For Sollors the heavy committee workload at times comes at the cost of his non-academic pursuits.

"Sometimes you cut into your private life," he says. "You can't read the newspaper or go swimming."

Some professors maintain that their harried schedules demand that they cram all of their personal research and writing goals into the short summer months.

"The actual work for the University is so overwhelming that it's very hard to do anything during term time but teach and perform your University service," says Porter University Professor Helen H. Vendler. "It is rare to have a weekend to begin an article or anything like that during term time."

"If you do your work correctly and responsibly, you find yourself with a very long work week," she adds.

To be sure, not all Faculty members shoulder such a heavy committee load as Sollors and Vendler. Kenan Professor of Government Harvey C. Mansfield '53 believes he's found the secret to avoiding committee duties.

" If you want to avoid meetings, become a conservative because you won't get invited so often," he quips.

Mansfield notes that he doesn't currently serve on any Faculty-wide committees, limiting his service to three departmental committees as well as several dissertation committees. He is also a regular attendee of full Faculty meetings, a forum he frequently uses to address his colleagues.