Instructors at forefront of Faculty Senate debate

"I am NEIU," was the call for solidarity during the teacher's strike of 2004. Since then, the number of instructors at Northeastern has continued to grow.

This is not an isolated incident, and the number of non-tenure track faculty at universities across the country continues to grow.

According to statistics provided by the administration, the number of faculty as a bargaining unit in the Fall 2006 was 299, with an additional 128 non-tenure track faculty not in it.

Combined, instructors are the majority faculty at NEIU but are not represented in university governing bodies like the faculty senate, faculty councils, and committees.

"Denying a voice and a vote to NEIU's instructors is a betrayal of the true spirit of shared governance," says Michael Hammond, a guest member of the faculty senate sub-committee on constitutional issues.

Hammond, along with fellow members Cathryn Bulicek, and Terry Puryear, presented an information packet in May 2006 to propose amendments in the constitution that would give instructors at least some form of representation.

An article entitled "A Voice and A Vote: A Case for Voting Rights for NEIU Instructors," which was co-written by Hammond, Bulicek, and Puryear, states that it's likely that most instructors are relatively unaware that the faculty senate exists, let alone its importance. They ask how many NEIU students are aware of the existence and significance of the faculty senate.

In their piece, they say for all of them to survive, thrive and achieve academic goals, it is necessary to amend the faculty constitution so that instructors would be included in faculty governance. If a vote were to give instructors their rights, it would still need to be approved by faculty assembly. Moreover, the president would ultimately have veto power.

Hammond, Bulicek and Puryear described the taking of responsibilities on campus, which traditionally belongs to tenure or tenure-track faculty. They explained that some instructors are coordinating programs, presenting at conferences, and doing research.

Still others, they note, are publishing, advising, developing courses, serving on committees, sponsoring clubs, supervising grad students, and performing other valuable and skilled services to NEIU.

Even with their increasingly important roles in the university, Hammond said, "non-tenured faculties have been the dirty little secret of the academic world over the last decade or so."

Hammond addressed contract disputes over whether or not instructors should receive money for these activities. "It's good to have a contract with language that helps guarantee things negotiated like job security and long-term contracts," he said.

The proposed constitutional amendment is likely to be presented in either the second or third senate meeting of the new term, in late January or early February.

Hammond maintained that instructors are petitioning for participation in faculty governance because they care about their students, their fields, their curricula and academic goals. In the spirit of the strike and for all the reasons for walking out, he feels it is time for instructors to be recognized.