Kent State University - Chestnut Burr Yearbook (Kent, OH)

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X PRESIDENT BRAGE GOLDING The first quarter He first saw KSU in luly of '77. And then Dr. Brage Golding came with mixed feelings of push and pull. He said he liked San Diego State and enjoyed a fine relationship with stu- dents and faculty there. I did not seek this job, he explained, but I get itchy. Moving keeps me from getting into a rut. It's good for the institution and for me. So he came to Kent in the quiet of the summer. His first impressions were of a large, beautiful campus, but he thought it looked big, bleak and emp- ty, like it needed people. Now the university bustles with life, but in the two months Golding has been in office, he has walked across campus only once. He spends most of his time tucked inside the maze of carpeted hallways and offices that branch out beyond an unobtrusive door in Rockwell Hall. He is working 70 hours a week with no days off. Most of those hours are spent on one over- riding thing: the gym controversy. f'I didn't expect what is happening now. The Trustees said this would be over, Golding said. I would have thought twice. He said that in spite of the gym dispute, he does not regret coming to Kent. He apologized for the cliche, then said, I rise to challenges. You don't take on an administrative job for love and affection, he contin- ued. What you hope to win is respect that you're an honest person. You like the kind of work, you know you'Il find a group of colleagues you enjoy work- ing with. And if you have any pride, you do it because you want to leave a place knowing it's better than it was before you came. It happened at the last two, he said, referring to his positions at Wright State and San Diego. l left with good feelings, and I want to do the same thing at Kent. But when I came I was immediately branded as a bad person. It grieves me when people get personally nasty. Besides hurting him, Golding thinks the gym controversy is going to hurt at., . .. ,, QA if-Aww

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3,97 4 , X KSU graduates. lt's hurting the people of the university and the university Still, he thinks KSU is a good in- stitution. There are some unusual and unique things going on here. For ex- ample, the relationship with Blossom Music Center is remarkable. He said he doubts if that kind of relationship exists at any other university, I think most of the academic pro- grams are above average and l'm not even sure most students are aware ot it. Golding thinks students should look at university publications because they point out the best aspects of lsSU -things students do not always know He did not seem able to talk about academics for long, however The gym controversy that consumes 70 hours of his time each week also consumes Brage Golding. He remains controlled xxhile discussing it but seems, bx turns, angry, bitter, tired and sad. Golding said he is forced into decisions by his position - caught with presidential re- sponsibilities in a no-win situation where there is no absolute right or wrong. He said the intolerance of some pro- testors pains him because it indicates closed minds. The purpose of educa- tion is to develop an open and in- quiring mind where no decision is made until the facts are in. Everyone here wants to make the decision first. Practically speaking, building the gym there doesn't make any difference since the event is enshrined in peoples memories. A memory is a memory lt's not a piece of ground, it's not a name on a building. You cannot cover up a memory. Ghanting 'move the gym'means nothing to me, lt's out of date, The gym is being built. Golding said he has to believe the demonstrators have some ulterior purpose. vVhat do they really want? he asked. I do not deny their right to be disappointed, emotionally upset or teel the decision to build the gym vxas wrong, but there is no absolute, So, in his first quarter as president of KSU, Golding finds himself trapped in an emotional battle over a decision that was made long before he came here. It is his responsibility to weigh the alternatives and keep peace on this campus.