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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 4, 1969)
Attendance low at hearing on group requirements By BILL BUCY For the Emerald The first open hearing on revision of group re quirements drew less than 20 people Wednesday night. The meeting was called by the ad hoc committee on group requirements in order to “solicit con cern” about requirements, according to Joe All man, an associate professor in political science and chairman of the group. Allman explained the committee was formed a year ago as “it was apparent to many, there were faults with the old program.” He said the group has found there are “funda mental” problems in the group requirement system. “As best we could find, there is little to justify the present program other than the fact it insures at least some breadth of courses.” Allman said the committee has now been ex panded to study undergraduate education as a whole. PRESENTS ASUO POSITION Ron Eachus, an ASUO administrative assistant, presented the ASUO’s position on the subject of group requirements. Eachus read a statement calling for the abolition of group requirements. The paper claimed, “Only the individual can determine exactly what his most important needs are in relation to the needs and historical circumstances of the society in which he lives.” The paper concluded that “political and power relationships” at the University would probably prevent the abolition of group requirements and called for three points to be added to the com mittee’s preliminary report. The first called for a standing committee made up of an equal number of students and faculty to study academic reform. The second called for a policy committee com posed of an equal number of faculty and students. The third called for a program of independent studies to be opened to all students. Eachus said the present system is confining and forces the student to spend time on subjects he doesn’t care about which he might be able to spend on other subjects. He said with departmental requirements, group requirements and the total number of hours re quired by the University, he could not see how any one graduated. ‘BASIC SYSTEM IS SOUND’ Eachus said the basic educational system is sound. “We believe the spirit of the University is in the direction of a liberal education and the atmos phere of the University is in this dierction, but the requirements are too confining.” Each said the ASUO felt the abolition of require ments would force courses to become more mean ingful to students. He said courses being kept just to meet requirements would then be judged on their merits. Opposition to total abolition was expressed by committee member L. E. Ward. He said the Uni versity could not grant degrees such as B.A. and B.S. without requirements and would be forced to grant degrees such as “bachelor of Community service and Public Affairs.” Eachus said it would be unfair to assume stu dents did not deserve a B.A. just because they did not have to meet requirements. Bill Kerlee, a committee member, said he felt the requirements force students to remain children. “If you treat men as children they will react as children. I’m 26 years old and still considered a child because I have student tacked on to my name.” University President Robert Clark was scheduled to speak but was unable to attend the meeting. On Jan. 5 Food cooperative to open The tentative opening date for the Willamette People’s Coopera tiv, Inc., is Jan. 5, said Mel Baer, one of the organizers of the food co-op at a Wednesday meeting. Approximately 40 persons at tended. About $1,500 is needed initial ly to begin the store operation. Five dollar pledges are being col lected for the initial capital. There will be a table on the EMU Terrace from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday for collection. For information and payment of pledges, call Greg Ivy at 344 6929 or go to 1465 W. 11th Ave. The organization asked that pledges be given by Dec. 10 to allow them to work with the money over the vacation and begin operation in January. The proposed location is at E. 22nd Ave. and Emerald. It is currently a small grocery store and will cost $140 a month to rent the store and adjacent house. Although there is some equip ment within the present structure, more will be needed. The owner will sell his stock for a 25 per cent discount. The cost of insurance is about $75 a month. Operating on a 10 per cent r mark-up, the group estimated it needs at least 300 persons in the first week to get a stock turn over. A $2,000 monthly running capi tal was suggested. In this case, 100 persons spending $20 a week is necessary. Professionals and students in law, architecture and business are needed to start the venture. Members will determine the prices of the goods and the choice of the foods. Clark clarifies position on dormitory conditions University President Robert Clark feels that the public has misinterpreted his Nov. 7 state ment about “indefensible con ditions” existing in campus dorms. In a special luncheon meeting Wednesday with the Student Con duct Committee, Clark charged the committee with the task of find ing out exactly what conditions do exist in dorms. President Clark said he had not intended the public to interpret his statement as saying such con ditions do exist and that a “proc tor” system of policing the dorms would be necessary. On the contrary, Clark said dorm governing should be accom plished by both the students and the administration. Clark asked the committee to determine if recent complaints ac curately document actual condi tions in dorms and if such con ditions are representative of all dorms. Pending the outcome of such an investigation, Clark advised the committee to consider conduct policy alterations if dorm con ditions are found to be incon sistent with present guidelines. Don Chalmers, ASUO Senator and conduct committee member, said the president was particularly concerned about the protection of dorm residents’ individual rights against violation by other resi dents or visitors. Faculty passes ecology study By WANDALYN RICE Of the Emerald The University faculty, after long debate and several defeated motions, voted Wednesday to endorse the principle of a program or convocation to deal with problems of population, encvronment and and hunger. The resolution, which originally called for University participation in the planned programs, was introduced by Fred Mohr, Eugene city councilman and member of the University faculty. In other action the faculty postponed a motion to cancel ROTC contracts and voted to create a standing committee on ethnic studies. Mohr’s resolution explained that the program on environment, “Time out for Survival,” is designed to deal with the problems of environ ment and survival currently facing Oregon and the nation. According to Sonja Sweek, ASUO vice-president, the program is being planned by students, faculty members and persons from local high schools and may involve bringing nationally known speakers to campus during spring term. Miss Sweek told the faculty “We are bringing this before the faculty now rather than later because we are determined this will not only be an academic exercise. HICKEL .MOYNIHAN BEING SOUGHT “We are putting out feelers to Hickel (Interior Secretary Walter Hickel) and Moynihan (special advisor to President Nixon, Patrick Moynihan) and we need the lead time to work on it over Christmas vacation.” Problems developed with the form of the resolution during the meeting. Because part of the resolution called for the University to participate in the program during the first two weeks of spring term, University President Robert Clark, serving as chairman of the meeting, ruled that the resolution required one month’s notice of motion before it was in order. Notice of motion is required by the University faculty for any action which requires a change in University policy. Since the convocation would possibly result in cancelled classes, Clark ruled it was a policy question. When Mohr agreed to delete that portion of the resolution, other faculty members pointed out a clause which called for the University to develop curriculum in each department that addresses itself to the problems of environment, and calls for the establishment of a research and data center to attack these problems. Because these proposals also constituted a change in policy, a faculty member moved that the resolution be postponed until the January meeting, allowing time for the faculty senate to study the proposal. CHANGED MOTION PASSES Finally, near the end of the two-hour long meeting, another motic t was made, deleting all portions of the resolution which committed the University to action, so “the students can go ahead with their plans over Christmas vacation.” The motion passed. In other action, the faculty voted 152-78 to uphold a recommenda tion by the faculty senate that a motion to terminate the University contracts with BOTC made by Andrew Thompson, counselor at the University counseling center, be postponed until after a report by the ad hoc committee on ROTC. Thompson’s motion would have ended the University affiliation with the Army and Air Force ROTC programs by the end of fall term, 1970. Before the vote Thompson argued that the ad hoc committee had never been charged with studying the contracts for ROTC, but only with studying the curriculum. He added, “It would be a waste of time for any committee to re examine the contracts with the idea of renegotiating them, because it would literally take an act of Congress to establish different con tracts.” STANDING COMMITTEE CREATED Other faculty members noted that other proposals concerning ROTC are being developed and that the University could terminate contracts at a later date, if necessary. The faculty then approved by voice vote the creation of a standing advisory committee on ethnic studies. The committee, according to James Tattersall, professor of eco nomics who made the motion, the committee would advise faculty and students on the development of ethnic studies and would allow the faculty to aid in “actively initiating and planning an ethnic studies program.” Also, the faculty voted to expand the present ad hoc committee on group requirements and rename it the ad hoc committee on under graduate education. The committee is charged with continuing hearings and investiga tions pertaining to the implications of a preliminary report proposing the abolition of group requirement. (See other story this page.)_ ASUO Social Division presents another Film Classic The Fiances 50c Thursday 150 Science 6:30 & 9:30 p.m. HAVE YOU HEARD? • 2 YR PROCRAM . 4YR PROGRAM . SCHOLASTIC GRANTS . PLIGHT PROGRAM . CAREER OPPORTUNITY • MONTHLY PAY AND BENEFITS WHILE IN 6CHOOL , „ CaA^i a crtTHMiibbUrri / a d&ViU' a* TJu, ybcvmjL, us/M* - 72sCrur AFROTC CHERNIY HALL PH. 1031 w' 1033