Jlcfirtttii Collcaian
Volume XXX No. 11
Behrend
■ |
/ Congratulations to Clifford
/ Fiscus, former Behrendite, who
‘ *
has been named Penn State’s
official Nittany Lion for the ‘77
football season. Following each
PSU touchdown, Cliff will do one
pushup for each Penn State point.
Good luck!
LOST—A size 5 diamond ring in
a gold setting in the vicinity of the
Nick building Friday, March 18.
If found, please call 454-1152 or
stop in at the Collegian office
located in the SGA suite in the
RUB. This would be greatly
appreciated as the ring is of great
sentimental value.
On Tuesday, April 5, there will
be a meeting of the Student-
Faculty Forum during common
hour ,in Nick 110. The topic of
discussion, “Depersonalization
and Loneliness, the College
Experience,” will be moderated
by Professors Cottle and Quar
ton. -Everyone is invited and
encouraged to attend.
/'"Dave MASON will appear at
the Erie County Fieldhouse
March 30 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are
$5.50 in advance and $6.50 at the
door, and are available at the
Fieldhouse and at the door.
Tryouts and casting for the
Behrend Players Spring
production, “The Birthday
Party” by Harry Pinter, were
held at the end of the winter-term.
The production is scheduled for
performance April 27-30 and May
4-7 at 8 p.m. in the Behrend
College Studio Theatre. Tickets
go on sale April 20 and cost $2.50
for the public and $1.50 for
Behrend College students, staff
and faculty.
will students suffer?
Faculty may unionize
by Colleen Gallagher
Collegian Staff Writer
Next week, faculty at all Penn
State Campuses will vote to
determine the nature of future
faculty-administration relations,
which will profoundly affect
students' position as well.
On Wednesday and Thursday,
March 30 and 31, the faculty will
decide whether to be represented
in their dealings with the
University by one of two unions,
or to remain unrepresented.
At issue are power, which in
Academe becomes “collegiality
in governance,” and economics,
which means the ability to
negotiate salaries. Those op
posing unionization believe a
union would destroy the faculty’s
traditional role in decision
making and would rigidify pay
and promotion structures,
thereby undermining the
faculty’s incentive to strive for
excellence. Union advocates, on
the other hand, see nothing to
lose, since they deny that
collegiality exists at Penn State,
and believe the administration
evaluates faculty performance
arbitrarily, often ignoring merit.
For students, however, power
and economics have other
aspects. To students economics
also means that if collective
bargaining increases faculty pay,
higher tuition and cut-backs in
programs could result. And if an
organized faculty is unable to
negotiate a satisfactory contract,
it could exercise its right to
strike.
. “Very, very unlikely,” says Dr.
Richard Tomsic, Assistant
Professor of Psychology and
President of the Branch Campus
caucus of the Pennsylvania State
University Professional
Published by the Students of the Behrend College of the Pennsylvania State University
5.5 grams confiscated
17 Busted for Pot
by Kristen Hartzell
Collegian Staff Writer
On February 13 a raid was held
in room 315 of Lawrence Hall.
Seventeen Behrend students
were charged, in varying
degrees, with contributing to the
consumption of marijuana. .
During dinner at Dobbins Hall
earlier that night, one student
invited all those within hearing to
an “ouncer,” which Dean
Bainum said the administration
did not appreciate. Students,
however, maintain that the
student was joking and that most
of the people eating dinner at the
time realized that.
After dinner students gathered
in room 309 of Lawrence Hall and
began smoking marijuana. They
later moved to room 315 and
continued their party there. One
occupant of room 315 came to his
room at approximately 9:40 after
studying in the library. Finding a
party going on, he gathered some
books and then asked two
students at the party if he could
use their room (309). They
agreed, so he went to 309 and
began writing a speech. He says,
“There was incense burning
when I walked into that room; 1
didn’t smell pot, and had no idea
that the people in my room began
their party in 309 first”
Approximately ten .minutes
later, Mr. Giesihann, Ms.
Haskell, and two R.A.’s came to
309 and asked the student to open
the door. They said they smelled
marijuana coming from the room
and asked him where his
roommate was. He told them that
his room was 315 and that the
Association (PSUPA), one of two
groups vying for the right to
represent the faculty. “It’s one of
those scare things. The number
of institutions of higher education
engaging in strikes is extremely
small. It’s the farthest thing from
our minds.”
Faculty contracts negotiated
through collective bargaining at
other institutions have oc
casionally limited the use of
student course evaluations to
determine promotion, pay,
tenure, and firing of faculty.
However, it is almost impossible
to discern how much weight
students’ opinions of teachers
presently carry at Penn State
since, under current faculty
administration relations, the
reasons for such decisions may
remain undisclosed.
In addition, Pennsylvania
Public Law 195, under which all
state bargaining units must
operate, prohibits third party (in
this case, student) participation
in contract negotiations. Of
course, students have no such
voice now, but if the faculty’s
power over its affairs increases
under unionization, would faculty
concerns about salaries and job
security take precedence over
student concerns about tuition
and quality education?
Tomsic doesn’t think so. “Right
now,” he points out, “those who
have final say in the ad
ministration are those farthest
removed from the students. An
organized faculty would have
direct contact with students. And
with collective bargaining, the
faculty would have greater say in
the affairs of the University. ’
But PSUPA executive board
member Robert Olsen regards
the prospective situation in a
Station Road, Erie, Pa. 16510
occupants of 309 were in 315. Mr.
Schaefer joined the residence
staff at this' point. While some
remained in 309, the rest of the
staff proceeded to 315 and, when
they smelled marijuana, ordered
the people to open the door. The
staff then confiscated several
pipes, bongs, paper clips, a cigar
box, hemostats, a prescription
vial containing Noxema, a pocket
knife, razor blades, and various
ashtrays that held some
“marijuana” ashes.
The residence staff returned to
309 and asked the student writing
a speech to go to his room. From
309 the staff confiscated some
plants and a few bongs. In total,
53 items were gathered from the
two rooms, as well a 5.5 grams of
marijuana. The staff returned to
315 to find the occupants of 309.
When the student in 309 returned
to 315, he was asked to
surrender any marijuana he
might have before a search, since
it would be in his favor at the
trial. He then turned over an old
vial of marijuana which con
tained about V/2 grams. He was
written up for breaking conduct
code numbers 2, 11, and 15. The
process took about two hours.
Article 2 of the Student Hand
book prohibits “Violation of local,
state, or federal law on Univ.
property, or off campus when
such violation of the law has an
adverse effect upon the Univ. or
upon individual members of the
Univ. community.”
Article 11 forbids “Use,
possession, distribution, or being
under the influence of narcotics
or dangerous drugs, except as
somewhat different light, as
reported in University Park’s
Daily Collegian: “It’s between
the faculty and the University,
their employer,” he said, “if
students are concerned about,
their rights they should join
together into their own union—
like a consumer’s union. ..
They should have- rights they
don’t have, but they have to get
them themselves.”
Tomsic, however, believes
PSUPA’s affiliation with the
Pennsylvania State Education
Association’s (PSEA) powerful
Harrisburg lobby is likely to
ensure Penn State greater
allocations with the state
legislature, which Tomsic says
has been and will continue to be
responsible for compelling the
University to raise tuition, unless
the faculty organizes. “When
teachers organize they essen
tially have to be treated as a bloc
of votes, where they can hit the
legislator where he has to worry
most.” During the last election
Tomsic maintains, “the PSEA
endorsed a number of candidates
and 80 per cent were elected.”
But Edwin C. Masteller,
tenured Associate Professor of
Biology and member of the
steering committee of the Penn
State Independent Faculty,
spearheaders of the “no
representation” drive, doubts
PSUPA’s ability to influence
Harrisburg. “Higher education is
not looked upon favorably (for
funding) because we have a
declining population,” he says.
University President John
Oswald last month predicted a
tuition hike by next fall, making
no mention of any impact of a
faculty union. Oswald also
blamed Harrisburg for the im-
permitted by law.”
Article 15 prohibits “Aiding,
abetting, or attempting to
commit an act or action which
would constitute an offense under
any types of misconducts stated
under 1-14 above.”
“I really couldn’t believe it. I
never thought I would get in so
much trouble simply by writing a
speech!” commented the
student. His hearing resulted in
probation for the remainder of
his academic career, and he is
currently awaiting his appeal.
His roommate was charged
with breaking the same articles,
and was given two terms of
academic suspension. He is
appealing that decision. “I had
just arrived from a week-end trip
45 minutes before the bust itself
and had no idea it was announced
beforehand or that a posse was
out after it. Among dorm
students, it is common knowledge
that marijuana parties occur
frequently, and little fuss is made
over them.” He added that he had
no previous record.
Speaking of the student who
had issued the invitation at
dinner, one student protested,
“He didn’t even specify when or
where! How could he be
serious?” But administrators
thought differently, - and
dismissed him from the
University fear a minimum of one
year with no promise that the
student can return. Dean Bainum
stated that “he had a previous
record and was under doctor’s
medication at the time; we of
fered him rehabilitation at
University Park during the time
period of his dismissal, though I
don’t know if he plans to com-
pending increase.
But if the faculty organizes, the
mandatory exclusion of students
from bargaining further raises
the likelihood of a tuition hike.
According to last year’s figures
in the Monthly Labor Review of
the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, “Tuition and fees have
increased significantly more for
unionized, public, 4-year in
stitutions without student in
volvement than for those that are
unionized and have student in
volvement” in the bargaining
process. But student involvement
could occur away from the
negotiating table, or conceivably,
as Olsen would have it, in a union
of the students’ own.
Public Law 193, which prohibits
third party participation, would
also create an antagonistic
relationship between faculty and
administration, according to the
anti-union faculty. They claim
that academic decision making
has traditionally been an area of
faculty input, whereas a union
would label faculty members
“employees” and the University
“employer”, leaving “inherent
managerial policy” to the ad
ministration.
Masteller says a union would
wipe out faculty input such as
that emanating from the Faculty
Senate, because “the employee
doesn’t tell management how to
run its business.”
Tomsic, however, maintains
that “inherent managerial
policy” is limited to actual ad
ministrative structure. “We can’t
tell the University the number of
administrative assistants it can
have. We can’t tell President
Oswald how to deal with the
Board of Trustees,” he says. He
sees decisions about academic
policy and programs, however,
as being well within the area of
“working conditions’’ and
(Continued C*t Page 3)
Thursday, March 24, 1977
Then two from room 309 who
attended the party in 315 were
given one-term suspension by the
appeals court. They were
charged with the violations
stated above, and neither had any
previous record.
Another student, who was in
room 315 during the .ten minutes
before the raid, was given
suspension for one-term because
of previous violations.
Of the people remaining, ac
cording to Dean Bainum, % will
go before a hearing board and V*
will go before Dean Bainum for
sentencing.
Dean Bainum commented
“this is indeed an unfortunate
situation for all involved. But in
keeping with University policy,
we must recognize that these
students broke a law and must
accept the consequences.
“I have tried to be consistent
with University policy; I have
nothing personal against these
students; in fact, I think we, the
University, have been fair in not
turning these students over to the
local authorities. We saved diem
a criminal record that way.”
But the students do not agree.
Said one student:
“The entire thing was handled
in such a way that I feel we are
being used; we were ‘Made
examples of and the sentences
were far too harsh. This kind of
partying goes on all the time, not
only in die dorms but elsewhere.
In order for the University to be
at any way consistent, they would
have to hold raids regularly and
would end up busting nine-tenths
of the Behrend campus. If that is
what they want, an absence of
students, then they are certainly
going about it the right way.”
Another student added: “The
mere fact that they don’t even
know exactly how much
marijuana was confiscated—they
siad a minimum of four grams
and a maximum of six—and don’t
know to whom most of it belongs,
proves to me that they are using
these policies and rules to their
own advantage; and we, the
students, can’t fight because of
general rules that can be in
terpreted various ways.”
The results of this trial spurred
students into forming a grievance
committee to investigate
policies, to ascertain exactly
what each policy states, and to
protect students from “being
railroaded,” as one student
phrased it.
T. quit
by Janet Mazur
T. Clyde Kennedy resigned
from the position of S.G.A.
president March 11. He claims
five factors were responsible for
his decision.
“The first four factors gave me
the potential to resign. The fifth,
however, triggered by response.”
He identified the five basic
reasons: 1) time put into S.G.A.
accomplished little; 2) in
sufficient student support; 3)
“the president of S.G.A. usually
ends up with die buck, and I’m
tired of spending it”; 4) suffering
grades; and, finally, 5) “The
drug bust incident on third floor
of Lawrence Ha 11... .in disgust.
I resigned.”
When asked if he intends to
disassociate himself entirely
from S.G.A., he responded “I
plan to maintain some S.G.A.
contact in that I’m perfectly
willing to continue working with
them, yet not in the same
capacity as president”