The plan to bring in a federal mediator to aid negotiations between the University Professionals of Illinois, Eastern’s faculty union, and the administration has generated mainly favorable reactions from faculty members.

The negotiations for a new three-year contract have been ongoing for months and recently declared at an impasse. The administration initiated a request for a mediator’s services on Wednesday, and the UPI joined the request after staging an informational picket in front of Old Main.

The UPI and various faculty members are negotiating salary issues, as well as protesting work overload and administrative “bloat.”

David Carpenter, professor of English, said requiring the services of a federal mediator is unfortunate, but the move might be the UPI’s best and last hope.

Even though interim President Lou Hencken and other administrators talk about the importance of academic quality, Carpenter said the administration doesn’t actually support the faculty.

“This is all the result of having a president who doesn’t understand what is required of individuals who are engaged in teaching and scholarship,” Carpenter said. “He’s shown his priorities – he views the university as a booster club for athletics.”

He said the faculty often gets rhetoric instead of dollars from the administration. Unlike three years ago, the last time a federal mediator was brought in to speed up negotiations, Carpenter said the dollars are available, especially since Eastern has the largest freshman class in history.

John Kilgore, professor of English, said it seemed a positive resolution came out of the last negotiating process, but said the process, with or without a federal mediator, can be scary.

“It’s a bit of a game of chicken,” Kilgore said. “No one on Earth knows the final result.”

Other faculty, such as history professor Charles Titus, also said they don’t know much about the context in which the mediator was brought in and can’t predict a negotiations outcome.

“We found out there’s a mediator, and that’s about all,” Titus said. “I hope we reach a settlement – a fair and accurate settlement – that’s appropriate for everyone concerned.”

Joseph Heumann, professor of speech communication, said the administration isn’t listening to faculty concerns, but this is not a battle with sides.

“We’re not on two sides. This is a small place and everybody’s in the same boat,” Heumann said.

However, Heumann said the quality of the university can only be maintained if faculty can be retained, and negotiations won’t go far if the administration won’t come up with adequate compensation for faculty and staff.

Bringing in a federal mediator is part of the negotiations process, although the decision to do so was made early this time, Heumann said.

“We’re not going to see the federal mediator by Nov. 5 – those guys don’t come right away,” Heumann said. “I think there might be more movement after elections.”

The negotiating process has become more aggressive over the years, Kilgore said, but “going to the brink” is the best way to defend the faculty, the students and the university.

Faculty members don’t foresee a strike at this point, and Kilgore said striking would be a disaster for everyone.

“I hope it wouldn’t come to that,” said Bonnie Irwin, professor of English. “We can usually find better ways to find resolutions.”