the CAPITOLIST
Vol. 3, No.x
Interviewer—Doug Megla
a telephone conversation
Doug: “I’d like to know how
long you’ve been here and your
background here.”
Pat: “I’ve been here since
August, 1969, and do you mean
my responsibility? I was
designated, more or less, to be
advisor of the CCSC, and I
served in that capacity until the
end of this past term. And this
past summer I was designated
initiator, or advisor of the Drug
Awareness Committee, on the
campus, which has since become
the Head Shop. Iris Praeger and
myself were involved with that.
And I’ve donated a lot of time
to getting that thing going and
keeping it organized.”
Doug: “That’s your
responsibility now? You have
more than that...”
Pat: “Well, those are the basic
ones. Other things I’ve
undertaken were the
Commencement Ball last year,
the Talent Show this year, which
Twyla Brown and I are working
on. And, oh brother, any other
things that have come my way!
People coming in and needing
this and needing that.”
Doug: “Well, you work with
the RSC?”
Pat: “Oh, that’s the Residents
Student Council with the
Residence halls. And I’m advisor
to the Resident Student
Government and to the Resident
Assistants and the receptionists.
The RA’s and the receptionists
are my staff.”
Doug: “When were you
informed that you wouldn’t be
renewed?”
Pat: “Last Tuesday, the
second of February.”
Doug: “Is Mr. Millman going
to take your place?”
Pat: “I do not know if he
accepted that. The way it was
explained to me was that they
were restructuring the office of
Student Affairs into two parts:
one, there will be a new
Assistant Dean for Residence
Living, and two a Residence
Living Coordinator. I was told
that Steve Millman was offered
that job and I don’t know if he
took it or not.”
Doug: “He will take both
jobs, yours and the one he now
holds?”
Pat: “He’ll be responsible for
all the residence areas. He’ll be
the under-person in charge and
he’ll report directly to Dean
Grimm.”
Doug: “When is your
contract up?”
Pat: “I was told that, as of
July first, I would no longer
have a position.”
Doug: “You told me the
other day that they wouldn’t tell
you a reason, other than
restructuring... You couldn’t say
that it’s financial difficulties?”
Pat: “No, I had no reason,
and what I was told was, I
explained that a number of
things that I had done which had
taken away from my time spent
on Residence halls were
designated to me, and I had
given it my all...(every project)
my all, as much as I could. You
know I didn’t spread too thin. I
said I had done a lot, I had
Pat Murphy Gets Nittany Screw
MISS PATRICIA A. MURPHY—a true friend to students in the
Student Affairs Office.
worked very hard. And why was
I no longer to be here? And I
was told that it wasn’t what I
had done, but what I had not
done. And this is the first thing
in the way of criticism, that I
had heard.”
Doug: “You think that they
would have told you
beforehand, much beforehand?”
Pat: “Yes, right. Some prior
warning would have occurred.
And if I had done anything
wrong I was never informed, and
anything that had come up, I
had met with Dr. Grimm, and
we had resolved. It just seems as
though...the couple weeks
before this happened, the
pressure was really on. I had
been ill. I had a lot of pressure
from home, my family was
undergoing a crisis, and it
seemed as though I was getting a
lot more criticism back here,
than before, and part of it had
to do with an issue about drugs
in the dormitories and a meeting
with Dr. Grimm, which made it
look...(I was asked by the RA’s
to meet with him regarding this
issue) well, during or after the
meeting, somehow he got the
impression that I wasn’t able to
communicate effectively enough
that he had to be drawn into it.
This wasn’t the case at all. They
felt they had not seen him at all,
at any of the meetings this year,
and they wanted to see him and
talk with him about this. And
just what it was and what their
responsibilities were from the
top. Or any legal liabilities for
their action, or lack of action.”
Doug: “Then it was Dr
Grimm who informed you?”
"All The News That Fits .
CAPITOL CAMPUS - MIDDLETOWN, PA
Pat: “Yes.”
Doug: “Do you have any
other things that you would like
to tell me?”
Pat: “Well, that’s basically it.
I was very stunned and surprised
and I hated to go away like that
because it left a lot of
unanswered questions in
people’s minds. There was one
thing, I only informed three
people, people who were very
close to me, and I trusted them
implicitly not to deposit any
information to anyone else...and
when I came back, it seemed as
though the whole campus knew.
I know that Dr. Grimm
conducted a meeting that night
with my RA’s in which he asked
them how they felt, or how they
would function under someone
else, which makes me wonder
whether or not they want me to
leave before July Ist. I was
curious as to why I was told so
early. He told me it would give
me plenty of time to look for
another job, but it seems like it
is very early to be told
something like that; which
makes me wonder, maybe they
want me to get out now...quick.
Doug: “I didn’t know what
Millman did, because I live in the
dorms...did he get around
much?”
Pat: “Well, as much as he can,
I suppose. I’ll tell you one
thing...l spent the week in
self-flagellation over what I
didn’t do, one of the things was
that I didn’t communicate as
effectively with Steve Millman as
I might have, but there were so
many times when
communication broke down
between us.
We Print"
Doug: “Did you have a lot of
problems working for the
school, being paid by the school,
and working with the students?
You’re being paid by the school
and they want you to keep
everybody happy because you’re
getting paid by them...”
Pat: “I thought about that
too. I’m going to quote
somebody., „ As
Walter Hickel said when he left
the Nixon Administration,‘l had
to do it my way.’ There’s a
conflict there, but, then once
again I was never told when
there were conflicts or when
people were dissatisfied, but
when I was told, we’d work it
out. That’s why this thing has
come as a complete surprise to
me.”
Doug: “Would you say that
the meeting with the RSC,
concerning the demands (which
really they weren’t) had any
effect?”
Pat: “If it were anything it
would have been my (or our)
ineffectiveness in getting the
demands through because it is a
project that we’ve devoted a lot
of time to with the RSC and the
last RSC, improvements in the
tacilities. This hasn’t succeeded,
whereas Venderville and the
Student Lounge project has
succeeded in a large measure. We
just don’t seem to be getting
anywhere. So if anything was
wrong, I would say that it was
my ineffectiveness in getting, or
making progress in this matter.”
Doug: “You don’t have
anything against me writing this
article, do you?”
Pat: “I’d like to know what
the tone of it is going to be...”
Doug: “What would you like
it to be?”
Pat: “I’ll tell you, Doug, I
don’t want to g0...1 really don’t
and I realize that some people
like me and want to see me stay.
I appreciate it, I really do.”
Doug: “In my opinion, and
the opinions of most everyone
I’ve talked to, we always felt
that we could call you and talk
to you if we had a problem,
could we call Steve Millman?
Who is there?”
Pat: “Jerry South...he’s
always been very helpful.”
Doug: “Does everybody
know him? I mean the people in
the dorms have always felt close
to you. I don’t know about
Meade Heights. They wouldn’t
call Steve Millman...you’re closer
to the students. I think that if he
takes your spot, it’ll pull the
students further away from the
school. Maybe you can get up
and talk to Dean Grimm right
away, whereas now there’s not
going to be communication.”
Pat: I’ll tell
you one thing, an observation
that I’ve made over the last
couple of years, is that there has
been an effort on the part of the
administration to do
away with people like me. Mrs.
Long is an example, Sherry
Loutinski is an example, Paul
Reichwein, Mr. Baus, who was
here before...all of whom
seemed to have a rapport and
wanted to help. Maybe they’ve
gone a bit overboard or
underboard or whatever, but it
February If, 1971
seems as though me and the
people that I’ve mentioned, had
a great deal of criticism directed
toward us. They’ve wound up
leaving beacuse the System
doesn’t operate that way.”
Doug: “If would seem as
though you’re working for the
students more than the school.”
Pat: “Right, but I can’t see
that I’ve antagonized the school
in any way. Because the
conflicts that we had have been
worked out. And I like Dr.
Grimm. I’ve criticized him a lot,
but I’ve never said anything to
anybody else that I haven’t
turned around and said to him,
or vice versa, and I thought that
things were finally beginning to
work out. With the new offices,
and the changes. It really
surprised me. They’re doing
away with my job to make an
Activities Department and a
Housing Department. It will
remove the Administration from
the students because there will
be less people for them to go to.
That will make one person for
800 residents, if I’ve done
anything against the school its in
exercising too much freedom
and maybe not communicating a
lot of what I’ve done, but I have
my priorities in what I chose to
communicate and what I don’t.
I’ve worked the way I’ve been
trained, and the school shouldn’t
be so much concerned with the
appearance of the thing, but the
attitudes of the people. I work
for people and with people.
That’s what I learned and that’s
the way I’ve acted.”
Doug: “Thank you for your
time...Do you have anything to
add?”
Pat: “You’ve helped me get it
off my chest anyway. I don’t
have any qualms about it (i.e.
printing this article) because so
many people do know. It will
help clear up a lot of rumors and
speculations.
So... Thanks a lot.”
Black Ectasy
by Roger L. Hawkins
On Monday evening,
February 8, 1971, the Capitol
Campus Artist-Lecture Series
presented “Walk Together
Children,” a prose, poetry and
sing program monologued by
Miss Vinie Burrows. She
narrated a number of literary
works from a school of black
artists.
This was a very important
event, since it is important that
blacks broaden their horizon
concerning their own literary
culture and whites likewise learn
what blacks have to offer in the
literary field.
Miss Burrows was able to
convey the message of protest,
fear, anger, and suffering that
black people had to go through
while in America.
It was quite an enlightening
experience to see her up on the
stage living the whole history of
black folks.
If you missed this
tremendous performance, then
you were robbed of hearing and
seeing the filet mignon of black
literature.