INDEPENDENT SINCE 1880
The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 128, No. 119
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012
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ITHACA, NEW YORK
Faculty Tenure Rates at Ivy League Universities
News Soup and Hope
At a recent talk, an undocumented student described the issues she faced as a college student due to her status. | Page 3
Opinion School’s Out for Summer
Jacob Kose ’13 argues that prestigious internships are not the only option for students during summer break.
Science Cornell horticulturists have developed a new purple strawberry called “Purple Wonder.” | Page 10
By MICHAEL LINHORST
Arts The Sun reviews the popular Ultra Music Festival held in Miami over spring break. | Page 13
Sports Bicycle Tour
Doug Miller ’12 plans to travel by bike from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. | Page 20
Weather Cloudy Day HIGH: 57 LOW: 32
ricular need, but they do not have the training, the scholarship, the experience of full-time tenured professors,” Siliciano said. Because the University tends to grant tenure to its more experienced faculty members, the percentage of tenured faculty will be higher as faculty remain at Cornell longer, according to Prof. Ron Ehrenberg, industrial and labor relations. “Increasingly, faculty are staying beyond the formal retirement ages of 65 to 70,” Ehrenberg said. “When you have an older faculty, they will disproportionately have tenure.” Provost Kent Fuchs said that Cornell’s tenure rate is one of the highest among its peer institutions in part because of problems it has with hiring adjunct and visit-
Victims of sexual assault could have an easier time proving their accusations if the University Assembly approves changes to campus policy next week. But opponents of the changes say that stu- “Law professors dents accused of assault — who face expulsion from are in agreement the University — would that [this lose critical rights and safeproposal] is guards if the U.A.’s resolufundamentally tion is approved. The debate about how unfair.” to protect victims’ rights Prof. Kevin without creating a system Clermont that unfairly treats the accused has been raging at Cornell for a year. With the U.A.’s vote next week, the discussion may finally reach a conclusion. The proposed changes, which were endorsed by a U.A. committee in February after extensive debate, would lower the standard of proof required in sexual assault accusations. They would also move the process for adjudicating the regulations out of the Campus Code of Conduct and into the system that is already used for
See TENURE page 4
See ASSAULT page 5
C.U.Leans on Tenured Profs
Other Ivy League schools employ higher rates of adjuncts By CAROLINE FLAX Sun Staff Writer
Electric Feel
Rights Advocates Spar Over Policy On Sexual Assault Sun Senior Writer
| Page 9
The Color Purple
20 Pages – Free
Cornell has the second highest percentage of tenured faculty in the Ivy League, according to an April 2011 survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education. University administrators say that this trend is not only due to the increasing average age of faculty, but is also a result of the University’s difficulties in hiring adjunct professors, who are paid per course taught and usually work parttime. According to Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs John Siliciano ’75, adjunct professors generally teach more specific courses that focus on the “nuts and bolts” of a certain discipline. “[Adjunct faculty are] used here, and everywhere else, to fill very specific cur-
Skorton Responds Johnson School Debates Merits of Grade Disclosure Policy To Affirmative Action Supreme Court Case By SARAH MEYERS
Sun Staff Writer
By SUN STAFF
About a month after a Feb. 21 decision by the United States Supreme Court to hear a case on affirmative action in higher education, President David Skorton sat down with The Sun on Thursday to discuss the potential impact of the case on the University, especially with regard to his newly-released diversity initiatives. THE SUN: Is there a fear that the initiative that you are putting forward is going to be dismantled by the court decision? How will the University going to approach that decision as it comes? DAVID SKORTON: I am completely committed to increasing the compositional diversity of the campus –– both students and employees –– and completely committed to improving the climate on campus, so that when we have changes in compositional diversity, people stay here and can succeed here. It’s my job, and the job of my team, and the job of the General Counsel, to help us understand how to do that within the law, within regulations, but to nonetheless do it. Because I am See SKORTON page 6
Although many highly ranked MBA programs in the U.S. have adopted policies of not releasing students’ grades to potential employers, the Johnson School of Business has maintained its policy of disclosing grades to those who ask. A task force comprised of students and faculty recommended last semester that the school continue disclosing letter grades, but many are still debating the potential impact on students’ job prospects. Grade non-disclosure policies in MBA programs, such as the one at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, have grown in popularity over the last several years. The Johnson School, however, assigns students letter grades and discloses these grades to employers. The task force spent nearly a year examining the effects of grade non-disclosure policies. Before coming to its decision, it spoke with alumni, students and representatives from companies that typically hire
a large number of Johnson graduates each year. Johnson School Student Council President José Gaztambide grad questioned the administration’s policy on grade disclosure, saying that poor grades are not always a reflection of a lack of effort on the part of students. He noted that it can be difficult to bal-
ance academics with job searches. “The second half of first semester is when the more difficult core classes start, networking really picks up and recruiters start coming to campus,” Gaztambide said. Richa Sood grad said that some students feel that the academic pressure that results
from grade disclosure can decrease the quality of the Johnson School experience. “[Grade disclosure] takes away from getting to know your classmates and getting to know what’s going on in the business world,” she said. The Johnson School canSee JOHNSON page 4
TINA CHOU / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Hard at work | Johnson School students mingle in the atrium of Sage Hall. Students expressed varying opinions about the school’s decision to continue its grade disclosure policy.