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DETOUR: Why does Uma look so “miserable?” —See page 4.
T H U R S D AY
VOLUME 66, ISSUE 52
M AY 2 1 , 1 9 9 8
CSUF has a history of theatrical smut
n HISTORY : Long before
this year’s production of “Romeo and Juliet” there was the 1967 production of “The Beard.” By TRISHA L. SEBASTIAN Special to the Daily Titan
“A lewd, licentious, pornographic stage play was presented in Fullerton last week ...” This sentence could have been written a few weeks ago in the Orange County Register regarding the Cal State Fullerton production of “Romeo and Juliet.” Instead, it was written by Bill Drake,
one-time publisher of the Yorba Linda Star, professing his disgust over a graduate student production of “The Beard” by Michael McClure over 30 years ago. This column sparked debate over what theater professors could and could not show in their classes, culminating in a proposed amendment to the California State Penal Code that would have made showing simulated sex acts in college theater productions a misdemeanor. The controversy erupted on Nov. 15, 1967 after Cal State College at Fullerton theater professor Edwin Duerr’s graduate directing class held three performances of “The Beard.” Drama department policy at the time stated that the
A headline from a Nov. 17, 1967 article in the Yorba Linda Star. Controversy sorrounding the play almost led to legislative action. performances were not open to the public, but that any students who wished to see the performances could view them. These performances were not open to members of the press. Drake, Star assistant editor Barbara J. Machado and her husband George
Machado each received tickets to one of the performances. The following Wednesday, Drake ran his column with an additional admonition against thenpresident William Langsdorf stating that tionable “if he was ignorant of the (objec production), we figure this is no excuse,
I rushed for 1,000 yards for this?
because he should know what’s going on in his college.” Machado acknowledged in her review that “the play was ‘an academic project ... not addressed to prurient interest, and not a public performance.’” Still, Drake pushed in his weekly column for the dismissals of Langsdorf, James Young, former head of the drama department, and Duerr. He stated in the following week’s column, “The moral decay of America is on the move and going at a fast pace that will eventually lead to the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah ...” “This fast pace of moral decay does not need any help from liberal-minded,
free speech advocate professors in our colleges.” Response came in the form of a statement issued by Langsdorf, defending Duerr saying, “Since this was not a public event, but rather a part of a graduate class in drama directing, the content was under the control and supervision of (Duerr). “The administration of the College, the Department chairman, and the faculty member involved join in assuring the community at large that every possible effort will be made to protect the good name of the College and the welfare of the community,” the statement
n GRADUATION: Com-
Wood is Fullerton’s all-time leading scorer and set the NCAA single season assist record by averaging 11.0 per game in the 8283 season. Wo o d a l s o Royce played alongside Michael Jordan on the 1984 Olympic basketball team. He holds the Olympic assist record with 63. John Stockton, the all-time NBA assist leader, was cut from the 1984 Olympic team in favor of Wood as point guard. Wood eventually played for the NBA and is currently calling fouls on NBA stars like Dennis Rodman as a referee. The school’s ceremony will be held at 5 p.m. The public is welcome to attend. Michael Stennis, California Board of Trustees member, will be speaking at the School of Communications graduation on June 1 at 4:30 p.m. The other CSUF schools will have student speakers at their respective ceremonies. Speaking at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences ceremony will be graduate Isabel Apkarian, a criminal justice major with a minor in psychology. She has previously been named to the Dean’s List and has a 4.0 grade average in her major. The ceremony is scheduled for June 1 at 8 p.m. The School of Natural Science and Mathematics student speaker will be Faith Monique “Nikki” Pinkerton. She is a biology major and is graduating with high honors. The ceremony is scheduled for May 31 at 8 p.m. The School of the Arts has four student speakers scheduled for their May 31 ceremony at 4:30 p.m. The students include: Elizabeth Comay, from the Art Department; Jennifer Fagan, from the Dance Department; Christopher Watts, from the Music Department, and Danielle Bisutti, from the Theater Department.
Royce and a ref to give the final farewell mencement ceremonies feature established alumni as well as those on their way to prestige. JASON SILVER
Daily Titan Staff Writer Tennessee Oilers running back Eddie George was on campus Wednesday filming a commercial for Adidas athletic wear. PHOTO BY MYLES ROBINSON
New-hires put under a new policy n POLICY : Academic Sen-
ate passes new method of evaluating newly-hired professors; policy is considered positive by professors. By LAURIE SCHULTZ Daily Titan Staff Writer
A new university policy will change how department colleagues, faculty committees, deans and the president of the university evaluate professors. It will affect the tenure and promotions of newly-hired professors and will take effect in Fall 1999. Underare theevaluated old policyinstatement, fessors the areasproof
teaching, scholarly and creative activity, professional activity and service. The new policy statement will require professors to be reviewed in all these areas minus professional activity. Newly-hired professors must construct a preliminary development plan in their first year of teaching. This plan will outline their goals in the three required categories. They will not be reviewed in their first year, but in their second year they must submit a development plan, which builds on the preliminary schedule. A faculty member mentor who will provide guidance, advice and support to new-hires in the process of preparing their preliminary development plans. Decisions about whether or not a
professor will be tenured will be based on whether the professors did what they said they intended to do, said Mary Watkins, coordinator of faculty affairs and records. “Professors will begin the probationary period (the time before they achieve tenure) of their careers knowing what is expected of them. There should be no surprises,” Watkins said. Prospective new hires are pleased with having the development plan like the idea of setting their own goals and accomplishments, she said. For the last two years, an ad hoc committee in the Academic Senate reviewed the current personnel policy and submitted recommendations for changes. After much debate and revi-
sion, the senate modified these recommendations. President Milton Gordon signed the approved policy in April. John Olmstead, professor of chemistry and member of the reviewing committee, said one of the reasons the senate decided to require a development plan was to reduce the anxiety among the faculty. Many faculty were anxious because they did understand clearly enough what they needed to do to gain tenure, Olmstead said. Olmstead said requiring mentoring was an attempt to formalize what has been done informally in many departments. The amount of mentoring a professor would receive would be tailored to his or her needs, he said. For
see POLICY/
It’s that time of the year again. The time of caps and gowns. The time of congratulations and expensive presents. The time for getting on with your life. But first it is time for graduation ceremonies and that means it’s time for speakers and this year’s lineup of commencement speakers includes a former NBA player and current U.S. congressman. U.S. Representative Edward Royce, RFullerton, who graduated from Cal State Fullerton in 1977 with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, will deliver the commencement address at the School of Business Administration and Economics ceremony. Royce is currently the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Africa and is the only Republican congressman in Clinton’s delegation. Royce entered politics in 1982 when he was elected to the California State Senate. He has focused on victims’ rights issues including anti-stalking legislation, which he pushed through successfully at the state and national levels. He was praised for authoring the Crime Victims Justice reform ballot initiative which overhauled the California Criminal Code. The ceremony will be held in the Titan Sports Complex at 9 a.m. on May 30. Only guests with tickets will be admitted. For the School of Human Development and Community Service, the cermonial speaker will be Leon Wood, who was inducted into the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame earlier this month. Wood graduated from CSUF in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education.
see PLAY/
‘Big change’ in store for Science and Math n FACULTY: Daniel Stalling is installed
as the new assistant dean of Natural Science and Mathematics. By MELISSA MORRIS Daily Titan Staff Writer
With Disney figurines and stuffed animals painted in bold blues and reds decorating his desk, he is anything but the typical introverted scientific-type. Daniel Stalling, the new assistant dean of the School of Natural Science and Mathematics is at Cal State Fullerton to “create a sense of community.” Stalling was recruited in mid-April from USC, where he was assistant director of residential and Greek life. He focused on facilitating student and faculty interac-
tion. In his new position on this campus, Stalling said he hopes to generate more opportunities for student-faculty interaction and strengthen student leadership skills within the School of Natural Science and Mathematics. “My timeline is really to make some big changes over the next two years,” Stalling said, “It’s a good professional challenge for me.” Stalling’s desire to connect people through the development of personal relationships is rooted in his childhood experiences. Stalling’s family owned several transitional homes and boarding care houses for the elderly, in which he spent much time as a child. “Society had sometimes turned its back on these people and a lot of them had a richness of stories to tell,” Stalling said. “Often times we just don’t take the time to get to know one another. If you take the time, you learn so much...
that people are treasures.” Stalling fondly recalls a friend named Fling who influenced him as a young man. “He believed in me,” Stalling said. “It’s that belief in other people; I feed off of that. And I hope I give that to someone in return.” Ben Rogoway, a CSUF student and Stalling’s former co-worker at USC, said Stalling is “a very good leader and very good motivator.” Stalling said to develop leadership skills, students must be involved in campus activities and services. One of his goals is to ensure evening and daytime students equal access to campus services, like Financial Aid. “He has several really good ideas about what he thinks he can do for the (Biology Department),” said Eugene Jones, chair of the department.
Copyright ©1998, Daily Titan
JEFF CHONG/Daily Titan
New assistant dean of the School of Natural Science and Mathematics Daniel Stalling has been described as a “good motivator.”