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The Red and Black. Tharaday. Neveinber I, 1*7*
‘Perceptions
Maybe, just maybe
Some news came out this week
that is likely to put several
students up in arms.
Associate Uean of Student
Affairs Bill Mendenhall is
supposed to get together with a
group of students this afternoon
to discuss student representa
tion. Or, as he said it, they will
discuss ‘‘formats...we might
pursue to enhance student
involvement in the University
process/'
student government and start it
all over again. It would be
fantastic for the administration
because, on the surface, it would
appear that they did a good
thing—providing the students
with some sort of representation.
Student government diehards
will say that SGA did provide
representation. After all, student
government officials did sit on
various University committees.
Time for A&S poll
But in actuality they would
have another token organization
just like the student government
that was abolished
But the simple fact is we could
have been represented just as
well by a mannequin propped up
in the seat.
Justin Gillis
What everyone will probably
get upset about is that they think
Mendenhall is trying to form a
new student government, to
replace the one which was
abolished last year by a student
referendum
But, for once, we are being
optimistic. We are hoping that
Mendenhall does not have this in
mind at all. At least he says he
doesn’t.
But maybe Mendenhall is not
looking for mannequins. Maybe
he is actually looking for
students who will represent the
views of the entire student
body—not just a select few.
It is high time once again for the
College of Arts and Sciences to discover
how its faculty members feel about the
current state of the University, in
particular, the quality of leadership
under President Fred C. Davison.
Justin Gillii is campus editor of The Red
and Black
It would be easy enough to do.
Just get enough of the old
student government diehards
together and they would love
nothing better than to form a
student government all over
again
Hopefully, a legitimate effort
is being made to allow the
students at this university some
sort of representation Everyone
knows that some sort of
representation is needed.
Maybe he is actually trying to
set up a system whereby what
students have to say will be
listened to by the administration
and will have some effect on
decisions made by the adminis
tration.
They could just forget that the
students ever voted against a
Students are not represented in
decisions being made on this
campus—it has always been like
that. Yes, even when we had a
student government, we were not
represented.
Maybe, just maybe, he is
really trying to set up a valid
(read: not brown-nosing) form of
student representation.
But we know better.
A re-committment to
the high ideals of McGill
Nelson d. Ross
On two occasions in the recent past.
Arts and Sciences did that very thing.
The A&S Faculty Senate, the only
halfway-respectable elected body on
campus, polled its members to discover
their opinions about the state of the
University.
In 1976 the faculty poll found serious
communication problems between faculty
and administration and an enormous lack
of confidence in Davison. In 1977 the Arts
and Sciences poll found the same general
trends
In the first poll, taken late in 1976 and
released in February ’76, faculty
members in A&S expressed significant
dissatisfaction with Davison and the way
he handles his job as president. Fully 83.4
percent of the faculty responding gave
Davison a grade of “C” or worse in his
degree of openness and receptiveness to
communication from the faculty.
More than 80 percent gave him a "C"
or worse in his "understanding of
academic values and ...the nature of
universities.” Nearly 90 percent of the
respondents gave Davison low marks for
his ability to choose "able assistants and
subordinates,” with fully 47 percent
giving him an “F" in that category.
Over half the faculty who responded
flunked Davison on his ability to deal
“openly and straightforwardly with the
faculty." Some 86 percent of those
responding gave Davison a "C” or lower
on his ability to "deal fairly and
effectively with student concerns ”
The 1977 survey again found a basic
lack of confidence in Davison and a
deep-seated uncertainty about the wel
fare of the University. Many of the
respondents, in Davison's own words, felt
“a severe communications problem
between the faculty and the administra
tion.”
The faculty also felt instruction at the
University was neglected for the sake of
research and publication, while more
than half the faculty felt promotions and
tenure were often granted inequitably.
The president in May 1977 responded to
the A&S poll with a silly 16& page defense
of his ideas and policies The document,
disseminated to faculty members,
attacked the A&S poll for its meth
odology—and then defended Davison
against the poll’s results.
Davison went so far as to quote a
Board of Regents resolution commending
him, although such commendations from
the regents are common as ants. Davison
also reprinted, for the enlightenment of
the faculty, a speech he made to a
regents committee telling them how
wonderful and rosy the University really
is. "It should be clear that the
administration and faculty of the
University know where the University
stands today and where it hopes to be
tomorrow.” Davison told the regents
“They have faith in this institution and
have shown their commitment to its
future."
blundered its handling of serious
personnel problems in the library.
Davison eventually fired the unpopular
library director—and also fired a quite
popular assistant named Richard Press,
who has a suit against the University
pending in federal court.
Just this month Davison drew fire
again for dumping Hardy Edward*, dean
of the Graduate School In the face of
criticism our beloved president retreated
and got up a list of supporters among the
deans of the schools and colleges
By the way, it really takes brains to
figure out why those deans supported
Davison, considering they could be next
in line for the axe.
•’ ft
T
TAKE ISSUE WITH DAVISON
' M
So the time has come to find out once
again what faculty members think. I
urge the Arts and Sciences Faculty
Senate to act. Act now. You are the only
elected body on campus with the guts to
take issue with Davison and his policies
Whether you agree with him or not, the
members of your faculty certainly
deserve an opportunity to express their
opinions about the state of the University.
No one else will do it. The University
Council, that poor excuse for a
policy-making body with about ss much
real power as a bothersome gnat, won’t
do a damn thing. Davison certainly won’t
sponsor a poll, since the chances of his
looking good in it are about zero.
« 4 i
* ' 1
NEXT IN LINE
The University has had no accurate
gauge of faculty opinion about the
institution since the 1977 poll. Since that
poll was published Davison has em
broiled himself in a number of
controversies.
His administration completely
The ladies and gentlemen of the
Faculty Senate are the only ones with an
opportunity to have a voice in how the
University is run. I urge you to appoint a
committee, draw up a survey instrument,
appropriate funds, do whatever it takes.
Give the faculty of your college a chance
to let Davison know how they feel on the
issues. He'll love you for it:
f
'i
The best tribute to Ralph McGill that
could come from today's launching of the
Ralph McGill lecture series would be a
re-committment by the journalism school
to the high ideals of journalism that
McGill embodied
The re-committment should come on an
Individual basis by students, faculty and
administrators in the school and by
action by the school as a whole.
Nelson A Ross is a staff writer tar The
Red and Black
Often referred to as "the conscience of
the South," McGill was a proponent of
civil rights and an enemy of injustice and
ignorance
He is due every tribute that we can pay
him.
But if we, the people that make up that
monolithic institution known as the
"Henry W Grady School of Journalism
and Mass Communication," are going to
bask in the glory of McGill's life and
work, then we had better be willing to
hold ourselves to his high standards
Although the journalism school has a
sort of split personality—newspapers,
magazines, radio and television on one
side and public relations and advertising
on the other—it is possible to talk of
common goals for students, faculty and
administrators in all the areas
On an individual level, students in the
school need to decide if they are Indeed
committed to the principles and purposes
of journalism and then redouble their
efforts to become prepared for their
chosen professions A quick check around
The Red and Black office revealed far
too few people who could tell of the
accomplishments of the great journalists
Ralph McGill and Eugene Patterson. We
are woefully ignorant of those who have
practiced our craft before us. Their
careers should be valuable models for
our own Not to copy, but to learn from.
As future journalists—many of us
reporters to be—we are shamefully
unaware of the happenings in the world
around us Too often we say we will read
books, newspapers and magazine* when
we get out into the "real world.”
Preparation for a career in journalism
demands an incredible amount of
knowledge on an infinite number of
subjects The gathering of that know
ledge cannot be postponed for four years
It is time for journalism students to
begin to learn how the political process
works, beginning with its place in higher
education There are serious lessons to be
learned and injustices to be reported on
this campus
Journalism faculty have the crucial
task of inspiring and teaching the
students who will become the next
generation of journalists One area that
vitally needs improvement is the
teaching of Journalism 260—basic news
writing and re|iorting.
While most 260 professors do a good job
of teaching the mechanics of reporting,
loo few are able to convey the passion
and excitement for the craft necessary to
fire up the interest of the newcomer to
news writing.
Additionally, not enough faculty
encourage their students to work on The
Red and Black, WUOG, or the Georgia
Student Quarterly—outlets where they
can gain the experience which cannot be
garnered from the classroom
But beyond individual committment by
students and faculty, it is time for the
journalism school to provide at least a
small measure of moral leadership to the
rest of the campus.
Faculty fear in the wake of the firing of
graduate dean Hardy Edwards is at a
new high. It is crucial that there be some
demonstration that academic freedom
still exists here.
One dramatic display of that fact would
be the long-overdue poll of the full faculty
for their evaluation of the University
administration. Since there is no elected.
campus-wide faculty body to administer
such an evaluation, it is up to each school
and college to poll themselves in
dividually
Let the journalism school be the first to
begin the hard but necessary task.
Another area in which the journalism
school could provide a bit of leadership
would be in the area of open meetings
President Davison will be journeying
down the hill to speak before the
Journalism Advisory Board Friday. 1\vo
years ago, two student reporters were
kicked out of an Advisory Board meeting
by Journalsim Dean Scott Cutlip. The
school which teaches openness and free
discussion should practice what it
teaches.
The lesson will be doubly beneficial; it
will serve to educate both journalism
students and Davison
For too long, Davison has governed the
campus in an atmosphere of secrecy. He
is due a lesson in making policy in the
open The light will do him good
Today, we inaugurate a proud tribute
to a great newspaperman I believe
nothing would please him more than for
the heirs to his journalism tradition to
carry out the precepts that McGill held
high
Letters
‘No knowledge of American system’
TO THE EDITOR:
On behalf of the Department of Physical
Education, I would like to express
appreciation for the fine coverage in the
Centerpiece section of the Oct. 19 Red and
Black, concerning the Basic Physical
Education Program and its related aspects.
‘Gross lack
of perception’
TO THE EDITOR:
Appreciation is also extended to writers
Brian O'Shea. Ingrid Schorr. Jim Gannam,
Tom Lee and Chuck Reece; to photo
grapher Talbot Nunnally and to illustrator
Mike McBraver.
Thank you for your fine work and
excellent coverage.
CANDY NORTON
Department of Physical Education
Dear Warren "All-American” Rary,
Your comments on soccer displayed a
gross lack of perception of the variance
of culture and its subsequent diverse
appreciations of the good things in life,
including sports.
It amazes and also sickens me to find
such blatant ignorance in a paper of The
Red and Black's caliber
In the future, please refrain from such
insipid and distasteful attacks on the
world’s most beloved pastime.
JOSEPH C. KENNEDY
‘Appalled by
the behavior’
TO THE EDITOR:
1 was appalled by the behavior of a
great many persons on the track*. No! I
was disgusted
It's one thing to sit up there and have a
good time with your friends, but it's
another to see people throw rock* and
bottles at cars and other human beings
Sitting on the tracks aa I do for every
game, I witnessed some of the moat
violent behavior I've ever seen This
nonsense hat got to stop!
A friend had her windshield broken by
a jerk who obviously thought it was cute
or macho to throw a rock at a passing
car What could be more dangerous'! If a
rock can shatter a windshield, imagine
what it could do to a human? For almost
three hours we allow this kind of activity
to continue, and if you don’t believe it,
brave yourself to go by there during or
after a game
I can’t imagine a more unsafe place to
be and there's no excuse for it! This is
not to mention the shattered glass all
over the street and sidwalks which
makes driving a hazard. If throwing
glass and rocks at the games is so much
fun, then why doesn't everyone bring
something to hurl at innocent by
standers? Flying glass is such a cute
thing, isn't it?
What if that rock had burst the
windshield and hit my iriend in the face?
What if she had wrecked the car into the
sidewalk where countless people were
standing? Forget the three hundred
dollars it's going to cost to repair the
windshield What about the safety of the
driver and those bystanders?
Somebody is going to have to do
something and do it soon! We have more
police in this town than you can shake a
stick at. Where are they all? I'm tired of
hearing from the University police that
they can't do anything.
What about arresting rock and bottle
throwers so the rest of us can have a
good and safe time up there? How can
the University sit back and let this sort of
behavior continue? Somebody had better
get off their tail and get it In gear!
Really, everyone's safety and health
are endangered at each home game. 1* It
going to take a tragedy for somebody to
take notice’’ This is serious business that
needs to be dealt with In a serious
manner
It’s lime to stop saying that's Just the
tracks! That’s absurd! Nobody in his
right mind should have to put up with it!
I say arrest people for throwing rocks
and bottles
The majority of the people on the
tracks are good fun-loving folks who
enjoy spending the usual Saturday
afternoon on the tracks. It’s the other
jerks who make it bad for the rest of us
They need to be removed! If the tracks
are shut down, it’s the rock and bottle
throwers who will have to bear the
blame
For me, it's hard to sit up there and not
be ashamed of the behavior witnessed
It's a shame that this has gone this far.
Something had better be done before the
Auburn game, or else someone is going to
get seriously hurt, but maybe that’s what
it's going to take for proper recognition
of the problem.
If someone does Indeed get hurt, I don't
want to hear anyone say, “that's too
bad,” because it could've been prevented
if the authorities had only had the nerve.
'• r J
M >
ROBERT ALLEN BUFFINGTON
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