In times of scarce resources, college faculty consider the decision making process to be too time consuming in light of the potential pay-off, and in times of scarce human resources, universities frequently face the problem of overworking a few bright individuals. Speech faculty members' survival depends to a large extent upon their extensive participation in university-wide decision making bodies, while departments must use all the available means of persuasion to see that their most appropriate members are appointed to significant committees, such as curriculum, academic foundations, and budget. In addition, in times of scarce resources, the decision making process will involve and increase the number of negative decisions. In such instances the decision making process will need to rely more heavily upon predetermined policy choices rather than on-demand, individual-case decisions. The speech department is in a position to make more rational decisions relevant to coping with budget cutbacks when those cutbacks are only potential or probable. Departments should also establish departmental guidelines for promotion and tenure that are more stringent than the university-wide standards. Furthermore, departments can no longer afford the luxury of approving a new course each time a new faculty member is hired. Rather, they must approve courses that serve as components of quality. To cope with all these changes, departmental decisions must be made more systematically. (HOD)