Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012, March 04, 1993, Page 2, Image 2

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    EDITORIAL
Credit requirement
needs closer look
The anthropology department is taking a bold move
toward easing student*’ class load. Beginning fall term,
anthropology classes will be offered for four credits
instead of the usual three. Academic clusters will then
require two four-credit classes as opposed to three three
credit courses.
The concept is Intriguing. If the plan were adopted at
a University-wide level, students would only have to
take four courses per term to keep on pace for a four-year
graduation. Students could concentrate more on the
courses they took — the average student has five class
es o term — which would give them one leas headache
come finals week.
And fortunately, the four-credit classes would include
an extra hour every week of class time, therefore Stu
dents would still get bang for their buck.
However, although the plan makes some good points,
several details need to be worked out before it should be
adopted.
First, because it is offered only in the anthropology
department next fall, will students in other disciplines
be able to use those classes as a cluster? Many students
will want to use them as social science credits, but it
isn't clear whether they will be available for that pur
pose.
Second, eight credits will soon comprise a cluster for
anthropology students, not nino. If the policy were to be
adopted by the entire school, would students miss out
on valuable class information they would have learned
with more time? After all. even adding an extra hour of
class per week would not make up for missing an entire
term of learning.
Third, making every class worth four credits will
decrease the number of classes a student must lake at the
University and thus the number of classes offered. Stu
dents may miss out because they won't be required to
take as many classes from different disciplines.
The plan is interesting and perhaps deserves a test.
But students need to know more about the different
implications before it is adopted. Otherwise it could hurt
more than help.
One more time
Excerpt from ODE, April 18.1968.
"It is my hope that together we can take steps which
enablo the University of Oregon to serve effectively each
Black student who becomes a part of our University
community.
"Just as there can be no higher priority for this nation
than healing racial bias and cleaning up city slums, there
can be no higher priority for the University of Oregon
than eliminating and preventing any racism which may
exist on this campus.
"Higher education, by its colleges and universities,
shares responsibility for tho consequences of racial iso
lation.”
— University President Arthur S. Flemming
Oregon Daily
Emerald
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Editor Pal Maach
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12_
American
portion
if
COMMENTARY
Harassment policies need input
By Myles Brand
he problems and issues of sexual harass
ment on this campus have been discussed
A and debated for quite some time Shortly
liefore my arrival here, the University's Status of
Women Committee conducted a fact-finding sur
vey to determine the depth of the problem and to
suggest solutions to it.
Shortly thereafter, the University conducted a
campus-wide and external evaluation of its affir
mative action office that included an assessment of
the adequacy of our programs in dealing with sex
ual harassment. The report of the Status of Women
Committee and the report of the outside consultant
agreed that the University needed to revise its
rules and procedures dealing with sexual harass
ment.
My first few years as president was a time of
reviewing and changing our affirmative action pro
grams. and sexual harassment was one of several
critical problems we addressed.
With the advice we have received and the expe
rience of the more recent past, we are ready to
move forward to develop and adopt a new Univer
sity rule prohibiting sexual harassment on the
campus and establishing a clearer set of proce
dures and processes to deal with allegations and
findings of sexual harassment.
A draft of a proposed new administrative rule
prohibiting sexual harassment has recently been
developed. Now it is time to submit th.it rule to
public scrutiny and discussion.
We plan a consideration and adoption process
that has several phases to maximize campus
awareness of the issues and to allow maximum
input to the final version's development. The
process begins today at 3:30 p.m., with a public
briefing and information-sharing session to lie held
in 110 Willamette Hall.
Copies of the draft rule will be availahle.there.
The rule will be described and explained, and
everyone will have the opportunity to ask ques
tions and make any comments they would like at
that time. All interested students, faculty and staff
are encouraged to come.
Between then and April 21, I will be inviting
written comments and suggestions on the rule to
bo submitted to my office. In addition, interested
campus groups and living organizations are
encouraged to invite members of my staff to attend
their meetings for discussions on the rule.
On April 21. we will hold a formal public hear
ing on the rule, at which members of the public,
students, faculty and staff are invited to present
oral or written testimony about the rule. After that,
the administration will consider all the informa
tion it has been able to gather through this process
and will adopt a new sexual harassment rule.
I wish to reiterate what I have said many times
before. Sexual harassment has no place at on insti
tution of higher learning. While it is certainly
offensive wherever one finds it. on a campus
where everyone should be striving for the highest
possible personal goals, unreasonable barriers
such as those erected by sexual harassment are
particularly intolerable.
It is my goal to put in place a fair and workable
rule that will help the institution assure each indi
vidual at the University that she or he will not
have to deal with unwanted sexual attention that
makes the achievement of academic, scholarly or
professional goals any harder to achieve. 1 need the
campus community’s help to do this. We need
broad participation in this important process
So. 1 am asking students, faculty and staff to try
to attend the meeting today, to take the time to
learn what is fusing proposed, and to offer sugges
tions on how we can improve the proposal.
Myles Brand is president of the University
LETTERS
Respect elders
A word of advice for the vis
iting high schools: It's nice to
see you all enjoying yourselves
on your forensics field trip to
the University, but please be
considerate. It is highly disturb
ing to enter the EMU and stum
ble upon a zillion swarming
high schoolers with sleeping
bags, stacks of papers, suitcases
and garbage strewn about.
Let me remind you that we are
the students paying to receive
an education here, not you.
Surely your parents must have
taught you these basic rules of
courtesy: respect others, put
things back where you found
them, and dean up your own
mess. It would be a welcome
surprise if you thought about the
people who clean up after you
and then did it yourselves.
Kate Glassock
Anthropology
Fractious IFC
1 heartily support University
President Myles Brand's propos
al to restructure the relationship
between the Incidental Fee
Committee and the EMU board.
I also endorse the position taken
in the March 2 editorial, “EMU
board needs freedom from IFC."
As a faculty member of the
board's budget committee for
two years, 1 had the privilege of
working closely with the intel
ligent and dedicated students
who serve on the board and con
stitute the majority of its mem
bership.
Based on my experience and
the high caliber of student
involvement in the EMU budget
process, there is no doubt in my
mind that the EMU board is
eminently qualified to oversee
and approve the EMU's budget
without being subjected to the
vicissitudes of an often highly
politicized and fractious IFC.
IterfcR. Watson
Library