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Page 22 text:
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ADMINISTRATION Ms. Richard Lyman A Special Perspective on the University Changing society’s traditional view of women — Iwhether it's employing talent, raising community consciousness as a civic leader, or entertaining in the early-California style Hoover Mansion — it’s a 24 I hour-a-day task for Ms. Richard (Jing) Lyman. The Quad has chosen to highlight Ms. Lyman, the I first lady of Stanford University, because of her very special perspective on the President. Q. WHAT ARE YOUR UNSPOKEN DUTIES AS FIRST LADY OF THE UNIVERSITY? A. This position has changed dramatically, even in | the five years in which Dick has had his job. About the time he became president people were I just beginning to realize that maybe it was unfair to just assume that you had to do all the sort of social things that went along with the job. Dick said. You |do what you want and I'll back you up.’’ It’s been a challenge to see how we could utilize a I resource such as this, the Hoover Mansion. I felt that when we moved in we needed to keep all the positive Stanford traditions since we were throwing out a whole lot of negative traditions. We’ve tried to use it in a new and different way; there's a revolving art show displayed here by artists in the Stanford community. It’s been a challenge trying to figure out how we can entertain graciously in this kind of place and at the same time do it sufficiently economically. We have nothing but students doing all our table-waiting land bar-tending for state occasions, whose names we Iget through Financial Aid. Students get the work, we Iget contact with students, and we also get good value Q. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MANY ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS IN WHICH YOU ARE INVOLVED? A. In 1964. I was instrumental in organizing an ongoing Fair Housing group which dealt only with fair housing in the traditional sense; equal opportunity in the ethnic sense as it was then. Now it's expanded to include, Housing cannot be denied on the basis of race, creed, national origin, sex. or physical disabil-ity. We also began to realize that unless you deal with the problem from an economic standpoint, in terms of providing a number of economic options in housing. you’re not offering true equal opportunity. My organization, Citizens for Fair Housing, is one which has dealt with both aspects of the problem. I’m also a founding member of the Stanford Mid-Peninsula Urban Coalition, and served for three years as the Fair Housing Task Force chairman. During that time we started a program called Operation Sentinel which deals with the problem of discrimination in housing and assists anyone who thinks that he or she has been discriminated against illegally. You may have heard some of the ads — dial H-O-U-S-I-N-G — that’s the Sentinel program. When you dial that anywhere in the Bay Area, it feeds into the Urban Coalition office down here on campus. Here’s a perfect instance of my getting involved with one of the academic programs of the University: through the task force and the coalition. I sought the 18
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Page 23 text:
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aid of Professor Henry Brightrose, Ricardo Diaz. Ron Alexander, and numerous graduate and undergraduate students of the Communications Department. They originated and developed a program which revolved around 12 radio spots. 6 in English. 3 in Spanish, and 3 in Chinese. In this way we were able to bring the terrible indignity of discrimination into people's living rooms where they can't ignore it. It was a great program — students felt they had a piece of the action and could really do something constructive in alleviating problems in fair housing. In the meantime. I also became very much involved in opportunities for women, both professional and educational. I am now serving on the board for the Center of Resources on Women here in Palo Alto. I also serve on the board of a very interesting organization in San Francisco called the Rosenberg Foundation. They are one of the leaders in funding early efforts to find reasonable solutions to the problems of child abuse. Q. AS YOU KNOW. RECENTLY THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT BETTY FORD. ONE OF OUR MOST POPULAR — AND CONTROVERSIAL — FIRST LADIES EVER. IN YOUR POSITION. DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU CAN BE TRULY OUTSPOKEN? A. It's tough. I once read a wonderful quote by the wife of a vice-chancellor of an Australian university: I spend half my time pretending not to know about the things I do know about and half the time pretending to know about the things I don’t know about. That’s the dilemma you face at times. Having been very active in the community before Dick came to his position. I was seen by many Stanford stalwarts as being a real rabble-rouser, a radical, far-out type. I’m not. of course, but I’m fairly vigorous in the things I espouse. It’s important — and fortunately Dick has felt that it's important — that I am able to speak freely. In a sense. I have a lot of power without any status. I must utilize that power in ways that will not hurt or intimidate people. It’s interesting to see how you can do that and bring about change. 1 see myself very much in a transitional role, trying to say. I don’t have to be the white gloves tea lady. I can be an active participant in the community. I can also do a lot to help Stanford by being a good hostess and running an efficient and effective social spot in the University. Dick has been so supportive in letting me do what I thought appropriate to this changing role. Q. BETTY FORD MENTIONED HER TRYING TO PERSUADE THE PRESIDENT TO APPOINT A WOMAN TO THE SUPREME COURT — HAVE YOU EVER FOUND YOURSELF IN A SIMILAR POSITION WHEN EXPRESSING SPECIAL INTERESTS AND CONCERNS IN THE UNIVERSITY? A. I am perfectly at liberty to express my feelings about any issue which comes up. and Dick may or may not take it. Dick is both reachable and open to changing his mind about something if someone is able to persuade him with a good argument, but he is also very firm on the issues on which he’s already made up his mind. Often when students talk to him they feel he hasn't heard them because he doesn’t necessarily act on what they’ve said. But that doesn’t mean he hasn't heard them. Often w'hat they say has real impact — students just may not see the impact because it may have changed as it moved through the system. But they may have a profound impact. I’ve seen it happen time and time again. Q. WHO IS RICHARD LYMAN? WHAT IS HIS POSITION ALL ABOUT? A. He’s a much more human person than most people are willing to realize. He has a terrific sense of humor. He’s tough, but he’s also very sensitive and thoughtful. He’ll hammer on you when you’ve done something wrong, but he’ll also be very appreciative and understanding when you've done a good job. As far as his position is concerned, it’s a real killer — it’s very hard to get an objective sense of w'here you’re going, since problems arc always on you and it’s hard to get the necessary distance to see objectively. He gets discouraged, but I think he also feels incredibly challenged . . . It’s inspiring to me to watch him steer through all the shoals, financial or disruptive or whatever, attempt to keep hold on what this institution is all about and to keep moving in a positive direction. Q. WHAT ARE THE SPECIAL JOYS AND OR FRUSTRATIONS OF YOUR POSITION? A. The greatest disadvantages are the incredible amount of paperwork and the incredible pace we live under. As for the joys. I enjoy the kind of diversity of contact. I especially enjoy meeting the challenge of seeing how I can change the traditional view of this kind of role into something that makes sense. Dick and I see ourselves very much as working together — two people doing one job. We really are complimentary in terms of our qualities. I could never do what Dick does, and to the same extent he could never do what I do. We’re just very different kinds of people and our qualities, in this particular kind of job, compliment each other. For me the vicariousness, the chance to meet lots of people, and the chance to create some change in this kind of context is a rewarding experience.
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