Budget Bust: Slowly disappearing secretaries
Tyler Will
Issue date: 10/3/08 Section: News
And some university professors would agree with Weygand.
Economics professor Arthur Mead, whose department now has a joint-secretary with psychology, wouldn't say the departments are "sharing" a secretary. Previously the department had their own secretaries.
"We have a psychology department who will help us," Mead said. "It takes people who are paid quite highly and has them doing tasks that they really shouldn't be spending their time doing. I think there's something wrong with that model."
He said the job of the secretary has also changed. When Mead began teaching about 30 years ago, he said secretaries would type materials such as syllabi for professors, but today professors type their own class materials. He would support the sharing of secretaries, he said, if each department received equal attention from that secretary, which isn't happening now.
"We're struggling," Mead said. "These are tough things that all organizations go through. In the space of a couple of years, things have gone from black to white."
Mead also said he thinks students should be upset about the loss of secretaries, which can make seeing professors more difficult.
"It's hard to get students to do more than complain to other students," Mead said. "You guys are paying the tuition, and if you don't voice your concerns, you don't get heard. It's kind of like the presidential election. Young people don't vote. How much attention are they going to pay to you?"
Tim Hennessey, a political science professor, said the loss of secretaries has not yet taken a toll on his department, but he thinks it will in the near future.
"Eventually, this is going to toll on us, because we have two graduate programs," Hennessey said. "I think it's going to be really tough second semester."
He said the loss of secretaries has not compromised the department's academic duties, but it is requiring the professors to work harder.
Vice Provost Clifford Katz said paper work is still being filed, so a precise list of departments without secretaries was not available by the time the Cigar went to press. Precise cost savings figures could not be found, but at the BOG meeting earlier this week, Higher Education Commissioner Jack Warner said retirements are projected to save the BOG about $1.1 to $1.5 million.
Economics professor Arthur Mead, whose department now has a joint-secretary with psychology, wouldn't say the departments are "sharing" a secretary. Previously the department had their own secretaries.
"We have a psychology department who will help us," Mead said. "It takes people who are paid quite highly and has them doing tasks that they really shouldn't be spending their time doing. I think there's something wrong with that model."
He said the job of the secretary has also changed. When Mead began teaching about 30 years ago, he said secretaries would type materials such as syllabi for professors, but today professors type their own class materials. He would support the sharing of secretaries, he said, if each department received equal attention from that secretary, which isn't happening now.
"We're struggling," Mead said. "These are tough things that all organizations go through. In the space of a couple of years, things have gone from black to white."
Mead also said he thinks students should be upset about the loss of secretaries, which can make seeing professors more difficult.
"It's hard to get students to do more than complain to other students," Mead said. "You guys are paying the tuition, and if you don't voice your concerns, you don't get heard. It's kind of like the presidential election. Young people don't vote. How much attention are they going to pay to you?"
Tim Hennessey, a political science professor, said the loss of secretaries has not yet taken a toll on his department, but he thinks it will in the near future.
"Eventually, this is going to toll on us, because we have two graduate programs," Hennessey said. "I think it's going to be really tough second semester."
He said the loss of secretaries has not compromised the department's academic duties, but it is requiring the professors to work harder.
Vice Provost Clifford Katz said paper work is still being filed, so a precise list of departments without secretaries was not available by the time the Cigar went to press. Precise cost savings figures could not be found, but at the BOG meeting earlier this week, Higher Education Commissioner Jack Warner said retirements are projected to save the BOG about $1.1 to $1.5 million.
