Western Front - 1973 October 5

              Trustees asked to wait on budget action
Students organizing
response to crunch
(BULLETIN - The board of Trustees yesterday
postponed its decision on a reduction in faculty
force policy. The board will hold a special meeting
Oct. 19 to try to arrive at a final decision.)
by DUFF WILSON
( A request for two-weeks' time to study
reduction-in-force alternatives and procedures was
presented to the Board of Trustees yesterday by
President Charles J. Flora, representing the
All-College Senate.
Yesterday was the scheduled Trustee hearing on
the matter, but senators object almost
unanimously to the fact that they have had only
about a week to study the myriad of facts and
plans drawn up over the summer.
"People simply haven't had the time to react,
and this stuff needs to be worked out in
committees," senate chairman Brian Copenhaver
said earlier this week.
A Senate resolution passed Monday asking the
Board of Trustees to "take no action" on
reduction-in-force until the Senate has studied
recommendations made by its councils and
committees.
"This will be accomplished no later than Oct.
15, 1973," an amendment stated. Approval was
unanimous.
It was generally agreed at the senate meeting
Monday that the current budget problems present
an "extraordinary situation" on which faculty
should have input.
The Academic Coordinating Commission will
poll the college faculty and present a report by
mid October, although one member called it a
"Herculean task."
President Flora said at the senate meeting that
the Board of Trustees wanted a reduction-in-force
policy as soon as possible, probably this month.
At the Monday meeting Flora said, "I think the
(dismissal) notices are going to have to get out by
Jan. 1." He said that Nov. 1 would be a very, very
late date for the Trustees to decide on their layoff
policy.
Procedures to remove people from their
departments are long and careful, often ground
out in committee. And then a six to 12-month
notification must be given.
"If they use straight seniority (as a guideline)
it'll be easy," Flora noted.
Whether the faculty will be represented in
college governance by the senate or an all-faculty
body is now being put to the vote.
Thursday ballots were sent to the faculty on
the ratification of a new constitution for the
Faculty Council. If passed, the council would
represent faculty concerns in the All-College
Senate.
Under the new constitution the Faculty
Council would consist of elected faculty senators.
Last May the faculty voted overwhelmingly to
ratify the new constitution. However, only 175
ballots were returned, and 236 were needed for
ratification.
This time only two-thirds of those voting are
needed to ratify the new constitution.
the - western front western Washington state college
Vol. 66
No. 3
FRIDAY
October 5, 1973
Ten Cents
Recycle all paper
Married students stall rent hike
by KATHI SANDBOE
Faced with a substantial rent increase for
college housing this year, married students
organized and negotiated with Pete Coy, housing
director, managing to win a one year reprieve.
House Bill 404, which was passed in June,
makes it illegal to discriminate against people on
ONE YEAR — Pete Coy, housing director, gave
married students reprieve on rent hikes.
Housing Contracts for everyone may be
changed.
the basis of marital status. This meant the college
was no longer able to offer housing to married
students at a reduced rate.
Married students, advised by the Legal Aids
office to "organize and mobilize," met together
and drew up an alternative proposal. After
presentation of the proposal and further
negotiations, Coy agreed to keep basically the
same rates as before.
Last year married students were offered two
contract options. They could pay on a monthly
contract which was $165 a month, or yearly at
$1400 ($160 a month). This year they have
dropped the monthly option, but have substituted
a quarterly contract, which would be $800 for fall,
$740 for winter and $716 for spring.
After meeting with the married students, Coy
said his office had three concerns — legality, the
students' needs and ability to pay and maintaining
a level of income for the college from the
apartments. Coy describes the situation as being
resolved temporarily.
Single students now pay $220 a month for an
apartment at Birnam Woods. The new law says the
college must make rates for singles and married
students the same, and no distinction can be made
between them. "There will be no married students
contracts next year. The college will not recognize
married students as being married," Coy said.
Coy said the reason for the different rates
between single and married students is because
married students have a more limiting contract. A
rule for married students is that there can be only
two adults living in an apartment. He also
explained that married students as two people use
fewer utilities than the four single students who
usually occupy an apartment.
Coy said they are in the process of changing the
contracts and it will take awhile to completely
comply with the law. Steven Jamieson, assistant
attorney general on campus, said as long as the
college was making prdgress towards changing the
contracts and meeting the new requirements, there
would be no problem in offering basically last
year's rates.
Ed Simmers, a married student at Birnam Wood
and one of the organizers of the proposal, said "we
got more than we expected. Pete Coy was as fair as
you could ask for."
Coy said that he will keep pressuring the
Birnam Wood married students to help with the
new contracts. He said they will be developing new
contracts in a few months. Possible changes could
include a flat rate for yearly, monthly and
quarterly contracts for everyone. The housing
office may also assign people to units as they do in
the dormitories..
by DENNIS RITCHIE
In an effort to gain time for
an organized student response,
students have asked the Board of
Trustees to hold off on any
actions concerning the budget
crunch at Western.
John Wolfe, Associated
Student president, said that a
few weeks are needed for the AS
Board of Directors and other
student groups to formulate
plans on how to deal with the
problem.
Doug Potter, student senator
on the executive committee of
the All-College Senate said, "The
problem is it's all been
happening so fast. We don't
know how we should be
reacting."
Potter stated that there is
poor organization of students on
campus. He said that he has no
idea if it'll ever get better.
A student petition is being
circulated that condemns the
proposed faculty cuts. The
students will suffer if large
n u m b e r s of faculty are
dismissed, the petition states. As
of Wednesday 400 students had
signed.
The supporters of the
petition are asking the Board of
Trustees to postpone decisions
on reduction until students can
become informed of the
problem and the possible
alternatives and take part in
finding a solution.
A position paper endorsed by
the AS board and the student
caucus of the senate expressed
concern over several proposals
designed to cope with the
financial crisis. The groups
observe that the proposals "seem
to lead to. a significant decline in
institutional quality and thus a
decline in enrollment."
Examples cited by the paper
include the proposal to cut
allocations . for graduating
teaching assistants, possible
consolidation and elimination of
academic units and possible
reductions in force.
The statement feared that the
proposal concerning teaching
assistants would essentially
eliminate the graduate program.
The proposals concerning
(cont. on pg. 8)
WUMP! — The parachute opens as the man on the ropes glides
downward. Guys like Doug Bennion call it "higher than any drug
could ever ger you." Story on pg. 4.