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Show Grover: all we really needed was more bodies By KURT NUTTING Chronicle Staff Asa new administration prepares to 'take over the Associated Students of the University of Utah (ASUU) 'offices in the Union, the history-making term of Crover Thompson comes to a close. What does the 1971-72 president think as he leaves office? Crover's greatest satisfaction was in "having a successful year not necessarily because of any one particular thing I or anyone else did, but a number of different things and because of the people that were there." He is almost effusive in his praise of his officers of-ficers and says the "greatest disappointment" of his term was that his administration was so" overworked. The sacrifice, "the time it's taken from everyone else's studies and work," bothers him. "We didn't expect to do everything, but we could have used a lot more help, more bodies. With the people we had, though, I'm not sure we could have done much more than we did." The skeptics then say, "What exactly did ASUU do this year?" Crover says his chief personal accomplishment was "pulling together all those people on the cabinet; putting together a group of people with divergent views and getting them to work together toward constructive goals." In the way of programs, Crover says, "concretely, a great deal, has been accomplished." Specifically, he lists the expansion ex-pansion of the Outreach scholarship program, the establishment of the Human Sexuality center, funding of the Youth Hostel, creation of the College Councils and the strengthening of the Student Advisory Committees (SACs). And he thinks these programs have been important, they have made a difference. "Overtly, probably not as much difference" to the average student as other things, he admits; it's "not the kind of thing that keeps you from breathing, but it makes life a little easier." For example, the student voice on faculty retention in SACs and College Councils "ultimately makes a difference in the long run," since it determines who will teach at the University and the quality of academic and research programs. Has ASUU really changed this year? Crover says definitely. "The change is marked by better representation than we've ever had before. I think we've ef fectively represented students on a number of different levels all year long." He says of ASUU that "the people who worked in it last year were more homogeneous in their views about the kinds of things students could and should do for example, on athletics nobody no-body had ever bothered to question ques-tion its role on the University ." Well, is the end of the Thompson administration also the end of an era, a period in ASUU of liberal activism under Randy Dryer (1970-71 studentbody president) and Thompson himself? Crover answers, "No. That's my gut reaction. re-action. I assume that because of the structure of the new constitution, con-stitution, it allows the student-body student-body president to select a pretty varied cabinet, with different viewpoints and that's a healthy thing . I'm not sure we'll ever go back to the days of junior proms and pom-poms." And the future of Crover Thompson himself? "I'll try and graduate." After that, he's not sure either a job or law school are possibilities. Either way, ASUU will not soon feel another mellow activist hit it with such impact as Crover Thompson has. |