Federal programs bring heaps of paperwork
Required forms are rational,
but sometimes suffocating
By LORI PETERSON
Of the Emerald
The federal government has
become as common as coffee in
offices across America lately, and
the scene on this campus Is no
different
University administrators are
literally bombarded with paper
work. Federal forms, reports,
questionnaires and more forms
have to be dealt with daily
These are aimed at achieving
necessary things, ' says Paul
Olum, vice-president for
academic affairs and provost, one
of many administrators con
fronted with federal paperwork
While some of the required
paperwork "strengthens certain
parts of the University and
weakens others," according to
Olum, it is indeed a time consum
ing and tedious task
Olum says the various types of
reporting required of the Univer
sity includes budgetary reporting,
reporting for research sponsor
ship, reporting status of veteran
students on campus and reporting
by the financial aid and admis
sions offices.
Some of these are rational and
reasonable, says Olum But he
believes it would be easier on
many people if the government
did not require so many different
forms to be filled out
Olum says the government's
goal "is good, but we drown in the
paperwork"
In order to obtain federal funds
for research, though, both scien
tific and financial reports must be
submitted to the federal govern
ment.
Aaron Novick, dean of the
graduate school, says this type of
reporting is necessary to carry on
extensive research, but many of
the forms the department receives
from the government are de
signed for use by industry
The federal government also
requires formation of a Committee
for the Protection of Human Sub
jects. This committee is com
posed of University personnel and
persons from the community and
is organized to prevent the
abuse of human subjects used in
experiments. Another watchdog
Committee on Biological Safety is
also required by the federal
government to guard against the
conducting of any hazardous ex
periments The committee's job is
to make sure the proper facilities
are used in any hazardous pro
ject , but no one has proposed any
such hazardous experiments at
the University, according to
Novick.
Documentation on enrollment
for each quarter and the status of
veterans on campus is also re
quired by the federal government.
Assistant registrar Chris Munoz
says federal compliance sur
veyors require hard data on vete
rans, as well as a quarterly report
on the status of all veterans enrol
led for the term
The Registrar's Office is also
Hillsdale fights red tape jungle
While federal red tape is flooding universities, one
small college in Michigan is fighting its own battle
against the Department of Health, Education and
Welfare (HEW)
Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich , has never
accepted federal funds, according to college presi
dent George Roche But last year HEW claimed that
Hillsdale was accepting federal money because 100
of its 1,000 students were receiving veteran benefits
or other federal aid
HEW ruled the college had to comply with Title IX
regulations prohibiting discnmmation.
Roche says the trustees are resisting the
government s intrusion into the private college ad
ministration, and adds that HEW's reasoning would
bring government control into all private enterprise.
Hillsdale College has no quarrel with the anti
discrimination goals of Title IX, according to Roche,
and has always admitted students without regard to
race, sex or religion.
“HEW takes a paragraph from the Congressional
Record and expands it into a telephone book of
strangling rules and regulations," he says.
And Hillsdale’s campaign against the government
has gone national. The college hopes to secure a
$29 million endowment to finance operating costs.
The college has raised $6 million since November,
according to Roche.
Roche does not believe the Carter administration
will be any easier on Hillsdale He said Joseph
Califano, the new HEW secretary, is “one of those
social engineers." Roche expects him to be “even
more aggressive in interventions on the campuses."
Orawvsg by Wanda Fay Scots
required to keep current on the
daity reports of a veteran's status
— whether the veteran adds or
drops a class — if the government
should request individual records.
“We apply for federal monies in
October," says Lance Popoff, as
sistant director of student financial
aid. Popoff reports that money for
the National Direct Student Loan
and College Work Study Proyam
is appropriated by Congress.
Once the financial aid department
obtains funds from the federal
government, a Fiscal Operations
Report must be compiled in Au
gust of the following year to exp
lain how the money was spent.
Basic Educational Opportunity
Grants (BEOG) entail paperwork
also. Quarterly reports must be
submitted to the Department of
Health, Education and Welfare
(HEW) on student eligibility. Sup
plementary Educational Oppor
tunity Grants (SEOG) also require
the University to be in dose con
tact with the federal government.
Funds for these grants are ob
tained by applying directly to the
federal government, according to
Popoff.
Affirmative Action on campus
used to make annual reports to
both the state and federal gov
ernment. Director Myra Willard
says recent changes mean the
report will be submitted once
every two years rather than once a
year.
The federal government re
quired the office to keep on file a
Self Evaluation for Title IX, which
prohibits discrimination on the
basis of sex in education and hir
ing. But Affirmative Action now
can cut back on paperwork by
submitting federal reports to the
state and Willard says that the an
nual report will be smaller this
year.
Hours are spent on these re
ports, and since the daily prob
lems and work in the office take
first priority, Willard does most of
the report writing after office
hours.
While much of the federal
paperwork that passes through
the University may simply be part
of what Pres. Jimmy Carter terms
“a bureaucratic mess," even Wil
lard says “some reports are good.
They let you know where you are. "
RUPERT COSTO
President of the American Indian Historical
Society, San Francisco
E.M.IJ. Forum from 11:30 to 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 22
Mr. Costo will discuss Indian history and its relationship
to current Indian issues in the United States.
I
No admission charge.
EVERYBODY WELCOME!!!!!
EMU Cultural Forum Presents
Husef LaUef
The Gentle Giant
Wed., March 2
8 o.m. EMU Ballroom
S4.50 U of 0 Students
Tickets Available:
Main Desk,
and Everybody's Records