Too Much To Do

The roles of the assistant have expanded and remain as vital as ever, says Porter University Professor Helen H. Vendler.

Vendler ticks off some of the tasks she delegates to her assistants: putting together course packs and handouts for classes, conducting library searches and retrievals for her classes and even a bit of scholarly research.

Often ignored is the vital task of filing, she says.

"We all get millions of pieces of paper. Something has to be done with them. We all write millions of pieces of papers, including student references. We are engaged in a lot of correspondence because everybody writes to people who teach at Harvard," she says. "Something has to be done with all of it."

"These tasks take time away from the basic work of reading, thinking, writing and talking to students in and out of class," Vendler says. "It's a waste of resources. It doesn't take somebody paid at my rate to do filing."

For professors with multiple appointments, assistants often function as chiefs of staff.

Janetta C. Randolph is the executive assistant to Peter J. Gomes, who, at once, is Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at the Divinity School, Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church and all-around University conscience.