Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Jones de By CARL STEPP Editor-in-Chief The time for putting things off is over, President Thomas F. Jones says, and the time for getting things done is now. "We've been trying to do this for three years," Jones said this week. "We've been put off as long as we can. These things have got to be done this year, or higher education in South Carolina will suffer."' Three years ago, when Jones proposed an expansion program, he was told to wait until the Moody Report was published.That report, a long-range look at education and other needs in the state, proposed drastic changes, but its recommendations were not implemented. "Now," says Jones, "the time hqs come. The question isn't can we afford it, it's can we af ford not to do it?" fendsU S Intensly defending the University's growth needs in an interview, Jones maintained that the library and stadium share first place "because they're for everybody in the University family---both inside and outside. It's only proper that they come first on the list because they affect the most people." "The word 'priorities' is unfortunate," he stressed. "'The priority is in the time scale, not the building scale. We intend to see that we get all of these needs." He termed faculty opposition to the ex pansion priorities as "not too strong." "The faculty has understood that the library had equal priority, and the law, business and nursing schools have rightfully felt they were at the top of the list---and they are. The needs of the University will be met." C grow Jones said no major stadium improvements have been made in 15 years. "How long do you want to put it off?" "I'm sure you'll find the Coliseum in one year of operation has done more to open the mind of all South Carolina...than anything that's ever been done. The money couldn't have been better spent to change the educational en vironment. "The stadium, properly planned, carried out and used, will give this same payoff---another symbol of the pride of South Carolina." "'South Carolina always was looked on as provincial, self-centered, stubborn and unreceptive to new ideas by the rest of the country. This has been the image. This en vironment works a handicap on the University because it makes it hard to have a completely open environment to study and hear new ideas th needs "The attitude of the public toward the University is largely shaped by how it serves them. We've got to spread our word, and this can only be done by giving people and ourselves something to talk about." Jones said there has been no sudden shift in the University's priorities. Proposals last year were aimed at potentially available funds from the last legislature, but the proposal was never formally introduced. This summer the Board of Trustees recon sidered. "We reset our list for now, this legislature. That's the present list." in September the University was requested to give the information to the Higher Education Commission, Jones said. The present in formation, indicating present priorities, was given them, he said. "They have not asked us to come over and talk about it further." Campus Calendar, . . Pick up UNC Senate priority plans (See Pge 4)tickets Thursday (See Page 4)(See Page 3) Vol. LX-No. 42 Uriversity of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C. 29208 - .. * * :: . :::::::::::::::::::**:.: :,;:::,::.:.. *Wed**nos* day, December...17,1969..% Faculty on top I y DONBARB Staff Writer A special faculty meeting is scheduled today after 13 of its members called last week for the session in order to discuss the University expansion program, and more specifically. to discuss the priority list of expansion set forth by the University ad ministration. The meeting. set for 5 p.m. in the Physical Science Building Auditorium. is expected to follow the agenda proposed by the Leaders' reactions to debate: DEAN ROBERT M. FIGG JR. of the USC Law School refused yesterday to comment on the current law school-football stadium controversy. He added that he would like to remain open-minded going into today's faculty meeting. Among the topics to be discussed will be the priority list of Carolina's program. DEAN MAJORIE SANDERSON of the Nursing School, whose quarters are ranked above the building of a law school, said last night. "We do need a new nursing school built. "I really have faith that it will come about and that the University will see that it somes about." She did not comment on the law students' efforts to persuade the University to re-arrange its priorities to give the law school a top ranking. KENNETH TOOMBS. director of libraries. noted that. "Each priority has a different price tag. The library needs $9.2 million. We cannot do with less If we only get $1.5 million, then we should get the Nursing School "As hard up as we are for academic facilities. we should take what we can get." he said. Toombs refused. however, to comment on the number one priority given to the football stadium. lie did add though that. "Anyone who goes through the law school. or the School of Nursing. or the library can judge for himself." PAUL DIETZEL. athletic director and head footballcoach comments on Page 4. BAR RV KNOBEL. student body president, said, "If the stadium can be financed without jeopar dizing the Law School, then that will be tremendous. As it has been explained to me, it can be done. "The situation has been ex plained and if it is not explained there will be a tense situation." RUITLEDG;E OSBORNE. chairman of the Board of Trustees: "With the faculty meeting tomorrow. I don't believe it would be becoming for me to make a statement." lie said the board would probably meet in January to discuss expansion and other mate. meets )riorities petitioners--- the "necessity for a new stadium." And it is expected to be one of the most controversial points discussed. Rumors were circulated earlier this week that as much as 40 per cent of the faculty stands ready to resign if the expansion of Carolina Stadium retains its number one priority. One faculty member, wishing to remain anonymous, said yester day that he is not surprised at the possibility of faculty resignations. He added, however, that he did not foresee any significant number of resignations. "A lot of us might consider resigning but it's just not that simple." he said. "Before you resign, you have to have somewhere else to go. All of us get offers occassionally from other institutions but these offers are not made everyday. "But as far as I'm concerned," he continued, "we could have a lot more students leaving than faculty members. This problem greatly affects the students. They came here because they believed that this University stressed academics, not athletics." Another faculty member, also wishing to remain anonymous, disagreed. "Students come here for all kinds of reasons," he said. "Despite what some have said to the contrary, we are not stressing any one program and ignoring others. We don't have to do this because there is absolutely no reason why athletics cannot be or should not be compatible with academics. The two complement each other." Both sources were quick to point out that the power of the faculty in the controversial issues is limited. One of the faculty members said that he thought the public, especially students, tends to greatly overestimate the faculty's decision making 'power. "Nearly every move we make is subject to approval from the President and the Board of Trustees," he said. "Actually, we could not have an official faculty meeting if the President disap proved." Both sources agreed that faculty meetings should be closed to the public and the press. Said one source. "things are said in the heat of arguments which have no truth or meaning. A false impression could easily be made. Also, the press could misquote someone or report something which did not happen or not report something which did " Choir to sell records "Come Fly with USC," a 45 minute record fraturing the University's concert choir, will go on sale today and Thursday in the Russell House lobby from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Priced at $3.50, the record features music recorded live during the choir's summer tour of Europe Profit from the sales will go to the choir, which is directed by Arpad Daraza. After Christmas, the record will sell for $4. WK The gre Jones, DI no comp There may be a way to expa using funds needed for aca, Thomas F. Jones indicated I Through certain financial I entirely possible these (athlf could not be considered com But he noted that he was legislature's right to deteri President Jones Gamecock's priority poll How do the students feel about the priority controversy over Carolina's expansion program? The Gamecock took a random telephone survey of 100 students yesterday and came up with the following results: Sixty-four disagreed that the library and stadium should have the top billing, while 32 agreed with the administration on this point. Three were uncommitted. Asked what should have first priority, 35 students supported the law school: 19 voted for the football stadium, while the new library received t0 votes and the nursing school won 12. The remaIning 24 votes were scattered between the new physical education center, a new school of Business Administration, another women's dormitory and a park. An overwhelming 70 per cent of those interviewed said they favored the over-all $112 million, five-year expansion program planned by the Uinivesty LAW I_N at debate ietzel see eition nd Carolina Stadium without demic programs, President resterday. arrangements, he said, it is tic and educational needs) petition. not trying to pre-empt the nine how projects will be financed. As explained to some student officials this week, financing Carolina Stadium's proposed enlargement could differ from financing academic programs, since revenues from stadium use would pay back the costs. Coach Paul Dietzel told The Gamecock, "We are in no way in competition with academics." He said the athletic department could raise "half of the money by ourselves." The stadium's revenue would come from a seat tax, from relieving stadium functions, from the amusement tax and from fund raising by the department itself. But. Dietzel said, the state must authorize the stadium financing. "We're not asking for an outright gift. We're asking for the state's backing for us to finance it by ourselves." While state backing would be needed for a bond issue for the stadium, the University athletic program would actually pay all or most of the bonding costs. Such a plan drew hearty support from Student Body President Barry Knobel. who felt the possibliities should be fully examined and explained to students. "If this plan is possible, there may be no need for the question of 'athletics vs. academics," Knobel said. "It would be tr..nd...". Law Scho( 2 'da if exr By EDDIE CHEN Asst Managing Editor USC law students, continuing their recently-launched campaign for a new law school, warned yesterday that the failure to do so may endanger the school's accreditation and possibly result in the loss of faculty members. Armed with charts and figures, the law students held a press conference yesterday and cited a number of reasons why a new law school should have number one priority over the building of a new library, football stadium and nursing school in Carolina's 1970-71 expansion program. The priority controversy began after USC ad ministrators announced the expansion program last Monday. A $9.2 million library and $8.5 million expansion of the Carolina football stadium shared the top billing on the priority list. A $1.6 million nursing school ranked number two, ahead of the $5.4 million law school. Carl Epps, president of the Student Bar Association, spoke at yesterday's press con ference, attended by various news media and more than 250 coat-and-tied law students. He emphasized that, "We do this not to benefit ourselves. Every student here today will have graduated before any new facility Is constructed. "Rather, we do this because we know of our own knowledge and can demonstrate the urgency of the demand for improvement." Conflicting interests emerge When The Gamecock in terviewed Kenneth Toombs, director of libraries, concerning the controversy over Carolina's expansion priorities, a sort of conflict of interests emerged. He told us, "When I came here (1967). 1 was promised that the library was number one priority. "But I cannot be against the law school when half of it would be a law library I helped design." he said. And furtherore. Toombs' daughter is a sophomore enrolled in the School of Nur Bing, which ranks second on the priority list, behind the new library and the expansion of the football stadium. students ngers' 0 anS10] He added, "Our purpose is not to deny that other needs exist. Many needs exist however, our need (for a new law school) is the greatest that must be met." Epps cited figures that showed the student-faculty ratio at Carolina's law school is 33 to one (496 students to 15 faculty members), which he said is the highest ratio in the Southeast. In library facilities, Epps said, 1969 figures showed that there are 124 volumes per student here, as compared to 500 volumes per student at University of Georgia's law school, 331 in Alabama, 275 in Virginia and 265 in North Carolina. There is a total of 61,360 volumes at USC's law school library. The Association of American Law Schools require its ac credited members to have a library seats for 65 per cent of its students, according to Epps, and "we can only seat 24 per cent." Food curl expected By CAR L STEPP Editor-in-Chief Plans to offer a 14-meal board plan next semester are expected to be announced this afternoon at a meeting of the cafeteria com mittee. At the same time, a curtailment in the hours and menus at South and Men's Towers cafeterias will probably be disclosed. The measures will be taken because of losses suffered this fall by the Stater-run campus food service. "We've had a real curtailment in our volume this fall, due primarily to a lack of a board plan." said Bill Wentz. food service director. 'He said a food plan and cur tailed service in outlaying cafeterias would help keep prices down and "offer maximum service for the least cost." Closing two cafeterias was considered seriously. he said. "Prom a cold-blooded business standpoint. the logical thing to do would be close Men's Towers and South and do a bet ter job at Russell House. But we don't want to lose our service entirely The programs expected to be announced today will involve: --offering a 14-meal board plan (Monday through lunch Friday), where students would be allowed 65 cents for breakfast, 81.10 for lunch and $1.40 for dine. Th cited Th fails The law school is now "at the bursting seam," he said. "As a result of such rapid growth (from 165 in 1959 to 495 today), we are in a state of emergency," Epps warned. The state ranks last in the number of lawyers in proportion to its population, he said. In New York, there is one lawyer for every 350 persons; in Virginia one for every 777; 816 in Georgia, and one for 1,235 in South Carolina, he said. The national average is one lawyer per every 621 persons, according to Epps. He praised the qualifications of the law faculty and Dean Robert Figgs' efforts in recruiting them. "However," he cautioned, ''should the University reveal that it is not dedicated to academic excellence, the best choice for these young mem may well to go where academic excellence is sought. (Continued on Page 3) ailment of Slater plan wculd offer a student who ate every meal a 23 per cent discount from cash prices: if he missed breakfast every day. he still would break even. Wentz said. ---curtailing the hours of operation and weekend service at some outlying cafeterias. ---providing a "simpler menu geared more to student needs... According to Wentz. students seem more interested in variety from day to day than in variety in the daily menu. Thus. students. would get fewer choices at each meal, but variety over several days. ---coupons would be continued. but not discounted. Wentz said recent student petition calling for improvements in the food service "has pinpointed the seriousness of the problem and shown that there definitely needs to be improvement." We're always open to new ideas." he said. Meanwhile, a student boycott deadline set to' begin today if "significant improvements" were not made has been extended. Joe Azar. chairman of a petition drive to demand improved ser vices and lower prices from the Slater Food Service, said the ex tension is due to timing, since most students will soon be going hoe for the holidays. He said he will make an an nouncement In January. Asar said last night that about 2A0W students have signed the petitins.