Western Front - 1982 December 3

              INSIDE:
Selling yourself
to get a job
—page 9
Music man picks
his fave rave LPs
—page 10
Western Washington University
Friday, December 3, 1982
Vol. 74, No. 61
Trustee
questions
harassment
document
By MARK CARLSON
Though they are the rookies on
the Board of Trustees, Irwin
LeCocq and James Waldo took
the centerstage of discussion
when Western's proposed policy
on sexual harrassment by faculty
and staff surfaced as a topic at
yesterday's meeting of the uni­versity's
top governing body.
The hotly debated measure is
slogging through the Faculty
Senate, where it has drawn howls
of protest from faculty members.
Among other things, senate
members are up in arms over pol­icy
wording that, if the measure is
adopted, could lead to a profes­sor
being sacked because a stu­dent
perceived his or her actions
as sexual harassment.
While LeCocq declared that the
policy seems "extremely reaso­nable
to anyone who adheres to
good human moral values," The
controversial perception defini­tion
caught Waldo's interest at
yesterday's meeting.
"Trying to base a standard on
perceptions is very difficult and
complex," the dapper attorney
from Seattle said.
William "Skip" Sailors, senate
president and accounting pro­fessor,
sarcastically labeled the
perception wording an "interest­ing
concept in law."
Acting University President
James Talbot pointed out that
students who perceive they've
been harassed can file a com­plaint
with the administration.
"Then, someone else must inves­tigate
and decide whether it is
sexual harassment."
Faculty members shown the
door because of the definition
would be "guilty without intent,"
Sailors protested.
The perception clause is just
part of the sexual harassment
document, which took 18 months
to complete. Sexual harassment
is defined by the policy as sexual
behavior such as physical contact
and verbal comments or sugges­tions
in the context of a relation­ship
of unequal power. The rela­tionship
must interfere with an
individual orgroup's educational
and/or work performance, or
create an intimidating, hostile or
offensive educational or work
environment.
"I believe there are people who
feel threatened by the policy,"
Sailors declared. Noting other
senate beefs against the docu­ment,
including the fact that
women completely dominated
, the policy's formation, Sailors
told the trustees he's "not con­vinced
it (the document) will be
able to be presented at the next
Board meeting (in February)."
He earned an admonishment
from LeCocq.
"This seems to be of upmost
importance/' the bank president
from Lynden told Sailors. "I urge
you to have it agreed upon and
completed by our next meeting."
PHOTO BY BLAIR KOOISTRA
Deck the (residence) halls
The stark rows of windows at Mathes Hall take on a little more
personality after Thanksgiving, as students deck the residence
halls with plastic holly and synthetic snow. The festive time
soon will be here, but next week comes the final push to a winter
break Dec. 10. When winter quarter starts Jan. 4 the decorations
will be stored until next Christmas.
President-elect comes to town
Council votes $
for higher ed
By MITCH EVICH
Despite continuing forecsts of economic gloom, the Council for
Post-Secondary education this week recommended a budget for
state public colleges and universities during the next biennium that
would restore some of the funding slashed away the past two years.
Meeting in Seattle Wednesday, the CPE approved a $1.5 billion
budget proposal, a sum $500 million more than a budget Gov. John
Spellman in September ordered colleges and universities to
prepare. The CPE acts as an advisory board to the governor and the
Legislature.
Meanwhile, a key CPE official disclosed yesterday that a
controversial proposal to vary admission requirements at different
institutions based on high school grade point average likely will be
modified before being sent to the Legislature.
The budget proposed by the CPE falls between that requested by
college and university officials and that needed to maintain existing
services, Tom Jons, a CPE official who specializes in budgetary
matters, said.
Current funding levels adjusted for inflation would require $1.39
billion, Jons said, $110 million less than proposed. In Spellman's
"target" budget, proposed to meet a worst-case scenario, higher
education would be granted less than $1 billion, Jons said.
If the CPE recommendation is carried out, Western would receive
$84 million during the biennium beginning July 1. Administrators
here have requested $91 million, but set $78 million as a figure
necessary to maintain current funding levels.
The CPE Wednesday never reached discussion of its proposal to
set statewide admissions policies, but William Chance of the CPE
told the Front that the plan—the object of torrid criticism when
presented around the state recently—likely will be altered.
The CPE compiled a comprehensive set of proposals earlier this
quarter designed to meet the needs of the next six years, and the
admissions policy stood out as the one that received the most flak,
Chance said.
The proposal would allow only those high school seniors
graduating in the top 15 percent of their class access to the
University of Washington, while Washington State University and
the Evergreen State College would accept those in the top 25
percent. Western and the other regional universities would admit
the top 50 percent, while community colleges would retain an open
admissions policy.
The proposal was greeted rudely when presented during a
public hearing at Western Nov. 15, with charges of academic elitism
springing, from a variety of sources, including Acting University
President James Talbot, Associated Students President Mark
Murphy and veteran lawmaker H.A. "Barney" Goltz (D-Bellingham).
Officials from Whatcom and Skagit Community Colleges also
condemned it.
Chance, who represented the CPE during its seven-stop
November tour of the state, conceded that public outcry has forced
the council to reconsider the proposal. But he maintained that
some sort of coordinated enrollment policy is needed to allow state
institutions to become more distinct in purpose.
The proposal has received particular heat for its emphasis on
high school grade point averages, a standard many critics say is
ineffective for predicting future success.
Chance said the CPE will consider lessening the emphasis on
high school grades, but added that "to. the best of my knowledge,
it's still the best indicator of how a person will do in college."
Ross charms jam-packed crowd
Pointing to a need to acquaint
himself with the campus and
community as his first priority,
Western's next president, G.
Robert Ross, was greeted at a jam-packed
press conference Tues­day
morning, where the Board of
Trustees formally announced his
selection.
"We think the next couple of
years will be very difficult for
Washington and Western
Washington University," Board of
Trustees Chairman Curtis Dal-rymple
told the gathering. "For
this reason, the board was look­ing
for someone who could pro­vide
strong leadership."
Slated to succeed Acting Uni­versity
President James Talbot
sometime in January, the Texas-bom
Ross comes to Western fol­lowing
13 years as chancellor at
'the University of Arkansas in Lit­tle
Rock. He has filled numerous
administgrative posts and has
won wide acclaim for his ability
to deal with state lawmakers.
Ross currently is employed
with a Washington, D.C.-based
educational consulting firm.
Although Ross chose to remain
non-committal when quizzed
about controversial campus
issues, he charmed the audience
with wit and optimism.
"Needless to say, I think the
campus community, the Board of
Trustees and the search com­mittee
have done a fantastic job,"
Ross said of his selection.
Ross stressed renovating rela^
tions between the university and
Canadian students whose tuition
rates skyrocketed by more than
$1,000 per quarter, after the Legis­lature
terminated reciprocity
with British Columbia in 1981.
In addition, he emphasizd the
need for Western to improve its
relationship with the surround­ing
community, and called for all
higher education institutions in
the state to work together to
combat further reductions in
quality and accessibility.
He didn't rule out the possibil­ity
that Western will become
increasingly technically oriented.
But he was quick to add that the
current liberal arts-based curric­ulum
could be maintained.
Ross expressed hope for an
economic upswing in this state
and said he expects the condi­tions
of higher education to
improve in the years ahead.
Ross was chosen unanimously
among five finalists, Dalrymple
said. More than 200 people app­lied
for the job.