Western Front - 1971 November 9

              Western seeks additional $4 million
By PAT BRENNEN
College officials met with the legislature's Joint Committee on
Higher Education last Friday, at Western to present requests for
nearly $4 million in supplemental operating and capital budget items.
The money was allocated by the 1972 special session of the state
legislature.
The $4 million request was approved a day earlier by the college's
Board of Trustees, with $2,600,840 earmarked for capital
improvements; $526,868 for non-salary operating expenses and
$793,180 for salary increases for faculty and administrators.
College President Charles J. Flora had called for a 10 per cent
faculty pay increase at the Board's meeting. He termed the present
salary situation "the most important problem confronting the college
today."
Flora told the Board that the college is losing a lot of good
professors, some of them to community colleges.
"The problem is terribly, terribly serious," he said. "One has to
consider that faculty members here earn, on an average, $ 1,650 less
per year than their community college counterparts."
He explained that salaries.at Western are currently 20 per cent
below the national average at Western and that the faculty and
administration did not receive a salary increase in the 1971-72 budget
and that they only received a 4 per cent increase the year before.
Flora added that in his opinion, the low salaries at Western are
creating a negative morale impact among the faculty.
"The impacts could be tragic if the legislature turns down the plea
for salary increases," Flora warned.
Campus Planner Barney Goltz told the Board that the $2.6 million
capital budget request is almost entirely for utilities construction and
equipment expenses that had been left out of previous budget
requests because the money would not be needed until after the 1972
special session.
They include $1,631-, 590 for installing utilities in buildings
already built or under construction; $194,250 to complete Phase one
in the remodeling of Old Main and $775,000 for equipment to make
recently completed space usable.
The $526,828 requested for non-salary operating expenses would
provide $104,861 for workload increases resulting from participation
in 15 Council on Higher Education studies; legislative committees and
studies; expansion of the financial aids program and the implication of
the tuition and fee act passed in he 1971 session, which tripled the
administrative workload.
In addition, $302,394 of the request, would be used to support an
increase in the instructional formula of 2.5 per cent, or the addition
of some 18 faculty positions.
To be included in the governor's budget request to the special
session, the supplemental budget, as presented by the college, must
first be approved by the governor's Office of Program Planning and
Fiscal Management.
Panels, speakers, films
Racism Workshop begins today
By BOB McLAUCHLAN
Throughout the history of America, minority races have been
persecuted and given a raw deal.
The original inhabitants of this country, the Indians, were taken
from -their lands and put on reservations. Many still remain on the
reservations-scorned and looked down upon by much of the White
population.
The American Blacks, once inhabitants of the African continent,
were chained and brought to this country as slaves. Though they
gained their freedom, they still have not gained the equality which
was supposed to come with their freedom.
The Japanese in this country were herded into concentration
camps during World War H-not because they were criminals, but
because they were Japanese.
All of this comes under the heading of racism.
Today is the beginning of the three-day racism workshop
sponsored by the Black, Indian and Asian Student Unions; and
MECHA (Chicano Student Union).
This is the first time the minority groups have come together on
campus.
Bernie Thomas of the American Indian Students Union said,' One
of our goals is to point at racism. Perhaps you will see yourself as part
of that racist society.
"Racism is a quiet animal-it hurts ethnic minorities and makes life
miserable for us. We are here to point at you and hope that you point
at us."
Allen Stowers from the Black Student Union defines racism
further, "We live under the veil of a democratic society while in fact it
is racist. We live in a so-called ordered, rational society in which some
folks are living under the illusion that they are superior because of
common characteristics. I say it is a sickness that we must address
ourlseves to.
"One of the ostensible objectives of the Nov. 9, 10 and 11
workshop is to disseminate information about the fantasies of race.
We must address ourselves to the fantasies of racism, because we too
are a part of that neurotic lifestyle. A lifestyle that may in fact
destroy all mankind. We see this very clearly in the Amchitka
adventure.
"Racism has been an integral part of this 'rational' society since its
inception. Now, in 1971, racism still is used as a stabilizing force and
it is indeed a source of gratification to many."
(See page 3 for schedule of events)
Petition drive
for student
dollar begins
The Washington Public Interest Research Group (WashPlRG) on
campus will begin a seven day petition drive today with the hope of
getting over 8,000 students to support the Ralph Nader fashioned
group.
Students will be assessed $ 1 per quarter if the Board of Trustees
approves it. Campus WashPlRG officers believe that at least 50 per
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 2)
WESTERN WASHINGTON STATE COLLEGE VOLUME 64 .NUMBER 11