The university provost announced April 20 a new summer term agreement that affects how faculty are assigned courses and receive pay under the new Year-Round Operations schedule.

After more than three months of debate between the CSU and the California Faculty Association about YRO conditions, both sides came to an agreement that “is reasonable,” said Harry Hellenbrand, CSUN provost.

The contract specifies that the teaching of for-credit courses offered through the extension program will be raised to the level of regular, state-funded summer courses.

Faculty will be paid one thirtieth of their full-time academic year salary for each Weighted Teaching Unit (WTU) taught during the summer, said.

Teachers whose classes fall below 15 students will receive a salary reduction of five percent for each student below the minimum, but the reduced salary cannot fall below 85 percent of the full salary.

Teachers can reserve the right to cancel courses that fall below 15 students and Jolene Koester, CSUN president, has the power to cancel any class.

If a class is cancelled, the teacher will receive a pro-rata fee for the number of class meetings attended.

Glen Garrett, music professor, said he will be teaching three sections of music courses this summer for the extra money. Garrett said that his courses are usually popular with students and he is interested in seeing what kind of turnout he gets.

Hellenbrand said that CSUN planned this summer so that it would be roughly the same size as last summer, but the number of courses can change depending upon student demand.

“As demand increases, classes will increase,” Hellenbrand said.

Also under the changes, a specified number of classes will be assigned to faculty, and department chairs will be allowed to teach during the summer.

The new order of assignment states that work does not need to be offered to all probationary and tenured faculty, but at least 41 percent of it must be offered to those teachers first.

Since teaching during the summer is voluntary, the minimum percentage is dependent upon the number of probationary and tenured faculty accepting the assignments.

Matthew Cahn, professor and chair of the Political Science Department, said he will not be teaching this summer because his available time is much different than those on a faculty contract.

“Chairs don’t have as much time as faculty,” Cahn said. “(But) bottom line, faculty should get paid for what they do.”

Because the changes are so recent and summer schedules are created during the previous October, most chairs will probably not be teaching this summer, said Kurt Saunders, professor and chair of the Business Law Department.

Saunders said he taught summer courses in business law before he became chair and desired to do so after he took the position, but was told he could not.

The changes can now allow him to teach, but he said he probably will not teach this summer because he did not plan for it.

“I would consider (teaching) next year (during the summer),” Saunders said. “It’s something that I wouldn’t mind doing because I’m here (during the summer) anyway.”

All probationary and tenured faculty that do not receive a specific indirect instructional assignment with compensation in the summer term will receive $150 per unit of direct instructional work assigned. Those who do receive an assignment with compensation will not receive $150. Faculty will not receive any funds for uncompleted assignments.

“There will probably be more of us (chairs) teaching next summer,” Saunders said.

The final part of the contract states that payment for indirect instruction will also be changed.