Vol. 79, No. 5
Eugene, Oregon 97403
Tuesday, July 5, 1977
GTFs nit empasse in first bargaining effort
By PAUL WALDSCHMIDT
Of the Emerald
Collective bargaining agents for the
University's graduate teaching fellows de
clared an impasse in its first official negoti
ations with the University administration
and on Thursday requested the state Em
ployment Relations Board (ERB) assign a
mediator to the case.
According to Jerry Lembcke, Graduate
Teaching Fellows Federation (GTFF) sec
retary, the negotiations broke down Mon
day of last week after disagreement on the
number of observers both sides would be
allowed in bargaining sessions.
Lembcke said the GTFF originally asked
for open sessions, with an unlimited
number of observers.
Bill Lemman, vice-chancellor for the
State System of Higher Education and
chief negotiator for the administration, said
the University's original offer was for six
negotiators and two observers.
Lembcke said the GTFF's chief
negotiator, Jim Barnes of the Oregon Fed
eration of Teachers, then- proposed 50 ob
servers and eight negotiators and finally
lowered the number to 16 observers and
eight negotiators.
Lemman said the University’s last offer
before the GTFF declared impasse was for
eight observers and eight negotiators.
Under state collective bargaining rules,
negotiating sessions can be closed to the
public. Both parties have to agree to open
sessions.
Contacted later, Lemman said it is “un
usual” for negotiations to break down over
ground rules, “but this isn’t by any means
the first time for it to happen.”
“In seasoned bargaining relationships,
ground rules are usually settled in an hour
or so,” Lemman said. “However, this is the
first time this union has gone into negotia
tions as recognized unit.”
A spokesman for the ERB office in
Salem confimned that the GTFF has re
quested mediation and “we’ve put them on
the list, but it may be a couple of weeks till
we can get down there. Right now all our
mediators are tied up.”
Lembcke said his union eventually
wants to concentrate on the issues of
wages and working conditions after the
impasse has been resolved.
Initial negotiations between the GTFF
and the University began about a month
ago. Both sides had held four sessions be
fore impasse was declared.
After more than a year’s effort on the
part of the University’s graduate fellows to
organize as a bargaining unit, the ERB
recognized their right to organize in Feb
ruary.
The University had opposed this recog
nition, claiming the graduates were essen
tially students and not teachers or Univer
sity employes.
In April, the graduates voted in an elec
tion to decide which group they would af
filiate with. The GTFF won by a 3-2 margin.
The GTFF is affiliated with the Oregon
Federation of Teachers and the American
Federation of Teachers.
1
■ Original art
to replace
billboards
Billboards like this one may
soon dot the state's roadways
in September if Michael
Whitenade of the University's
Museum of Art has his way.
Though this billboard tvas
created through photographic
wizardry by Emerald
Graphics Editor Erich
Boekelheide, the real things
may contain one of four de
signs by Oregon artists.
It's being done to expose
works of art to people who do
not have the time or interest to
visit a museum or gallery, and
will also benefit the artists
whose works are chosen, as
they will get $250 for each
print chosen. For more de
tails, see Page 3.
Librarianship students to fight decision
Editor's note: Thursday's librarianship
school story contained an error. The fa
culty committee reviewing University Pres.
William Boyd's decision to close the
school reported that the "quality of stu
dents in the program does appear to be
high."
Though disappointed with last week’s
faculty review supporting Boyd's decision
to dose the School of Librarianship, lib
rarianship students are still fighting to save
their school.
Financial aid
not given away
despite rumors
By TOM WOLFE
Of the Emerald
Michael Gaston, co-president of Univer
sity Associated Library Students, admits
success will be difficult to obtain. "We lost
our dean and several faculty (by resigna
tion or retirement). We re a defenseless
school with no leadership."
The University’s librarianship school of
fers graduate work only to about 130 ma
jors. Gaston points out that students now
enrolled in the program will graduate this
quarter or next and have no necessary in
terest in the school’s future. "Though we
have had tremendous support from the
community and state we really have no
persuasive spokesman in the school."
In a report issued by the Ad Hoc Faculty
Committee on the School of Librarianship
Rumor had it that the Office of Financial
Aid was giving away money to those who
didn’t expect it. Those hoping to be among
the estimated 240 recipients of surplus
Supplementary Educational Opportunity
Grant (SEOG) money, were probably dis
appointed after checking it out with the
man behind the money.
Because, as is often the case, rumor did
not have the facts straight. Director Ed
last week, support was found for Boyd’s
decision to dose the school based on fac
tors of projected employability in the state
and quality of the school.
Gaston says he believes the school
“compares favorably” with other University
departments and schools, especially in its
employment record with the state. The
main difference, he says, between the lib
rarianship school and others on campus is
the "vulnerability” of the school’s small and
relatively new master’s degree program.
“We don’t believe the procedure used in
singling out our school was an objective
one,” Gaston says. “In this period of re
cession any school on campus is having
problems.”
mond Vignoul explained that the extra
SEOG money was used to replace part of
some National Direct Student Loan
(NDSL) students’ awards.
“Separate pots of money are juggled all
year long so that we end up with zero dol
lars in every account at fiscal year’s end,”
Vignoul said.'“We can carry loan money
forward, but on June 30 grant money
dies.”
Gaston agrees with report’s finding that
the school is not of especially high quality,
but contends this appraisal has been taken
out of context. “Our school isn't number
one or two, but we re not alone in that. The
University of Oregon just can’t compete
with big California or Eastern schools.
“If a study of the whole University found
our school was the one that should be cut,
I wouldn’t have any qualms with it. As it is
we were singled out in a very vulnerable
situation.”
Gaston and other students plan to pre
sent the case for keeping their school at
July’s State Board of Higher Education
meeting where a final decision on the mat
ter may be made.
Vignoul is still fairly new at the Univer
sity; he was appointed last fall. Previously
he served as director of financial aid at
California State Unviersity Bakersfield and
California State at Hayward.
His goal is to insure “consistent, equita
ble, and efficient” service to the students.
Vignoul says that approximately 10,000
(Continued on Page 3)