Vol. 79. No. 7
Eugene, Oregon 97403
Tuesday, July 11, 1977
Boyd halts talks with Amazon tenants
By MELODY WARD
Of the Emerald
It's official — the University
administration no longer recog
nizes Amazon Community Ten
ants (ACT) as a negotiating body
and declares the rent strike may
be illegal.
University Pres. William Boyd
mailed an open response to a
previous letter from ACT last Fri
day that effectively slams the
door on further negotiations bet
ween ACT and the housing de
partment, puts the final rate prop
osal in the hands of the Chancel
lor, and raises the possibility that
the rent strike is illegal.
When the housing office did not
show for negotiation talks with
ACT, organization president
Carol Mason wrote Boyd request
ing that the administration inter
vene "at the vice-presidential
level.' She explained that ACT
feels there is “a difference of pos
ition on a number of key issues
between the housing office and
higher level University adminis
trators."
Boyd replied in his letter, “Your
perception of a difference is not
accurate. The Haskins and Sells
report indicated a need for
changes in the housing opera
tions. I have accepted that
recommendation_" He adds
that housing director Barnhart will
achieve the suggested changes
under the general supervision of
vice-president Hawk and “where
appropriate, after consultations
with tenants.”
‘Therefore,” Boyd concluded,
“there is no present need for so
called higher level participation in
conversations between tenants
and the University.”
Hawk says the issue is at a
stalemate. “I think it is the Uni
versity position and not just the
housing department. We agreed
that if we were to sit down with
them in negotiations they would
have to discontinue the rent
strike.”
But ACT members say they
(Continued on Page 8)
Finding the cool feel of
river water sliding by your
legs and cool silt under
your feet doesn 't require a
weekend off to travel to the
mountains or the coast.
Good fishing spots are
within walking or biking
distance of the University
and outings can be plan
ned on a moment's notice
as explained in the story on
Page 11. Several spots
along the Willamette River
just north of campus have
trout awaiting anyone
who s anxious to be...
Photo by Hon Setfferl
Chasing A’s said easier in some departments
By RICHARD SEVEN
Of the Emerald
An A is an A is an A, right? Not so, ac
cording to the latest Academic Standards
Committee (ASC) report. Large disparities
in the awarding of A s and N s by Univer
sity schools and departments were re
vealed in the committee s June report.
Only the College of Business Administ
ration and the School of Journalism issued
top grades to less than 20 per cent of the
students enrolled in those classes. Most of
the other schools awarded A s to 40 per
cent or more of their students. The percen
tages were derived from the first term of
the 1976-77 academic year.
The grading disparities are not just bet
ween schools, but within them as well, ac
cording to the ASC report. In Arts
and Sciences, the political science de
partment awarded 40 per cent A s and 1.6
oer cent N s, while the anthroplology de
partment handed out 23 9 per cent A s with
9 per cent N s.
Dr. Norman Savage, professor of giol
ogy and chairman of ASC, said the dis
parities penalize those students enrolled in
the harder classes. He listed some possi
ble reasons for the grading gaps.
‘‘Certain departments, nationwide, tend
to be more generous, said Savage.
"Courses like physical education, ROTC
and sociology usually grade more leniently
than the basic sciences.
Savage also hinted there is a relation
ship between easy grading and larger en
rollment, which in turn leads to bigger de
partmental budgets.
Savage and the aSC see the disparity
problem as part of an overall trend toward
grade inflation throughout the nation
"There s been a tendency the last eight
to ten years to meet the requests of the
students to be more permissive," said Sav
age. “Professors tend to save rather than
flunk students — to see problems through
their eyes. This, of course, leads to easier
grading.
The report made note of some special
factors that set some schools apart from
normal grading procedures, such as prior
selection of students, special nature of tui
tion and unusual enthusiasm of the class.
The School of Music, which awards A s
to 60 per cent of its students, is one of the
exceptions, according to Morrette Rider,
music school dean.
"If a music student can t get an A or B
grade he or she is convinced to drop his or
her music major, said Rider. "Any com
parison between our grading and other
schools is unrealistic because our study is
mostly on a one to one basis. Also, music
classes aren t offered to a large number of
non-major students, as is the practice in
most other schools.
The ASC report cited the school of
Community Services and Public Affairs
(CSPA) for its improvement toward a
“more meaningful grading system, by re
State’s universities, colleges face cuts
Money will be tight at most state col
leges and universities over the coming
biennium. In fact, some institutions are
presently preparing for possible cuts in fa
culty and programs because the state's
budget is underfunded by $4.5 million.
Chancellor Roy Lieuallen says that
along with the underfunding, the base
budget is reduced by one per cent each
year of the biennium simply because of
decreased enrollment.
The salary budget was underfunded by
two per cent for "classified" or service per
sonnel (secretarial, janitorial) and the
academic salary budget by one per cent.
Together, the total amounts to $2.6 million
to be distributed between the colleges and
universities.
“We have to effect savings in other
areas of the budget,' Lieuallen says.
Each school will form its own guidelines
for balancing the budgetary deficiencies
within the next two weeks. Lieuallen specu
lates that the only way to go is to increase
class size. He also thinks that increased
tuition for oOt of state students and the new
requirement that student tuition finance a
set portion of the cost of institution prog
rams will have a negative long term effect;
perhaps declined enrollment in some pro
grams.
The new budget, slightly less than that
requested by Gov. Bov Straub, originally
included salary increases for faculty and
classified employes that were approved by
the House Education Committee. But the
Joint Ways and Means Committee trim
med the salary portion of the budget to its
present level.
ducing its number of A s awarded from 59
per cent in 1976 to 43 per cent in 1977.
According to CSPA dean James Kelly,
the trend toward fewer A s "reflects a con
scious effort to be more discriminatory and
selective in awarding excellence."
“I made a general statement to my de
partment to become equivalent with other
schools in determining A quality work,' said
Kelly. “In the past, members of the CSPA
department have been relaxed in reward
ing excellent grasp of the subject.
The ASC, an advising and recommend
ing body, feels by listing and commenting
on departmental differences they can help
even out the grading pratices at the Uni
versity.
Paul Olum, vice-president of academic
affairs and provost, supports the
committee s atttempt to reduce grade dis
parity, but warns complete standardization
is impractical.
“We should make the grading more
equitable, but none of us want to make the
grades exactly the same,' said Olum. We
can t expect the grading between land
scape architecture to be the same as math
or any of the quantitative sciences. How
ever, this report, bringing out grading dis
parities, along with the re-introduction of
the D grade should make it possible for
grading to be done more finely.”
The school by school breakdown of A
grade distribution as a percentage of total
grades is as follows: Architecture and Al
lied Arts — 39.5, Arts and Sciences —
26.3, Business Administration — 18.3,
CSPA — 43.0, Education — 42.7, P.E. —
41.6, Journalism — 19.7, Librarianship —
55.8, Military Science — 46.4, Music —
61.7. The University total was 30.5.