THE January 29, 1985 Vol. 83, No. 31
VI
STA
Tuesday Edition
Central State University, Edmond, Oklahoma
Senate vetoes proposal for senators"IDs' By Curtis Killman Associate Editor The Student Senate turned down a resolution Monday proposed by Parlimentarian Bill Smith that would have called upon the Student Senators to wear an ID-badge. The proposal would have required senators to wear the IDbadge to all Student Association events and every Monday, the day of the weekly Senate meeting. In a vote of 8-7, with two
abstentions, House Speaker Joe McCourry cast the deciding vote to reject the proposal adding that the senators already have an IDpatch. The bill was debated by the senators, Smith explaining that the purpose of the bill was to provide "on-sight recognition" of senators by the student body. According to Smith, the reason this resolution was set forth was to give a more direct line of communication for the student body
in general. "I think that on sight recognition," said Smith at the senate meeting, "is the most efficient means whereby the student body at large can recognize its representatives. "I did not know until I met Joe McCourry last year that there was anyone that I could turn to; a lot of people don't know who to turn to. I think that on sight recognition is important." One senator asked Smith if he
Regent report cites distinct progress in desegregation over past decade Oklahoma higher education has made distinct progress in its planned desegregation over the past 10 years, State Regents officials say. Contrasting today's State System of Higher Education with that of 1974 when the state's first desegregation plan _was filed with the federal government, public higher education in Oklahoma appears to be considerably more open to blacks and other minorities than was historically the case. Today more than 90 percent of the black students attending public colleges in Oklahoma are enrolled in traditionally white institutions. They are served in those institutions at .75 to 1.00— of the rate that the system serves white students. Some two-thirds of the black faculty and professional staff are employed at the traditionally white institutions. These facts hardly portray a recalcitrant southern state tenaciously holding on to some white supremacy philosophy said Dr. Dan Hobbs, senior vice chancellor for planning and policy research, who provides staff leadership at the State Regents' office for the development and coordination of the state plan for civil rights compliance. According to Hobbs, Oklahoma has made significant progress in the area of civil rights, a fact attested to by the federal office for civil rights in its approval of the state's current desegregation plan. Twenty-two years ago when the first comprehensive study of state system entering freshmen was made by the State Regents, there
were 297 black first-time freshmen enrolled in the state traditionally white institutions. They represented 68 perecent of the total black first-time freshman enrollment and 2.7 percent of the total TWI enrollment. Twenty-one years later, after the 1964 Civil Right Act, the filing of the Adams case, Oklahoma's first civil rights plan, and the extension of Oklahoma's revised civil rights plan, black students equaled 7.2 percent of the TWI's first-time freshman enrollments. In those earlier days, not only were there few black students in white institutions, there were relatively few overall, and Oklahoma's one traditionally black institution, Langston University, had not a single black regent on its governing board. It was not until 1967 that Gov. Dewey Bartlett appointed Herman Duncan of Muskogee to the A&M Regents that Langston and the State System had its first black regent since the system was formed in 1941. Today blacks make up 7.5 percent of the total membership of higher education governing and coordinating boards in Oklahoma (Blacks make up 6.7 percent of the overall Oklahoma population, 6.4 percent of the student body in state colleges). Meanwhile Langston University has been desegregated. At the time of the State Regents' latest civil rights report, Langston's student body was 50 percent black, 33.5 percent white, 2.6 percent other minorities and 13.9 percent non-resident aliens. Dr. Hobbs points out that
In this issue... Debate team takes first at OU tourney...page 3 CSU barber turns stylist...page 4 "Torchlight" preview...page 6 Langston dumps CSU...page 7 Lady Broncs stumble twice...page 8
much remains to be done to achieve the high goals Oklahoma higher education has set for itself in civil rights compliance. Black faculty hiring is short of the goals, but with state-wide hiring freezes in effect and budget cuts trimming back faculty positions and class offerings, the goals set in better economic times, are more difficult to realize that first seemed to be the case. There is also the problem of availability of qualified black faculty in certain academic fields and recruiting them from out of state is particularly difficult given the present economic conditions in Oklahoma and higher education funding picture over the past two years. Black enrollment is down too, Hobbs says, but so is overall enrollment. At least part of the decrease may be attributable to difficult ecomonic times and class schedules shortened by budget cuts and other fiscal restraints. The State System professional schools have not met their goals for the enrollment of black students. This, however, is not just an Oklahoma problem, according to Dr. Hobbs, but a national one. "It seems," he said, "that the closer we get to success in achieving our goals, the more difficult the process becomes. "The answers are no longer simple and cause and effect no longer easily discernible," he said. According to Hobbs, Oklahoma's state plan is designed to strike a balance between equality and quality.
thought the ID-badges might isolate the senators from the student body, resulting in the senators being looked upon as a "social club." Smith conceded that the IDbadge proposal could conceivably degenerate into something like that. But, he added that the students should know who their representatives were. McCourry cast the deciding "no" vote with the explanation that the senators already have Student Senate ID-patches available at The Corner gift shop in the University Center. "All you have to do," Mc-
Courry said, "if you have enough pride in this organization, you'll invest 50 cents or a dollar" in the patches already available. Smith, in a telephone interview, said he was disappointed the proposal did not pass, but said he plans to re-enter the legislation in a different form though. "It can't be a pin or a badge," Smith said,"I would have to approach it from another way. What I was considering was just submiting a resolution to ask the Publicity Committee to investigate the matter, to recomend to the senate at large, the senate at large voting on it and getting something concrete done."
Vista photo by Awry LoFranco
Kevin "Skip" O'Hare clowns around with Polar Bear, Price Oswalt at the "Polar Bear Party" held Friday night in Thatcher Hall.
Faculty Senate to adopt new student poll By Curtis Kiliman Associate Editor
The Faculty Senate, Thursday, passed a resolution to install a uniform questionnaire on evaluating student opionion of instructional effectiveness. The student feedback results will be computer tabulated and the results used to judge campus teaching.
The proposal, not originally up for consideration, was brought to a vote after Dr. James Perry, chairman of the academic affairs committee, moved that the rules dictating the order of consideration be changed because of the time needed to print the new student evaluation polls. The agenda originally called for
the proposal to consider the reapportionment of the student activity fund to be first, but the measure was set aside until next month. The meeting was adjourned at 4:30 p.m. The Faculty Senate will meet again at 2:40 p.m., Feb. 14, in the Senate Room of the University Center.