I would like to offer three comments on your report concerning the post-tenure review ("Post-Tenure Review Could Be in Store for lowa State," Des Moines Register, May 7).

First, the so-called "faculty committee" that created the document under discussion consisted of the provost, some deans, some longtime department heads and some faculty administrator wannabes. It was hardly representative of the faculty at all. (Since all of the members of the committee carry faculty rank in some department, the terminology was technically correct although, in my judgment, it was misleading to the public.)

Second, the "tenure reform" proposals at Minnesota died aborning because the University of Minnesota faculty went to the National Labor Relations Board and petitioned for a vote on unionization. My understanding from colleague at that institution is that the vote failed by a very slim majority of 50 votes. The regents of the University of Minnesota were sufficiently cowed by this threat to withdraw the draconian "tenure reforms" they had proposed

Perhaps it is time for the faculties at the University of Iowa and ISU to give serious consideration to joining our colleagues at the University of Northern Iowa by unionizing. After all, "in union there is strength."

Third, there is already post-tenure review. I write an annual report to my chairman detailing my activities in teaching, research and service. He can and does base my salary increments, my teaching assignments and I my service assignments on these reports, as well he should. Copies of these reports are forwarded to the college dean for further review. The system "ain't broke" so it "don't need fixin'" except perhaps in the eyes of some elitist from Harvard.

Howard A. Levine
Professor of Mathematics
440 Carver Hall