Faculty Approves TF Lecture Attendance Plan

Teaching fellows (TFs) are now "expected" to attend lectures, following yesterday's near-unanimous vote in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) meeting.

In the voice vote, only one "no" was audible. The measure had been approved by the Faculty Council 16-2 earlier this year.

"Teaching fellows and other instructional support staff are expected to attend lectures of the courses in which they are employed, unless in the judgment of the course head the nature of their work for the course does not depend on their attendance at the lectures," the newly approved language reads.

In his report to the Faculty, Dean of FAS Jeremy R. Knowles gave an update on three campus construction projects: the renovation of the first-year dormitories, the Memorial Hall renovations and the new Humanities complex that will replace the current Freshman Union.

Knowles said that the first-year dormitories were all completed on time, and almost all of them were on or under budget.

However, he also reported that the Memorial Hall renovations, while on schedule, are also more than $1 million over budget. That figure does not include the renovation of Sander's Theatre, which will begin next summer.

The construction of the new Humanities Complex will begin as soon as the current Union is vacated. The estimated cost of the project is estimated at slightly more than $20 million.

Dean for Undergraduate Education Lawrence Buell introduced the subject of the "Discussion Document" on professional conduct recently sent to the departments, which he said had been well received generally.

The document offers suggestions for the proper conduct of officers of the University in their interactions with students. The document includes a discussion of suggested behavior concerning personal relationships.

Kenan Professor of Government Harvey C. Mansfield asked Buell: "What's the relationship between this document and the Guidelines on Sexual Harassment?"

Buell answered that there had been no attempt to canabalize the guidelines and that the two documents should be considered independent, though not contradictory.

"I had hoped you were going to say it superseded," Mansfield said, who added the document was "unfair to men, and by that I mean males, and in violation of academic freedom."

Mansfield then asked what the guidelines would be in a situation where a professor had "honorable intentions toward a student ... where a sexual advance is not the sole aim but is not entirely ruled out?"

When Buell asked for clarification about the question, Mansfield gave an example he said was first introduced by Warburg Professor of Economics, Emeritus John K. Galbraith.

"There are some of us who have married former students," Mansfield said. "Are we, so to speak, grandfathered in?"

Buell replied that they would be grandfathered in, and Knowles joked that as atonement, the professor could endow a chair.

Other Business

In other business, newly tenured faculty were introduced and those who lacked a diploma from Harvard were awarded honorary degrees.

And Henderson Professor of the Psychology of Personality Professor Brendan A. Maher gave a presentation about the recently released study by the National Research Council on the graduate programs across the nation

Buell answered that there had been no attempt to canabalize the guidelines and that the two documents should be considered independent, though not contradictory.

"I had hoped you were going to say it superseded," Mansfield said, who added the document was "unfair to men, and by that I mean males, and in violation of academic freedom."

Mansfield then asked what the guidelines would be in a situation where a professor had "honorable intentions toward a student ... where a sexual advance is not the sole aim but is not entirely ruled out?"

When Buell asked for clarification about the question, Mansfield gave an example he said was first introduced by Warburg Professor of Economics, Emeritus John K. Galbraith.

"There are some of us who have married former students," Mansfield said. "Are we, so to speak, grandfathered in?"

Buell replied that they would be grandfathered in, and Knowles joked that as atonement, the professor could endow a chair.

Other Business

In other business, newly tenured faculty were introduced and those who lacked a diploma from Harvard were awarded honorary degrees.

And Henderson Professor of the Psychology of Personality Professor Brendan A. Maher gave a presentation about the recently released study by the National Research Council on the graduate programs across the nation