Tfte Penduium
Serving the Elon CoUege Community
November 15,1990
^>luine XVn, Number 10
H^^ShwWhitehous^ iVndulum
®^lon
employees work
hard on grounds in front of Whitley auditorium.
Contracts not renewed
Professors leaving at end of academic year
_ ... 1 now iv*.nnlf» wilh ihc same
Kelly Potter
The Pendulum
Some members of the faculty
'vill not be returning next year.
They have been informed by
^he administration that their
Current contracts will not be
renewed come August.
Eric Palmer, a sophomore, is
outraged about the situation. He
explains his reasons in a letter to
the editor on page 2.
"They are true mentors and
they will be greatly missed. They
have shown us problems at this
institution which must still be
confronted, and their efforts have
been swept aside," Palmer said.
Susan Nicassio, a professor of
history, shares her insights and
grievances over contractual differ
ences also in a leuer on page 2.
"Instead of valued teaching
scholars, we find ourselves to be
conu^ct workers, kept insecure and
living from annual contract to
annual contract. Instead of being
treated wilh respect, we arc seated
%ith something very much like
contcmpt," Nicassio said.
Michael Gaffigan, Anne
Lundquist, Susan Nicassio, John
Teague and Doug Smith each gave
permission for their names to
mentioned in Palmer's letter.
Gaffigan, an English prof
essor, said that three years ago
those in the English department
were told verbally that at most
they would be at Elon for three
more years.
And now their time is up.
Gaffigan said the termination
became clear in the nonrenewal of
the contracts. "We were told it was
in our best interest, that we needed
to get on with our lives. We were
informed that we could not
reinterview for these positions,
he said.
"The thing that confounds and
perturbs those of us in the English
department is that we're not going
to be replaced by people with
Ph.D's, that that will happen
'somewhere down the road,'
Gaffigan said.
Anne Lundquist, also a
professor of English, views the
hiring and firing process in the
English department as a smoke
screen for upgrading the positions
they now hold.
"It shows a lack of commit
ment to convert. By bringing in
Changes are being
made to Honor Code
new people with the same or less
qualincations, they never have to
upgrade the position. They are free
to let people go at whim,"
Lundquist said.
These English professors hold
4-0-4 contracts that allow
professors to teach Fall and Spring
semesters, but not winter term.
Lundquist said it was her
understanding that when the
positions were originally created,
they were part of an overall plan
to move from part-time to 4-0-4
positions to full-time, permanent
writing positions.
"Because there is no current
plan to upgrade any of these
positions for the following year, it
seems unjust that the individuals
holding these positions should
necessarily pay the price for that
lack of movement," she said.
"1 would understand if the
administration required higher
qualifications for my position and
that I was no longer qualified, but
come 1991, I will fit the job
descriptions in every way except
that I have already held the
position," Lundquist said.
"I am not in a mood to push
See Contracts, Page 9
Kelly Potter
The Pendulum
Changes are being made to
the Honor Code system.
Academic Honor Code
violations now will be handled by
the Dean of Academic Affairs
instead of the Dean of Student
Affairs.
It is now being requested and
advised to all faculty to repor^ all
Honor Code violations.
Beginning this year, freshmen
were required to read and sign the
Honor Pledge during their first
week on campus in their Elon 101
classes. The commitment reads:
"On my honor I will abide by the
Elon College Honor Code." This
system will be required for future
freshmen as well.
Freshmen are also required to
sign every test, paper, assignment
and project upon completion.
"If we start with the
freshmen, it gives us a solid base
from which to build and a chancc
Francis
to leave an impact," Gerald
Francis, dean of acadcmic affairs,
said.
A forum will be held Friday
at 1:30 p.m. in Alamance 302 for
faculty and staff to discuss points
of interest of the Honor Code.
Students are welcome to attend.
Questions such as, "Should the
first academic violation result in
automatic suspension?" will be
raised.
Currently, the handbook siiys
that the minimum recommended
sanction for a first violation of the
Acadcmic Honor Code is not
normally less than Disciplinary
See Honor Code, Page 12
Freshman dies in
motorcycle accident
Murray Glenn
The Pendulum
Elon College freshman
Robert Rodgers Miskelly died in a
motorcycle accident Tuesday
afternoon. He was an 18-year-old
native of Crownsville, Maryland.
The accident occurred at 12:22
p.m. on East Haggard Avenue. An
Elon College police report
indicated Miskelly made a wide
right hand turn onto East Haggard
Avenue from North Antioch
Avenue. He swerved back into the
eastbound lane after narrowly
avoiding the curb in the
westbound lane.
He then barely avoided
colliding with two or three parked
cars as he made his way back to
the proper lane, the report said.
After clearing the parked cars,
Miskelly proceeded forward in a
seemingly normal manner until
the vehicle veered toward the right
edge of the roadway.
He hit the curb and then
collided with the utility pole. His
estimated tmveling speed on East
Haggard was 40 mile per hour.
According to the report, Miskelly
hit the pole at about 30 miles per
hour.
He was taken to Alamance
Memorial Hospital, where he was
pronounced dead.
The police report indicated
that Miskelly had several
violations such as: improper turn,
improper vehicle equipment, safe
movement violation, left of center
and no motorcycle endorsement.
Sec Miskelly. Page 9