The General Faculty Council, which represents the University’s nontenured track faculty, conferred yesterday to discuss diversity issues, data accessibility, bylaws and membership concerns.
Members showed concern about a National Academy of Sciences report that found gender discrimination in the submission of articles to peer-reviewed journals and in recommendation letters among faculty. Many in the Council said they felt that female doctoral graduates entered nontenured track positions at the University at a higher rate than their male counterparts.
“Models for advancement are different for men and women,” Curry School Assoc. Prof. Ellie Wilson said.
In general, however, those in the Council said they were satisfied with the University’s efforts to improve diversity thus far.
“I believe strongly that the University has made efforts to deal with these issues,” Environmental Science Assoc. Prof. Jennie Moody said.
The Council also stated that it remains unworried about the removal of faculty salary records from the University library system, as this data is still accessible through a Freedom of Information Act request, said Terry Lockard, Council member and director of ITC support services. These records were previously available at the Information Desk but were removed last month by library officials in an effort to save paper and cut costs, University spokesperson Carol Wood said.
Jean Collier, Council member and collections manager at the University Art Museum, said Council members also discussed whether the body’s current bylaws accurately reflect the actions of nontenured track faculty, noting that members compared the Council’s bylaws with those of the University’s Faculty Senate. This process, Collier said, occurs every four years to keep the bylaws current with any changes in the Council’s activities.
The question of whether nontenured track faculty are up-to-date with the Council’s activities was also raised, as Ricky Patterson, Council member and senior scientist in the astronomy department, along with several other faculty members, expressed concern that a large percentage of nontenured track faculty may not realize that they are represented in the Council. This, Patterson said, has hindered efforts to compile an exact tally of the Council’s constituents and has impeded the Council’s efforts to disseminate information about its activities and policies.
The Council typically meets the second Wednesday of each month. The next meeting is scheduled for March 11 in the Byrd/Morris Room of the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library.
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