The tem peratures in the dungeon can become excessively cold at times. If the washing machines are still empty, you are in real luck and should nab them quickly before someone else does. Then you may begin the second step. If they are already in use, be prepared to camp out in front of them for a few hours. In any case, when you finally have your washing machines, you can begin to sort through your clothes—placing light clothes in one washer and dark in the other. This is very important because dark colors can fade sometimes and if they are mixed in with light colui ul clothes, you may end up with 3—The Highacres Collegian, Friday, February 10, 1978 By CRAIG OSWALD Collegian Staff Writer Lab; Study of short people in their natural habitat: little cars that go beep-beep-beep. English 247—Modem humor of the Monty Python, Steve Martin, and Satur day Night Live era. Prerequisite: Marx Brothers 14, Abbott and Costello 41, and Brain Damage 71. Philosophy 38—Philosophical views of eighteenth century mango growers of the Caribbean and comparisons to that of the late midieval sharecroppers. Philosophy 52—Philosophy of the Dpad. Includes a practicum and in-service visits. History 360—Nautical Nasties; In depth research into keel-hauling, drawing and quartering, misen masts, peg-legs, buc caneers, buccan noses, and buccan eyes. Course requirement: parrot and eyepatch. Chemistry 141—Study of the elements Osmonium and Californium and why nobody uses them or cares about them. Speech Com 235—Public speaking with regards to addressing envelopes. Recommended for individuals interested in talking to paper. If these courses aren’t offered at your campus, Dr. Sillietwit suggests students send him $l5O for each A in the course desired. By MARILYN BASIL Collegian Staff Writer all your underwear dyed an unwanted red or green. when your clothes are finally sorted and stuffed into the washers—you may begin your third and final step. This consists of adding the detergent and bleach. Bleach is the trickier of the two and should be used with care. Bleach should not be used with dark clothes because it causes fading. But, if you should attempt to bleach your lighter clothes, you should still beware of the fading and also yellowing of some fabrics. No one wants to end up with yellowed undies or gym shorts, so the best solution to using bleach is not to! Wait until you travel homeward for a weekend and ask Mom, Dad, Sis, Brother, Gram, Gramps, or any reliable source, to help you. That way—if something goes wrong, you can blame them. In the meantime, just wash your clothes with detergent. About detergent; use the one of your choice, although you may prefer the all temperature or cold water kinds. Cold water tends to cause less shrinkage and thus is a much safer choice for the novice laundry doer. Now you are ready to sprinkle your detergent in the washers following the directions on the box or bottle. This is fairly simple and you will soon be ready to put in your money and turn the washing machine on. Now you can relax and let the machine do the work while you sit around amusing yourself by watching the pipes in the ceiling or counting the cracks in the walls. If you have forgotten to wear your arctic weather gear you can climb out of the dungeon to warm yourself in your room. Soon your clothes will be washed and you can begin the third and final step by pursuing the dryers. If, by chance, you are lucky enough to get one that works, you can put your clothes in it making sure to remove your favorites so that shriiiking will not occur. Set the dryers on hot or your clothes will never dry and wait once .again—consoling yourself with the thought that your task will soon be done and you can return to your room with piles of clean and dry clothes...until the next time. Good luck—all you laundry lovers! “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. ”
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers