University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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Until the late 1960s, it was ignored, hidden behind closed doors, or timidly whispered about. The public remained woefully uninformed about this sensitive and tragic subject. But the shocking sta- tistics have emerged: this year over one million children will be abused or neglected in our country, and of these, more than 2,000 will die. Efforts to combat the problem and educate society have also emerged, even on the University campus. Created by federal legislation in 1974, the Resource Center for Child Abuse and Neglect is housed in the School of Social Work. Serving the surrounding five-state region, the center is one of a network of ten cen- ters across the country federally funded to facilitate the development of child abuse and neglect services. The Resource Center is not involved in actual treatment but rather performs a variety of supportive services. As an information library, the center maintains an extensive selection of printed and audiovisual mate- rials. Staff members arc involved in research and also work with advo- cacy groups in lobbying for child-oriented legislation. In addition, the center aids in implementing volunteer programs. Through various com- munity agencies, volunteers may help by babysitting or providing trans- portation. A new and increasingly popular program places an elderly person in a one-to-one situation with an abused child. Missy Webb Center Provides Support Services Staff members of che Resource Center spend hours researching to fight child abuse SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK A $1.2 million funding cut threatened jobs, student stipends and support services in the School of Social Work in September, and Dean W. Joseph Hcf fernan Jr. announced his resignation in January after faculty members asked University President Peter Rawn to review the dean ' s work The School of Social Work lost funding when a Congressional ceiling on Title XX of the Social Security Act, which authon cd spending for social service training, forced the Texas Department of Human Resources to cancel pan of its financial contract with the school. Thirty-four staff members lost their jobs with the school, but the students ' field work program remained essentially untouched, Heffeman said. The University provided $6 000 to keep eight field instructors employed until May The dean resigned effective May 31 because of a basic disa- greement with a portion of the faculty regarding future dirci tions of the school. Some faculty members questioned Heffcr nan ' s leadership ability and said he took an extremist attitude in emphasizing research The problems of the ' 60s and ' 70s arc very much with us, the challenge of being a social worker is as great, or perhaps greater, than it has ever been, Hcf fernan said He cmphasi cd that the schix.l was in a growth state with regard to quality ami was in the process of acquiring faculty and adding new classrooms Enrollment was 190 undergraduates and I HO graduate students. Dean VC ' Joseph Hcffcrrunjr School of Social Work - 209

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Libraries Store Culture In 3000 B.C., Mcsopotamian kings preserved their civilization for posterity by engraving hieroglyphics on metal plates. They ritualistically buried these plates in stone boxes in building foundation corners. Thus, their society literally was built on these texts. More than 150 scholars from throughout the United States and four foreign countries learned about these ancient documents and 31 other topics as they attended the sixth Library History Seminar March 19-22 at the Driskill Hotel. The conference was sponsored by the Graduate School of Library Science, the Division of Continuing Education and the Journal of Library History, which is published by The University of Texas Press. The conference explored the historical role and significance of graphic records in society. To study the history of libraries is to study the history of the human race, for libraries may be viewed as the collective memory of mankind, said Dr. Donald G. David Jr., associate professor of library science and coordinator of the conference. Sessions of the conference focused on Gathering Enemy Scientific Informa- tion in Wartime and Popular Fiction Selections in Public Libraries. Other top- ics included the establishment of unique collections, the philosophy of librarian- ship and the relationship between public libraries and society. Missy Webb SCHOOL OF LIBRARY SCIENCE Dean Claud Glenn Sparks Millions of pieces of printed materials are produced daily in our communication-oriented society. The handling and catalogu- ing of this information has become a business in itself. There- fore, the Graduate School of Library Science trains students to be able to deal effectively with the products of the communication media and to make them available for society ' s enrichment. Located on the fourth floor of the Humanities Research Center, the school offers students a challenging, everchanging field. Headed by Dean Claud Sparks, the school offered its students upon graduation a career in librarianship and other developing fields. More and more emphasis is being placed on information science, Dean Sparks said. One of 60 accredited library science schools in the U.S. and Canada, the school offers 55 courses with various concentrations from library administration to Latin American library studies. Enrollment in the school was approximately 250 in 1980, and the job outlook for those willing to relocate was excellent. Sparks added. Kevin MacDonnell hind-prints conference program covers on a Washington press. 208 Graduate School of Library Science

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President Flawn Urges Excellence When he took office as the University ' s 22nd President September 1, Peter T. Flawn pledged to lead a war on mediocrity to help the Univer- sity meet its goals of excellence and of being a first-rate institution. He urged increasing general educational requirements for undergraduate stu- dents, fighting grade inflation, eliminating ef fortless courses and providing financial incentives for University staff. In April, Flawn said he felt reasonably satisfied with the accomplish- ments of his first seven months. The administration has settled in well and relationships with the principal constituents of the University the students, faculty, deans, alumni and the UT System are good, produc- tive, working relationships, Flawn said. A University Council committee was reviewing his proposals concerning educational requirements and aca- demic standards, and the committee responsible for planning the Universi- ty ' s Centennial celebration in 1983 had just produced its four-month report. The number of top scholars entering the University was increasing and the award of the nation ' s major fusion center to the University provided a big boost to research and f undraising. There was also internally a good mood on campus, Flawn said. But the University is a community and it takes a community effort. One of the greatest problems facing the University was the affect of inflation on faculty and staff salaries and the operating costs of the Univer- sity, Flawn said. However, a package to be presented to the Legislature next session would provide significant cost-of-living salary increases and merit raises including a catch-up provision, he added. The University also has boosted its efforts to develop private support in the form of professorships and chairs, the number of which rose significantly in 1979-80. The need for reporting, complying and accounting thrust on the Univer- sity by outside agencies, both state and federal, was a serious diversion of resources, Flawn said. The University files 20,000 reports a year with vari- ous agencies in addition to the paperwork involved in financial aid applica- tions, admissions applications and reports concerning research grants and contracts. Flawn added, The paper flow in this office is such that if you don ' t keep up with it, you drown. Consequently, Flawn ' s typical work day consists of a series of meetings, phone calls and lots of paperwork. Early mornings are reserved for reading or meeting with University vice presidents on urgent business, and Flawn meets at lunch with groups who want to discuss a particular subject with him. Meetings fill most afternoons, and Flawn often takes home a briefcase of papers to work on during the evening. Wednesday afternoons in the spring he taught a graduate seminar on mineral resources, which was a welcome relief from administrative pressures, he said. During his first six months in the job, Flawn stayed home to work at his desk, but next year he plans to delegate more operational responsibilities so he can do more work meeting with alumni and major donors to the Univer- sity to show its need for private support. Flawn has met with various stu- dent groups since he assumed the presidency, and he held three coffees with approximately 70 students each invited by random computer selection. Meeting with students picked that way means the students are speaking for themselves, Flawn said, and their concerns, which included problems with the libraries, friendly reception by administrators and the quality of teach- ing, have consistency. Flawn ' s major goals for the future include continuing his war on medi- ocrity by raising the quality of performance at the University. He used the president ' s discretionary funds in 1979-80 to award $500 prizes to 500 out- standing University faculty and staff members as one way of improving performances. The University is the way society insures its future, Flawn said. I would like to make the University of relatively easy access but I do want to require a high degree of excellence so the degree will be recogni- tion for the individual. Kathy Shwif I President Peter T Flawn 210 University President Peter Flawn