December 2005 stealth raises - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Dec 22, 2005

December 2005 stealth raises

Date: Dec 23, 2005

J.C. wrote:

It happened again, and across all colleges. How can we get a list of the names?

Nein, Nein, NEIN!!!

Dey are not kalled "Stealth Raises." Dey are kalled "Double Sekret Merit Raises!!" In de future, please be specifik in jour terms.

Any publikation uf de names uf de vonderful as* lik . . ., er, hard vorking fakulty members who recieved Double Sekret Merit Raises vill result in extreme measures to be taken.

Herr Doktor Mengela, PhD.
Chairman of Retaliation,
Department of Publik Relations

Date: Dec 23, 2005

Perhaps, Herr Doktor, no matter you ranting -- some of the people who receive raises are deserving. Just because SFT and is cronies are idiots and do things so poorly does not mean that all faculty who receive raises in fact lick any butts. SFT should do things better, but maybe, just maybe some of the recipients (whoever they might be, for as yet we do not know) are deserving. I will withold judgement and not b!tch until I know what is what, and even then if you were deserving of a raise and got it through a flawed method -- what would you do?

Date: Dec 23, 2005

Somewhere in Poland wrote:

Perhaps, Herr Doktor, no matter you ranting -- some of the people who receive raises are deserving. Just because SFT and is cronies are idiots and do things so poorly does not mean that all faculty who receive raises in fact lick any butts. SFT should do things better, but maybe, just maybe some of the recipients (whoever they might be, for as yet we do not know) are deserving. I will withold judgement and not b!tch until I know what is what

And maybe pigs fly

Date: Dec 23, 2005

Oink and Herr Doktor -- other than b!tchin, what evidence do you have that the unnamed faculty are all non deserving? Is the only evidence that you have to hand presumably the fact that you did not receive raises?

Date: Dec 23, 2005

Somewhere in Poland wrote:

Oink and Herr Doktor -- other than b!tchin, what evidence do you have that the unnamed faculty are all non deserving?

I never said that. Even a broken clock is right twice each day.

Date: Dec 23, 2005

My understanding of the problem has to do with the administration not following established procedure. Raises are suppose to be based on annual evaluations. I heard that in the past these stealth raises were being given to faculty without even the department chair being informed. In my opinion, that was always the purpose for the "online FAR", i.e., for the upper administration to evaluate based on the money obtained rather than scholarship.

Date: Dec 23, 2005

LeftASAP wrote:

My understanding of the problem has to do with the administration not following established procedure.

When an organization violates its own established/published rules/proceudres . . . . . couldn't that have legal implications in instances of appeals or beyond?

Date: Dec 23, 2005

sadly, no one in this thread has presented any evidence of these raises being given this year.

Date: Dec 23, 2005

stinky cheese man wrote:

sadly, no one in this thread has presented evidence of these raises being given this year.

But there is good news, Stinky: If "they" are reading this board it is unlikely there will be any given this year outside of the established procedures.

Date: Dec 23, 2005

problem is, the original poster said these raises had already been given. for those who are faculty that post, i hope we exhibit the sort of critical thinking we hope to teach and instill in our students. some posters simply cast a line and see what what they can catch.

Date: Dec 23, 2005

The problem in my college is that the raises are partly merit and partly murk. The merit part is easy enough to figure: get some grant money and you get a raise. The less murky part is do some research and put an administrator's name on it. That'll work. The murkiest part is be a supporter of some adminstrator without much genuine support. Just do your work and try to keep your nose clean, sorry no raise money there. After a few years of this you can't find morale with a microscope.

Date: Dec 23, 2005

murky water wrote:

After a few years of this you can't find morale with a microscope.

I assume that USM still does exit interviews on its seniors just prior to graduation each year. Exit interviews should also be conducted on the departing faculty members each year. Whoever got the results of those conducted on departing faculty would get an eye full. Or an ear full. They would hear things they didn't want to hear and read things they didn't want to read. And my guess is that they wouldn't give a rip and the results would be quickly trashed before somebody found out.

Date: Dec 23, 2005

I am enjoyin my stealth raise from my black stealth bass boat on a black bayou near Black Oak Arkansas. Boat cost nearly nothin after the raise, with the no interest intro and all. If I see other raisees up here I'll cook a mess of fish for y'all. Just wear them Eagle hats - I'll spot ya.

Others, Have fun toiling in the orchard,

db

Date: Dec 23, 2005

SCM -- that was all that I was asking for a bit of critical thinking. IF THERE WERE RAISES -- and they were of the stealth variety, that system is flawed and just plain wrong. Look at the uproar it has caused over its lifespan. We should be celebrating faculty who recieve raises when done correctly. If there were raises and they were stealth -- then it seems obvious that some got them through reasons other than merit. However, there are (I hope) some who are actually quite meritorious -- they should not be tarred with the same brush. So blanket condemnations of a system that is flawed are fine. However, blanket condemnations of the faculty who received raises (if they exist) are another matter.

Date: Dec 23, 2005

Somewhere in Poland wrote:
when done correctly

SiP, You've uttered the winning words. You're earned the right to go for the big prize. Watch out for that falling duck!!!

Date: Dec 24, 2005

The stealth raises can cause the same problems at USM as raises and publicity given to the famous running backs in the NFL without attention to the linemen. After a while linemen start missing blocks and suddenly the runners realize they can't do anything without blocking.

A few faculty at USM live in another world. They supervise grad students doing their research for them, hardly ever teach, and travel to collect research funding via "contractual services" and recruit more grad students. It's more like a "business" than an academic position. All of this only works if the other faculty keep their nose to the grindstone doing all of the teaching. However, those teaching are not being rewarded. "Only those scoring touchdowns get raises."

We have a "great" coach who says, "No one block, everyone go deep for a TD." No wonder there is no “big happy family”. (And outsourcing sure doen't help.)

Date: Dec 24, 2005

Somewhere in Poland wrote:

Perhaps, Herr Doktor, no matter you ranting -- some of the people who receive raises are deserving. Just because SFT and is cronies are idiots and do things so poorly does not mean that all faculty who receive raises in fact lick any butts. SFT should do things better, but maybe, just maybe some of the recipients (whoever they might be, for as yet we do not know) are deserving. I will withold judgement and not b!tch until I know what is what, and even then if you were deserving of a raise and got it through a flawed method -- what would you do?

Aaaaa, zo much to rebut und zo little time . . .

Virst, jew must understand dat Herr Reichsfurer Tha . . . er, El Presidente' Thames ist NOT de idot dat zome people zeem to tink he ist. Dere are no kronies lokated vithin 50 miles uf USM und tings are NOT done poorly at all by anyvon. At no time dit any fakulty memberz lick anyting at all dat ve are avare uf. All Double Sekret Merit Raises vere vell earned und vell deserved by all fakulty memberz who recieved dem. Finally, all uf de vonderful fakulty memberz who recieved a Double Sekret Merit Raise vere very happy und tankful, and promptly deposited dem in dere overseas akkounts ind Svitzerlund und de Bahama's.

Herr Doktor Mengela, PhD.
Chancellor of Historikal Revision
Department of Publik Relations

Date: Dec 24, 2005

Yakkity Yak Sacs wrote:

I assume that USM still does exit interviews on its seniors just prior to graduation each year. Exit interviews should also be conducted on the departing faculty members each year. Whoever got the results of those conducted on departing faculty would get an eye full. Or an ear full. They would hear things they didn't want to hear and read things they didn't want to read. And my guess is that they wouldn't give a rip and the results would be quickly trashed before somebody found out.

Wrong -- most of us who have escaped did so with a quiet search, and any 'exit interview' would be a waste of time. You won't want to risk bringing on retribution, because academia is a small part of the world, with a well-established "word of mouth" grapevine, and even after you're gone, you can be "poor-mouthed" no matter what your accomplishments. And, some of us realize that we still have friends "held hostage" in Hattiesburg, with an administration that has found it convenient to seek retribution on your former departmental colleagues.

Am I happy to have left? Absolutely, even though it was a difficult decision to leave tenure. Would I give an honest "exit interview"? Not while SFT and his hand-picked administration and deans are there, because the IHL has shown its indifference to "shared governance" and input from faculty and staff.

Date: Dec 24, 2005

already gone wrote:

Yakkity Yak Sacs wrote: I assume that USM still does exit interviews on its seniors just prior to graduation each year. Exit interviews should also be conducted on the departing faculty members each year. Whoever got the results of those conducted on departing faculty would get an eye full. Or an ear full. They would hear things they didn't want to hear and read things they didn't want to read. And my guess is that they wouldn't give a rip and the results would be quickly trashed before somebody found out.

already gone wrote: Wrong -- most of us who have escaped did so with a quiet search, and any 'exit interview' would be a waste of time. You won't want to risk bringing on retribution, because academia is a small part of the world, with a well-established "word of mouth" grapevine, and even after you're gone, you can be "poor-mouthed" no matter what your accomplishments. And, some of us realize that we still have friends "held hostage" in Hattiesburg, with an administration that has found it convenient to seek retribution on your former departmental colleagues. Am I happy to have left? Absolutely, even though it was a difficult decision to leave tenure. Would I give an honest "exit interview"? Not while SFT and his hand-picked administration and deans are there, because the IHL has shown its indifference to "shared governance" and input from faculty and staff.

already gone, after reading your reply I hereby retract my suggestion that exit interviews be conducted on exiting faculty members.