Students at Fairfield University are certainly accustomed to sometimes feeling divided from the rest of the university and surrounding communities, including professors, administrators and town residents on a variety of issues. But in the past year, a new divide has risen that has further divided the college.
“Merit pay” may not mean much to students, but the issue is the faculty equivalent of a Clam Jam injunction.
The issue at hand is whether or not the faculty should keep the current system, one that rewards teachers with an across-the-board percentage increase every year, or adopt a system that will reward teachers and faculty for publication, speeches, presentations and research. The Mirror firmly believes that any pay system that is not supported by the faculty should not be adopted as the status quo.
It seems like so much at Fairfield is based on what other schools might do. Our new library, arena and campus center did not come to fruition simply because we needed them, but because we could better compete with them. Maybe it is time that Fairfield stopped trying to be other schools. It is time for Fairfield to be Fairfield.
If the purpose of teaching is to be published and speak publicly, what is the purpose of studying? To earn high marks, receive a diploma and make big bucks? A merit pay system will act against the very foundation of this university. We must remember that knowledge is its own reward. The same should go for teaching.
Ideological beliefs aside, why should the university side with the Board of Trustees instead of the faculty? Every student at Fairfield could say that at least two teachers have helped him or her during their time here. Could the same be said for the Board of Trustees?
The faculty of Fairfield is here every day. They teach us and help us grow. They should have whatever pay system they want. Yet, this university seems extremely focused on making itself competitive with other schools.
So maybe it is appropriate for The Mirror to look to our idols to solve the issue of merit pay. Under intense pressure to backpedal on their Watergate stories, Ben Bradley, an editor of The Washington Post simply remarked: “Let’s stand by our boys.”
Maybe it’s time Fairfield did the same for the faculty.
The editorial is the opinion of the majority of The Mirror’s editorial board. What’s your opinion? E-mail mirror@fair1.fairfield.edu
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