l‘llc St-tirlct All Black. April 291. “ﬁxijlitgi: :l

Grinnell faculty comments 011 issues in survey

frontinued from pnge ti
lhat they have had to alter
their courses in some way.

WHEN Liskctl to elaborate on the
ways in which a decline in come
Intlmcating skills forced lhcm to
aller their courses. most faculty
members cite placing a greater
emphasis on basic writing skills,
One prof comments “I think I do
spend more time helping students
with their papers. coaching
elementary composition errors.
etc. But I have tried to keep the
same level of expectations in my
course."

Another faculty member states
that more attention to “how to”
skills are given, and that grading is
done “With greater attention to
basic communications skills."

One faculty member comments
that the decline In communication
skills makes classes boring

"I FlND myself going back to
square one twithi remedial work
in reading and writing, which
students should have learned in
high School Advantage:
questioning the assumptions 1
make in the process of writing and
reading, simplifying in order to get
at basic structures, Disadvantage:
boring classes, when a few of the
studens, who know how to read.
are forced down to the lowest
common denominator of thought
and discussion."

The Survey indicates a high level
of satisfaction on the part of
faculty members with their
department‘s curriculum, The
faculty was asked to rate- their
department’s curriculum on a
scale of one to live, with one
representing a high level of
satisfaction and five representing
a high level of dissatisfaction.
Nineteen respondents, or 25 7 per
cent;,gave their departments
curriculum a “one.” Twenty nine,
or 39,2 per cent. gave their
department‘s curriculum a ”two."
Ten faculty members. or 13. 5 per
cent, gave a rating of “three,"
while 5, or to percent, chose
“four,” Only four faculty mem-
bers, or 5.4 per cent, chose a
“five.” indicating a high level of
dissatisfaction with their depart-
ment's curriculum. Ninepoint—five
per cent did not respond to this
question.

SATISFACTION with the over
all college curriculum is less high.
Only four professors, or 5.4 per
cent, gave the college curriculum a
“one” rating. Twentyrnine. or 39.2
per cent, gave the college
curriculum at “lwo” rating, while
23 faculty members, or 31.1 per
cent, gave it a “three.” Four
faculty members, 10.13 per cent of
the sample, gave it a “tour"
rating, and only two profs, or 2.7
per cent, gave it a “five." q

The survey also shows that, m
the view of faculty members, the
level of student interest in
academics has gone up over the
last five years Twenty-seven
respondents. or as 5 per cent, feel
that student interest In academics
has gone up. Twentyrfive, or 33 B
per cent, feel it has staved the
same, Only five, or e it per cent,
feel it has gone down, while 8, or
10 it per cent, responded that they
don’t know. Twelvepoint—two per
cent of the sample chose not to
answer this question.

THE FACULTY is much more
uncertain about the willingness of
students to get involved in extra
curricular activities. Only eight
faculty members. or in it per cent,
say that students were more
willing to get involved in such
activities in the last five years
Twentyrone, or 212.4 per cent, say
that student willingness to, par
ticipate over the las ive years has
stayed the;same,'while 13,10r 17.15

er cent, say it has gone down.

‘bvwevern’ls faculty‘ responses..Twenix-Iour‘laculiy.

members. 33.3 per cent of the
sample. who do not know if student
willingness to involvc themselves
In cxtra- irricular activities has
gone up, tllyed the same, or gone
down Ninerpolntrflvc per cent did
not respond.

Administration

In this section. faculty members
were asked to evaluate how good a
job both President A Richard
Turner and Dean Waldo Walker
are doing in their respective
positions Again, 21 15 scale was
employed with “tine indicating
that a “very good" Job is being
(tone and a “live " indicating a
“very poor"iob. Faculty members
were also asked to briefly explain
[heir evaluation of both fid-
nlinistrators.

The survey revealed a
moderately high level of unhapr
piness with President Turner

THE responses to the Turner
question show that only four
faculty members, or 5.4 per cent of
the respondents, gave Turner a
“two.” Twenty-five, or.33,8 per
cent of the sample, gave him a
“three.” Fifteen profs, or 211.3 per
Cent, gave him a “four,”' while
five. or 6.8 per cent. gave him a
“five.” Twentyrfive respondents,
or 33 13 per cent of the total sample,
chose not to answer this question,

Many of those who gave Turner a
“three" or lower point to what they
see as a lack of firm leadership to
. explain theirv‘response. One faculty

stand by‘his major dec us as his
main problem. “Some rather
important decisions were made by
the President," this prof com»
ments, “then he had to (for
whatever. reasonsi back down."
Another respondent criticized
Turner for “general lack of
leadership ability."

OTHER faculty members cited
the negative effects of Turner's
stand on tenure and the White
Paper on his relations with the
’faculty.

of dealing with the question of
tenure and his failure to ‘follow up'
his white paper in any ef»
Iective \Vay. . . have dissipated his
chances to provide leadership. He
gives the faculty no sense that he
either knows or cares in what
direction the college should be
going, The faculty has simply lost
interest in him, and he In it. Too
bad,”

TIIDSE who gave Turner a
”Mo” rating point to a wide
variety Of reasons for their
evaluation. One respondent states,
“When Turner arrived he met an
almost impossible situationga
faculty that had voted as per cent
in favor of the Dean of the College
for this pOSItion. He has Conducted
himself with good humor and
enthusiasm and in my opinion has
done very well considering the‘
circumstances." Another Com-
ments that “I've seen Wors" at
other schoolsiless fiscally
responsible. with worse leader-
ship." School finance played an
important role in the response of
another professor, who calls
Turner’s efforts at development
“sound "

The faculty survey indicates a
high level of approval for the Job
Waldo Walker is doing as Dean of
the College Twentyrthree faculty
members, or :ll 1 per cent. gave
Walker 21 ”one." While 25
respondents. or 33.3 per cent, gave
him a “two." Walker received only
one “three” and one “four" rating
Not a single prof gave him a
f‘five.” As with the Turner-
cvaluation question, there” wasan
unusually high number, otfnon-

 

membersees Turner'sinability to .

Cine professor writes: “His way’

 

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ct gone doiiii
dt don't know

No response

at yes
I)! “(I

No response

a) yes
bi no

No response

Ad mi rlitioil

I 2
very
good
0 1
10.0 (5.4
per cent) per centi

25
(33.8

per cent) P" 39““

A! Iativc A on

F 2
. very
‘ sati'fied

 

l2
115.2
per centi

‘117
per crnti

PARTIAL SURVEY RESULTS

members, or ‘32 4 per cent, did not
respond to this question.

THOSE WHO praise Walker
generally point to his competence
as an administrator, his ability to
get along with the faculty, and his
understanding of the duties and
needs of the college. One faculty
member has nothing but praise for
Walker's administrative abilities.
“He has been an absolutely out
standing administrator, He knows
everything about the operation of
the college,” Another respondent
called Walker a “decisive ads
ministrator." One prof rates the
Dean highly because he makes a
“conscious effort to serve as (at
liaison between faculty and ad-
ministration."

Walker also rece1ved high marks
for his understanding of the needs
and function ol the college, “He is
quick to recognize and act on
present and future needs of the
college," one respondent writes.
“He is very effective in getting
important jobs done. Some
examples: the writing lab, slime
mcr \\ riting workshops for faculty,
computing lacil les, tandi acting
departmcnt chairman in
Psychology and Sociology."

THE TWO major criticisms of
Walker are that he is too political
and that he is Stretched too thin In
his current position One prof
writes that "deans are political
animals.” While allowing that
Walker is a good administrator,
th" person nonetheless critiques
h ,for,interfé'ring “too much in.
faculty affairs about which he is

the general level of student iii-
lt'i‘L'st iii licliiiemi s ill the last five wars fins

to 1

it tutk pcr ccutl
ti 112.2 per cciitl

no 3011 favor rc-institiitiiig required courses?
:li 11“ it per ceilll
:i2 11

[)0 will perceive a decline in the ability of
students to write and communicate orally in class?

ui 12.
115 <2L6 per cent)

 

irould \ on
iiiiolicd in

i pcr ccnti

al vane 11)

ml per centl “ '

16.x pt-r emit)
t'l gone tltInli

dt don't kiiou
.\'o response

per cent) rerlnstituted.

X (10.x per cent) b, English

lit stayed the Sﬂllll'

v 1hr willingness of st idcius to get

xtriirculliculiir octiiiti s in the last
the i'ciirx has

it flint per ceiul

.‘l 121: per -cn1,
per ct-nti
' ll per urnfi

7 111,, per cclitl

if you favor rc-institutilig required courses,
please specify what kind of course you “mild havi-

at foreign language

c) natural science

0) history

It 1 per cell“ i) other

per centi

‘.i 4

25 15
11111.8 120.3
per cent) per centi

I I
(IA (L4
per cent) per centi

:i 4

s i —l
i:i:i.il 15.4
per eenii per centl

ignorant." In addition, some
faculty members are critical of the
number of responsibilities Walker
has as Dean of the College and
Provost. One respondent summed
up this feeling by writing that
Walker is “doing the work of three
people One cannot do that and be
‘very good’ at three Jobs."

A large number of respondents
refused to answer the questions
about Turner and Walker because
they felt they were “not ap-
propriate” One faculty member
approached by the ssh believes
that the questions could make
establishingaworking relationship
with the administration more
difficult.

”We‘ve got a small community
here Good working relations are
important in a small community. i
think we need to do everything we
can to move forward without
jeopardizing the possib ties for
cooperation. The kinds of questions
the survey contained could
alienate the administration, and i
don’t think that's what we want."

Affirmative Action

TIIE Sl‘ 'TION of the survey
dealing with affirmative action
asked the faculty to indicale on a
one-to-llve scale their level of
satisfaction with the college's
Commitment to affirmative action.
They were then asked to explain
their response, ‘_ . , .A

The results show that 13 faculty
imembers, or rmper cent of the

‘Sample, responded withé'i‘oneV-

[it mathematics

per cent)

per cent)

per centi

 

How good a job do you feel A. Richard'hrrner has done as College President?

5 No response
very
poor
5 25
16,8 .. .8
per cent)

5 ' No response
very
poor

0
(0.0 4
per cent)

flow satisfied are you Vt ilh the college's commilment to Affirmative Action?

5 No response
very

unsatisfied

4 is
15.1 121.1;
per eenil

 

indicating a high level of
satisfaction. Twelve respondents,
or 16.2 per cent, chose “two,” and
25 respondents. or 33.8 per cent.
chose “three.” Only four faculty
members, or 5.4 per cent, those
”four," and the same number
chose “five.” The rest (21,6 per

‘cent) did not respond,
vnsws or faculty membeis on

this question are widely divergent.

Some faculty members. for
example. believe that the some

mitment of the college to air
firmatlve action is genuine, One
faculty member perceives “no
lack of good will” on the part Of lhe
college Similarly, another
respondent believes the college
does “the best (it) can with
available qualified applicants,”
On the other hand, some of the
respondents question the sincerity
of the college on this issue. One
faculty member feels that, “as in
every other important issue, so
called commitments rarely go
beyond liprservice. and then only
under political pressure " Another
prof questions the administration's
C mmltment on this issue “There
hasn't been enough administrative
drive In this regard," this person
writes. “It is crucial that top ad-
ministrative posts be filled by
women, to set a proper level."
MANY ()TIIER profs feel that
the college's record in this field 15
mixed. One prof writes that the
College's “concerted efforts” in
affirmative action have been
“more often successful" in cm

,‘trﬁctin’g‘ Weirie‘n' than blacks. ’l

\

 

