Newspaper Page Text
j'f D 1 o >077
I
Lance resigns position,
says reputation is cleared
From UPI WIRE REPORTS
WASHINGTON—Bert Lance resigned
as White House budget director
Wednesday, saying his name and
reputation had been cleared but he did
not want to cause President Carter any
further political problems.
Carter accepted the resignation in a
televised news conference with "sorrow”
bit praised Lance’s work as head of the
Office of Management and Budget. Carter
said "a lot of the problem has been
brought on Bert Lance by me" because
of the high expectations raised during his
presidential campaign
"He’s a good man,” Carter said. But he
added, ‘‘I think he made the right
decision” because he oculd not devote his
full time to working as budget director as
long as he had to fight reports of
financial problems.
In his letter to Carter, Lance, a former
University student, said he felt he had
done a good job as budget director for the
past eight months.
"I am convinced that I can continue to
be effective. However, I have to ask the
question "At what price do I remain?”
Meanwhile, political leaders greeted
news of Lance's resignation with praise
for his work as federal budget director
and criticism for the news media and
Senate committee that inquired into his
past banking practices.
Sen. Herman Talmadge termed
Lance's resignation "a tragic loss to
government,’’ and fellow Democrat Sam
Nunn said Lance had been the victim of
“a media festival.”
Nunn, D-Ga., one of Lance's staunch
defenders on the Senate Governmental
Operations Commitee, said he and many
others in Congress who shared Lance s
philosophical goals “regret his decision
to resign.”
But, Nunn said, "with five government
agencies probing into the affairs of Bert
Lance, with hundreds of bureaucrats
stumbling over themselves to seek and
possibly leak information on Bert 1 ance,
and with scores of investigative reporters
nipping at his heels, it becomes clear that
his important job at OMB would become
more difficult to perform.”
‘‘I believe it is time to lower the
curtain on this media festival which has
been conducted for so long at the expense
Management and budget, and said the
nation lost a potentially "great ' budget
director
"I cannot help but believe that the
massive overkill employed against Mr
Lance will prevent talented businessmen
from agreeing to serve in government in
the future for fear that they will be
harrassed and hounded out of office,”
said Busbee
"The damage done to Mr Lance and
his family far supasses the obvious loss
of a government job,” he said. “A
once successful businessman has sus
tained a blemish on his reput” ion that
will be difficult to mend.”
Busbee, who barely beat Lance in the
1974 Democratic primary for governor,
said he was glad Lance got to defend
himself before the Senate governmental
operations committee in three days of
televised hearings He added, however,
"I suspect that certain minds were made
up prior to his appearance and that
nothing he could have said would have
made a difference ”
Busbee praised Lance's record in
Georgia as director of the State
See LANCE, p. 5A
A&S will not be
divided
By BRYANT STEELE
Campus editor
The resignation of Arts and Sciences
Dean John C. Stephens and subsequent
appointment of William J. Payne as
acting dean on Aug 4 may have quelled
attempts to restructure the Franklin
College of Arts and Sciences, according
to some sources.
See page Sa for related siorv.
Although University President Fred C
Davison promised in May to restructure
Arts and Sciences "in the immediate
future," momentum for such an idea
seems to have disappeared.
Some sources have speculated that the
restructuring Davison intended did in
fact take place this summer. Such a view
would indicate that Davison's idea of
restructuring the college was either
minor administrative changes or the
removal of Stephens from the dean's
position.
Davison himself never clarified what
restructuring he would do. Former acting
Vice President for Academic Affairs
Merle Prunty issued restructuring plans
which were assumed to have Davison’s
approval
Those plans would have removed
budgetary and faculty promotion power
from Stephens, would in fact have left the
dean without a voice in major
decision-making processes
However. Prunty, in an interview with
The Red and Black 'ljesday, said
"nothing of any great consequence" had
been done in restructuring the college
and that in future decisions he would
follow Payne’s ideas.
“Any internal administrative changes
will be developed by Dean Payne in
consultation with the vice president’s
office,” Prunty, now senior faculty
adviser to Davison, said.
In addition to Prunty’s statements, an
informal survey of the members of the
Arts and Sciences Faculty Senate show
many of them to feel that the push to
restructure the college is over.
The issue of restructuring the College
of Arts and Sciences came to a head last
spring when the results of an annual arts
and sciences faculty poll became known.
For the second year in a row the poll was
critical of Davison.
Eighty per cent of those responding to
the poll did not believe that Davison
inspired confidence within the faculty.
Trotter named
to VPAA post
By STEVE BIU„S
Executive editor
A former federal official from the
department of Health, Education and
Welfare (HEW) has been appointed to be
vice-president of academic affairs
(VPAA) at the University.
Dr. Virginia Y. Trotter, who served as
assistant secretary of education for HEW
in the Ford administration, took the
second highest administrative post at the
University while her boss. University
President Fred C. Davison, recovered
from a kidney stone operation at St.
Mary's hospital in Athens
Trotter, the first person ever to hold the
office, said Wednesday she plans to spend
her first two weeks in the job
familiarizing herself with the operations
of the University.
Before her appointment by the regents
last Thursday, Trotter was the subjuct of
public criticism by some members of a
committee seeking candidates for the
job
The Athens Observer, a local weekly
newspaper, recounted charges by un
named search committee members that
Trotter's career was that of "a token
woman" and complaints that her
publications were not of the same quality
as those of other candidates for the post.
THE NEW VPAA was one of four final
recommendations made by the commit
tee to Davison in July. Her name was
included on the list by an 8-6 vote, while
the three other candidates received
unanimous approval by the search
committee The dissenters, said one,
were concerned about articles Trotter
wrote in her academic specialty, home
economics.
Other committee members, however,
felt that her list of publications was not
as crucial a factor as it would have been
had she been seeking a teaching post.
However, most committee members
were favorably impressed by Trotter’s
credentials as an administrator, and
many thought the attention given by the
press to the publications controversy was
either biased or not or not representative
of the committee as a whole.
Dr. Dennis D Goetsch of the vet school
said, "I'm highly impressed with her I
have nothing but the highest regard for
her I think the press talked to only one
group of people and failed to get the
whole story.”
He added, "It doesn't matter whether
you're talking about Jesus Christ or who,
somebody's going to have some adverse
comments."
Joseph P. LaRocca of the pharmacy
school agreed "I was favorably
impressed with her," he said. "She's
certainly capable and qualified " He did
agree, though, that "her publication
records are not as strong as some other
candidates'."
ALTHOUGH the committee split
narrowly over Trotter's qualifications,
the deans and other vice-presidents gave
her a considerably better report. In a
meeting, this group voted 13-3 for her,
according to William Owens, who headed
the search committee
Trotter is now in the highest position
ever achieved by a woman at the
University. “We kept confirming (our
search procedures (with Myrtle Reul (the
University's affirmative action officer)
because we wanted to be sure we were
pursuing this properly" when the
See TROTTER, p. zA
Eighty-three per cent did not believe he
communicated with the faculty effective
ly
Davison’s swift response to the poll was
a 172-page memo which criticized the
survey and stated what he thought to be
ptobicius in 'arts t/nd Science^
The memo cited lack of communication
as a “major problem of enormous
proportions within the college.” The
large size of Arts and Sciences and its
leadership were blamed for the poor
communication.
"We are a house with 12 windows, and
light shines through all but one,” the
memo stated, referring to the University
12 schools and colleges
To improve communication, Davison
promised in the memo to "restructure”
Arts and Sciences “in the imnuniiate
future.”
Neither the memo nor President
Davison himself ever revealed what type
or degree of restructuring was intended
or when it would take place.
There was an immediate response to
the memo from Arts and Sciences faculty
members that Davison intended to divide
the college into five separate units, with
separate deans, administrations and
budget structures.
Such a move would break up the most
unified opposition to Davison and his
policies, it was felt.
The feeling that the college might be
divided seems to have disappeared
There has been speculation that Davison
did intend to divide Arts and Sciences,
but later feared his plan would be
overturned by the University System
Board of Regents
However, Prunty, in Tuesday’s inter
view, said, "There was never any plan
developed to divide Arts and Sciences.”
Prunty, who was then vice president
for academic affairs, offered two plans
for restructure on June 27 which would
have effectively fragmented Arts and
Sciences into five colleges, even if on
paper the college remained intact.
The two plans would have given
decision-making powers to five "division
directors” and placed budget and
personnel control in the office of
Academic Affairs The responsibilities
left Stephens would have made him a
powerless dean
Another plan was offered at the time
by an Arts and Sciences Faculty Senate
committee That plan called for three
associate deans handling routine matters
under the supervision of the dean
The committee, chaired by Dr. Henry
Edwards, had been studying the
restructure of Arts and Sciences for 10
months before issuing its report
The Edwards committee also recom
mended against splitting the college into
smaller units, a recommendation enthu
siastically endorsed by the Faculty
Senate
After the Prunty plans and the
Edwards committee recommendations,
Stephens himself offered a restructuring
plan which was seen as a compromise
Stephens' plan delegated responsibility
to associate deans and division chairmen,
but left his authority intact.
Hov ever, Stephens plan included the
possibility of giving each of the five
division chairmen responsibility for his
division’s budget
Some sources feel that this is the key to
whai Davison .meant by restructuring
Separate budget structures, which were
also a feature of the Prunty plans, would
effectively divide the college, sources
See A & S p. SA
of one man's honor and reputation,” he
said. “I am of the opinion that the
presumption of innocence, which is part
of our constitutional guarantee of due
process is being eroded ’’
Talmadge said he had known Lance for
many years and is "proud to count him
among my closest frier.dr ”
“Bert Lance is a man of strong
character, personal integrity and great
ability,” Talmadge said "He can be
proud of the public service he had
rendered his state and nation and in the
eight months he has been budget director
he has done an outstanding job.
"His leaving will be a tragic loss to
government, in my judgment." Tal
madge said. “I join President Carter in
congratulating him for a job well done
and I extend to him and his family my
best wishes for success and happiness in
all their future endeavors "
Gov. George Busbee said Wednesday
Lance was the victim of “massive
overkill” by senators vhose minds were
made up before they heard his side of the
controversy.
Lt. Gov. Zell Miller expressed
sympathy for Lance, who submitted his
resignation as director of the Office of
University probes strife
at library; results not told
By PATRICIA TEMPLETON
Editor
A formal investigation by the
University administration into the
personnel practices of the University
libraries, scene of recent charges of sex
discrimination, poor management and
questionable treatment of employes, was
conducted this summer
A committee of administrators and
faculty members conducted the investi-
tion by interviewing more than half the
library employes on various aspects of
library practices
The final report on the committee’s
interviews was given on Sept 9 to then
Acting Vice President for Academic
Affairs Merle Prunty. It is up to Prunty.
who is now the president’s senior faculty
adviser, to make a report and
recommendation on the situation in the
library to University President Fred C.
Davison
And apparently the only people who
know whether or not the report lias been
made are Prunty and Davison Some
sources say that Prunty has made his
report to the president Other sources say
the report will not be made for another
week or 10 days. Prunty refuses to
comment on the matter
PRl'NTY WAS contacted at home last
night by The Red and Black after he had
failed to return several calls to his office
from a reporter When asked if he had
made his report to the president yet he
replied, "The president was operated on
last week, child .” (Davison underwent
surgery for kidney stones on Sept. 15.)
When asked again whether or not he
had made the report, he said. That tells
you two things Either I made the report
before then (the operation* or l didn t.
Take your pick "
When asked once again if he had made
a report on the library to Davison, he
said. i do not care to discuss what is an
administrative recommendation to the
president with the newspaper.”
THE ADMINISTRATIVE review com
mittee was formed this summer after
numerous reports concerning problems in
the library appeared Among the reports
were charges of racial and sexual
discrimination, and a policy of hiring
library specialists (classified employes
who do not have a library science
degree) to do the work of pro essional
librarians at a far lower saia > than a
professional librarian is paid
The apparent delay in action by Prunty
has caused several library employes to
feel that nothing will come of the
investigation
"I’ve gotten very cynical about the
whole th ng At first I was hopeful. I did
feel the committee was very sympathe
tic, but I just don't think they can do
anything I don't think it was ever
intended for them to do anything,” one
employe said.
The morale in the library is terrible.
People are just waiting to hear something
from the committee’s report And it's
been so long now. another employe said.
"The longer it takes the more cynical
people are getting I was really excited at
first, but for it to take this long you've
got to wonder if it's just another
whitewash,” commented another em
ploye
According to Assistant Vice President
for Academic Affairs Louise McBee, all
library employes were told the interviews
were t be confidential She also said
supervisors were told that any employe
who wished to talk to the committee was
encouraged to do so.
However, according to several library
employes, at least one library supervisor
attempted to discourage his employes
from appearing before the committee if
they did not receive an invitation
According to several sources, the
supervisor told his employes that
statistics showed that people who were not
invited and requested an appointment
anyway were likely to be "complamers
“It will be so noted at evaluation time
the supervisor is reported to have said
See LIBRARY. p. 2A
FORMER UNIVERSITY STUDENT BERT LANCE
Resigned from cabinet position yesterday
END OF RESTRUCTURING?
The way the lines pile up at the beginning of fall quarter,
you’d think that the University bookstore was offering a 50 per
cent discount on Harold’s Easy Guide to Sanskrit. No, it’s only
the autumn rites of all students These lucky participates are
waiting to find out that they'll all get to park in X zone.
Courtesy of the ATHENS BANNER HERALD
The rites of autumn
Photo by GEORGE SICAY
THE RED AND BLACK
VOLUME 84. NUMBER 1
Georgia's only collegiate daily newspaper
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, ATHENS, GEORGIA 30602
Inside
The murder ot
T.K. Harty
has lawmen
baffled. See 2A
THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 22, 1977