The QC, Vol. 76, No. 17 • March 23, 1990

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Volume LXXVI, Number I 7
March 23, 1990
Ash Addresses State Of Academia,
State Of College At Inauguration
SYMBOL OF LEADERSHIP: James L. Ash, twelfth president of
Whittier College, receives investiture from Chairman of the Board
of Trustees Rayburn S. Dezember.
Students Petition Archer Over
Grievances In RA Controversy
—By Caitlin Duffy
QC Staff Writer
In his inaugural speech on
Friday March 16, President Ash
addressed the decline in
academic quality, incoherence in
curriculum, the de-emphasis and
impoverishment of undergraduate studies, lack of faculty
participation outside of the
classroom, and the lack of
inherent goals in undergraduate
education as five areas of concern
in higher education.
"Whittier College has
addressed all of these five
concerns and has come up with
effective solutions," said Ash.
Ash said that the decline in
academic quality is effecting
students from kindergarten to
college age. "Faculty members no
longer have the courage to
confront issues of basic liberal
learning," Ash said. Ash added
that he feels this problem does
not affect Whittier College
because of the dedication of the
faculty members.
"College curriculums around
the country are in disarray, many
campuses are facing a frustrating
search   to   find   intellectual
L
By Michele Apostolos
QC Assistant News Editor
Senior Spencer Stinson has circulated a petition which states that
members of the student body are
"outraged by the method that
President Ash and Dr. Archer used in selecting seven of the RA
(Resident Advisor) positions for
the 1990-91 school year" and is
asking that a list of demands be
met by President Ash, Residential
Life, and the Faculty Masters.
Circulation of the petition is in
response to student concerns voiced at the "Face to Face" discussion held Tuesday night in Wanburg
Lounge between Dick Archer, Dean
of College Life, and students. 93
people attended the discussion, including members of each society,
FACU, Iota Chi, Resident Advisors,
alumni, faculty, and faculty
advisors.
The petition demands that the
decision process be revised so that
all students interested in the Residential Living Management course
will have an equal opportunity in
the selection process, that the
power be reinvested in Residential
Life, so that they can work in conjunction with the Faculty Masters,
and if the students Dr. Archer has
selected are the best qualified, they
will be selected by both Residential Life and the Faculty Masters.
According to junior Jeff Laiblin,
within the first thirty minutes of
circulation, approximately 175 to
200 signatures were gathered.
Several students participating in
the discussion vocalized their
unhappiness with Archer's decision to appoint the seven RA's
coherence," said Ash.
Ash said that although many
colleges simply make "lip
service" to this goal, he feels
Whittier faculty members have
done a good job of assisting the
students in constructing
coherent curriculums. "One way
we have done this is by offering
paired courses to help students
make connections between
different disciplines," said Ash.
The de-emphasis and impoverishment of undergraduate
studies was the third problem
Ash addressed. Ash described die
lack of participation and
emphasis of many campuses'
Freshman English course as
"scandalous" and that in his
opinion it is the most important
course in the curriculum.
"Faculty is necessary for
students to learn how to write
well because they are responsible
for producing literate graduates,"
said Ash. Ash said Whittier has
addressed this problem in an
extremely effective way by
offering freshman writing
seminars in classes with as few as
15 students, taught by faculty
from different departments.
Ash also spoke about the issue
of impoverished undergraduate
studies. "Increased tuition is
causing tragic social effects in
which only the elite will be able
to attend private colleges," Ash
said. Ash said that Whittier is
addressing this problem by
making the commitment to
continuing to make financial aid
available.
Ash introduced the lack of
faculty participation outside the
classroom as the most important
problem which institutes of
higher education are facing today.
Ash. made reference to the
German model of education in
which the faculty are involved
strictly academically. "This
concept can be extremely
destructive to a campus,"
Ash said.
In contrast, Ash said that a
model used by such prestigous
universities as Oxford and
Cambridge,   which   selected
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before they completed the course
which is a prerequisite for becoming an RA.
During the discussion, Stinson
said, "I don't think this is Mr to
the other students in the class."
Sophomore Alvin Henderson
asked Archer if he would consider
"recanting the people appointed."
Archer said that he would not
because he had already given the
seven people his word.
Archer said sixteen of the
twenty-three positions are still
available. In the past, RA appointments were made by Residential
Life, but with the implementation
of the Faculty Masters Program
beginning next year, the policies
are changing.
"I feel that if this sets a precedent, that the Faculty Masters will
gain control to do anything," Stinson later said.
At the discussion, Archer said
whenever there is a faculty masters
system, the masters have a right to
determine who the RA's will be.
"Faculty Masters have a determinant voice," said Archer.
According to Archer, the situation in question was due to a lack
of communication,
"In transition to new administration there was simply a breakdown in communication," he said.
Stinson plans to submit copies
of the petition to Director of
Residential Life Ken Kelly, Ash,
and Archer.
f A w
SHOW OF SUPPORT: Faculty and visitors applaud President Ash with a standing ovation at the
conclusion of his speech. 	
Ash's Speech Gets Warm Response
From College Staff And Community
By Thong Phan-Quang
QC Staff Writer
Faculty reactions to President
James Ash's inaugural speech last
Friday showed a positive
response to the message Ash sent
to the college community.
In his speech, Ash criticized
the American educational system
for its complacency, praised
Whittier College's faculty for
their dedication to teaching, and
reaffirmed the college's
committment to higher
education.
"I think these things
[inauguration ceremonies] are
important. He's [Ash] the guy we
want to have here," said Charles
Adams, professor of English.
Dave Garland, mathematics
professor, felt Ash's speech was a
bit preachy, but added, "All in al1.
it was better than any graduation
speeches I've heard."
"I think Dr. Ash said the right
things. I'm glad he reaffirmed
Whittier's committment to a
pluralistic student body. That was
very well received by various
members of the faculty and
student body," commented Tom
Wong, professor of history.
"Jim Ash has let out the good
news, what he calls the best kept
secret. And that is how we do
what we do at this college," said
Rafael Chabran, Spanish
professor," I think he did a really
good job of outlining the
strengths of this college."
Big UC schools don't care
about the undergraduate, said
Chabran. He cited Berkeley,
where he did his undergraduate
studies, as an example.
Student participation and
attendance at the inauguration
was lower than some faculty had
expected. "I was disappointed
that not too many students
showed up," said Steve Gold,
professor of sociology.
Gold added, he was
"impressed by the BSU [Black
Student Union]; they showed
solidarity." The BSU, dressed in
black, did not march in the
procession with other student
organizations. They were already
seated in the amphitheatre as the
procession entered the theatre.
Ash, the BSU, and the recently
formed AdHoc Committee on
Black Student Concerns are
currently investigating the issue
of declining enrollment of black
students at Whittier College.