Council Hopes Plaque Will Affect Tenure Process

In a move designed to increase student input into the tenure process, the Undergraduate Council last night appropriated $300 to purchase a new plaque to hang in University Hall honoring the Levenson teaching award winners.

One plaque honoring the winners of the teaching award already hangs in Lamont Library, but sponsors of the new plaque proposal said that the University Hall location would serve to influence faculty members when they consider candidates for lifetime posts at Harvard. The council gives the award to one teaching fellow, one junior faculty member and one senior faculty member each spring.

"This plaque is our surest bet to influence tenure," said former Vice Chairman Steven B. Smith '87.

Members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences steering committee will be able to see the plaque as they attend their meetings, he said, adding that it will serve as a constant reminder of which instructors students hail as outstanding teachers.

The funds for the plaque, which sponsors said will have gold-colored plates, will come from the operations budget, which has $25,921 remaining for the year. Each undergraduate pays a $10 council fee on his term bill.

In a related matter, the council hotly debated and then rejected a proposal to move the Levenson awards banquet out of a house dining hall and into the more prestigious--and more expensive--Faculty Club.

The move would have cost the council an additional $1000 more than the $500 cost of having the banquet in a house. Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III was willing to chip in $700 for the more formal event, said Evan J. Mandery '89, chairman of the academics committee.

Mandery said a Faculty Club dinner would attract more faculty members and increase the prestige of the award in their eyes, possibly even influencing tenure decisions. "They simply don't like going to the houses," Mandery said of the faculty.

Other council members said faculty attendanceat the spring dinner was not the most importantfactor in the decision.

"To hell with the teachers who won't comebecause they're too stuck-up," said Ellen Havdala'88. "Guys, $1000 when we can do it in one of thehouses for free?"

"This is our award, and it should be held onour turf," said Ramon S. Jacobson '88.

Every undergraduate is able to sign up for thebanquet held in a house dining hall, but theFaculty Club dinner would have been limited tobetween 100 and 150 students, who would receiveinvitations.

Said Nancy E. Cohen '88, "If we spend $800 oncookies, at least students get to eat thecookies."

In other business, Dean of the College L. FredJewett '57 answered questions about the upcomingproposal to eliminate the Committee on Rights andResponsibilities and replace it with a newstudent-faculty disciplinary board. He said hewill seek student opinion once the plan is madepublic.

The council appropriated $2700 for the annualHarvard-Radcliffe Raft Race. This year's expandedevent will include a tug-o-war, an airband-lipsync contest, and a celebrity dunk tank.

The council also decided to charge itsdelegates to the Committee on House Life tosupport a measure to open all house dining hallsuntil 7:15 p.m. for dinner, instead of just theFreshman Union until 7:30 p.m