Wednesday, October 29, 1975
daily nebraskan
page 7
Robinson: faculty losing power
RvRandvBlauvelt
John Robinson doesn't want to see traditional university
practices collapse. That's why he's a strong advocate of
collective bargaining for UNL faculty members.
"There are quite a few indications that the traditional
system has broken down, is breaking down," he said.
Currently, Robinson is president of the UNL chapter of
the American Association of University Professors (AAUP).
AAUP has spearheaded a drive to establish collective
bargaining for UNL faculty. The case in awaiting decision
by the Nebraska Court of Industrial Relations.
Many causes
SChOOlS don t USe it. there is a definite trfnrf tnuarrf it
implementation.
"Everybody has some uncertainties about collective
bargaining in higher education. It hasn't existed long
enough to really know how it is going to work out," he
said. "However, about 15 per cent of all the professors in
America now are represented by collective bargaining."
A member of AAUP for 14 years, Robinson said the
group "took a serious look" at collective bargaining before
starting the drive.
"We need it here"
"I think it would be irresnonsihle on the nart nf th
According to Robinson, the causes of this collapse are local AAUP not to look at it quite seriously-which we did
many, 1 wo 01 ine moM uupunani arc me iacK 01 lacuiry dim we ueciaea mat we needed it here, he said
: . . ? a j i . i i i . ...
participation in university government and the growth of
. . . i 1 :J
amaigamaiea uiuvcimucs, uc uu.
Amalgamated universities are schools, like NU, that
started as a one-campus institution and have since acquired
other campuses and a subsequent central administration to
govern the university.
Robinson, who also is chairman of UNL's English Dept.,
said the faculty is losing power in university government be
cause they no longer have the last word on granting
academic credit, a power traditionally reserved for the
faculty.
'The most shocking example, the one that has really
concerned a lot of people, is giving graduate credit for a
course operated by State University of Nebraska (SUN),
without the approval and against the expressed wishes of
the graduate faculty," Robinson said. "Now you can't do
that for very long without destroying the whole reputation
of the university'
Faculty threatened
He said the setting of admission and graduation
standards, developing a grading system and peer review are
other threatened traditional faculty responsibilities.
Because of the growth of "amalgamated universities,"
another layer of bureaucracy has been added, Robinson
said. This has caused further faculty alienation from uni
versity government, he said.
"Some of the better universities that have collective
bargaining. . . gear it toward this issue," he said. "And we
(AAUP members) intend to (establish collective bargaining)
if we win the election.
Robinson said that although collective bargaining in
higher education is "fairly recent" and a majority of
Robinson said he disagrees with those who have chareed
that collective bargaining isn't a professional way for uni
versity faculty members to negotiate with administration
on disputed matters.
"It's not true that collective bargaining is unprofes
sional," he said. "Across the board pay increases are unpro
fessional." Robinson was refering to formula salary increases for
faculty members, instead of merit raises to those who
deserve them.
Separate unit defended
He defends a separate bargaining unit for UNL, instead
of a system-wide unit, by saying UNL does not have any
thing in common with either the University of Nebraska at
Omaha (UNO) or the University of Nebraska Medical
Center.
"In fact and in theory, administratively and totally,
there is no connection whatsoever with the UNO faculty or
the medical center faculty," Robinson said.
The University of Nebraska Board of Regents has
opposed a single unit for UNL. They have argued to the
court that the whole system should be included in the
bargaining unit.
Although Robinson strongly defends AAUP's position
on collective bargaining, he says his personal feelings are
"mixed."
"In some moods. . . I think 'How unfortunate', and how
uncertain and what an incredible effort it is going to take
(to establish collecjive bargaining). But, we absolutely do
need it," he said.
"But, in other moods, I say to myself, 'No, it's not un
fortunate, it's going to work, we just plain need it'."
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Ptioto by Sttv Botmar
John Robinson, president of the UNL chapter of
the AAUP, discusses the merits of faculty unionization.
Collective bargaining chronology
Three years ago-AAUP tried to "sound out" UNL
faculty attitudes about collective bargaining. Re
sponse not overwhelming in favor of collective
bargaining.
May, 197S-NU Board of Regents temporarily block
ed tenure appointments. Believed to have sparked
early acceptance of AAUP's drive to establish collect
ive bargaining. Drive was originally planned for Fall
semester.
Sept. 25 and 26, 1975-The Nebraska Court of In
dustrial Relations heard arguments from the NU
Regents and UNL's AAUP chapter about the approp
riateness of AAUP's proposed bargaining unit.
In about 90 days-Decision expected from the court.
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