Faculty Will Discuss Benefits, Dean

With major aspects of faculty and student life on the agenda, today's faculty meeting could be the most important of the year.

On the docket are the Report on the Structure of Harvard College, the report investigating how faculty were treated in the University's benefits review process, two motions to request that the Harvard Corporation rescind its benefits decisions and a motion to appoint a committee on retiree medical benefits.

Today's benefits discussion comes on the heels of October's meeting, when three professors complained that faculty were inadequately involved in the process that led to the benefits changes announced this fall.

The faculty members also charged that the charged, which include cutting University contributions to faculty pensions by one percent and capping retirement health care at 1999 levels, will make it difficult for many Harvard professors to retire comfortably.

As a result of the October meeting, Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles asked McKay Professor of Mechanical Engineering Frederick H. Abernathy and Gund Professor of Economics and Business Administration Richard E. Caves to investigate whether faculty were adequately consulted.

Their findings, contained in the Report of the Benefits Process Review Committee, are slated to be discussed this afternoon in University Hall.

The report's recommendation that a faculty standing committee on benefits be established may preempt the motions of McKay Professor of Applied Mathematics Anthony G. Oettinger and McKay Professor of Applied Physics William Paul. Oettinger and Paul have placed motions on the docket to have Knowles appoint committees to study a variety of benefits plans.

The Faculty Council moved last week to hold a discussion and perhaps a vote at December's faculty meeting on establishing a benefits standing committee.

Originally scheduled for discussion at last month's meeting, but bumped to today because of the October meeting's lengthy benefits discussion, the Report on the Structure of Harvard College has enough recommendations to sustain several faculty meetings.

Knowles has made it clear that he would like to hear professor's opinions on the report's suggestions for the structure of the Dean of the College position.

He has told faculty that he needs to decide soon whether there will be one, two or multiple deans, instead of the current positions of Dean of the College and Dean for Undergraduate Education.

But at the meeting today, professors could comment on any aspect of the report, which recommends overhauling the role of the Allston Burr Senior Tutors, changing the administrative structure of public service and randomizing the Houses.