March 6, 2014

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March 6, 2014

thescrippsvoice.com

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since 1996

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An Introductory Guide to Professor Tenure and Hiring Practices

By Nancy Herrera ‘15 Staff Writer s promised, here is a breakdown of two often confusing topics: professor tenure and hiring practices. Here are the facts directly from the source: Dean of Faculty, Amy Marcus Newhall. In addition, further explanation comes from the Scripps Faculty Handbook. What happens when a faculty member retires, resigns or is displaced? If the position was tenure-track, then the replacement position is usually tenure-track as well. The department the position was in submits a request for replacement, which outlines why there is a need for the position. The replacement is not automatic, but close to it, with an assumption that the position will be filled. What is the difference between Tenured, Contractbased, and Contingent Faculty? Tenured faculty are those whom after demonstrating excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service for six years, are awarded with a high-

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By Tamar Kaplan ‘16 Staff Writer

er level of job security. With tenure, the College has decided to commit to having a job for the faculty for the rest of his or her career. Contract-based faculty are hired for determined amount of time. When the contract ends, their job might end. Contractbased faculty are still eligible to receive resources from Scripps, such as research money and travel awards in order for them to continue developing their career. In addition, they are able to apply for tenure-track positions as they open. Many faculty, such as Amy Marcus Newhall herself, started their Scripps career on a contract-basis, and were then able to secure a tenure-track position. Contingent faculty teach classes at Scripps on a part-time basis. They may not yet have the scholarship needed to apply for a tenure-track position, and so use this position as a way to gain experience. For example, there have been language professors who start off as contingent faculty at Scripps and then move

fter strong public outcry, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer vetoed Senate Bill 1062 on Wednesday, Feb. 26. The Governor made her decision several days after the bill passed in the Arizona legislature by a narrow majority of 33 to 27. SB 1062, introduced in early January by Republican senator Steve Yarbrough, was a measure to amend the pre-existing Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The alterations would have changed the definition of

Inside This Issue:

By Casey Maas ‘14 SAS Co-Treasurer

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Photo by Aidan Harley ‘16

on to tenure-track positions at other colleges. Alternatively, some contingent faculty may not want the pressure of constant publishing and so voluntarily choose to not do the tenure track. What about Writing 50 professors? Where do they stand? Professors who teach Writing 50 are hired on a course-by-course basis, not a multi-year contract. They are given a stipend to teach the course. They are not eligible to apply for research funds because they are here for

such a short time. The only full-time faculty in the Writing Department are Kimberly Drake and Glenn Shimshaw (Shimshaw is full-time, but not on the tenure-track). It is difficult to hire the Writing 50 instructors full-time because most students who take the course, only take it during the fall, and prefer to do so. Hiring these professors fulltime would mean giving the professors courses to teach during the Spring. How do we decide what new faculty positions to

all eyes on arizona

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sas plans for spring

a “person” to include corporations and other institutions, permitting them to exercise similar rights as individual people. The most inciting revision to the bill, however, was its rightto-refuse service legislation. SB 1062 stated that “‘Exercise of religion’ means the practice or observance of religion, including the ability to act or refusal to act in a manner substantially motivated by a religious belief…” Citizens worried that business owners

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would use the new legislation as an excuse to deny service to people who were in violation of their religion. At greatest risk were those in the LGBTQ community. As the bill gained national attention, it worsened Arizona’s already poor reputation for being discriminatory. Dubbed the “Hate State,” Arizona has come under public scrutiny before for SB 1070, with Governor Brewer coincidentally at the forefront of that as well. continued on page 9

Page 10 - Arts & Culture

Page 4 - Op-Ed

Kara Odum ‘15 shows her support for buffer zones at abortion clinics.

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Read about History’s newest season of “Vikings.”

1030 Columbia Avenue | Claremont, CA 91711 | Box 386 email: scrippsvoice@gmail.com | Volume XVII | Issue Nine

pring is just around the corner and SAS has some awesome things coming up for everyone. Check out the new flatscreen TV in the Student Union. The TV features Scripps updates, event info, as well as student or CLORG submissions. Contact SAS President Marta Bean (mbean2809@scrippscollege.edu) to find more about how you can contribute. Also coming your way is increased access to the New York Times. Scripps students will be able to get free access to online NY Times articles — keep an eye out for the and more information in the near future. Want to get involved in SAS? Come to the March 9 Senate meeting at 6pm in the Student Union to hear about what SAS positions there are and what they do directly from the students in those positions this year. Email current SAS members (find them at sas.scrippscollege.edu) to get the inside scoop. Statements of intent to run for SAS are due March 28. Other important upcoming dates include Scripps CLORG budget hearings for the 2014-15 year. These will be held the weekend of April 26-27 in the Student Union. Old and new leadership of each CLORG will present their accomplishments from the 2013-14 year and sketch out their plans for the 2014-15 year. For those CLORGs and individuals still brainstorming events for the current year, FAC (Funding Advisory Committee) proposals will be considered though Monday, May 5. FAC funding is available for thesis expenses, conference expenses, and to supplement budgets for special events. If you have other questions regarding funding, budgets, or use of student fees, feel free to contact me (Office Hours: Tues 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., cmaas3882@scrippscollege.edu) or Maddie Ripley (Office Hours: Mon 7-9 pm, mripley7296@scrippscollege. edu).

Page 12 - Arts & Culture

Stephanie Huang ‘16 writes about The Row’s new collection.


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