1983-12-01

              

The Record

 STUDENT PUBLICATION OF ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY

Confusion Surrounds Gender Bias Report

by David Kolb

Gender bias has become a big issue on our campuses, and confusion seems to surround both sides of the argument. The issue was dealt with last spring by a joint residential staff task force which released a report on gender bias. The report presents examples of where they saw such bias at St. Joha's and St. Ben's. Task force chair, Miriam Hof, described gender bias as any difference which results in the restraint of a person, from what they wish to do, because of their sex.

The committee was made up of administrators from St. John's and St. Ben's. It was called by Fr. Roman Paur and Sr. Ingrid Anderson, who wanted some idea of where bias was present and what could be done about it. The committee did not dictate policy, but simply made suggestions and voiced their observations. The report was addressed to the entire community. "The committee's work wasn't based on statistics, but on the opinions and observations of the members," said Tim Buckley, another committee member. The committee met from January to April, 1983.

The report describes bias in everything from hiring policy and staff pay, to facilities and student social life. The section on "the rats" which was featured earlier in the Record by Mr. Potatohead, is an example of one area which the report covered. The report was a

consensus of the committee members' ideas. The conclusions were not put to a vote, but were informally agreed upon. Fr. Pat McDarby, another committee member, wrote the final draft. Buckley said McDarby did a good job in expressing what the committee had come up with.

The St. John's Student Senate was asked for a (student) response to the report. Their response was very negative. In a meeting this fall with Paur and Buckley, the Senate unanimously criticized the report. Senate president Bill Lynch said there was no real problem with the report's sections on administrative policy, but he said the senate was very critical of the sections which dealt with student life. Lynch criticized the way the report was written. He said the report itself was gender biassed.

One of the senate's complaints was that the report took differences between the two schools and labeled them as biassed. Senator Jason Wilkinson said, "most of these differences come from the fact that these are two different school?, not from gender bias." Senator John Ward wanted people to "relax" on the subject. "We felt like we were being accused," he said.

Many Johnnies expressed the thought that the report did not criticize the two schools equally. They felt it was too critical of St. John's. They pointed to a section titled "Offensive Male Behavior at

SJU", and noted that there was no section on offensive female behavior at CSB.

The report also looked at St. John's sports facilities and said they contributed to the "myth" that men are more athletic than women. However, the report did not consider that the BAC may contribute to the "myth" that women are more dramatic or cultured than men. "This could have been an oversight," said Hof. She and Buckley pointed out here that the report was informal and did not exhaust all possible examples of bias.

Another criticism of the report was that it repeatedly used the

words "male territoriality" and "male aggression." Violence in sports was equated with male aggression. Obnoxious behavior by "the rats" was equated with male territoriality. The question has been raised, "Why aren't violence in sports and obnoxious behavior addressed separately, without being entwined with sexism?" Committee members explained that in our society, violence and rowdiness have traditionally been, and are today, linked to males, not females.

A common criticism of the report was that, "it seeks to change age old problems overnight."   McDarby   pointed   out,

however, that the recommendations did not contain time limits.

At the end of the gender bias report, the committee suggests that another group be formed this year to check the report's accuracy and progress made on its recommendations.

In the introduction, the report states that it is hoped that it will "lead to practical discussion, negotiation, and action among those responsible for student life on the two campuses." According to Buckley, "the report should be analyzed and questioned", so that the issue can be discussed.

SJU, CSB  Core Curriculum   Designed

by Tom Wrich

About fifteen years ago some thought was given to an idea to merge St. Ben's and St. John's. These proposals were rejected for fear that the complementary and distinctive strengths of each school might be lost. Instead, the two college communities decided on closer cooperation. In this way each school has increased the efficiency and effectiveness by which CSB/SJU students are being educated today. Still, each school developed separate curricula for their general education requirements. In some instances, the curricula differ greatly between the   two   schools.   The   schools'

Renovation Planned for Benet and Greg

by Dan Keefe

Some major renovation plans for both Benet Hall and Greg House have been suggested by Roman Paul, OSB, Vice-President for Student Affairs, in light of the fact that recent figures indicate the need for more housing in the near future. These plans could be set into motion as early as next summer.

The goal of the new construction is to provide and maintain an on-campus housing capacity of approximately 1450 beds in safe, uncrowded buildings.

Last year, the St. John's Student Senate recommended planning in the direction of renovation to increase housing capacity. They concurred that Greg House and Benet Hall were in the most urgent need of attention.

Greg House, which houses around forty, was examined on July 7, 1982 for structural adequacy. Engineer, Richar Stehly concluded that the building is, "of stout construction . . . making renovation a worthwhile consideration." Therefore, a plan was drawn up to be initiated in May, 1984 and completed by August, making the rooms available for occupancy by September 1, 1984.

Some specific areas of improvement are: two enclosed stairwells; hard-wired smoke detectors in each room; energy conservation adjustments such as thermal windows; adequate sound abatement between rooms and floors; new doors and frames; and also new utility services and fixtures as needed; one efficiency apartment

for the faculty resident; built-in closets, desks, shelves, sinks, and loft/bunks; fully tiled toilet and shower on three floors with a toilet in the basement; and carpeted public and common places.

There is also discussion concerning the possible designation of Greg House as an "international house." The chapel will be preserved, at the recommendation of the faculty residents, because special aesthetic considerations.

The proposed construction is designed to upgrade the present facilities without affecting the lifestyle which the house now affords. This, Fr. Roman believes, is an important and viable consideration. "The students feel that Greg House is an attractive living unit and has always been filled quickly in the room assignment procedure," he stated.

Benet Hall renovation is still in the planning stages and will be more of a long-term project completed in phases. However, in contrast to Greg House, Benet Hall, ". . . occasions a reexamination of lifestyle possibilities in the interests of long-term enrollment projections," according to Fr. Roman. The main concerns, as with Greg House, will be safety, energy, and convenience matters.

There are many possibilities as far as the rennovation of Benet is regarded. Among these are having some rooms converted into apartments for married residents, handicapped students, or, as Fr. Roman puts it "... a single, larger living arrangment where a number

of monks could live together."

The proposal, still in the planning stage, is presently being reviewed by the Student Affairs committee. "My hope is that we can agree this academic year on what ought to be done and when," said Fr. Roman.

Other projects which are also in the works include a new enclosed fire code stairwell at the west end of Joe Hall, and the razing of Flynntown 1. The need for alternative new housing for future use is also being examined.

dissimilar Freshman English requirements are one such example. Concern over this and other discripencies led the schools to seek solutions. A planning grant proposal was submitted to the Northwest Area Foundation in 1981, and accepted.

The 1981-82 school year was a planning year to determine what changes were necessary and the steps to implement them. During that time, opportunity was given to the faculty to investigate the liberal arts requirements and offer feedback. An examination of the relation of the core curricula to the needs of the students was made and a two- to three-year implementation plan developed; the Freshman Symposium is a part of this plan. During the planning year it was also deemed necessary to organize a Core Curriculum Council, headed by a Project Director with consultation from an Instructional Developer.

The objectives of the core Curriculum Project elaborate upon those undertaken during the planning year. These mainly are; 1) the design of courses with common objectives in reading, writing, or listening; 2) the design of courses with similar goals in values education and combination of the liberal arts disciplines; 3) the implementation   of   the    same

mathematical and foreign language requirements for both SJU and CSB; 4) the approval from the faculties before final adoption of any changes; 5) to make the core curriculum the same on both campuses.

The Core Curriculum Council is composed of ten faculty members. From each campus one representative of the Social Sciences, one of the Natural Sciences, and two from the Humanities and the membership. In addition, the two co-directors of the planning, year are also council members. Justin Lombardo, OSB, is the Project Director. At this time, into the early stages of the project, operations are running quite smoothly. The Freshman Symposium, a pilot course, attests to this fact.

This project, however, doesn't affect just freshmen. Combinations of college requirements for general education are being considered in many areas.

Also, an interesting benefit of this effort by SJU and CSB could be a greater efficiency of ¦ administration. This would be because the duplication of many programs would be eliminated by implementing a core curriculum. This close cooperation between schools for the benefit of the students' education is rare among higher-education institutions.

Tuition Hike on the Horizon

by Dan Forstner

The current estimated costs for attending Saint John's next year indicate that there will be slightly over an eight percent increase in tuition, and hundred dollar increases in both room and board. Tuition for the 1984-85 academic year is presently slated at $5,150, a $395 jump from this year's all too familiar figure of $4,760. The price of an average room next year is estimated at $1,135 and the cost of a 14 meals-a-week food contract is currently gauged at$1,395. According to Warren Janzen, Vice President of Administrative Services, several factors are behind the tuition increase. Janzen cited four program priorities as being largely responsible for the expected higher tuition: 1) Further development of computer education for implementing

the use of computers in all disciplines. 2) Enhanced admissions and retention —including the use of marketing enrollment studies and an increase in advertising. 3) Renovation of older housing. 4) Further funding for faculty, administrative, and staff development.

The estimated costs for room and board are at this time flexible to change. Finalized figures cannot be determined until accurate appraisals of the costs of utilities and labor for next year are revealed.

The estimated cost figures are used to provide prospective students with an approximation of the cost of attending Saint John's. In determining the figures, the matter was discussed internally among members of the administration and in the Board of

Regents and Finance Committee during the months of July, August, and September. Through a joint committee, the final tuition figure will in all likelihood be coordinated with the tuition of Saint Benedict's. Finalized figures are expected to be approved at the February 24th meeting of the Board of Regents.

Annual Costs of Saint John's University


1983-84
1984-85

Tuition
54,760
S5.150

Activity Fee
S50
S55

Average Room
SI,035
SI,135

Meals
SI,295
SI,395

TOTAL
S7.140
$7,735

TOTAL Including



Personal Expenses



and Books
S7.840
S8.435