Other junior faculty say the issue should not be granting more time for scholarship, but reordering priorities. Some faculty say that by giving less importance to teaching and service, the University is selling its students short.

"Teaching is not the priority here, nor working with students," says Assistant Professor of Anthropology Terrence Deacon. "I have spent far more of my time than was healthy for my academic advancement working with students. If I had been more clear what a small role those things play I might have made some different choices."

In fact, many junior professors concede that they consciously devote less time to teaching and interaction with students because they know that any efforts they make will not be rewarded.

"You have just built a strong tendency into the system that teaching and students will suffer," Arnesen says.

But despite the complaints, many professors say that department heads have become more sympathetic to the needs of junior members. In particular, they say, more and more senior faculty are being appointed head tutors in an effort to spare junior professors from the time-consuming bureaucratic responsibility.

"I have some sympathy with the arguments," Sorensen says. "I think the departments can organize their workloads differently. Sociology has tried to save junior faculty from taking on the more onerous tasks."

Yet faculty members and administrators say the difficulties of the tenure process are not unique to Harvard; across the Ivy League, they say, university service is not considered during the tenure review.

However, in the larger state schools administrators say they do try to give some weight to junior faculty contributions to teaching and administration.

But despite the arguments for and against university service, many junior professors say the entire tenure system itself must be overhauled. "Part of me is hesitant to say the answer is giving people more time off, because I feel that the structure, standards and process are all wrong," says Nord.

And Jardine adds, "It is clear that the entire tenure process needs to be reviewed, and the relationship between academic excellence and reputation, service to Harvard and the community and teaching needs to be re-examined."

For now, the pace of change is slow for junior faculty. The English Department has promoted only one junior professor in 25 years, the History Department has not made an inside promotion in 10 years and the Sociology Department just made its first internal promotion in six years this spring.