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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 20, 1982)
Thursday, May 20, 1982 Eugena, Oregon Oregon daily Volume 83 Number 156 emerald i i Bias charged in firing of black prof By Dane Claussen and Ann Portal Of »*• Emrmkt The audience at a Wednesday Women’s Symposium discussion attacked University Affirmative Action Director Bean McFadden with failing to prevent the dismissal of a black woman employed as a history profes sor at the University The aftdrnoon session had been adver tised as a panel discussion on the "com parable worth'' of men and women in the workplace, with McFadden and Melinda Grier, compliance officer for the State Sys tem of Higher Education, as panel members But the session turned into a confronta tion when a member of the audience used the case of History Prof Barbara Green to illustrate comparable worth issues About 40 people — including a number of black women — attended the meeting. Two weeks ago, Green received a ter mination notice, despite the fact she was hired for a two-year visiting assistant professorship of which she has worked one year Her position was recently converted to a one-year visiting professorship. McFadden said she could not confirm or deny that Green had been terminated and said she did not know Green had been sent a dismissal notice. Audience members charged that Green's position has been offered at a substantially higher salary to a black man who now is an assistant professor at Wayne State Univer sity Documents show the history department has requested an additional $7,000 for the salary for that position, English Prof. Al. Butler said. Grier said the history department may believe it has hired someone for the posi tion, but she said funds and the appoint ment have not been approved "No appointment is made until my office and others have approved it,” McFadden said. Later in the discussion, McFadden said it is possible for the University administration to hire someone her office has not ap proved, prompting one woman to say, “You should say Affirmative action means noth ing if I have no power.' ” McFadden told the crowd that she plans to check out the dismissal document they referred to. Sharon Claeyssens, a graduate teaching fellow in the sociology department, angrily accused McFadden of failing to perform her duties as affirmative action director. "I will not excuse my anger It’s justified," she said “You have not placed yourself on the other side of the fence” from the adminis tration, although a woman and an affirma tive action officer, said Denise Carty-Ben nia, a Northeastern School of Law professor who was the keynote speaker for the Women's Symposium The National Association for the Ad vancement of Colored People sent a letter May 17 to University Pres Paul Olum The letter asserts that Green should be retained because she fulfills the affirmative action goals for the hiring of both women and minorities and because she possesses the necessary qualifications. Bean McFadden the University’s affirmative action director, was confronted during a Women’s Symposium event. Charges of bias over the termination of history prof were thrown at McFadden. ;• •••• •;■ Ars gratias ars Photo by Erich Bookelhoide Nearly a week's worth of Women's Sympo sium activities conclude today The ASUO-funded event featured a wide range of seminars, films, panel discussion and exhibits. Students were given the unique opportunity to examine art of a distinctly feminist interpreta tion, including a film of Judy Chicago’s best known work, "The Making of a Dinner Party," which details the creation of a sculpture of 39 place settings. Chicago is a nationally known artist The symposium will end with an appearance by Alice Walker and Mary Watkins in "Poetry and Jazz" in the EMU Ballroom. Tickets, available at the EMU main desk, are $2.50 for students, $3 for general admission. Few attend hearing to respond to changes in fees, fines and penalties lestimony was sparse trom the public at a hearing Thursday in Johnson Hall. The hearing was a chance for the University community to respond to a 61 page schedule of special fees, fines, penalties and service charges levied by the University for the 1982-83 fiscal year. The list of fees and charges, known as OAR 571-60-005, en tails such things as "Free loader" fines and a 25 cent "charge" for opening a chemistry laboratory locker when a student fails to bring their own key. The charges also schedule fees and fines for University housing; athletic equipment and academic department extra costs. Seven people attended the hearing, two requested addi tions to the 531 item list, and one person voiced an objection to the reserve parking fee structure. The whole issue of parking seemed to be the central con cern for most of the faculty, staff and students As recently as last Wednesday, classified staff quizzed University Pres Paul Olum about the parking situa tion during a "convocation." Caroline Shell, a faculty member in the dance depart ment objected to paying a re serve parking ree over a tnree month period and suggested the payments be stretched over 10 months. Shell was informed the fee will be assessed over 10 months and because of an oversight, the information was not included in the released statement. Talk of a $1 "surcharge” for faculty and a 50 cent ‘‘sur charge" for student parking fees was refuted after the meet ing by Ray Hawk, vice president for administration and finance. The question of financing lights for parking lots on cam pus is “still up in the air," Hawk said. “If I were to predict what would happen . the sur charge is out, any increase at all will come from an increase in regular parking fees the next fiscal year ” Hawk said Olum has suggest ed using a parking reserve fund to finance the lights and asked Hawk's office to do a study of the options. The administration had planned on using the reserve for construction of a new parking lot, but according to Hawk, the financial outlook for capital construction is bleak. Hawk also said a meeting has been scheduled to determine how to pay for the lights.
