The faculty and administration are in discussion about the changes in faculty contracts and how they will affect Hamline University.

There have been many discussions about how the new faculty contracts will change the teaching quality at Hamline University and how it will affect students’ education. Head of the History Department Professor John Mazis says that the changes will not affect the quality of education.

One of the main disagreements among the CLA faculty is that the changes in their contracts will reduce the amount of time they have to do research.

“It’s important for faculty to do research and it’s important for students because it makes us better teachers,” Mazis said. Although the changes may affect their time for research, he believes they will not have a dire effect on Hamline University or its students. The changes will have some effect on students, but it will not affect the academic excellence of their education.

“[We] want to keep the quality at its highest level,” Mazis said.

According to him, while the faculty and provost agree on some things and disagree on others, the academic excellence of Hamline University will not be diminished. He, along with other CLA faculty, have been in conversation with the administration to make the changes as beneficial to the university as possible.

“Some changes were made that needed to be made,” he said. According to him, there is a right way and a wrong way to make these changes. Mazis said they try to make these changes in the right way, but sometimes it is a slow process. At this point,  the faculty and administration are in a discussion to iron out the differences. The changes have to be put to a vote by the faculty, but Mazis claims that they would not poorly affect Hamline.

“Whatever happens will not change the character of the place,” he said.

For another take on the question of faculty contracts, see OPINION (page 7) for a Letter to the Editor submitted by Global Studies Professor Kate Bjork.