HA 11/14 Coaches' Bargaining - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Nov 14, 2004

HA 11/14 Coaches' Bargaining

Date: Nov 14, 2004

There are a few other changes in Bower's contract, most notably in the language. Although it says almost exactly the same thing as his previous contract, the new contract runs 15 pages, much longer than the older five-page contract.

Welcome to 2004 - after all, your enemies might be thinking the same way YOU think.

The new contract spells out certain obligations, among them: one football party at Bower's house each year, attending Monday Eagle Club luncheons, speaking at five Eagle Club meetings outside Hattiesburg and five Eagle Club golf events each year, and attending at least two Athletic Foundation Board meetings each year.

Bower has gone above and beyond these duties and always has. Why do they need to be s-p-e-l-le-d out now. Could it be that Bower likes his nose the size it is now and refuses to be SFT's political puppet?

In the old contract, the only mention of other duties was that he "shall be assigned to such promotional duties as the university athletic director may determine to be appropriate."

Apparently the AD thinks it's appropriate to boycott Hattiesburg businesses if they disagreed about how he thought they should spend their money - so maybe this is a better contract for Bower after all.

Date: Nov 14, 2004

Puppets can only long to be red blooded American males. They always know who is Boss.

Date: Nov 14, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Pinocchio
" There are a few other changes in Bower's contract, most notably in the language. Although it says almost exactly the same thing as his previous contract, the new contract runs 15 pages, much longer than the older five-page contract. Welcome to 2004 - after all, your enemies might be thinking the same way YOU think. The new contract spells out certain obligations, among them: one football party at Bower's house each year, attending Monday Eagle Club luncheons, speaking at five Eagle Club meetings outside Hattiesburg and five Eagle Club golf events each year, and attending at least two Athletic Foundation Board meetings each year. Bower has gone above and beyond these duties and always has. Why do they need to be s-p-e-l-le-d out now. Could it be that Bower likes his nose the size it is now and refuses to be SFT's political puppet? In the old contract, the only mention of other duties was that he "shall be assigned to such promotional duties as the university athletic director may determine to be appropriate." Apparently the AD thinks it's appropriate to boycott Hattiesburg businesses if they disagreed about how he thought they should spend their money - so maybe this is a better contract for Bower after all."

Bower isn't the only one. This is a sign of the times.

The university is essentially doing this to all of us -- creating ever increasingly specific codas to contracts, etc. The idea fostered, as RG says in this article, is to lessen the "interpretation" and thus protect the interests of the school and the employee. The backspin on this is that it creates a very specific set of hoops through which every employee has to crawl. It is, in effect, a fairly sophisticed tripwire system that really allows the bosses to identify and use clear examples (read "good excuses") to harrass or get rid of an emplyee. It is true the emplyee might be subperforming. It is equally true that a emplyee who is performing well but for one reason or another is either expendible or troublesome can easily find himself/herself be called to task for subperforming in any of these specific areas.

Now that Bower's contract has all of these areas in which he specifically must perform due diligence, it becomes easy to look for a specific slipup in any of the areas outside of the coaching arena. The university knows damn well it isn't going to get him on the performance of the team . . . . . so the field of performance has been widened to areas "related" to his job . . . but not necessarily the job itself.

In the faculty arena, we are all being pressured to become very active recruiters to the university, to go on recruiting trips and to create programs for recruitment and retention. And of course, there is the ever looming idea of the "economic development" area for which each faculty member must now account. There is no mention about the fact that not only do most of us teach full time with a large load of duties beyond the classroom and that every day we teach and interact with our students we are recruiting and working on retention. But that is not enough.

I'm trying to figure out exactly what it is that highly paid administrators do these days: the faculty is being asked to raise money, recruit, create rention programs; keep track of statistics, budget, etc. Frankly, I think the faculty is not being brought into this as collaborative members of the community to help our institution, but to pick up the slack administrators create as they do their jobs badly.

Date: Nov 14, 2004

I went into my duties this semester with NO contract, no attempt to educate me as to University practices and regulations, and no explanations as to what my responsibilities are beyond conducting classes. Here's what has happened:
I get to campus several hours early in order to find a parking place. I use the extra time to mark papers, write lesson plans, and hold office hours. With that, plus classes, I spend a minimum of 12 hours per week on campus.
When I get home, because I have a writing-intensive subject and because I assign a lot of homework, I always have a pile of grading. I spend at least 10 hours per week on grading, and on planning lessons and reading for my course. Now a 22-hour (minimum) week doesn't sound bad, does it? OH, I forgot the time I spend reading and answering emails from students, including printing out homework and papers on my personal printer.
At the end of one month of this, my net paycheck was $525.
I will not be doing this again.

Date: Nov 14, 2004

Addendum: I didn't make it clear -- this is for two classes.

Date: Nov 14, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: stephen judd
" "

It is all these things and more. A hidden downside to the contractual laying out of responsibilities and expectations is that, absent of good faith, they become the limit of performance. Faculty who are expected to be at a specified number of events will be at only the designated number rather than choosing to be at university events because of a sense of community or desire to achieve common goals. Pushing responsibility downwards while increasingly centralizing authority and control at the top is another example of poor management.

Date: Nov 14, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: stephen judd
"
Bower isn't the only one. This is a sign of the times.
The university is essentially doing this to all of us -- creating ever increasingly specific codas to contracts, etc. The idea fostered, as RG says in this article, is to lessen the "interpretation" and thus protect the interests of the school and the employee. The backspin on this is that it creates a very specific set of hoops through which every employee has to crawl. It is, in effect, a fairly sophisticed tripwire system that really allows the bosses to identify and use clear examples (read "good excuses") to harrass or get rid of an emplyee. It is true the emplyee might be subperforming. It is equally true that a emplyee who is performing well but for one reason or another is either expendible or troublesome can easily find himself/herself be called to task for subperforming in any of these specific areas.
Now that Bower's contract has all of these areas in which he specifically must perform due diligence, it becomes easy to look for a specific slipup in any of the areas outside of the coaching arena. The university knows damn well it isn't going to get him on the performance of the team . . . . . so the field of performance has been widened to areas "related" to his job . . . but not necessarily the job itself.
In the faculty arena, we are all being pressured to become very active recruiters to the university, to go on recruiting trips and to create programs for recruitment and retention. And of course, there is the ever looming idea of the "economic development" area for which each faculty member must now account. There is no mention about the fact that not only do most of us teach full time with a large load of duties beyond the classroom and that every day we teach and interact with our students we are recruiting and working on retention. But that is not enough.
I'm trying to figure out exactly what it is that highly paid administrators do these days: the faculty is being asked to raise money, recruit, create rention programs; keep track of statistics, budget, etc. Frankly, I think the faculty is not being brought into this as collaborative members of the community to help our institution, but to pick up the slack administrators create as they do their jobs badly.
"

Stephen,
As was pointed out by Senator Pat Smith at the recent Faculty Senate meeting, important documents tend to be more detailed when the parties involved lack TRUST. For me this is just more evidence of the lack of trust in this administration by all segments of this university. After the recent bond issue vote, I wonder just who stills has confidence in the SFT administration.

Date: Nov 14, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: New Adjunct
"I went into my duties this semester with NO contract, no attempt to educate me as to University practices and regulations, and no explanations as to what my responsibilities are beyond conducting classes."

The USM experiences you describe are typical, even for full-time tenure-track faculty. During my period of servitude at USM I saw valued colleagues get axed (supposedly) because they weren't doing what someone thought they ought to (because no one ever told them). Of course, I also saw incompetent jerks get promoted and tenured because they were expert at appealing to small minds. There was absolutely no mentoring, and no meaningful annual evaluations (and now that USM has the online FAR [did anyone tell you about this ridiculous and insulting tool for assessing faculty'$ worth?], it's worse than ever). I guess new faculty at USM are supposed to read minds? (Good luck finding a mind worth reading...)

The contrast of this with my experiences at other institutions is striking. I made it through tenure and promotion at USM only 1) because of what I had learned going through it before elsewhere and 2) because of that I probably knew more about how to do it successfully than most of the people in my unit making the tenure and promotion decisions. Maybe that makes me a jerk, too?

By the way, ask someone about how you'll be turning in grades at midterm (did anyone tell you about midterm grades?) and end-of-semester. It's a SOAR subject.

You also mention having to print on your personal printer. USM's administration wants to become so hi-tech, keeps pressuring faculty to develop online courses, etc., and they can't even provide faculty with access to a printer. Where the hell were these idiots when brains were issued?

You sound like someone who takes your teaching responsibilities very seriously. USM should count itself lucky to have you on its faculty, but unfortunately the administration doesn't understand what you do and would value you only for the revenue you might be able to generate for the university (and the money they can save by hiring part-time adjuncts to do full-time jobs).

You conclude by writing, "I will not be doing this again." You should not do it again; no one should. I gave up a position as a tenured full professor when I left USM, and due to my age and personal circumstances my academic career is probably over. But I very much prefer this life to continuing at a hell-hole ruled by the devil incarnate.

Date: Nov 14, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: stephen judd
In the faculty arena, we are all being pressured to become very active recruiters to the university, to go on recruiting trips and to create programs for recruitment and retention. And of course, there is the ever looming idea of the "economic development" area for which each faculty member must now account. There is no mention about the fact that not only do most of us teach full time with a large load of duties beyond the classroom and that every day we teach and interact with our students we are recruiting and working on retention. But that is not enough. I'm trying to figure out exactly what it is that highly paid administrators do these days: the faculty is being asked to raise money, recruit, create rention programs; keep track of statistics, budget, etc.

Apparently, we are being asked to make bricks without any more straw.

Date: Nov 14, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Unambiguous
" It is all these things and more. A hidden downside to the contractual laying out of responsibilities and expectations is that, absent of good faith, they become the limit of performance. Faculty who are expected to be at a specified number of events will be at only the designated number rather than choosing to be at university events because of a sense of community or desire to achieve common goals. Pushing responsibility downwards while increasingly centralizing authority and control at the top is another example of poor management."
Faculty are hired to teach students. In any type of degree program, they have colleagues teaching these students as well. Research connected to teaching will tell you that a sense of community within and outside the classroom makes for a better learning environment. Where I now teach, the community is still there -- and we are a better institution for it. It makes for a great environment. Consider this Message Board . . . with the pivotal foundation of the FIRESHELBY website -- many of us joined our voices together and became a better community. FIRESHELBY gave us a forum that, believe me, provided more therapy than a therapist could ever imagine to provide. We truly were no longer alone -- others thought like us. That's how it used to be in the hallways of the building where I used to teach at USM. From what I hear now, those progressive, animated voices no longer exist since Big Brother is always watching, always piecemealing their intentions in terms of progress, and quickly silencing the voices that don't blend in with theirs. A community protects their own. This community has, in some sense, almost become what Germany was in the late 1930's. But many of you are still there and still fighting for what used to be and can still be a great institution. Hat's off.

Date: Nov 14, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Jameela Lares
"
Apparently, we are being asked to make bricks without any more straw.
"

You got straw??

Date: Nov 14, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: New Adjunct
" You got straw??"

"But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their work? Get to your labors!" Pharaoh continued, "Now they are more numerous than the people of the land and yet you want them to stop working!" That same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people, as well as their supervisors, "You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as before; let them go and gather straw for themselves. But you shall require of them the same quantity of bricks as they have made previously; do not diminish it, for they are lazy; that is why they cry, 'Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.' Let heavier work be laid on them; then they will labor at it and pay no attention to deceptive words." So the taskmasters and the supervisors of the people went out and said to the people, "Thus says Pharaoh, 'I will not give you straw. Go and get straw yourselves, wherever you can find it; but your work will not be lessened in the least.'" So the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt, to gather stubble for straw. The taskmasters were urgent, saying, "Complete your work, the same daily assignment as when you were given straw." And the supervisors of the Israelites, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and were asked, "Why did you not finish the required quantity of bricks yesterday and today, as you did before?" (Exodus 5.4-14).

Date: Nov 14, 2004

The taskmasters were urgent, saying, "Complete your work, the same daily assignment as when you were given straw." And the supervisors of the Israelites, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and were asked, "Why did you not finish the required quantity of bricks yesterday and today, as you did before?" (Exodus 5.4-14).

taskmasters called to task.

Date: Nov 14, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Jameela Lares

"So the people scattered throughout the land... (Exodus 5:12)."

...and many did not come back. And the exodus will continue until Pharoah Shelby and his armies are covered by the Red Sea.