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Union files grievance against USF

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By LINDSAY PETERSON

lpeterson@tampatrib.com

Published: November 6, 2009

TAMPA - The faculty union at the University of South Florida filed a grievance against the university this week over the size of spring semester classes.

The grievance focuses on mass lecture classes in the College of Business and communications classes created to meet the state's Gordon Rule requiring students to acquire certain communication and math skills. More than 80 Gordon Rule writing classes have more than 30 students each, it states.

"In these two categories, the university is clearly going too far and is abdicating its obligation to reduce inappropriately large classes," said Sherman Dorn, union president. He said the grievance affects faculty teaching classes, "who face extraordinary burdens in the assignments that they have received," and faculty who would suffer if the practice spreads.

The grievance noted 2009 Business Week ratings of undergraduate business programs that ranked USF101st in the country. USF was last among programs in student-faculty ratio. Student surveys had USF 96th for undergraduate business programs.

"Why should anyone be surprised that two years after USF doubled the size of many of the business lecture classes, students and Business Week are giving the college a thumbs down?" Dorn asked. "To any administrator who wants to lard up classes with bodies and overload teaching faculty, I have one question: How do students benefit when you exploit faculty?"

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