Roosevelt Fitzgerald: correspondence regarding UNLV Faculty merit awards

DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY
ETHNIC STUDIES
March 24, 1988
To: Dr. John Swetnam, Chairman
Anthropology Department
cc: Dean’s office
File
From: Roosevelt Fitzgerald, Director^ J.
Ethnic Studies ‘
Re: Merit Committee Recommendations
I realize that this note is a bit late for any action from the Department,
at my request as opposed to action resulting from obvious need, with the
Merit Committee. As I recall, such input was provided for on the afternoon
of March 21. Having only seen the list, dated 3/18/88 on the morning of
3/21/88 and having other committments which prevented my pursuing the matter
more on that date, I do so now only for the record.
I did notice on the Committee's list that I had been recommended for a 1.0
merit increase and I was happy for that. They noted meritorious work, on
my part, in two of the three areas—Teaching and Service. I was concerned,
as I informed you at the time, of the absence of such recognition in the
area of Creativity/Research. At that time, I had no way of knowing why
others had been recognized in that area while I had not been. That being
the case, there was not much that I could say other than I thought I had
done more than the minimal requirements. Since that time, however, I have
examined the department's 1987 Bibliography and find that I have as much or
more as four of the five who received recognition in the area of Creativy/
Research listed in the Bibliography. This is so even though the two articles
for the Nevada Public Affairs Review were not included due to the Review's
failure to remit an official letter of acceptance of both articles even
though the one was accepted as early as April and the other in late November.
Further, other members of the faculty, in the College, are having their's
counted toward merit this year. I can wait and yet wonder how even without
those two, my contributions being what they are in comparison with others,
do not warrant equitable recognition.
I must question whether the Merit Committee considered the data which I have
or if, perhaps, something of my materials might have been misplaced or overlooked
or downplayed or thrown out or if maybe it is policy not to get
meritorious recognition in all three areas during the same evaluation period
or if this is just a kind of treatment, of me, they have grown accustomed
to over the years, without anyone doing or saying anything about it, and.that
they do not wish to break with tradition and continue doing things "the old
fashioned way?"
Just thought you'd like to know how I feel about it.
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS/4505 MARYLAND PARKWAY/LAS VEGAS, NEVADA 89154/(702) 739-3590
April, 1, 1989
DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY ETHNIC STUDIES
To: Dr. Tom Wright, Dean
College of Arts and Letters
From: R. Fitzgerald
Re: Personnel Committee's Merit Recommendations
I did not phone by noon on Thursday, March 30, 1989 because I did not wish to put my name on a list to go before the Personnel Committee with a concern which should not have arisen. It is my feeling that if they did what they did they knew what they were doing and anything so obvious had to be intentional and would not warrant my bringing it to their attention.
There is no reasonable way that their recommendation of $1500.00 for me for merit could be justified. I'm a lecturer. I am not required to publish. The fact that I was the 1988 dept, choice for the Morris Outstanding Teaching Award is meritorious. Everything else is gravy. My publications rank right along with full professors. Additionally, all of my publications are done solely by me. I do not have a platoon of others doing any part of the work so there is no sharing of the results. If I and three others collaborated on a paper that is published, then I would have one-third of a paper. If I and three others collaborated on a paper that is presented, then I would have one-third of a presentation. If someone else single-handily published or presented a paper, they would have done triple the amount of work. I would have. This is how my arithmetic adds up but, I. have to admit, I do not understand modern math.
Using my arithmetic, I should be recommended for five-times the amount of some and at least two-times more than others. If I submitted a one page obituary to the Committee, it had better be my own because they would bury me. How could they not "X" me in under teaching? I was the nominee for the award. Two of the three who were, were on sabbatical. Is the Committee saying that those two did more teaching out of the classroom than I did in it? That preposterous. All of my papers are on different subjects. There are some others that are clearly the same or at least no more than that old 7-Up commercial; "The same thing only different."
This is not a complaint, not to you. My only purpose of sending this note is to illustrate to you an example of what I must contend with on a daily, year-in and year- out basis. It is almost as though there are some who believe that a "........ ain't
worth that kind of money." Historically, every time there is such an oversight, I'm required to complain. The result is, I have the reputation of always complaining. That's bad. But it is a heck of a lot better than having the reputation of always discriminating. The only difference is, the former is so perceived by many and the latter, only by me. I don't care how those numbers add up. I'd rather be right and alone than wrong among the throngs.
What a day.
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA. LAS VEGAS/4505 MARYLAND PARKWAY/LAS VEGAS, NEVADA 89154/(702) 739-3590
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND LETTERS OFFICE OF THE DEAN
MEMORANDUM
TO; All Chairpersons, College of Arts and Letters
FROM: Tom Wright, Dean —
DATE; March 27, 1989
RE: Tentative Merit List
Here is a list of tentative merit awards for the faculty in your department. The purpose of sending this list to you is to allow you to respond if, in your opinion, the list reflects any serious inequities. If you wish to respond, please call the dean's office by Thursday, March 30, at noon. You will then be asked to meet with the Personnel Committee and me on Monday, April 3rd between 11:30 and 2:30 p.m.
Because the list is tentative. I must ask you not to share this information with your faculty. Last year some chairpersons shared the information and one even posted his list in the department office. The problem with this is that the list might be misinterpreted as my final recommendation, when it is still subject to change. This tentative list is not final: it is designed to acquaint you with the general outlines of the recommendation.
Thanks for your cooperation.
TCW;ms
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS MARYLAND PARKWAY/LAS VEGAS, NEVADA 89154/(702) 739-3401
College of Arts and Letters Merit Recommendations for 1988
Effective July 1, 1989
NO.
Dept.
Name
Amount
Creativity
Teaching
Research Service
ANT
Brooks, Richard
$1,000
X
ANT
Brooks, Sheilagh
$1,000
X X
ANT
Fitzgerald, R.*
$1,500
X X
ANT
Knack, Martha
$1,500
X
X
ANT
Lyneis, Margaret
$1,500
X
X
ANT
Miranda, Malvin
$1,000
X
ANT
Swetnam, John
$1,000
PROM TO PROF
ANT
Urioste, George
$2,750
X
ANT
Warren, Claude_____
_TABLED___
ANTHROPOLOGY/ETHNIC STUDIES
BROOKS, Richard (with S.T. Brooks). “Water Abrasion Effects on Bone Related to Time Since Death." Paper presented at American Association of Forensic Sciences, Philadelphia, February 1988.
(with G. Steele and S.T. Brooks). "Steele's 1970 Formula for Stature Estimation on Incomplete Long Bones: A Survey of Its Reliability." Paper presented at the 12th International Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences, Zagreb, Yugoslavia, July 1988.
(with K. Reinhard and S.T. Brooks). "Diet and
Environment Determined from Analysis of Prehistoric Coprolites, From an Archaeological Site Near Zape Chico, Durango, Mexico." Paper presented at the 7th European Meeting of the Paleopathology Association, Lyon, France, August 1988.
(with S.T. Brooks and M.B. Haldeman). "High Eburnation Frequencies in a Nevada Skeletal Series." Paper presented at the 6th Congress of the European Anthropological Association, Budapest, Hungary, September 1988.
____ (with S.T. Brooks, C. Stark, and M.B. Haldeman).
"The Prehistoric People of Lovelock, An Interpretation Based on Skeletal Series from the Carson and Humboldt Sink Areas." Paper presented at the 21st Great Basin Conference, Park City, UT, October 1988.
BROOKS, Sheilagh. Obituary. Louise Marie Robbins, 1928-1987. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 75 (1988): 437-438.
(with R.H. Brooks). "Water Abrasion Effects on Bone Related to Time Since Death." Paper presented at American Association of Forensic Sciences, Philadelphia, February 1988.
(with J.S. Suchey). "Skeletal Age Determination
Based on the Male Os Pubis." Paper presented at the 12th International Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences, Zagreb, Yugoslavia, July 1988.
(with G. Steele and R. H. Brooks). "Steele's 1970 Formula for Stature Estimation on Incomplete Long Bones: A Survey of its Reliability." Paper presented at the 12th International Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences, Zagreb, Yugoslavia, July 1988.
1
(with K. Reinhard and R.H. Brooks). “Diet and Envi ronment Determined from Analysis of Prehistoric Coprolites, from an Archaeological Site near Zape Chico, Durango, Mexico." Paper presented at the 7th European Meeting of the Paleopathology Association, Lyon, France, August 1988.
(with M.B. Haldeman and R.H. Brooks). “High Eburnati on Frequencies in a Nevada Skeletal Series. Paper presented at the 6th Congress of the European Anthropological Association, Budapest, Hungary, September 1988.
(with C. Stark, M.B. Haldeman and R.H. Brooks). “The Prehistoric People of Lovelock, An Interpretation Based on Skeletal Series from the Carson and Humboldt Sink Areas." Paper presented at the 21st Great Basin Conference, Park City, UT, October 1988.
FITZGERALD, Roosevelt. "The Evolution of a Black Community in Las Vegas: 1905-1940" Nevada Public Affairs Review (1987 , No. 2) : 23-28 .
. "The Demographic Impact of Basic Magnesium Corporation on Southern Nevada." Nevada Public Affairs Review (1987, No. 2): 29-35.
. "Impact of Stereotypes of Mexican Americans Created by Selected Film: 1920s-1960s." Social Science Perspectives Journal, 2, No. 5, 55-70.
. "Impact of Stereotypes of Mexican Americans Created by Selected Films: 1920s-1960s." Paper presented at National Social Science Association Conference, in Newport Beach, CA, March 1988.
KNACK, Martha C. "Newspaper Accounts of Indian Women in Southern Nevada Mining Towns, 1870-1988," Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, 8 (1986, released Tn 1988): 83-98 .
. "Role of Credit in Native Adaptation to Great Basi n Ranching Economy," American Indian Culture and Research Journal, 11 (1987, released in 1988): 43-65.
. "Field Matrons, Female Roles, and Family Structure." Paper presented at the Great Basin Anthropological Conference, Park City, UT, October 1988 .
. "Dynamics of Southern Paiute Women's Roles." Paper presented at the American Anthropological Association, Phoenix, November 1938.
2
LYNEIS, Margaret (co-author Claude N. Warren). Fort Irwin Historic Preservation Plan, Volume Two: The Research Overview. Reprinted and published by Coyote Press, Salinas, C A , 1988.
. "Antler and Bone Artifacts from Divostin." In Divostin and the Neolithic of Central Serbia , edited by Alan McPherron and Dragoslav Srejovic. Department of Anthropology, Ethnology Monographs No. 10, 1988: 301-323.
. "Ceramic Production and Exchange Among the Virgin Anasazi." Paper presented at the Fifty-third Annual Meeting of The Society for American Archaeology, Phoenix, April 1988.
. "Buff and Brown Wares at Lost City: A Fresh Look at Intrusives." Paper presented at the Twenty-first Great Basin Anthropological Conference, Park City, UT, October 1988.
. "Ceramics from the Central Mojave Desert: Three Problems." Paper presented at the Kelso Conference, Nipton, CA December 1988.
MIRANDA, M.L. "Early Hispanic Presence in the Great Basin of Nevada: 1540-1905." Social Science Perspectives Journal , 2, No. 5, ( 1988) 71-83 .
. "Early Hispanic Presence in the Great Basin of Nevada: 1540-1905." Paper presented at the National Social Science Association Conference in Newport Beach, CA, March 1988.
SWETNAM, John, "Women and Markets: A Problem in the Assessment of Sexual Inequality." Ethnology, 27, (1988): 327-338.
WARREN, Claude N. (co-author Sheila Vaughan). "Toward a Definition of Pinto Points." The Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology. 9 (1988):
(co-editor Mark Q. Sutton). "Mojave Desert Prehistory: A Symposium of the Society for California Archaeology." Pacific Coast Archaeological Society Quarterly , 24, ( 1988) : 1^-50.
(with Mark Q. Sutton). "Prehistory of the Western Great Basin. Paper presented at the society for California Archaeology, Redding, CA, March 1988.
3
(with Joan 5. Schneider). "Endangered Sites at Nel son Lake, Fort Irwin California: An Analysis of Museum Collections." Paper presented at the Society for California Archaeology, Redding, CA March 1988.
. "Lake Mojave: A New Look at Some Old ■Assemblages." Paper presented at the Society for California Archaeology, Redding, CA, March 1988.
(with Susan Warren-Kunkler and John R. Johnson). "Ethohi storic Research Regarding Helo', a Chumash Village on Mescalitan Island." Paper presented at the Society for American Archaeology, Phoenix, April 1988.
. "Gravel Bars and Artifacts at the Nelson Lake Site." Paper presented at the Kelso Conference, Nipton, CA, May 1988.
4
May 24, 1989
DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY
ETHNIC STUDIES
To:
From:
Re: Summer Sessions Regulations Enforcement
Dr. M. Bowers, Assistant Dean
College of Arts and Letters.
R. Fitzgerald, Chairman
I am about to present you an opportunity to get into the Guiness Book of World
Records. If you are interested, I will nominate you for the title of '’’the
person who does his job better than others." The reason that I'm willing to
do this is as follows.
Seems that I always get hooked up with outfits that ensure that I function
within the rules and regulations. Great. I like regulations a lot. I could
even come to love them if they were adhered to across the board. With part of
my personality being the eternal skeptic, I take pains to check to see if there
is a uniformity of enforcement of regulations that have been enforced with. me.
When there is, I'm as happy as a slave with a tub of hog maws. Fortunately
or unfortunately, I have never experienced that degree of happiness for that
reason.
Summer School regulations state that to offer a 3 credit course during any
summer session, a class must meet, at a minimum, during parts of five different
weeks. A 2 credit course must meet during three different weeks. My classes,
as they were submitted, were screened/scrutinized, sent back for adjustments
and finally, after necessary adjustments were made, they passed review. Great.
I am now teaching a 2 credit course which meets the requirements and, beginning
June 12, I will teach two 3 credit courses which will do the same. In the past,
I have offered a 3 credit course during the early Summer Session but that is no
longer possible with the new regulations. I altered the course and it is now
for only 2 credits but it is not nearly as meaningful as it had been at 3 credits.
Among the many things which I cannot understand is how could 22 other courses
taught by other people, that did not meet the requirements manage to get by.
Perhaps the instructors for those courses are privileged?? If so, that's fine
by me so long as it is clearly stated that some will be allowed to not concern
themselves with the regulations while some others must. Obviously, I can live
with being treated shabbily—I was weened on it.
The only thing which I have attempted to do is put in an. honest day's work for
an honest day's pay. I've never asked anyone here or anywhere else to give
me anything. I've worked for whatever I've ever gotten and not only do I not
mind doing so but am happy to have done so—I owe no one anything—not even
civility when I have clearly been treated in a manner not up to par to others.
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS/4505 MARYLAND PARKWAY/LAS VEGAS, NEVADA 89454/(702) 739-3590
-2-
Additionally, I'm always told that there are limits as to how many courses one is allowed to offer during the Summer Sessions. Three is the maximum and that is only if one of the three is offered either during a pre or post regular summer school period. Yet, there are violations and they seem to occur every year. As a result of the combined violations of the two categories of Summer Sessions regulations which I have mentioned, I have been penalized $975.00 for my early summer class by being restricted to 2 credits while others are allowed 3 credits. Further, because some are allowed to teach more than the limit of two courses during regular Summer Sessions (one as many as four courses), I've been denied the opportunity to earn an additional $5700.00. Collectively, I'm in deficit of $6650.00.
It is one thing to ask to be given $6650.00. I did not do that. I just want to work and earn what I get. Those who were allowed to disregard the regulations stand to earn that additional amount and me, I'll simply stand--around. It is no secret, I am a workaholic. I want to work constantly. When I do not, I do not know what to do with myself. I would find something. What bothers me is that others are allowed to work and I am denied the opportunity of doing so.
I have attempted to remove the true extent of my displeasure over this matter from this note. I am often accused of being too blunt and that my bluntness costs me. I do realize that everything has a price and prices keep going up. I'm willing to pay any price that I must to either get proper and equitable treatment or to at least voice my displeasure. I think part of my problem is that my definition of ethical behavior is different from most. When rules are used for some and against others, I don't think that is ethical.
If only one course had slipped through, I could understand that. If there had been three or four courses that went undetected, I could see that. Why I would even be able to live with ten but twenty-two courses is a bit much. I haven't missed twenty-two things in my entire life.
The following is a list of courses which were allowed to bypass the regulations:
ECU 708-1
3
cr.
CIE 700-10
2
cr.
CIE 700-12
3
cr.
CIE 700-13
3
cr.
CIE 499-2
3
cr.
CIE 499-4
3
cr.
CIE 700-2
3
cr.
ATE 481-1
3
cr.
PED 465-1
3
cr.
PSY 49401
2
cr.
PUA 792-1
3
cr.
ESE 499-1
3
cr.
ESE 499-2
3
cr.
ESE 700-4
3
cr.
ESE 700-10
2
cr.
ESE 700-11
3
cr.
ESE 700-12
3
cr.
ESP 444-1
3
cr.
ESP 499-1
2
cr.
ESP 730-1
3
cr.
ESP 731-1
3
cr.
ESP 735-1
3
cr.
Dil MTWTh 4:00-7:30 5/22-6/9 Three weeks
Chamberlin MTWT 1:00-4:30 7/10-7/27 Two weeks Staff MTWTF 4:00-6:30 5/22-6/9 Three weeks
Treadway MTWT 4:00-7:30 7/17-3/3 Three weeks
Staff MTWTF 4:00-6:30 5/22-6/9 Three Weeks
Treadway MTWTF 4:00- 7:30 7/17-8/3 Three weeks
R. Smith MTWTF 8:30-11:15 6/12-6/30 Three weeks*
Mangus MTWTF 4:00-7:00 6/26-7/13 Three weeks
Dempsey MTWTF 4:00-6:50 5722-6/8 Three weeks
Temple MTWTF 8:00-5:00 5/22-5/26 Two weeks
W. Thompson TFS 5:30-9:30 6/13-7/3 Four weeks
Staff MTWT 4:00-7:30 5/22-6/9 Three weeks
Treadway MTWT 4:00-7:30 7/17-8/3 Three weeks
R. Smith MTWTF 8:30-11:15 6/12-6/30 Three weeks*
Chamberlin MTWT 1:00-4:30 7/17-7/28 Two weeks
MTWT 4:00-7:30 5/22-6/9 Three weeks
Treadway MTWT 4:00-7:30 7/17-8/3 Three weeks
Ruegamer MTWT 4:00-7:30 5/22-6/9 Three weeks
" MTWTF 9:00-12:00 6/19-6/30 Two weeks
Wagonseller MTWT 4:00-7:30 5/22-6/9 Three weeks
Wagonseller MTWTF 9:00-12:00 6/12-6/30 Three weeks
Kelly MTWTF 1:00-4:00 7/17-8/4 Three weeks
Nuf said, except that I wish those other fellows would do their jobs as well as you and I wouldn't have this problem.
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS
Office of the President
4505 Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas, Nevada 89154
(702) 739-3201
June 7, 1989
Mr. Roosevelt Fitzgerald
Department of Anthropology
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada 89154
Dear Roosevelt:
Congratulations! You have been nominated by your
department and recommended by both the Dean of the
College of Arts and Letters and the Senior Vice
President and Provost to serve as chairperson of the
Department of Anthropology for the 1989-90 academic
year. It is my pleasure to accept these recommendations
and to appoint you to perform this essential service
for the University. Thank you for your willingness to
give so generously of your time and talents; this
university will be a better place because of it. I look
forward to working with you next year as we strive to
reach yet another level of excellence at UNLV. Your
department made a good choice.
Warmest personal regards.
Sincerely
Robert C. Maxson
President
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