daily^emerald
Vol. 82, No. 126
Euftene, Oregon 97403
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Monday, April 6,1981
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Photo by Steve Dykes
New University Pres. Paul Olum, following the announcement of his appointment: “I don't intend to do anything different. "
Promises to fight for funding
Olum wins University presidency
By SALLY HODGKINSON
Of the Emerald
Paul Olum anxiously paced
his office Friday morning, wait
ing for the announcement he
knew was coming.
When the word came that he
was offically president of the
University, Olum grinned and
hugged his secretaries.
“I can’t think of anything
more profound to say than I'm
delighted," he said.
A five-minute conference call
meeting of the State Board of
Higher Education was all it took
to end a nine-month search and
unanimously appoint Olum pre
sident. Soon after, Olum was
facing 14 microphones and tape
recorders as the press waited
expectantly for quotes from the
62-year-old president.
Olum spent most of the im
promptu press conference ex
tolling the virtues of the Univer
sity. Although the institution has
a few internal "nagging prob
lems” such as athletics, Olum
said he rates the Unversity
among the top 20 public institu
tions in the country.
Olum said his general goal is
to "take a very good university
and make it into a great univer
sity.”
Although the quality of the
faculty and academics is good,
Olum said he’d like to boost the
quality of University students.
He wants to attract Oregon s
best students by offering excel
lent academic programs.
But the quality of the institu
tion “hinges on a reasonable
level of support” from the
Legislature, Olum said, citing
studies that show the University,
when compared to schools with
the same general quality, is 20
to 30 percent underfunded.
One of his responsibilities as
president will be to secure sup
port for the University by im
pressing the people of Oregon
with the school's quality, Olum
said
Olum took over as acting pre
sident last July when William
Boyd left the presidency to head
the Johnson Foundation in
Racine, Wise.
Making it clear from the
beginning that he would like to
drop acting Trom nis pre
sidential title, Olum then said "I
don’t intend to be a caretaker
president. I expect to act like I'm
going to be here for a long
time."
Now that he is president,
Olum said, "I don’t intend to do
anything different. The only
thing different is that I can relax
now."
Olum said he enjoys the chal
lenge of the presidency.
“I like to fight. And fortunately
I already know what the pres
sures are," he said.
As the 13th president of the
University, Olum will receive a
yearly salary of $61,368 and an
expense allowance of $4,068.
He will also be offered re
sidence in the home the Univer
sity maintains for its presidents.
Before becoming acting pre
sident, Olum was vice president
for academic affairs for four
years. Olum was dean of the
natural sciences at the Univer
sity of Texas at Austin from
1974-76. He was also professor
at mathematics at Cornell
University for 25 years.
Olum said he plans to stay at
least five years in the pre
sidency.
"Less than that isn’t fair to the
University
"I want to look back and say,
'That’s a terrific place. I helped
build that, and it made a differ
ence that I was there.' ’’
Harter blamed for slush fund
Former University basketball coach Dick
Harter* may have been involved in a secret
travel agency account used to bring player
Felton Sealey from Boston to Eugene In viola
tion of NCAA rules, according to court tes
timony Friday.
The possible connection of Harter to the
secret fund — set up without University admin
istration knowledge - surfaced during the trial
of former assistant basketball coach Ron Bil
lingslea on theft charges.
Billingslea is charged with stealing $1,680
in state funds through a Bronson Travel
agency account in his name.
Harter left the University in 1978 to
become head basketball coach at Penn State.
According to testimony, Sealey apparently
received an extra flight from Boston to Eugene
during efforts to recruit the basketball player.
Sealey ended his University playing career
last month.
The travel account was funded with
refunds from unused airline tickets purchased
by Billingslea for recruiting travels and
charged against the athletic department ac
count, officials have said.
Lane County assistant district attorney
Darryl Larson contended that the account had
been set up to finance improper recruiting
practices and was a "laundering" operation in
which unused airline tickets were turned into
money.
Biliingslea’s defense attorney Larry Roloff
did not dispute the fact that the former assis
tant coach received two checks in April 1978
from the travel account totaling $1,680. But
Roloff told the jury Billingslea had no Intention
of laundering money, and that he felt the
checks had been authorized
Billingslea was quoted in court by police
investigator Roy Foster as saying that he did
not open the travel account in his name
Billingslea told investigators that it is con
ceivable Harter and a travel agency employee
set up the account without telling him, Foster
said.
Revelations of secret travel accounts are
not new to the University. Several football
players were penalized last year by the Na
tional Collegiate Athletic Association and
Pacific-10 officials for receiving airline tickets
from another secret travel agency account set
up by University football coaches
Biliingslea’s trial will continue at 10 a m.
Tuesday