University of Maine - Prism Yearbook (Orono, ME)

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The liberals blamed the Senate's ineffectiveness on the conservative Senate administration. They criticised the Senate president for being too much of a politician, wary of displeasing anybody, espe- cially those in the University administration. The conservatives retorted that the failings of the Senate should be blamed on the senators themselves, not on Chic Chalmers and his staff. Not only couldn't the Senate members agree on politics, but they also couldn't agree on who was to blame for their own internal problems. But in spite of all the problems and bickering, the Senate did also make some positive advance- ments. One of the most significant and undoubt- edly the most publicized was the establishment of the first population control fund in the nation. The $5,000 fund is available to University women who wish to have an abortion. Hopefully, in the future this fund will be expanded to provide all methods of birth control. Because of mostly outside opposition to the fund, the County Attorney said he would conduct an investigation of the abortion loan fund. As a result, student leaders were cautious in discussing the matter. When a well-known student senator was asked how many students had taken advan- tage of the fund, he said: Abortion loan fund? What's that?” Nothing more was heard of the County At- torney’s investigation. Quite a few students were opposed to the fund. Some called abortion murder, others said preg- nancy is the price you have to pay —” and still others complained that student funds shouldn't be used for this purpose. The majority of students seemed to approve of the fund, although some said privately that they experienced too much pressure from peers to voice their disapproval. But just how many felt this way is hard to say. Only about fifty students took their 73 cents (the amount of each student’s activity fee that went into the fund) out of the fund. In other areas, the Senate’s Student Services committee convinced the University of the need for a child day care center (although the Univer- sity later decided that the old Newman Center should be renovated for a faculty club rather than the day care center) and established the concept of a drug help center and bail bonding for students. ECONOMY A late-spring issue of Time magazine pictured on its front cover a college senior, wearing cap and gown, pumping gasoline at a service station. Ac- cording to national statistics, as well as UMO fig- ures. 1971 was one of the worst years for obtaining employment in years. At the end of May. 213 of the 1.050 seniors reg- istered with the Career Planning and Placement Office had been placed in jobs. This included those who had found jobs, those accepted into graduate school and those about to enter military service. The prospects for summer employment were not much brighter. The Maine Campus reported May 20. that not one of the 91 students who had applied for a job with the Maine Employment Security Commission had been offered a job. Other agencies were also unable to provide sum- mer employment for students, although many stu- dents had indicated on their applications that they would take any kind of work at all. In addition to the critical job shortage, the trustees, because of cuts in the University’s budget by the legislature, increased the room and board rates by S70 effective in September of 1971. The admissions office reported that well over 7.000 applications were received for admission to the class of 1975. but only 1.800 places were open—200 less than the previous year. In February, after reporting that upwards of one out of three January graduates was still look- ing for a job. Placement Director Philip J. Brockway said: I’ve been in this type of work since 1935, but I've never seen a year when an 9

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each academic department, apparently because of student pressure. However, some Student Senate members were still not satisfied. They continued to push a civil suit against the faculty which they had approved December 1. They said that faculty meetings were public proceedings and students had a right to at- tend. A small group of students stood in the lobby during each faculty meeting of the year threat- ening to disrupt the proceedings. They finally did, on March 15, when the faculty voted requirement changes for the college. The next day the Student Senate voted to drop its suit against the faculty. The eighteen students who had disrupted the meeting and who later came to be known as the “Orono 18. were put on office probation on May 4. a punishment which lasted less than a month for most of them. Some students felt that the political duel with the faculty served only to prolong the passage of reform measures. Others, however, said that it was a matter of principle and that students should not sit back and let the faculty plan their education. In either event, most students were somewhat less than satisfied with the approved requirement changes. Students were now required to take a minimum of one year’s work in each of the follow- ing categories: 1. fine arts (art and music, speech and drama): 2. foreign language: 3. social scien- ces: 4. natural science and mathematics: and 5. humanities. A second reform measure to become effective in the fall of 1971 would allow any student to com- plete up to 60 credit hours by passing exam- inations covering introductory course matter. But many students said that more reform was still needed. As did his predecessor in 1970-71. newly-elected Senate President Bill Eames said that academic reform would be his first priority for the 1971-72 year. 'We have got to get rid of this notion that only the faculty can impart great knowledge to the stu- dents. We can learn from each other, too. Eames said. STUDENT SENATE Throughout the year the Student Senate’s effec- tiveness was severely hampered by internal dis- putes. resignations and criticisms. At the beginning of the year, the Senate's exec- utive assistant, administrative assistant and secre- tary resigned. Towards the end of the year, four members of the Executive Committee also resigned. The Senate was split three ways on most ques- tions of major political importance since there seemed to be three types of Senators: liberals, conservatives and those who voted along the lines supported by their constituents. Many of the liberals had taken an active part in the previous year’s political activity and wished to continue that activity during 1970-71. They pushed for open faculty meetings and on March 15. some of them found themselves members of the Orono 18. It was also the liberals who in- itiated the idea of a suit against the faculty and convinced enough senators to approve it as a mo- tion on the Senate floor. At the time it was passed, many senators called it the most significant move since the previous year. But the suit was repeatedly delayed. The at- torney came to two Senate meetings to see if the Senate still wanted to sue. And finally, when the Senate was told that the attorney had not begun litigation, the request for the suit was withdrawn. Indecisiveness and internal disorder caused the image of the Senate to suffer greatly. Not only did people resign (the three administrators resigned for mostly personal reasons, those on the Execu- tive Committee because they were dissatisfied with the policies of President George Chalmers), but there were two moves for the impeachment of the president. The first attempt failed by a wide margin, the second by a narrower margin. If abstentions and nay votes were added together after the second vote, then those voting in favor cast one more vote than the other two combined. 8

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economic downturn hit the college population as heavily as this one.” SOCIAL LIFE For on-campus students, probably one o( the most significant gains of the year came within their dormitories. Parietal hours were extended at the beginning of the spring semester from the pre- vious two hour weekly limit. The new policy allowed visiting hours to be held from noon to midnight on weekdays and noon to 1 a.m. on weekends. The new policy was enacted after, though not as a direct result of, a violation of the old policy in November. Eightv-six male students in Stodder Hall ran through the women's side of the dormi- tory as a demonstration against the conservatism of the parietal policy. In early December, the dis- ciplinary office issued a warning to the students. No other punishment was given. Before this incident it was generally thought that the initiation of co-ed dorms on campus was itself quite a step for UMO. By spring 1971 (here were three dorms providing male-female hous- ing-Estabrook. Stodder and Chadbourne. At the end of the 1970-71 academic year, stu- dents felt satisfied with the progress made in parietal reform. But many called this progress only a first step toward enactment of a 24-hour, seven-day a week policy. MUSIC The concert series at UMO during 1970-71 was in tune (or out depending on your ear) with all the previous concert scries at UMO. The “big name” groups rarely make it to Orono when they are big. They sometimes come on their way up. more often on their way down. The ICC makes the excuses: the big names are expensive, UMO students do not pay a concert fee. Maine does not have ade- quate facilities, it’s a bad location (apparently Bangor is the cut-off point for big groups since Husson, Colby and UMPG have better luck ac- quiring talent.) But if Maine misses the most popular bands and singers, it does get a wide and often inter- esting variety of the not-so-well knowns. The series started with Mountain—very loud and top rock. Then came Homecoming Weekend and an altogether improbable mixture of sounds: Manhatten Transfer with their 1950’s remem- brances from grade school, and John Sebastian, whose easy voice and guitar drifted over the crowd like some other kind of smoke. There was also traditional folk music in 1970-71 from the Scotsfolk, and Maine folk music, tradi- tional and not. from Gordon Bok, and even the concert scene of Elizabeth I from the New York Pro Musica. Non-musically. Winter Carnival was a good weekend, the Proposition and Jean Sheperd were funny. But the weak end was Jaime Brocken: he wasn’t on the way up or down but on the bottom. Paul Butterfield decided not to show and students spent the next few weeks sifting rumors con- cerning when and if he would show. Butterfield did show, a month late. But in the meantime The Paul Winter Consort came with music spanning four centuries and sounds to bridge all gaps. By general acclaim, it was good. To further round out the musical selection of the year, there was The New Boston Percussion Ensemble in April. But by then everyone was awaiting Bill Cosby. He came, accompanied by the New Christy Minstrels who surprised everyone by giving out some enjoyable music in spite of the spotless white boots and cowboy shirts. But everyone was there for Cosby, and in two consecutive shows he disappointed no one. Said one coed, still giggling on her way out after the show, “It was good to hear so much laughter.” And it was a good note to end the year on. 10