Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2002 12:31:47 -0500 (EST)
From: Maynard Seider <mseider@mcla.mass.edu>
Subject: We are all Meritorious

President Aceto has decided to use the pool of so-called "Merit" money to divide the faculty, telling us that he has determined that 55% of us are with merit and 45% of us are without merit. The so-called "Merit" provision of the contract is one which the bargaining unit fought as hard as they could for as long as they could, and kept the amount of money in that pool as low as possible --- but it is with us this year and next year as well. The MSCA has asked the college presidents to award merit to all of us -- we are all meritorious -- but the purpose of the provision, and the reason why the presidents fought to keep it in has nothing to do with merit -- and everything to do with power and control. When we go up for reappointment, for promotion and for tenure, we are evaluated by our peers -a significant part of that process- and we recognize the validity of that process. But this so-called "merit" process has nothing to do wiith peer evaluation. It is totally the decision of President Aceto, who (pg. 224 of the the Contract) receives recommendations from the Vice President, who may consult with the dean, concerning the recipients and the amount of the awards.

I say all of this because President Aceto has sent out letters to the recipients and there have been conversations all over campus over who's on the list, who's not on the list, and what it all means. Please remember -- it has nothing whatsoever to do with our value and our contributions, whether we are on the list or off the list. On some level, I think we all know this, but also at some level it probably hurts to be off the list, because if we take President Aceto at his word, he is telling us that we are without merit. And I also know, from talking to some who are on the list, they are very angry because they don't want to be on his list.

It is too bad that we don't have a president who would delight in unifying the faculty, in telling us all that we are doing a good job --- especially now with the worst budget crisis in memory, and with all kinds of anxiety and fear as to what the future might bring to each of us and the College--- and would say to all of us: I reject the divisive potential of the so-called pool of merit money and I will do the right thing for a faculty I really appreciate and care about - I will divide the entire so-called merit pool equally and grant an equal share to each faculty member. We don't have such a president now. Let us hope that we do next year when, once again, there is a pool of so-called merit money.

Let this current president not divide us. Let us care too much about each other and this gem of a college that we try so hard to nurture.

Thanks, Maynard