The McGill Tribune Vol. 15 Issue 12

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P u b lis h e d b y th e

S tu d e n ts ’ S o c ie ty o f M c G ill U n iv e rs ity

Volume 15 Issue 12

In Domino Confido

November 21st, 1995

t h is w e e k News

Sabbatical regulations called into question by

Judicial Board overrules CROs decision on Dav/v/health plan referen­ dum. Page 3

Science First heart attack more easi­ ly prevented with the drug pravastatin. Page 11

Features All you can eat food supplement. Page 10

Entertainment 13 Engines, McGill Thespians and all kinds of other cool stuff. Page 13

Sports Hockey ups and downs. Page 16

C o lu m n ists Don McGowan........... Page 7 Mila Aung-Thwin.......Page 7 Ted Frankel.....................Page9

D ep a rtm en ts Crossword......................Page8 Observer.........................Page8 What’s O n ................Page 23

W alksaf» N etw ork 3 9 8 -2 4 9 8

Walking with you from anywhere to anywhere. Sun-Thurs 7:00pm to 12:45am Fri-Sat 7:00pm to 2:30 am

T odd K ramers

Concerns have recently been raised as-to whether sabbatical reg­ ulations, designed to protect cours­ es normally taught by professors on leave, are being strictly applied. The initial part of clause seven of the “Regulations on Sabbatic Leaves for Full Time Academic Staff’ reads: “The sabbatic leave schedule for an academic unit should protect its undergraduate and graduate teaching programs and provide for an equitable distribution of acade­ mic duties to replace the normal activities of staff on sabbatic leave.” Questions are currently being raised as to whether this is an ade­ quate safeguard. At the Senate m eeting of November 8, Arts Senator Matt Rosenberg requested an outline of sabbatic leaves broken down by department. This stems from the perception, particularly acute in the Faculty of Arts, that an uneven dis­ tribution of sabbatic leaves within faculties threatens to compromise departmental programs. The most powerful example of this was the hollowing out of the Department of Political Science in 1994-95, when nine of twenty-one professors were granted at least six months of sab­ batic leave. SSMUVP University Affairs Lisa Grushcow followed up on R osenberg’s request, querying Vice Principal Academic Bill Chan whether or not mechanisms exist to prevent imbalances from occurring. Chan affirmed that there were. Grushcow plans to press for a more detailed answer to her ques­ tion at this week’s Senate meeting. “My sense is that the U niversity made a m istake,” Grushcow stated, referring to the situation in the Departm ent of Political Science last year. “I don’t want to undermine sabbaticals in general, but it is the responsibility of the departments, the faculties and the whole university to provide the programs that students are here for and pay for,” she said. Chan, however, stands behind clause seven. “[What happened last year]

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The semester comes to a close as students pre­ pare to cruise out of McGill.

was an anomaly that should not

have happened and should have been corrected,” he stated. Another point of contention is the issue of finance. Clause 15 of the regulations are explicit: “The university will pay 90 per cent of full salary to sabbaticants and will also pay its normal share of fringe benefits.” However, when sabbaticants are unable to receive financial assistance from outside sources, clause 19 provides for 100 per cent of full salary to be awarded at the discretion of “the Dean of the Faculty in which the sabbaticant holds his/her prim ary appoint­ ment.” Although clause 19 appears to have been set up as the exception rather than the rule, figures from the last two academic years suggest the opposite has occurred in prac­ tice. In 1993-94, 99 per cent of the sabbaticants who applied for 100 per cent of full salary were suc­ cessful (108 of 109); in 1994-95, 85 per cent of applications were granted 100 percent salaries. According to clause 16, in the event that 90 per cent of full salary is paid to a sabbaticant, “the University will return the remain­ ing 10 per cent of salary to the sabbaticant’s faculty in the same acad­ emic year” to assist in hiring replacement staff. In the past, a central sabbatic replacement fund was an additional resource. This fund, however, has been cut from recent McGill budgets, making the 10 per cent of sabbaticant’s salaries that much more crucial. As the above figures indicate, this 10 per cent rarely makes it to the faculty budgets. Dean of E ngineering John Dealy believes that this creates an untenable strain. “Departmental programs are left exposed when sabbaticants are aw arded 100 per cent of their salary,” he said. “The extra 10 per cent that would have contributed towards hiring replacement staff is gone, and funds have to come from elsewhere in the faculty budget, if they can come from anywhere at all,” Dealy said. Continued on Page 2 I I

VP external affairs resigns from office B y Sara J ean G reen

SSMU President Helena M yers, announced during last Thursday’s council meeting the res­ ignation of Nick Benedict from his position as VP external affairs. Myers requested Benedict’s resignation after receiving informa­ tion that two w riters from the McGiWTribune were working on a story alleging inappropriate con­ duct on the part of the VP external. The Tribune chose not to print the article as the editorial board could not come to a consensus on the issue. On November 14, an executive council meeting was held for which Benedict was in attendance. It was at this time, according to Myers, that Benedict was informed that the Tribune was intending to publish the article alleging his misconduct. “There have been allegations that made us believe that Nick Benedict acted improperly. I was made personally aware of these

allegations and I forwarded this information to Nick Benedict,” said Myers. During the m eeting of the executive, Myers asked Benedict what his intentions were regarding his job as VP external. “I asked Nick if he was con­ sidering resignation as a reaction to the story. He took it as an ultima­ tum which it was not,” said Myers. “He said he didn’t know and would have to consult with his attorney. The following evening, I personally asked him to resign.” Myers stated that Benedict did not respond to the allegations brought against him. “In the executive committee [meeting], [Benedict] chose not to comment on the allegation,” she said. The four other executives met and determined that Benedict’s res­ ignation was necessary. “In the executive committee, we decided that we’d prefer for him Continued on Page 2 I I

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