Western Front - 1984 February 28

              Women's Center's
Langston fights sexism/3
1
Speakers highlight Black
History Week/8,9
A look back at Western's
short season/13
Tuesday, February 28,1984 Western Washington University, Bellingham, Wash. Vol.76, No. 14
Sexual harassment policy
for employees unveiled
By Joe McAuliffe
A preliminary sexual harass­ment
policy that prohibits West-em
employees from "leering or
ogling" at one another has been
drafted by a university
committee.
The proposed policy is in
response to Gov. John Spellmans
executive order released last fall,
requiring state agencies to draw
up a sexual harassment policy for
employees. Spellman ordered all
agencies to produce statements
defining sexual harassment and
labeling it an intolerable offense.
Western's policy, still subject to
revision, was prepared by five
university employees, who
represent major administrative,
faculty and staff organizations.
The committee was formed by
Leslie Nix, affirmative action
coordinator.
'Friendly pats' off limits
The present draft describes
sexual harassment as follows:
"...sexual harassment is not refer­ring
to a mutually desired rela­tionship.
Examples of behaviors
which have been considered
sexual harassment include, but
are not limited to, invitations for
dates which do not stop when
the response is negative; unin­vited
and deliberate touching or
accidental brushing against a
person's body; friendly pats,
squeezes, pinches or other forms
of physical contact; uninvited let­ters,
phone calls or materials of a
sexual nature; sexually explicit or
suggestive materials in the work­place
including "pinups" or sex­ually
degrading "cartoons"
posted at the work site; uninvited
sexually suggestive looks, con­stant
leering or ogling, or ges­tures;
uninvited sexual teasing,
remarks, or questions of a per­sonal
or private nature which
have no relationship to the work
place."
Members of the committee that
produced the policy are Candice
Wiggum of the Administrators
Association, Suzanne Goodell of
the Staff Employee Council, John
Turner of the Washington Public
Employees Association, Linda
Wright of the Washington Federa­tion
of State Employees and
Evelyn Wiseman of the Faculty
Senate.
The representatives have pres­ented
the draft to their consti­tuencies
for review and copies
have been sent to President Ross
and the three vice presidents for
approval and recommendations.
Final approval
Nix said she requested • the ~-
drafts be returned to her office by
the end of February.
A few of the representatives,
however, said this deadline will
not be met because their organi­zations
need more time to
deliberate.
The final policy will be submit­ted
to the Board of Trustees. If
approved by the board, it
becomes university policy, possi­bly
as early as the end of spring
quarter, Nix said.
The policy does not create a
new formal grievance procedure
but rather refers to the existing
Affirmative Action/Equal Oppor­tunity
Guidelines for recourse
against discrimination.
"The aim is the same as the
student policy: to educate and
change behavior, not to fire a
bunch of people," said Nix.
Dismissal a possibility
Like the student grievance
procedure, dismissal is one pos­sible
form of sanction, but "that is
only going to be used in the most
horrendous occasions," Nix said.
The draft includes descrip­tions
of sexual harassment situa­tions
an employee might encoun­ter
on the job. It reads: "Sexual
harassment is especially serious
when it threatens the relation­ship
between a supervisor and
his or her subordinates. It also
states, "...this policy recognizes
also that sexual harassment can
occur between persons of equal
or unrelated status."
••-'•'The•'•policyv4S**hi&ti''meant -to --
frighten people, but rather to
make the statement that sexual
harassment is unprofessional
and inappropriate," added Nix.
"Hopefully they will encourage
people to come forward.
Studies have shown that 85 to
95 percent of women that work
have reported some form of sex­ual
harassment, Nix noted.
You wouldn't kill a wolf would you?" Wayne Johnson asks passing
motorists. Johnson is a member of the Project Wolf Coalition of the
United States and was part of a wolf hunt protest rally in Blaine
Saturday. For related story, see page 2. photo b y J a n j c e ^\eT
Mr. Western takes it off for admirers More than
150 seeking
Talbot's job
By Johnny Song
Singer Boy George (alias Kevin Waldron) stole the hearts of judges
and the audience in the 1984 Mr. Western contest as he serenaded
them with "Karma Chameleon."
Waldron, who was second runner-up last year, was crowned Mr.
Western in front of an excited Viking Union crowd Saturday night.
Representing Higginson Hall, the sophomore theater/dance
major won the crowd's support with his talent show, and then
sealed the victory with an impressive swim/sports-wear segment.
He began his talent show by pretending to play a guitar to a
recorded classical song. After 15 seconds he switched to a tennis
racket camouflaged as an electric guitar while the recording picked
up its beat. Then, after giving up his "guitar," he teased the crowd
with Segments of "Karma Chameleon'' as Waldron changed into the
feminine Boy George attire—a long skirt, Hassidic hat, a wig of
braided hair and black fingerless gloves.
The house went into a frenzy as he stepped into the capacity
crowd, flirting and dancing with unsuspecting victims. He
sashayed through the audience to the judges and back to the stage,
drawing an enormous round of applause.
After the show, Waldron said he didn't expect such a positive
response to his Boy George act.
"It was definitely a confidence builder," he said. "I forgot about
being nervous and just opened up."
The blond, blue-eyed Waldron did indeed look confident when
he titillated the crowd again during the swim/sports-wear contest.
The burly contestant appeared in red swimming trunks and check­ered
Hawaiian shirt. He quickly discarded the shirt and flexed his
muscles to the impressed "wooooooos," "oooooooohs" and whis­tles
from spectators.
"I ripped the Hawaiian shirt when I took it off," Waldron
recounted. "But it was worth it for the crowd response."
Waldron said he enjoys being in front of people and the most
important part of the pageant was having fun.
"I don't take (the pageant) as a serious thing," Waldron said. "I
By Mitch Evich
More than 150 men and
women throughout the nation
have applied for the position
generally regarded as the second-most
important at Western.
The chairman of the search
team charged with finding a
replacement for Vice President
for Academic Affairs James Talbot
said he thinks the position may
elicit close to 200 entries before
next week's application deadline.
At that time, committee
members will begin looking at
applications in detail, search
committee head Sam Kelly said.
So far, applications only have
been examined to determine
whether those applying meet the
job's basic experience require­ments,
Kelly said.
The vice president for aca­demic
affairs oversees university
budgeting, curriculum, person­nel
matters and planning.
The position has been advertised
in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
After applications have been
reviewed, the eight-member
Mr. Western 1984: Kevin Waldron m See WALDRON, page 2 • See VP, page 2