Editorial
GTFF grievances
should be heeded
The Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation tactfully
voiced its grievances last week in an effort to reconcile dif
ferences that surfaced during contract negotiations with the
Oregon State System of Higher Education and the
University.
In reviewing the demands of the federation, it is evident
that most not only are well-founded but also mitigated in an
attempt to compromise with the state system and the Univer
sity. both who have negotiated with good intent but failed to
compromise successfully at their end of the bargaining
table.
The union’s demands are not unfair — they are well
within reason and should be accepted by the University. The
GTFF is not asking for a wage increase; rather, it is bargain
ing for policy leniency toward health care, provision of a
detailed job description, and fairness in the evaluation of
teaching performance.
Health insurance is at the forefront of the GTFF's
demands: Initially, the GTFF asked for full medical and den
tal plans, which is not an excessive demand in itself.
In a reconciliatory move, however, the federation
recanted this demand, asserting that members are willing to
pay their own medical insurance if the University im
plements a payroll-deduction plan so they can pay in in
stallments rather than a lump sum at the beginning of each
term.
This certainly is not an unfair request, and probably will
cost the University little money, especially if a small pro
cessing fee covering the costs of deferment is charged.
The GTFF is justly requesting a specific list of job
descriptions and requirements be developed as an employ
ment guideline.
The union members are complaining that, as GTFF
President Chuck Hunt pointed out, "a GTF can get fired for
not doing his job, but the job description is not spelled out.”
How, one is inclined to ask, can a GTF be fired if they are
not evaluated on the effectiveness of duties performed?
Graduate teaching fellows, who teach courses in 70 dif
ferent departments, deserve to have a specific, detailed job
discription. Futhermore. GTFs should be evaluated partially
on the basis of appropriating this job description.
Currently, the employment status of GTFs depends sole
ly on student evaluations — a criterion the GTFF correctly
contends is unfair, judging the performance of GTFs solely
on the basis of student evaluations is inappropriate because
the teacher may be subject to vindictive, unwarranted
criticism from the students.
Moreover, many undergraduate students do not take the
evaluations seriously and rush through the forms, giving on
ly a partial appraisal of the instructor's ability.
Student reviews, however, should not be eliminated
completely from the evaluation process, as they provide
helpful insight into teaching ability; nevertheless, the GTFs
also should be subject to independent evaluation based on
how well they perform specifically described duties.
When negotiating channels are re-established with the
state system and the Universty. the grievances of the GTFF
should not only be heard, but also heeded.
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' (MMK ME OSE, THE 6U6IWJIY COMMlfiEE WOULD LIKE A W Wife YoU.
Commentary
'Freedom fighter' a relative term
According to what I read in
the papers. President Keagan
wants to continue giving aid to
the Contras in Nicaragua I
thought maybe someone out
there might be able to answer a
few questions that have been
bothering me for some time
Commentary by
Harold Bock
I am told that the reason I
should support the president is
because the Sandinistas are
communists and, as we all
know, communism is a very,
very evil thing. So, just what are
the Sandinistas doing in
Nicaragua that is worse, say
than what the Cuban-Contra
refugees have been doing in
Miami?
It could be argued that com
munist governments are not any
worse, or any t>ettar. than any
other governments. What can
not be argued is the fact that an
ungodly variety of human rights
violations from Argentina to
Zimbabwe have been commit
ted by non-communist govern
ments If the Sandinistas are
committing some unique
unheard of atrocity. I’d certain
ly like to know what it is.
If an independent agency,
such as Amnesty lnternationl.
can't acctually document
behavior WORSE than that
practiced by Duarte's El
Salvador. Pinochet's Chile or
Botha’s South Africa, then why
should we spend our tax dollars
to eradicate evils no worse than
those officially sanctioned by
nations the President supports?
Would someone please ex
plain just what it is that Com
munists do that is so very dif
ferent than what Democrats.
Republicans. Baptists or
Catholics do? During the past
fifty years the Communist ogre
has absorbed so much of my
time, energy and resources and
so much of my country's time
and resources. I think it's time I
found out.
I am 73 years old and while I
haven't known many com
munists. I have known a few.
The only thing that distinguish
ed them from the general
population was their rather bor
ing political religion So, if my
community can't pass the
school budget while my govern
ment annually spends $300
billion to defend me against
communism. I figure I must be
missing something
I am told the Contrast are
freedom fighters — the
equivalent of the founding
fathers. If killing Communists
makes one a freedom fighter,
why doesn't killing Democrats
or Republicans make one a
freedom fighter? 1 mean, if it is
alright to murder a person
in Nicaragua because of his ob
noxious political beliefs, then
why isn't it alright to murder
someone in Eugene or Salem
because of his obnoxious
political beliefs?
Today Protestants and
Catholics are killing each other
in Ireland. Muslim Shiites and
Muslim Sunimites are killing
each other in Iran and Iraq. Jews
and Palestinians are killing
each other in South Africa, and
there doesn’t seem to be any
end in sight.
I can tell you right now, all
these people killing each other
consider themselves freedom
fighters And you would have to
be a little touched in the head to
believe that the Communists are
behind all these freedom
fighters slaughtering each
other. Not that the Communists
are any better or any worse than
anybody else. It just so happens
that freedom fighters were kill
ing freedom fighters long before
anybody anywhere ever heard
of Karl Marx or Communists
The trouble is, the freedom
fighters of this world not only
kill each other, they kill each
other's women and children,
and anyone else that happens to
be in the way. Will you plase
tell me why killing the innocent
child or wife of someone
suspected of being a Com
munist makes the one doing the
killing a freedom fightor?
Who are the victims of these
freedom fighters anyway? I
mean, how do we know they are
Communists? I always thought
that a fundamental principle of
American law. of human decen
cy and justice if you please, re
quired an accused person to be
considered innocent until pro
ven guilty beyond a resonable
doubt in a court of law. Have
you heard of a single solitary
victim of any of those killers
from any side anywhere on
Kami being executed utter being
judged guilty by an IMPAR
TIAL jury? Just what is so holy
about indiscriminate murder?
just how do all these wars fur
ther the cause of democracy, of
peace and human brotherhood?
I am told that the reason we
must eradicate Communists is
that they are godless and have
no respect for private property.
Well, now! If Ronald Reagan
and his Contra supporters take
my tax dollar, that is. my
private property, against my
will to kill women and children
in Nicaragua, just how does that
make them any different than
the Communists? If they are
ready to trash their Christian
values and their Constitution,
what makes them any better
than their avowed enemies? But
worst of all — Mr. Reagan is my
president, and yours. If he takes
my tax dollar against my will to
kill Communists or anybody
else, and I make no objections,
then how does that make me
any better than either Mr
Reagan or the Communists?