[Englecturers] Lecturer Rep; Lecturer Workload; Lecturer Class Evaluation; etc

[englecturers at lists.ucr.edu]

Hi Everyone,

I'm just ending my term as lecturer representative.  I cannot say that I've had loads of fun, after all, my tenure witnessed a significant decrease in our population.  However, I don't think I'm to blame, much.  Anyway, I have a few announcements:

First, Wallace Cleaves won a close race for the next two-year term as lecturer representative.  He will serve a two-year term, so next year, he and Paul Beehler will represent us, and Kate Watt will serve a one-year term as alternate.

Second, Stephanie Kay is collecting information about our workload, again.  The UCR workload committee wants various types of information.

1) What work goes into teaching the classes?
2) What work do we do that we don't get credit for?
   a) What of that work is unnecessary to the program or our classes?
   b) What of that work is necessary to the program or our classes?

Stephanie should be posting a separate message, but if you don't want to wait, start listing these tasks.

Third, lecturers in the English Department should have classroom observations once a year from now on.  This is consistent with the MOU and reasonable practice, in my opinion.  These observations will require two things from lecturers.  First, we'll have to be reviewed, and second, continuing-status (post-six-year) lecturers should review each other and pre-six lecturers.  The department will likely implement a policy regarding a observation system.  If you have thoughts about that, you should contact Paul, Wallace, and Kate over the summer.

Fourth, as the program rights itself from the various hits it's taken over the past two years, I want us to try to help it out.  Once again, Fall's class schedule is in flux.  While late notification only annoys most of us, it is crushing for those of us who are waiting for odd classes.  Part-time instructors are faced with having to find other income sources while holding onto the hope of UCR classes, and these instructors have scheduling issues.  I hope that we who are more secure in classes will be willing to change our schedules to accommodate those who are trapped by late notification and uncertainty.

I know this is a pain.  And, I know that many of us have put up with loads of crap recently, and we would like a simple, convenient, fair schedule of our own.  After all, seniority and quality should count.  But, we should remember that our flexibility helps the highest rated newcomers get work here.  If we really don't want lecturers hired only on the basis of their schedules, we need to help out newcomers and the department.  Any help we give the program this fall will contribute to building a strong pool of future lecturers and will help the program return to the quality of the pre-purge years.  After this year, when the university settles down and our program stabilizes, we should hold to hierarchy of seniority for scheduling.

Please, though, be flexible this fall.

Fifth, don't for get Chris Deviny's retirement party on 24 June.  There is a card for us to sign in the English Office, and we should also get her some token of our appreciation.  If you have ideas, please contact me.

Finally, I want to thank you for electing me two years ago.  While the position hasn't always been fun, I did learn a lot doing it.


Benjamin Harder