Daily ip Trojan
Volume LXX, Number 4
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, Californio
Thursday, September 23, 1976
SIGN HERE—Heidi Mumper, a senior in biology, takes advantage of a last-minute voter registration drive. DT photo by Mike Ito.
Persons wishing to vote in the Nov. 2 general election only have until Oct. 4 to register.
Representatives of the United Farm Workers Union have stationed themselves about the campus in an effort to register as many new voters as possible.
So far, nearly 200 students have stopped by each day to register. Of these, approximately 50% register as Demo-★ ★ ★ Register to
vote ★ ★ ★
crats, 25% as Republicans and 25% with the smaller parties.
Though many students may already be registered in another area, they may want to register in this area in order to have the convenience of voting here.
Others, interested in the lower tuition for California residents, may help establish that residency by registering to vote at the university.
A TOP PRIORITY
Tenure on Student Senate docket
BY STEPHEN SASS
Staff W riter
Better utilization of faculty resources and more student input into tenure and promotion policies are amongthe priorities of the Student Senate's Academic Affairs Unit, as set forth in a four-page position paper.
The unit is one of four set up by the senate. The others include student, financial and programming affairs. The units make recommendations in specific research areas.
The academic affairs position paper is the first in a series to be written by each unit.
The unit is composed of Student Senate members, members of President Advisory Council academic commissions and other students.
Denis Mulhaupt, a senior in in-terdivisional studies and a member of the senate, said the paper was drafted to draw the attention of the university community to student opinions in the areas of faculty tenure and promotion, unionization and collective bargaining procedures, teaching evaluation, academic funding, academic support services, student academic standards and extracurricular academic/intellectual enrichment.
The paper begins “academics should be the first priority to be addressed by the Student Senate,” in view of the university’s Century II campaign and “major strides being made to bring weaker departments in line with those that have already achieved national prominence.”
“Staff and alumni I have( spoken with have told me that beefing up of departments by the university has made those departments eons ahead of what we had 10years ago. and we must continue to help the administra-
tion in acquiring the best possible faculty,” said Glenn Sonnenberg, Student Senate chairman.
A problem in the past, according to the report, is the tug-of-war between research and teaching oriented faculty.
The unit wrote that “further investigation should be made into the possibility of research-expertise and instruction-expertise faculty within the university community. Quality in alumni can only be fostered by quality and consistency in instruction.”
Mulhaupt said one way to increase alumni quality is to broaden the interaction between students and staff.
“We have some incredibly talented faculty at USC, and it is to our advantage to utilize their knowledge and experience,”he said.
The Student Senate, to further this goal, will sponsor ongoing student-faculty-staff discussion groups beginning in October.
The groups, which will meet Tuesday evenings on campus and at Cardinal Gardens., will consider academically and intellectually stimulating subjects so that “faculty and students can speak together and challenge each other with new ideas and concepts” according to the report.
In the paragraph on faculty and academics, the unit asks for the incorporation of student evaluations in the decisionmaking process for tenure and promotion decisions on the departmental level.
“Promotion and tenure policies are the most important area that can benefit from student involvement,” the report states.
It goes on to say that “students stand firm on the concept that they must be involved in all levels of unionization and col-
lective bargaining proceedings,” for faculty.
In the area of student academic standards, the unit has drafted a proposal calling for “stricter enforcement and a more fair application of sanctions on cheating,” which has been submitted to the President’s Advisory Council for consideration.
Mulhaupt said the priorities paper will serve as a statement of policy for the unit and guide its activities during the 1976-77 academic year.
More students cast in PAC committee roles
BY DIANE SLEZA v
Assistant City Editor
A significant increase in the number of students on committees to the President’s Advisory Council came with the appointment of 60 people, including 28 students, to fill positions on those committees. President John R. Hubbard approved the appointments.
John Griffith, executive assistant to the chairman of the council, said there was a significant increase in the number of students appointed to committees this year.
He said that although most recommendations for student members came from the Student Senate, the continuing committee members welcomed and, in many instances, requested the increase.
Faculty, staff and administration members are the other university groups represented on the council.
“There was an awareness of the contributions that students can make and an awareness of the achievements by the students last year,” Griffith said.
“It sometimes takes a few years for all constituent groups to realize the opportunity for service and for expressing their (the students’) viewpoints.”
Griffith said there were two committees ofthe seven appointed that showed a marked increase in student appointees. One was the Environmental and External Affairs Committee, where, with the addition of four student members, students total five of the 18 members.
The most dramatic increase was on the Student Affairs Committee, where student representation is one-third of the group. The eight students on that committee constitute a plurality.
Glenn Sonnenberg, Student Senate chairman, said this marked the first time a student plurality on the Student Affairs Committee has occurred.
Griffith said the achievements of the Student Senate last year had a distinct effect on the increased number of students this year.
In addition, Griffith said that there was a conscious effort to stagger class levels on the committees.
“In the past, we might lose five seniors at the end of the year. Having other students to share committee history with us is very valuable to new appointees,” he said.
Sonnenberg said there is presently at least one student senator on each committee. “Since the Student Senate is divided into specific units such as student affairs and financial affairs, they can work more closely with the committees.
“That makes the students more accountable to the senate and each other. If they miss many committee meetings they can be held responsible.”
Terry Ann Hillis, senate vice-chairman, said she sees the increased student representation as a positive sign.
“The whole concept of the PAC is that it’s the four constituencies sitting down and talking together,” she said. “Not only are we represented on the council, but on every step on the way down. This isn’t true of other campus student governments.
“This really affords students a greater voice in university policy. If they are dedicated, they’ll be a credible voice.
“It used to be that students were token members and never did actual research. Now they are full-voting members and are expected to do their homework. If they don’t, they’re out.”
Investigation of charges against security begins
BY PETER FLETCHER
Assistant City Editor
Allegations that Campus Security officers have harassed minorities are being investigated by the university’s Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity.
Barbara Pearson, the office's director, said she’s conducting the investigation at the request of John Lechner, director of Campus Security, and Anthony Lazzaro, vice-president for business affairs.
Pearson didn’t give examples of the alleged harassment. She said she is looking for specific charges for her office to investigate.
Pearson said she sent a letter to Mike Bland, a former security officer, asking him to provide her with specific examples of alleged harassment.
She said Bland made extensive accusations in an earlier meeting with her, but he did not back them up with specific examples. Once she has the examples, she will ask for files and talk to the people involved.
Bland was released by the university Sept. 1. Lechner said he would not discuss details behind the dismissal because Bland’s case is coming before a grievance committee and confidentiality must be maintained for Bland’s protection.
Pearson said she has looked into the records of arrest made by Campus Security, but she could see no pattern from them.
She said there are two matters that she is concerned with, the reported harassment and the discharge of Bland.
Bland claimed in an article in the Los Angeles Sentinel. Sept. 9, that he was fired because he is black and because hecomplained aboutthe harassment of minorities by other officers.
Pearson said a grievance committee, led by Orrin B. Evans, professor of law. will look into Bland's case and at the same time will find out about charges of harassment.
Pearson added that the subject of harassment of minorities is a very sensitive one.
“If there is harassment we want to find out what it is. It is the kind of thing we don’t need.” she said.
TALL TIMBER—In preparation for the premiere of a Sweet Bird of Youth, starring Dorothy McGuire, the university has bypassed seedlings and saplings and landscaped the newly completed Bing Theater with nearly full-grown trees.