Thursday, May 13, 1982
Eugana, Oragon
Oregon daily
Volume 83
Number 151
emerald
yi fJmfSc in ft" Sunny outdoor office brings
AAQVtSinifm biology prof more business
Tired of being "underwhelmed" with students
needing advice, a biology academic adviser took one
look at the weather and moved his office outside this
week.
A University rule requiring students who have
completed 90 credit hours to consult an academic
adviser has largely been ignored, says Gordon Murphy,
head adviser for the University biology department. So
instead of waiting for students to come to him, Murphy
decided to go to the students
As of Wednesday, Murphy had spoken to more
students in three days than he has all year "150 people
maybe? I don't know, I didn't keep track," said a
satisfied Murphy on Wednesday afternoon in front of his
jerry-built advising table
Murphy said he got the idea for the table Monday
after looking out the window
"I thought, man, the weather is so neat . . ," and
he set up his table on 13th Avenue in front of Science II.
Students need to get accustomed to talking to
academic advisers, Murphy said, especially in the event
of computerized pre-registration Advanced planning
will become more important than ever, he said
Murphy said he plans to keep his table outside
today and Friday — if the weather holds.
"It's worth my time — gets me out of the office. I’ve
gotten a great sunburn.”
Olum presents options
for classifed pay cuts
By Dibble Howie tt
Of tfx Emerald
University Pres Paul Olum presented
several options in dealing with the
projected three percent salary cut to the
classified staff at a convocation Wed
nesday afternoon.
Olum told about 175 classified staff
members that there are several ways to
deal with the salary reduction — none of
which would last for more than a year.
When asked if he could guarantee
that, Olum told the crowd that he had
recently told Gov. Vic Atiyeh that any
more cuts at the University would not
come through faculty and staff salaries.
Olum also told the crowd, which was
about 75 percent women, that "our pur
pose is to work out the best plan for
everybody "
At the onset of the meeting, Olum said
‘‘whatever we do, we do with the full
honor and respect of the collective bar
gaining agreement."
Suggestions and possible alternatives
to the salary dilemma range from work
ing one hour and 12 minutes less each
week to closing the University on
Friday s during the summer. Some of the
choices in dealing with pay cuts include:
•Offering a temporary shortening
of the work week by one hour and 12
minutes After the meeting, Olum said
shortening the work week by that amount
is the most preferred by himself and the
administration, but Olum added “we
want one that is spread out over the
year."
Olum also suggested dividing the
University into "units” that would auton
omously work out implementing the one
hour and 12 minutes plan until that unit
reduced the required 3 percent.
• A "temporary interruption of em
ployment" — a layoff — which ranges
from estimates of eight days to 15 days.
There is also the possibility that the
layoffs would include two periods of 15
days because of problems Olum voiced
at the meeting that deal with vacation
time and accrued leave
"The problem with that possibility is
that classified employees may, in fact,
choose to take that time through vaca
tion time or compensatory time," Olum
said.
Olum is also concerned that a 15-day
interruption will be difficult to handle not
only from the University's stance but also
from the classified staff's stance.
"It’s easier when you have to pay for
groceries if the time is spread out."
• The classified staff, following the
lead of Portland State University which
decided to remain open four days a week
instead of five during the summer, sug
gested that the University close one day
a week, too.
“I'm not sure closing one day a week is
the way to do it,” Olum responded.
One staff member pointed out that
classes are conducted during classified
staff holidays and that if no one was at
the administrative offices to answer
phones then the public might be more
aware of the situation.
Gerry Moseley, associate provost for
student affairs, noted that one day a
week closures would be a 20 percent cut
for the summer. "We were talking before
about minimizing the impact of the cuts,"
Moseley said.
It was also suggested that a half-day
off on Fridays might be more equitable
• Suggestions were also made to deal
with the cuts on an individual basis,
rather than having the same format for all
classified employees
Olum told the meeting that if
individuals wanted to do things differ
ently or if the cuts were to be dealt with
on an individual basis, the suggestion
would have to come from classified staff
members Because of fair labor practice
laws, Olum said he could not ask clas
sified staff to take the cut one way or
another, he could only present ideas.
Summer job projection
appears shaky, unsure
By Brent Walth
Olltt* ErntmU
"Bleak,” "grim” and "just plain
bad" describe the outlook for summer
employment, according to a state
labor economist and an employment
coordinator.
"We might see some seasonal up
turn in employment, but college
students won't benefit," said Ken
Rocco, Oregon State Labor Division
economist. "Those people who have
been laid off might be returning to
work, but it won’t help people looking
for short-term employment.”
Figures released last month by the
State Employment Division showed
unemployment rising in March, which
is a period of seasonal upturn, to 11.4
perecnt.
"Locally we'll begin to
unemployment easing," Rocco not
ed, looking ahead to summer but ad
ding that not enough rehiring will take
place to benefit the summer job mar
ket.
Competition from older workers
who have lost their "stable," full-time
jobs will be a major detriment to
students, according to Kyle Ritchey of
the state division.
Despite the gloom Rocco interject
ed some optimism into the forecast,
saying that tourism in Oregon is ex
pected to rise this summer.
"The response from magazine ads
for state tourism and interest from
other states indicates that tourist
trade might be the only good thing
developing," Rocco said.
Services and retail sales in tourist
related areas will stand to benefit if the
surge occ rs. Rocco cautioned that
such job areas are also low-paying
and high-turnover positions.
Jobs created by federal funds — the
. summer work programs — have been
reduced or totally eliminated, Ritchey
added.
The Youth Conservation Corps,
which hired in the 16-21 age range,
lost all federal fundsing and was dis
mantled. A similar, smaller program,
reduced through cuts, has hired
workers on split shifts solely to involve
more people.
While the employment picture — or
unemployment picture — looks poor,
Rocco pointed out signs of
improvement are showing.
"There are still plenty of ‘ifs’ in
volved,” Rocco said, noting that layoff
waiting lists will be dried up before
any new hiring takes place.
To exemplify the depth of these
lists, Rocco cited the new building
permit rate in Lane County. In 1979
around 145 permits a month were
issued. The current rate of permits is
about 10.
Rocco sees retail trade benefiting
slightly from the tax cuts.
“The cuts aren't going to be en
ough for a family to buy a new house,
but they will increase retail," he said.
Wariness of employers of the
recession's recovery period . Rocco
believed, will dampen new hiring.
"The last recovery period was
short,” Rocco noted. "Employers
may not begin new hiring until things
stabilize."
Even if the numerous pieces of the
employment puzzle — dipping interest
rates and retail upswings — come
together when projected, Rocco can
not forsee any ease on the summer
job blight.
"It won’t be until the start of the new
(fiscal) quarter before any recovery
will take place,” he related.
A time, in other words, when col
lege students would normally be
leaving their summer jobs and return
ing to school.