NEWS
- Professor salaries don't make the grade Ross Brooks
- Hazmat crews called to campus Tami Livingston
- Ex-Gov. Bush talks business
- Allegations shut down Greek group Sarah Diener
- Text messages creep into class James Walsh
- Osprey leaders say tradition is key to building school spirit Jessica Medina
- Morals, Gandhi's vision out of focus after theft Tami Livingston
- College sets table fit for cavemen Chicago Tribune
- Cell phone usage could increase chance of campus road accidents Amanda St. Germain
- Ground breaks on resort-style housing complex Ashley Beland
- Commuting faculty say technology helps them keep up Heather Camp
- Chem. professor ranks among best Sarah Gojekian
Professor salaries don't make the grade
Growing pay rate disparities have faculty concerned about future
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The University of North Florida ranks last among state public colleges and universities in faculty salaries, according to findings recently published by Florida Gulf Coast University.
Faculty includes assistant professors, associate professors, professors, instructors and lecturers. It does not include administrators and staff, who comprise the other part of the more than 1,600 paid positions at the university.
As of 2007, the highest paid full-time faculty member at UNF, Dr. Cheryl Fountain, made $181,189 for one contract year. The lowest-paid part-time instructor made $12,360.
"Our salaries are not as competitive as we would like them to be," said Joann Campbell, associate vice president for academic affairs. "We have made strides over the last couple of years from President [John] Delaney pumping money into salaries ... We are moving in the right direction, but we're not where we want to be at this point."
While a large gap exists between faculty salaries at UNF and the state's larger universities, discrepancies also appear between faculty in UNF's separate colleges and departments.
Out of the university's five colleges, the Coggin College of Business pays the faculty in its four departments the highest average salary at $78,285.
More than $10,000 behind the first-place department, faculty in the College of Computing, Engineering and Construction earn the second-highest average salary at $67,337.
College of Education and Human Services faculty make an average of $55,026. Brooks College of Health faculty earn an average of $53,119 per contract year, and faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences make the lowest average salary at $52,845.
The monetary gap between departments boils down to a difference in disciplines, Campbell said.
"It's just the market," she said. "A function of certain disciplines is that they command higher salaries."
"It's the old supply and demand thing," said John McAllister, dean of the Coggin College of Business. McAllister works with the provost and department chairs to recruit new faculty to the college. Together, the dean and provost work out an estimated pay rate at which to bring in new hires, which the chair then extends once the candidate has been approved.
"We don't shoot to pay the highest rate," McAllister said. "We try to figure out what would be an offer that would put us in the ballpark with good candidates."
Gaps in salaries from one department to the next occur in every college. Another issue concerning faculty wallets is the disparity between new-hire salaries and those of faculty members who have been around for years.
As the job market for educators grows, new-hire base salaries grow with it, so that a person hired this year makes more than the base salary of a faculty member hired five years ago. Some faculty members object when those who have been at the university for a long time receive pay raises equal to new hires who already start out with a superior salary.
Base salaries are one reason why professors of the same rank and discipline can have wildly different salaries. Pay raises are a product of collective bargaining with the state, which then decides what the increase will be for university faculty.
McAllister said this all-encompassing number is bolstered in some instances with merit-based reward, where faculty deemed to have gone above their normal duties may be awarded a few extra percentage points.
"In a way, once you're here, everyone is treated the same way in terms of percentage, but what happens is that the difference doesn't go away," McAllister said. "It's a tough, tough situation."
With statewide budget cuts already closing the possibility of pay raises this year, faculty members have to work through their nine-month contract with the knowledge that no extra money is coming.
"It clearly has an impact on faculty morale, and it could potentially have an affect on faculty retention," said Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Mark Workman.
Allen Tilley, professor of English and faculty member for 34 years, has seen shifts in faculty income since the university opened. Tilley said that in his time at UNF, Delaney has been the most active president in trying to raise faculty salaries.
"When I first came to UNF, I was able to buy a home worth about twice my salary," he said. "Now, new professors can't do that ... I'm concerned for the junior faculty that this will be a growing problem."
Workman, however, was optimistic that Delaney will continue to represent the interests of
the faculty.
"I believe that the president would like to provide some kind raise next year, come hell or high water," he said.
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Hazmat crews called to campus
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Fire and rescue crew respond after two students fainted in a bio. class. |
Two female University of North Florida students fainted in their biology class Oct. 23, causing University Police Department, Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department and Duval County Emergency Management officials to converge on
Building 4.
The students were in a Principles of Biology class watching a movie at approximately 12:40 p.m. when the first student was getting up to go to the restroom. She fainted and hit her head, said Sharon Ashton, assistant vice president for public relations.
The second student rose to help the first student when she also fainted and hit her nose, Ashton said. Both students reported dizziness before they passed out, but regained consciousness on their own before UPD arrived, Ashton said.
Neither reported smelling anything unusual before fainting and after regaining consciousness, Ashton said. Each student received four stitches for their lacerations at St. Lukes Hospital.
After evacuating the second floor of the building, JFRD officials tested the air quality in three classrooms, Ashton said. The officials found high levels of acetone and ether in a room two classrooms away from the one in which the students fainted.
Ashton said the class in the room was conducting an experiment using ether and acetone when they received the order to evacuate, and some chemical containers were not closed properly, causing the fumes.
A rescue official initially reported that four students became ill, but Ashton said that report was unsubstantiated.
"We don't know where that came from, but we only know of two students," she said.
JFRD gave the OK for students and faculty to return to the building after clearing the fumes from the room at approximately 2:20 p.m. However, as of publication, the cause of the two females fainting is still unknown.
"We don't know what happened," Ashton said. "That's something that we're hoping St. Lukes will help us with."
Rescue officials declined to comment. Morrison Braren, senior emergency preparedness planner for the Duval County Emergency Management department, said he was only on hand in case the incident "got any bigger" and involved evacuation of the entire campus.
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Ex-Gov. Bush talks business
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Former Gov. Jeb Bush participated in Face to Face, a program presented by the UNF Honors Program Oct. 22. Bush answered questions by local entrepreneur Lawrence DuBow (right) about the business of politics. |
Allegations shut down Greek group
The Florida Nu chapter of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity has been officially decolonized at the University of North Florida.
The chapter, which is only recognized as a colony and not an official fraternity, came under review from the national organization after an anonymous e-mail accusing members of hazing and drug and alcohol abuse was sent to the Greek Life coordinator, according to Tom Van Schoor, dean of students.
After an investigation by the national office of Phi Delta Theta and UNF's Greek Life office, it was discovered that the author of the e-mail was not affiliated with the fraternity or UNF and the accusations of hazing were invented to attract attention to the e-mail, Van
Schoor said.
However, the issue led to a review by the national organization, where each member was asked about activities the brothers were involved in and any knowledge of hazing or drug and alcohol abuse.
It was found that there were no incidents of hazing but the organization felt there was abuse of alcohol and illegal substances, mainly marijuana, Van Schoor said.
Greek Life Coordinator Tyler Young said an e-mail was sent out on Oct. 12 alerting the Greek community of the situation.
Phi Delta Theta's Director of Expansion Steven Good said the chapter was in violation of the organizations risk management policy that includes prohibiting the use of drugs and enforcing responsible alcohol consumption and alcohol-free
living quarters.
"It was clear that they were involved in a culture that we do not support," Good said. "We take this issue very seriously."
It was decided that the fraternity would not have the chance to be formally chartered and that the organization at UNF would cease to exist.
Some members of Phi Delta Theta felt the punishment
was unfair.
"They turned it into a personal thing," colony member Mike Nugent said. "We spent so much time trying to get started, and they already shut us down."
The colony of Phi Delta Theta was started in April 2007 and recruited more than 30 members.
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Text messages creep into class
Some teachers say text messages can help students learn
Ask the students in Elisabeth Haen's journalism class if the text messages that they send so ubiquitously creep into their schoolwork and the hands go up and the smiles grow.
"I write 'cuz' a lot, instead of 'because'," said Nick Miron, 17. "And I forget apostrophes."
Each month, thousands of students in the Twin Cities metro area send millions of text messages to their BFFs (best friends forever), sistrs (sisters) and prnts (parents). So it's no surprise that text-message lingo such as CU (see you), B4 (before), GR8 (great) - and its absence of punctuation and grammar - has migrated into schoolwork.
Its appearance is dividing teachers in Minnesota and across the nation. Some can't stand seeing the lingo in any form. Others say it may be a way to keep kids writing.
One official with a national teachers group has even suggested that schools could use text messaging to help students learn.
Kelsey Theis, a language arts teacher at Pioneer Ridge Freshman Center in Chaska, Minn., said texting might be helping students learn an element of writing.
"We talk about the different components of writing - organization, idea, content and individual voice," she said. "But, a lot of times, students feel the need to stay silent. This might help them develop their individual voice."
Still, the seepage of text messaging into student writing is vexing many trying to teach the importance of clear communication.
Eva Pitzel teaches seventh-graders and ninth-graders at Lake Junior High and Woodbury Junior High in Woodbury, Minn. She estimates that 25 to 40 percent of her students use some text message abbreviations and slang in their in-class writing.
"I see it as a negative because they are not always showing me that they can write out the words correctly," she said. "To compensate for this, we spend extra time editing in class and we talk about the different languages we use in our lives. I have to explicitly tell them that it is not OK to write like that for English class."
In 2004, the Pew Internet and American Life Project said that 16 million American teenagers were using instant messaging and text messaging to communicate - up from 13 million in 2000.
Derek Anderson teaches composition and literature at Mahtomedi High School. He has mixed feelings about the creep of texting.
"I sort of feel like any writing is good writing, as long as you get your point across," he said. "But, for certain students, I think it holds some back. If you're writing a college application and you write '2,' instead of 'to,' you're not going to get the same response."
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Osprey leaders say tradition is key to building school spirit
Leaders of the University of North Florida Student Government said in a town meeting Oct. 17 that tradition and the new Student Union
will be key to encouraging school spirit in the
immediate future.
The suggestions came in response to Student Body President Rachael Tutwiler's question to a panel of Student Life representatives about ways to increase enthusiasm about school-related topics during UNF's ongoing transition to a traditional university.
Joshua Baker, SG Student Advocacy Committee chair; Joey Rodil, Club Alliance assistant director; Resident Assistant Keren Rivera; Greek Life Coordinator Kelley Wood; and Matt Kilcullen, head coach for men's basketball, comprised the panel.
Kilcullen pointed to the homecoming game as sign that school spirit is present, because many people attend the game, but said that tradition is still developing. He also noted that many larger schools have student unions, and because it is a place where students come together, it also helps to facilitate school spirit.
Members of the panel agreed that UNF is currently transitioning toward becoming a more traditional school, although they disagreed about whether it's a good thing.
Rodil said he didn't want UNF to change to a more traditional school, because it would increase the size of classes. Wood brought up the addition of Osprey Fountains and Greek housing as a sign that UNF is moving away from being a commuter school, and Rivera agreed.
"We are getting there slowly," Rivera said. "But we need to be patient. It will happen, but let's appreciate what we have now."
To close the evening, Tutwiler mentioned several events already in motion to increase school spirit: SG-sponsored tailgates, the school spirit advisory board, and an impending student section at
athletic games.
Contact Jessica Medina at news_staff@unfspinnaker.com -- --> PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Morals, Gandhi's vision out of focus after theft
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The glasses on the Gandhi statue located in the courtyard between Buildings 1 and 2 were reported missing Oct. 18. |
The Gandhi statue located in the courtyard between buildings 1 and 2 is currently sans
spectacles.
The glasses were noticed missing Oct. 18, and are thought to have been removed sometime over the weekend of Oct. 12-14. As of publication, the University of North Florida Police Department has no leads and no suspects, according to Lt. Tammy Oliver.
"I'm so disappointed that somebody can steal from Ghandi," said Oupa Seane, director of the Intercultural Center for Peace. "This is a statue that's on our campus for the edification of every individual. This statue is supposed to make us better people, and someone goes and steals a part of it."
Seane said if the glasses were returned, then he would ask UPD Chief Mark Foxworth not to press charges.
If the glasses are not returned, Seane said he would start talking with the artist who created the statue to see how to get another pair of glasses made.
"These glasses came all the way from India, and it's going to take time to manufacture and ship them," Seane said. "It's a long process."
Seane said he did not know how much it would cost to replace the glasses. The cost of the entire statue was $70,000.
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College sets table fit for cavemen
Talk about a gut course. At St. Lawrence University in New York, the menu of electives includes a class on the Neanderthals with a unique assignment: the butchering and eating of a deer.
"The Neanderthals: Fact, Fiction and Fantasy" is surely one of the most bizarre college classes in the country. And that's saying something.
In November, the 17 students who enrolled in the anthropology class will gather not in a classroom or even on the quad. They will meet in the school's car wash. Why? They will need the high-power hose for cleanup.
When they arrive, a deer, having already been field dressed by a local farmer, will be hanging by its neck from a ceiling beam.
And attempting to replicate the Neanderthal behavior they have studied in class, the students will go at it.
They will use tools they carved out of stone to sever the deer's hide and limbs.
They will then strip the animal of its meat and carry the 30 to 40 pounds of venison to the dining hall, where one of the cooks will grill it.
"We eat the venison and we talk about what we have done and what it was like for the prehistoric people," Barthelme said.
The exercise brings home the lessons learned throughout the semester, he said. Instead of seeing Neanderthals in the stereotypical way as "stupid, brute, hairy, savage creatures," students instead realize the sophistication required in making and using their own tools.
In a class that also features discussion of Geico's cavemen commercials and the sitcom "Cavemen," Barthelme said, the deer project is a highlight of the year.
"The deer butchery is something they are always unsure about," he said. "But once they get into it, cutting and slicing and taking off the hide, I just step back, and off they go."
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Cell phone usage could increase chance of campus road accidents
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UPD officers attribute cell phones to be a leading cause of reduced reaction times. They said this results in more campus accidents. |
Thousands of students today have a cell phone and a car. But when used together, the combination can be lethal, and University of North Florida students aren't immune.
A 2004 report from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles attributed 20 percent of the state's 1,796 distracted driving crashes to cell phone distractions.
Forty-four of the cell phone crashes had incapacitating injuries and three were fatal.
"Other people who use phones while driving don't seem to pay attention as much as they should," said Joyanne Goronal, a sophomore chemistry major.
People should use more common sense when using their phones while driving, said Loren Glover, a sophomore biology major. She was speaking from experience.
"It was raining and someone almost rear-ended me," Glover said. "It turns out he was on a cell phone."
Chief Mark Foxworth of the University Police Department constantly sees students chatting on cell phones while driving on campus.
He recalled an instance when he was behind a student who didn't accelerate when the light changed to green and he realized the student was talking on the phone.
"Cell phones reduce time reactions," he said. "People are focused on their conversation instead of the road."
UPD officers do not stop students who are on cell phones unless the officers notice that the driver is inattentive to the road, Foxworth said.
"Whether the driver gets a warning or a citation is up to the officer,"
Foxworth said.
The distraction on the phone isn't just physical, as most people assume, said Leonard Jacob, director of UNF's Institute of Police Technology and Management.
"It's a matter of concentration," Jacob said. "People get involved in the conversation instead of paying attention to
the road."
Jacob said text messaging while driving is just as dangerous, because people have to look away from the road and focus on typing and reading on a screen.
Cell phone use in Florida is allowed in the car as long as users can hear surrounding sound, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
The University of Utah performed a study in 2006 about drivers who talked on their phone and found that the drivers were just as impaired as drunk drivers.
Study participants who talked on cell phones showed sluggish behavior - a 9 percent drop in braking time and a 19 percent drop in acceleration
after braking.
Three of the participants rear-ended the pace car in a driving simulator.
The District of Columbia, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and California have enacted jurisdiction-wide laws that prohibit driving while talking on handheld phones except for emergencies.
Washington is the first state to enact a statewide ban on text messaging
while driving.
Florida doesn't keep drivers from using cell phones while driving, but they can get a ticket if it results in an accident or illegal maneuvers.
The fines vary depending on the
offense.
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Ground breaks on resort-style housing complex
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The University of North Florida broke ground on the new residence hall, Osprey Fountains, Oct. 24
on the Eastern Ridge of campus.
The 366,000-square-foot resort-style housing complex will hold 1,000 beds and costs about $85 million.
"We've successfully navigated all the permitting processes, and we are set to start construction with Haskell and Design Plus sometime in October," said Paul Riel, director of Housing Operations.
Last year, construction was projected to start in July but was pushed back due to permit constraints, he said. Now, Osprey Fountains' doors are set to open to upperclassmen in fall 2009. Rent will be about $2,800 per student each semester.
Osprey Fountains' building model uses
"tilt wall" construction, which utilizes a rapid
exterior building process.
"We're excited about the construction methods, because you see almost immediate results," Riel said.
The residence hall has an upscale design and
offers students a barrage of amenities. There are also plans to incorporate theme rooms that will provide lounges and study areas for students, Riel said.
Michael Sorensen, a sophomore history major, said he's glad the university is trying to accommodate more students as it grows.
"It will allow students to relax on campus instead of having to go off campus to have fun," he said.
The building was designed to get students out of their rooms and interacting with one another,
Riel said.
"The central theme of this building is community," he said.
Fountains Fast Facts
Fall 2009 - Doors open to upperclassmen
Price tag - $85 Million
Location - Eastern Ridge
Rent - About $2,800 per student each semester
Living space - 1,000 beds, suite-style units
Boardwalk - Connect students to campus
Internet - Webcam will be recording construction
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Commuting faculty say technology helps them keep up
Professor Ron Adams drives to his classes at the University of North Florida from Green Cove Springs. On some days, accidents on the Buckman Bridge can add half an hour to his usual 45-minute commute.
But for Adams, who teaches marketing and logistics, traffic jams aren't as bad as they used to be, because lecture notes for his classes are posted on Blackboard.
Thanks to Blackboard, Adams can make his lectures available to students on time, even if he's late.
Commuting professors have to deal with the same situations as students. Traffic, rising gas costs and road construction do not discriminate. These issues are compounded for UNF professors who drive long distances
to class.
"I spend $100 or so a week on gas," Adams said. "In the last week, I drove well over 300 miles. My parents probably didn't drive that in a month."
Adams is on campus two or three days per week, and even though he is available in his office about eight hours a week, most of his communication with students outside of class is not face-to-face.
Like other professors with long commutes, he uses e-mail and other technology like Blackboard to keep in touch with
students. Adams said Blackboard and e-mail have helped make both commuting and classroom administration easier.
"This last week I decided to change an exam date, and I could give that information to the class with the touch of one key,"
Adams said.
Accounting and finance professor Bobby Waldrup, who drives to UNF from St. Augustine, finds that while Blackboard and e-mail have actually reduced the number of students that come to his office hours, he converses with students more often.
"Students and I communicate a lot more than we did in the past because of the electronic means," he said.
Being on campus every day isn't required for professors. According to the most recent faculty contract, UNF doesn't require faculty members to be on campus for a certain number of hours each week.
The contract, however, does state that full-time faculty positions require a minimum of 12 contact hours of instruction or equivalent scholarship and service per
semester. As for office hours, the contract requires faculty members to post them and to normally maintain five office hours
per week.
Junior marketing major Ashley Juelson thinks UNF's requirements for full-time faculty are sufficient.
"You can always e-mail professors, and I'm not sure many students actually use office hours," she said.
Professor Layne Wallace of the College of Computer Science and Engineering has conducted research on communication between teachers and students. He discovered that while technology such as e-mail is convenient, it can't compete with the eye contact and nonverbal aspects of in-person conversations.
"Nothing beats face-to-face," Wallace said. He also said that while online communication can sometimes lack clarity, it can be beneficial for quick, simple questions.
"Students are technology-oriented, and they've become proficient at wording e-mail questions so they get the answers they need," Wallace said.
Waldrup said he thinks commuting has had a positive influence on his relationships
with students.
"Since I mirror them in that I have to commute just as they have to commute, it has forced me to be more resourceful in communicating with them online," Waldrup said.
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Chem. professor ranks among best
One University of North Florida professor is among the highest-ranked college
instructors in the United States, according to RateMyProfessors.com.
Chemistry professor Melissa Bush is ranked seventh in the 2007 list of highest-rated professors on the site.
Developed in 1999 by John Swapceinski, RateMyProfessors.com
allows students to grade their professors based on clarity, difficulty, helpfulness, and
even appearance.
Of the comments posted by her students online, there is not one negative thing said about Bush.
Postings include raves about her excellence as a lab instructor, her clarity in explaining classwork, and her unfailing helpfulness; many suggestions to take her class; and comments about her being the only reason several students didn't fail chemistry.
Bush is in her 11th year at UNF. It was her students who first made her aware of the
accolade online.
She said she's flattered that her students think so highly of her, and she believes it is because they know she will go the extra mile for every one of them.
She describes herself as a patient teacher who will take the time to individualize her help - and more importantly, one who is not intimidating to her students.
"There is a professional boundary, of course, but I am not their enemy," Bush said.
A UNF graduate herself, Bush said she knows first hand how hard classes can be when the professors can never seem to simplify
what they teach.
Instead of acting more intelligent than her class, she "comes down to their level" in order to accommodate them when explaining the material.
"I think God gifted me with a natural ability to explain things," Bush said.
Though RateMyProfessors.com is beneficial to the reputations of teachers like Bush, the site has caused outrage from some teachers whose ratings aren't as good.
"Professors shouldn't take it personally," Bush said. "There will always be the oddballs who will rate badly if they're doing poor in the class. But from what I've seen, the postings are usually true, and that's that. It is helpful for students because they should have the right to know."
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