Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (June 5, 1978)
Vol. 79, No. 168 Eugene Oregon 97403 Monday, June 5, 1978 Boyd reviews University issues By MELODY WARD Of the Emerald Summertime, and the student’s livin’ gets easy. But a few tough University issues have struggled along during the academic year and will no doubt still be alive in the fall. University Pres. William Boyd offered his perspective in a recent interview on matters like the recent sociology hiring dispute, the tuition increase and enroll ment prospects. • Sociology: “I am distressed to see something defined as an academic freedom violation,” Boyd says. "Their (the students) complaint is with how the University is governed.’’ Boyd says he sees nothing to indicate that anyone’s freedom to teach or pub lish is hindered. But he thinks the equat ing of student participation with faculty in decisions such as appointments, promo tion, tenure and the shaping of cur riculum is a “vestigial remain of a roman tic moment in University life.” He adds that the trend away from stu dent votes on those matters is occurring nationally. "It’s not that no gains were made,” Boyd says. “I think we will always have more student participation than before. I don't think we’ll ever go back to disen franchisement of the student that once existed.” Tuition increase: “I don’t think it will affect the enrollment in the short term,” Boyd says. “I still am distressed by it for other, long-term reasons. There will come a point when continued increases in tuition will start reducing access to higher education.” Boyd acknowledges that education costs cannot be held immune from infla tion, but believes if they continue to climb unbridled, a less highly educated society will result. "At some point in the future, public policy has got to be re-thought,” he says. “The state needs to decide who is the beneficiary of what forms of education.” A “loose, pluralistic approach” to edu cation is the genius of the American sys tem, he adds. “But we’ve got to keep it economically feasible. The system is working but alternatives must be sought.” Boyd says he was very sympathetic to the arguments against the tuition hike presented by the student lobby, but be cause of the underfunding problem, the board ‘‘couldn’t take any other action.’’ “I am really proud of the fact that our students play such an important part of the process,” he remarks. “It makes for a better informed board.” Enrollment: “We will not be all right for some time. It will be a persistent prob lem,” Boyd says. But the president thinks the continuing decline can be turned around, especially with better representation of the University to high schools and community colleges around the state. University budget: Boyd says a change in legislative strategy should produce better financial results for the next biennium. “The most important strategic decision was to abandon the approach in the past where the colleges and universities made individual pro posals. We’re going to have much more cooperation... what’s a legislator to be lieve when he hears seven different stories?” Boyd says among the top shared priorities the institutions will be seeking are increased funds for library aquisi tions and the physical plant and for re placing outdated equipment. Faculty course evaluation: Boyd is against them being made public, be cause since they are faculty records it “should be a faculty decision.” He observed that student grades are no longer publically posted — “it was an abuse” — and thinks it ironic that stu dents now wish to post faculty “grades.” The student “work ethic:” Several weeks ago, Boyd commented that stu dents seem to have less at stake in the “work ethic.” and soeculated that might be a factor in the trend away from carry ing at least 15 hours per term. Boyd now thinks the comment got more attention than it merited. Emerald graphic "Of course it’s speculation as to why students are now willing to pay for a full load and carry less,” he says. “Students used to brag about how many hours they could carry.” "The trend has been for the perfectly competent student to carry less than he could. Whether or not there has been a decline in the work ethic, it’s certainly true that they have a freedom from it that permits them to carry less.” Boyd is quick to add that his opinion is not judg mental, though personally he thinks the attitude is “wasteful.” “If students took heavier loads, they would not find themselves enjoying it less.” Boyd says he doesn’t see any evi dence that students spend more time working to support themselves than they have in the past, and discounts that as a possible factor in the decreased class loads. Fred Friendly Commencement features news exec Fred Friendly, the former president of CBS news will be the featured speaker during the one hundredth spring commencement cere mony Sunday at the University. More than 2,100 degree candidates are ex pected to participate in the ceremony, which will begin at 2:30 p.m. at Hayward Field. In the event of bad weather, the program will be moved indoors to McArthur Court. The occasion offers special significance to the featured speaker. One of the University's first buildings, Friendly Hall, is named in honor of Friendly's grandfather Samuel, University regent and founder. A respected broadcast journalist, Friendly currently serves as adviser on communica tions to the Ford Foundation and Edward Mur row, professor of broadcast journalism at Col umbia University. A respected broadcast journalist, Friendly currently serves as an adviser on communica tions to the Ford Foundation. He also served as producer of Edward R. Murrow’s acclaimed "See It Now" television series and also produced the "Small World” series with Murrow. In 1964, after winning 40 major awards as executive producer of “CBS Reports," Friendly was named president of CBS News. He served in that capacity until 1966. A frequent contributor to the New York Times Opinion Editorial page, Friendly has written many major articles and two books on broadcasting and press freedom. Friendly’s talk and the entire University commencement ceremony will be televised live by the Oregon Educational and Public Broadcast System.
