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Show p age 12 The Tfutnderbird Monday, September 26, 1983 President addresses points of funding, quality (continued from page 1) year colleges and universities in the state have. But given the economic situation, we will not be able to have the luxury of the extremely small classes either. When I attended Utah State University as an undergraduate, its enrollment was 3,700 students and that was an ideal size. The university retained a small college atmosphere but was large enough that it could offer everything a large university provided! So, I think we can have additional growth and still maintain the relationship that has always been a hallmark of SUSC. Certainly well make every effort to insure that SUSC remains a college that cares about its students and fosters a personal relationship between students, faculty and staff. The turnover rate of our faculty and staff has been a matter of great concern to the says the president. college e It has been reported that faculty salaries at SUSC are the lowest of almost all the institutions of higher education in the state, and that the college lost 10 percent of its faculty this year. How can the college suffer such a loss and remain a quality institution' Q: A: The turnover rate of our faculty and staff has been a matter of great concern to the college. Last year, SUSC had to replace 42 people, including faculty and staff who elected to leave the college. SUSCs salary levels remain the lowest in Utahs system of higher education and when you have quality people as we do but pay them less than they can receive elsewhere, s for others. A major goal you become of this college has to be to increase the salaries of our employees. Fortunately, the college still has a remajkably fine faculty and support staff in my opinion the most dedicated and capable in Utahs system and we will do all we can to keep them. But how successful we are will depend on the attitude of the Legislature next January. prime-picking- Q: What is the administration doing to correct the salary problem? appropriate color for as vital and vibrant a college as SUSC, but I decided that if I was the only one who felt that way, I wasnt about to impose my views on the college. I learned, however, that my views were widely shared, and when our student leaders asked that we change the colors 1 readily even eagerly agreed to have a committee consider the matter. The committee included the leaders of the Staff Association, Faculty Senate, Alumni Association, Associated Students, Institutional Council, and representatives from athletics, public relations, publications, and fine arts. Their recommendation was to adopt two shades of the colleges traditional colors: scarlet (from the red of the original school colors) and royal blue (from the other traditional color of the school), together with white. I personally am enthusiastic about the selection. Q: How is the change beneficial? A: The change is beneficial I think, in a variety of ways. They will give our special events a more colorful look and our athletic teams can now use two of the most dominant and dramatic colors in the color spectrum. They will assist also in the design of publications and in exhibits and displays. A resolution was passed last year by the ASSUSC Senate dealing with alleged discrimination against womens athletics, in regard to the open recreation program. Has the administration done any investigation into possible discrimination in other programs or entities at the college? Does it exist elsewhere? Q: A: The college does not have the necessary funding to keep the Physical Education Building open on an allbasis. Consequently, it was decided to day, every-daclose the building during the major athletic events because the building was not being used enough during these periods to warrant the payment of the staff. The current policy is that for those athletic events that are popular enough to warrant a public admission charge, y Q: When you became president, one of your goals was to attract quality students to SUSC. Has the quality of students improved I A: We have always had quality students at this institution. Their performance after they left the college is evidence of that. But we want to insure that SUSC receives its share of the truly exceptional students or perhaps a little more than our share. The top high school scholars receive scholarship offers from many colleges and universities and SUSC has not been in a financial position in the past to effectively compete in this area. But last year, thanks to increased donations and investment earnings, we were able to' introduce our presidential scholarships program. r These scholarships will be used to attract the very best high school scholars to SUSC to complement an already fine student body. It is my belief that within not too many years, SUSC will be recognized as the leading teaching institution in Utah. In my opinion, it is already there and its reputation is growing rapidly. four-yea- Q: How does an SUSC graduate compare to the graduates of other colleges and universities in Utah ? A: We were successful this past summer in getting SUSC placed on the same comparable institution list as Weber State College which means that the salary goals for SUSC as established by the Regents were raised substantially. Well be spend.ng considerable time between now and the opening of the Legislature explaining our funding needs to the people of Utah. Im cautiously optimistic that the Legislature will be willing to make a greater investment in higher education this year. Q: What at stake for the students with this situation? A: Clearly those to be most affected by the level of funding to the colleges and universities are the students. If the state does not increase its appropritations to higher education, there will be many students who will be denied entrance to college and those who have been fortunate to have already been admitted will be faced with larger classes and less than adequate libraries and laboratory equipment. Im hopeful our student body will mount a campaign of its own to win legislative support for increased funding. The college alumni association is scheduling a series of aiumni meetings from throughout the state to solicit alumni assistance in relating the financial problems of Utah's colleges and universities. You were a national leader for a n Will Greek organizations make a reappearance college? Q: A: SUSC graduates are competitive in every way with the graduates of the other colleges and universities in the state and in some areas are highly sought after. For example, our graduates are being accepted into the professional schools in numbers far exceeding the national norms. Last year, all five of the SUSC students who applied to dental school were accepted. All three who applied to allied health schools were accepted. And of the four who applied to veterinary medicine school the toughest of all the professional schools to get into three were accepted. Of the five who applied to medical school, two were accepted and the other three are on alternate lists. I very much doubt if any institution in Utah can point to a better performance record in placing its graduates in professional schools. is fraternity. at the A: I really dont know. We have had national social fraternities on this campus in past years, but none are active now. I suppose it depends on whether students would be interested in having fraternities and sororities. My own experience in a college fraternity was very positive. Q: Last year in the student newspaper you stated that you were not pushing for a change in school colors. This summer the colors were changed. Did you support the change? A: My opinions on the previous colors were very known. Light blue never seemed to me to be an Well think we can have additional growth and still maintain the I one on one relationship that has always been a hallmark of c. SUSC. the building will be closed. This applies primarily to mens football and basketball contests but also to womens special tournaments and other events. As for charges of discrimination against any individual or group, the college investigates each complaint brought to it and, should discrimination be found, will move to immediately rectify the situation. However, such charges have been very few. Q: Now that Center the major fund-raisin- g for the Special Events is over, how do you feel the project has gone? A: Im delighted with the plans for the new building and deeply appreciative of all those who worked to effort bring this building to reality. The was the most successful per capita in Utahs history and a tribute to the people of this area and the support they provide to SUSC. Im confident the student body, faculty, staff and general public will be enormously pleased with its design and function. fund-raisin- g |