Statesman V. 29, n. 01.pdf

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By Jeff Leibowitz
A decision on the Dube tenure case, a planneddecrease
in the undergraduate population, and
complaints by summer residents of poor building
conditions put the Stony Brook administration in
the heat this summer.
In response to a demographic downturn that has
resulted in a decline in freshman enrollments of
about 15 percent, University President John
Marburger unveiled an enrollment plan August 1
that will substantially shift the emphasis at Stony
Brook from the undergraduate to the graduate
level.
By 1990, Marburger said Stony Brook will have
about thirty percent more graduate students and
twenty percent fewer undergraduate students. The
move is designed to alleviate the impact of the
smaller application pool., while allowing the university
to.maintain its academic standards.
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Many students were less than satisfied with the
university's standards in regard to the treatment
and conditions provided for students during
summer sessions.
Statesman, in a series of articles, reported claims
from many summer school students who said conditions
had become so unsanitary that they had
become a health risk. Students in Keller, Wagner,
and Whitman-the three dormitories that were
open during summer school - complained of inadequate
mrintenence care in the dormitories. "The
bathrooms are black and scummy. The kitchen is
overrun with roaches and dirt. One guy has contracted
ringworm from the shower floors," Gordon
Crevishank, a residential assistant who was living
in Wagner, said in August. Crevishank said Residence
Life officials were unresponsive to his complaints
until the situation was given attention by
Statesman and other local publications. Dallas Baumann,
the director of Residence Life and Gary Matthews,
the director of Stony Brook's physical plant
maintained that the students had exaggerated the
situation:
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PROJECTIONS OF HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES
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In August, Marburger said he was "obliged" to
bring Stony Brook into accordance with the new 21
year old drinking age law, which takes effect
December 1. A memo sent by Marburger to Vice
President for Student Affairs Fred Preston stated
the following suggestions which Marburger said
will become Stony Brook policy:
*The university will refrain from making alcohol
"readily available" at campus events where
there will be mainly students under 21 years of age
in attendance.
*Dormitory pubs, saloons or other operations
that sell alcohol will be closed.
*The discontinuation of the sale and service of
alcoholic beverages at hall and quad parties
The further regulation of alcohol on campus is an
idea which is not sitting well with students. Polity
President Eric Levine criticized the law in August,
saying "the new law will be hurting students more
than it will help them. It will be forcing students to
drive off campus to drink, and that's dangerous."
While Preston said that the university will not be
"actively pursuing" underage students who drink in
their dorm rooms, officials will be responsible for
enforcing the policy at large events. "I hope that this
forces the people in charge of planning activities to
be more creative in thinking of things to do to
improve the quality of life on campus," he said.
A two year controversy appeared to have ended in
August when Ernest Dube, a lecturer in the Africana
Studies department, was denied tenure by the
;administration.
YEAR (5PR I NG)
Dube aroused concern among Jewish leaders
when he equated zionism with racism in a 1983
summer course entitled "The Politics of Race". The
decision came after two faculty committees recommended
in favor of tenure for Dube. The committees,
however, were overruled by Provost Homer
Neal, Dean of Arts and Humanities Rober Nevill,
and finally by Marburger, who issued the decision.
Dube, who is 56 and was hired by the university in
1977, first came under criticism when Selywan
Troen, a visiting Israeli professor, sent a letter to
the administration calling Dube's teachings "sloganeering
that is practiced by the anti-semite." Troen
based the allegation on the information on the syllabus
Dube had distributed to the class and the complaints
of a student in the class.
In August of 1983, after a University Senate committee
led by Joel Rosenthal found that Dube had
not overstepped the boundaries of academic freedom,
Governor Mario Cuomo issued a statement
critical of Dube's teachings. "It is a teaching which
in my opinion is intellectually dishonest," the governor
said.
Although Marburger said that the decision was
not based on external pressures, Dute said he might
appeal the decision and charged that the university
was "bowing to pressures from the groups concerned."
Dube will continue teaching throughout
the academic year and if an appeal is unsuccessful
he will leave the university next August when his
contract lapses.
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)eati l Must Be Dignified
(continued from page 5)
of groups are gearing up for the effort to gain passage
of, a national living will law.
Javits said the right of competent people to make
" he idea is to ex:tend
that right and make it enforcea- arian," he said. But, according to Javits, without "a
ble for the indi, vidual respecting his own body and durable power of attorney" the living will may be chal-
-what will happein
to that body in connection with death lenged when the patient is no longer able to ask that the
itself."
living will be enforced.
wills specifying their desires as to the dispensation of "The courts arnd
public opinion and the profession Students seemed absorbed bv the Senator's speech,
their assets, protection of their children and donations
to charity is clearly recognized in the court of law.
are definitely teiending
in the direction of supporting and several said they had not given the living will such
this effort, whichh
is highly moral and highly humanit- close consideration before hearing Javits' speech. "I've
Campus Previews
.I
up a little on it, and seen it on TV, but it was much
! potent coming from a man who faces the issue."
,
Marv McCabe. a second-vear Medical student.
it McCabe said she felt honoring a person's living
Statesman's Open House will be held this Thurs- Open House For Transfer Students will be held
day from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. All of Statesman's reporters today in room ' V-3510 of the Frank Melville library
and editorial board will be in attendance to answer from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
will could be difficult for her. "If I truly felt that the
person had the chance of 'a normal life' yet refused
treatment, I would have trouble dealing with that as a
questions and provide a tour of the Statesman offices. Survival SkilUs
a -seminar
* *m * *
on the management of
Refreshments will be served and everyone is invited to workload and hoiw
to budget time properly will be hald
attend. -at 7:00 PM in th e lounge ,i long of of Irving Irin college colleg in inte G Quad- Qua
doctor."
Javits.
she
who
said.
will be speaking September 5 in the Fine
At Center on the Reagan-Gorbachev summit,
spends about on six weeks RegnGrace each summer at Stony u Brook.
The English Proficiency Examination will be Meal cards iwill
become effective today. Meal- editing the papers he donated to the university. He
also said he intends to make a living will himself. if
given today until Thursday from 7:00 to 9:00 PM in the times are:
Jacob Javits lecture center. The test is required for Breakfast 7:30
to 10:15 X New York State someday passes legislation honoring
placement and is a requirement for graduation. Bring Lunch 11:1f 5 to 2:00 PM living wills.
a dictionary, pen and pencil. For further information Dinner 4:30)
to 7:00 PM - "Let
call the English department at 246-6133. Weekend bru