Faculty Senate seeks pay raises for professors At its Nov. 28 meeting, the Faculty Senate unanimously passed three resolutions asking that salary increases for professors be worked into the budget for the next academic year. The senate asked the administration to add a five percent merit raise and for $1.6 million to be spent to meet market/equity gaps between what Northeastern professors are paid and what professors in similar programs at other universities are paid. During the past 11 years, faculty salaries nationwide have increased at a rate of 1.96 percent per year, while Northeastern professor pay increased just one percent a year, said Louis Kruger, a Bouve College of Health Sciences professor on the Faculty Senate’s Financial Affairs Committee. The proposed raises have been sent to President Joseph Aoun for approval. Carol Glod, chair of the Faculty Senate Agenda Committee, said she is “hopeful that a reasonable merit raise will be included in the next budget,” which will be finalized at the end of January. – Matt Collette, News Staff, and Michele Richinick, News Correspondent
NU property plans discussed at city hearing Local officials spoke about Northeastern officials’ plans for their newly acquired property, a low-income tenement called St. Botolph Terrace Apartments, during a public hearing Thursday night. St. Botolph Terrace, located on the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Saint Botolph Street, is funded by a project-based Section 8 contract, which will last until 2023, although it is subject to annual appropriation through the Department of Housing and Urban Development. “What I’m concerned with is what Northeastern plans to do if Congress does not appropriate enough money to renew the contract one year,” said City Councilor At-Large Sam Yoon. “We want to get Northeastern to write down what they plan. Getting rid of local income housing is not good for the community. Harvard has been doing this for years in Allston without anyone knowing about it, but now residents here are speaking up.” City Councilors invited representatives from Northeastern – as well as the Boston Redevelopment Authority who were absent – to attend the hearing, and explain the situation to the community. “We have to work together to solve the problem,” said Jeff Doggett, director of government relations and community affairs. “If I have to go to Washington to advocate for funding, I will.” – Marc Larocque, News Staff
Law students to hold dialogue on NU’s expansion The Northeastern chapter of the National Lawyers Guild is hosting a panel discussion tomorrow focused on the university’s expansion into the community. The discussion, titled “Building Room for Community Input,” will feature State Senator Diane Wilkerson, City Councilor Chuck Turner and representatives from the Roxbury Neighborhood Council, St. Botolph Terrace Apartments and Northeastern. Allison Garren, a first-year law student who helped organize the event, said she was spurred to establish dialogue with the university after attending a protest with members of St. Botolph Terrace Apartments, a project-based Section 8 apartment recently acquired by Northeastern. Garren said the communication process between the tenants and the university was insufficient. “After university barred them from the building with police officers, I was shocked,” she said. “They are our neighbors and, now, our residents. I decided I wanted some answers. University expansion affects the community.” The discussion is scheduled to take place today at 6 p.m. in room 97 of the Northeastern School of Law. – Marc Laroque, News Staff
Rare library books will soon be online Northeastern University Libraries is working with the Boston Library Consortium (BLC) and the Open Content Alliance (OCA) to make its collection of rare and unique books available online, according to the Northeastern library website. Northeastern does not have facilities to digitize its content on a large scale, so the partnership with BLC and the OCA is beneficial, said Maria Carpenter, library advancement and communications officer in an announcement on the library’s website. During the next two years, the 19 members of the BLC, which include Northeastern, a number of other Boston area universities and the Boston Public Library, will put five million pages of content online. The BLC will offer high-resolution, downloadable files of public domain materials and members of the Northeastern community will also have access to digitized files from the university’s collection. – Matt Collette, News Staff
ABC representatives to give information session Representatives from the Disney/ABC Television Group will be on campus tonight to meet with aspiring writers, directors, actors or people interested in working in the entertainment industry. Information about the Disney/ABC Writing Fellowship Program, the ABC/DGA Directing Fellowship Program and the ABC Casting Project will be presented from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at 12 Stearns Hall. Information on co-op and full-time work opportunities will be available. – Matt Collette, News Staff Special effects artist to give lecture as part of series The art + design department will host special effects artist, producer and director Jeff Kleiser Tuesday as part of its third annual visiting-artist lecture series, according to a Northeastern announcement. Kleiser is president and cofounder of Kleiser-Walczak Studios and has contributed visual effects work to films like “Stargate” and “Judge Dredd.” He also helped complete an animated short film that was later honored at The New York International Children’s Film Festival. The lecture, is free to the public and will take place at 105 Shillman Hall from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. – Kate Augusto, News Staff
