Confronted by a slumping economy, the shock of terrorism and allied attacks on Afghanistan, the president of the University of Cincinnati's faculty union Saturday floated an unusual approach to stalled contract talks:

        Consider a one-year pact with renewed negotiations on the remaining two years of the contract “when the situation improves,” mathematics professor Joe W. Fisher suggested.

        Whether it would be acceptable to the 1,990 full-time faculty represented by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) was unclear.

        Dr. Fisher revealed the possibility during an AAUP news conference to explain why the union declared an impasse Friday and called for mediation. “Things have broken down at the table and we hope that we can get things going through mediation,” he said.

        UC spokesman Greg Hand responded that Dr. Fisher's surprising suggestion “would be something to talk about with the mediator.”

        UC chief negotiator Mark Stepaniak would not comment on the possibility of a one-year contract without talking to UC President Joseph A. Steger, but he agreed, “We haven't gotten anywhere for a while and anything creative is welcome.”

        John K. Brackett, the associate professor of history who heads AAUP's negotiating team, said a split contract was “a long way down our list” and it had not been proposed during negotiations.

        Even so, Dr. Brackett said, the “1+2” approach might be desirable “rather than to come to an agreement in this climate.”

        Stanley Corkin, associate professor of English and head of AAUP's media committee, said an unprecedented split contract would “demonstrate our willingness to work with the administration if they are really willing to engage with us to equitably get out of this impasse.”

        AAUP has put more than a dozen issues on the table in addition to its proposal for a 20 percent pay increase over three years.

        Faculty are teaching under the contract that expired Aug. 31. They have authorized a strike but none has been called.

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