Daily
Troian
University of Southern California
Volume LXVIII, Number 72_Los Angeles,. California	Vvednesday, February 11, 1976
Newly-appointed school board member calls for citizens’ input
FRANZ K. BAUER
Former Medical School dean dies of heart attack
Franz K. Bauer, 59, dean ofthe School of Medicine from 1969 to 1974. died early Tuesday morning of a heart attack.
At the time of his death he was chief of medical services at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital in Downey.
A memorial service will be held Feb. 18 at 11 a.m. in the Louis B. Mayer Auditorium on the Health Sciences Campus. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that contributions be made to the Franz Bauer Memorial Fund, care ofthe Office ofthe Dean, USC School of Medicine.
Bauer was an associate professor of medicine and coordinator of radioisotope research in 1956, and a professor of medicine and associate dean ofthe School of Medicine in 1965.
By Bob Me Loud
.	Stall Writer
A breakdown ofthe massive Los Angeles School District may be the only solution to the difficulty the average man has in getting his voice heard in the system, said Howard Miller, newly-appointed member ofthe Los Angeles Board of Education.
Miller has been a professor of law at the university for the past 11 years, but he will be taking a one-year leave of absence from his teaching duties for the 1976-77 school year.
Although board membership is not a full-time job—the board meets twice a week—he wants to devote more time to the board than he could if he continued teaching.
He will return to the university for the fall semester. 1977.
Miller will be completing the final 18 months of a vacancy created by the death of Donald D. Newman. The board voted 5-1 on the second ballot to appoint Miller last Thursday.
Miller, a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, said he hopes to make the school more responsive to its citizenry.
There has been some questioning ofthe quality of education children receive in the Los Angeles schools. Miller admits there are areas that need improvement.
“Reading skills are critical and some of the facilities in the district are inadequate,” he said. “Money is going to be tight. We re going to have to look at precise buildings and precise programs and weigh the priorities.”
Miller said the board operates on an annual budget of$1.2 billion that will have to be examined closely for cuts. “We’ll have to look at every penny in the budget and justify everything,” he said.
Miller has been called a liberal, as have four
other members ofthe board, but he feelsthat labels won't mean much in this situation.
“No matter who it is. money expenditures will have to be looked at very closely. The board is prohibited by law to spend beyond its budget." he said.
His critics say he is simply using the position as a stepping stone for a higher office, while the board members were looking for someone to work with them for "a longer period of time.
Miller said it’s not possible to plan one’s life that way. "There is no way I could have known that this position would have been available two months ago. I have every intention of staying with the board.” he said.
Miller felt prompted to apply for the position on the board because he feels that education is an important issue in this country and that the key job of the schools is to educate. He hopes to be an effective force in the improvement of Los Angeles schools, he said.
On the topic of desegregation. Miller stresses a policy of racial equality rather than of racial balance in the school district. “Before anything can be done though, we’ll all have to wait for the decision on the Crawford case, one ofthe first desegregation cases from the Los Angeles School District to go before the California Supreme Court.
Miller is looking forward to working with his new colleagues. He said the present board is a good one and if any school board can be effective, this one can.
He said one of the key problems for a new member on the board is to remember that the members must work together. “You want to retain your individuality and try not to be swayed all the time by the other members on the board. But you need to work with them, too. You can’t get anything done without three other votes,” Miller said.
Student, faculty seats on Board of Trustees sought
Ralph Story, television talk-show host and interviewer, was on campus Tuesday morning to interview students for his new show. Storyli)ie. which features Los Angeles area residents commenting about current popular issues.
Story interviewed members of Joe Saltzman’s journalism class. Social Responsibility ofthe News Media, about what they thought ofthe title of his new show. Most students responded unfavorably and suggested several alternatives: The Same Old Story. The Un-T<ilk Slum'. Speakeasy. The Talk of the Town, and The Xereretidiiiy Story.
By Cathy Taylor
Assistant Cit> Editor
The Student Senate has re commended in a proposal to the President's Advisory Council that a student member be elected to the Board ofTrustees.
The proposal also suggests that a faculty member be elected to the board, and that the meetings be opened to the public.
Dave Blackmar. chairman ol the senate, said it hopes to get united support from the faculty and the administration in addition to strong student backing.
“Then, hopefully, it will be taken by President (John R.) Hubbard to the board,” Blackmar said.
Hubbard and J. Robert Fluor, chairman of the board, were unavailable for comment.
The proposal explained that the board is the only overseer of decisions made by the administration. and that it is the major policy maker for the university.
Therefore “we (the Student Senate) believe it is time the students and faculty became a part of this important group.”
The proposal also said that Governor Brown signed a bill last November that required student membership on the board of the California State University system.
California voters in that year also approved a referendum (proposition four) that authorized the appointment of a student member to the Board of Regents for the University of California system.
The senate based part of its research on a report made by the Office of Institutional Studies in 1972. Blackmar said.
In the report, data was collected from 47 universities—24 private and 23 public.
The report indicates that for the universities studied, there was a greater student and faculty participation on the boards of private institutions as compared to public schools.
“All of the institutions with student or faculty board participation indicated general satisfaction with their current arrangements and none are contemplating change,” the report says.
Most of the institutions surveyed. however, do not provide voting privileges to the student or faculty.
The senate maintains that student representatives should be members with full voting status.
Universities surveyed that did not have student or faculty participation cited one reason as being conflict of interest, the re-
port says. The argument of conflict of interest arises from the belief that board members should be separate from other elements ofthe university.
“The board has already seated a conflict of interest, the senate proposal says, “by electing three representatives of the General Alumni Assn. This, however, has proven to be a healthy participation” and should be extended to other groups that can give meaningful input.
The proposal noted that the channel of communication was closed in both directions and that neither side is able to hear the other's point of view, since meetings are closed to the public.
The senate also asked that one student seat with full privileges be made available on all committees ofthe board, in addition to one faculty seat.
It also requested that the news media be able to report the meetings.
Blackmar said the selection for new members on the board will be in May.
“I see no reason why—as long as they think this is a rational, well-thought-out-idea—a student trustee can’t be seated by then,” Blackmar said.
Based on past experience, however, Blackmar said he was pretty pessimistic that action would be taken that quickly, and that even if the board approves the proposal, a student trustee would not be elected to the board immediately.
He said he has not investi-
(contmued on page 8)
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Students see the real Story