Western Front - 1969 April 29

              Doan, Baker take top A.S. positions
Students selectj
1969 officers I
Al Doan
1969-70
AS President
Greg Baker
1969-70
AS Vice-President
Newly elected legislators are
Wally Oyen, Gail Denton, Jim
Eberhart, Neil Porter and Gary
Evans.
A question was included on
the ballot to determine the type
of publication wanted for next
year.
Seventy-eight per cent of the
voters want some form of
student publication; 59.8 per
cent want a yearbook, 18.2 per
cent voted for a quarterly book,
18.2 per cent preferred a social
issues or current events magazine
and 3.7 per cent voted for no
publications.
Based on the findings of the
poll, the committee on student
publications voted to keep the
Klipsun as an annual
publication.
Al Doan gets a winner's kiss . . . and flashes a winner's smile.
illillllii
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photos by finley
the western front
Vol. LXI No. 23 Western Washington State College Bellingham, Washington 98225 Tues. April 29, 1969 10c
Evans endorses Western's doctorate bill
Governor Dan Evans has
signed a bill giving Western the
power to grant the doctor of
philosophy degree in education.
The bill enables Western to
grant the degree to "any student
who has completed a program of
study and research in those areas
which are determined by the
faculty of the college and the
board of trustees to be
appro date for the granting of
such degree."
Originally the bill sponsored
by Sen. Frank Atwood,
R-Whatcom, requested that
Western be given the power to
grant the Doctorate in all fields
that now receive the master's
degree.
This proposal received
criticism from the legislature and
the scope of the bill narrowed.
The bill had previously passed
the Senate, was passed and
amended by the House, and
re-passed the Senate on April 19,
by a vote of 41-1.
An amendment by the House
delays the effective date Western
may*grant a doctorate until July
1,1971.
Another amendment requires
that if the legislature creates a
council on higher education, the
council would review the power
of Western to grant a doctorate.
Dr. J. Alan Ross, dean of
graduate studies at Western, was
not concerned with the
amendment delaying the date
the college may grant the degree.
It would take about five years
to develop programs, select
faculty and modify existing
programs and facilities, he said.
Sen. Atwood noted that if a
Higher Education Council is not
approved during this legislative
session, that amendment would
not affect the remainder of the
bill.
Dr. Herbert Hite, chairman of
W e s t e r n ' s educational
department, said that the
granting of this power will
enable the college to prepare
"teachers of teachers."
The doctorate program will
not affect the undergraduate
program, but will be totally
self-supporting, Dr. Charles
Flora, college president, said.
Flora believed that the
addition of the doctorate will
have a positive influence on the
academic community, and on
students at all levels.
Western to begin ethnic
studies program Fall
An experimental program in
ethnic studies will be introduced
to Western next Fall, Dr.
Thaddeus Spratlen, chairman of
the ad hoc committee for
programs on minority cultures,
said.
The program, to begin with,
will emphasize three minority
groups within the American
s o c i e t y : Afro-Americans,
I n d i a n - A m e r i c a n s and
Mexican-Americans.
Initially Black studies would
be emphasized, with expansion
into other ethnic groups when
the resources became available.
The program as it now stands
can accommodate 50 entering
freshmen and will have four
full-time faculty members.
Humanities encompasses only
part of man's total cultural
tradition. Ethnic studies will
provide a substitute to the
general education requirement
of 18 credit hours in
Humanities.
There will be special focus on
aspects relating to Black and
Indians, Spratlen said.
Ethnic studies would be
transferable with Western and in
a c c o r d a n c e with the
requirements of the college.
With expansion of the
program, additional courses,
lectures and seminars could be
available to Western students
outside of ethnic studies.
Presently there is a proposal
to expand the general education
program in ethnic studies into a
major and minor with the
development of ethnic studies
into a cluster college of Western.
The proposal has been
approved by the Academic
Council with recommendations
to proceed with the college. It
goes to the Faculty Council
Committee on Colleges within
Western, the Faculty Council
and Long Range Planning
Committee before presentation
to the Board of Trustees, Dr.
Spratlen said.
Of the many value objectives
put forth in the framework of
the program, two which perhaps
generalize ethnic studies are:
1) "To stimulate inquiry into
and the understanding of
minority groups and trie
contributions which their
members have made, and
continue to make, to the totality
of American life."
2) "To examine and critique
the place of humanity, ethnicity,
and individuality in the search
for a deeper and clearer meaning
to life in America,"
POTENTIAL DEATH ON CAMPUS-This
refrigerator was found, intact, by Front staff members on
college property. The Security office was notified of the
existence of this potential death trap, but 24 hours later had
taken no action, although they said they would. The door was
finally taken off by the Front staff.
-photo by walker