University of Houston - Houstonian Yearbook (Houston, TX)

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'inn UH Will Divest By 1990 In a unanimous vote, the UH Board of Regents decided to rid itself of $6.4 million worth of Stock in firms doing business in South Africa, making UH the first university in Texas to divest. The previous policy adopted by the regents in 1985 restricted business to companies that signed the Sullivan Principles. The resolution, which calls for complete divestiture in two years, was greeted with applause from a group of activists. In the fall of 1985, the Students Association passed a resolution calling for divestment, while in the fall of 1986, a bill was passed to reject the Sullivan Principles and to divest. The bill was signed by UH President Richard Van Horn in December and presented to the Board of Regents. The spirit of the resolution is clear about business: Don’t invest in companies that do business there,” Mark Greene, of Students Against Apartheid, said. Greene said the regents have done more in six months than most universitites have done in a year. He also said this was a big step for improving minority recruitment and retention. This just shows that UH stands as a university of first class,” he said. Divestment Plan Okayed First In Texas Universities Arthur Shaw of the Free South Africa Movement said this resolution is stronger than those passed by universities in the Northeast and West. People are following UH s superconductivity work, and now the rest of the nation’s universities will follow in divestment policy,” Shaw said. University officials echoed the sentiments of the advocates, saying that it was a matter of duty.” In the region of civil rights and civil liberties, the resolution says that people should become more responsible fiscally, UH Regent Xavier Lemond said. UH Chancellor Wilbur Meier said, It s a responsible position to take. — Mark Evangelista It happened while nobody was looking. Michael Johnson, UH executive director and counsel; Debbie Hanna, chairperson. Board of Regents; and Wilbur Meier, UH Chancellor above at the divestment proceedings in June ’87. While not everybody was for divestment, activists Mark Greene, of Students Against Apartheid, and Arthur Shaw, of the Free South Africa Movement, were pleased with the Board of Regents' action. Photos by Michael Williams.

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Hobby Calls Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby says Texans will be unable to compete for jobs in the future unless community support for public school reform continues. “It is critical now to ensure that our budget crisis doesn’t become an excuse to repeal school reform, he told area educators at the UH Hilton. Our state faces a $6 billion gap between expected revenues and proposed spending levels. Public school spending is about 50 percent of our budget. Education may be expensive, but it is not a luxury. Texas needs strong support for its universities as well as elementary and secondary schools, he said. By the year 2000, almost one-quarter of all jobs will require some college edcuation. Hobby said in an interview that UH shouldn’t feel threatened by the Select Committee on Higher Education s proposal for regional university boards. For Reform There seems to be a level of concern, (for UH’s future) that is out of phase with any realistic problem, he said. I don’t sec any particular advantage in having regional boards, and it will certainly never happen. The committee s recommendations would not change the role of state universities, he said. UH, UT-Dallas and other universities have equal opportunity to become major research institutions, because universities, not legislatures, determine their own fates. Hobby said. UT-Dallas attracts an enormous amount of research dollars — perhaps more than UH does — not because they are treated differently by the appropriations bill, but because of the excellence of the university, he said. UH is a major public institution in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country, and it will in time come to re- — Or Else fleet that. Hobby said the legislative Budget Board appointed by Gov. Bill Clements has recommended a a $671 million education budget that would bring education funds back to the 1985 level and repair the damage of previous cuts. He said taxes will be raised to fund the increase, but he declined to speculate on the type or amount of tax that would be used. Hobby said the select committee’s recommendations wouldn’t change the status of UT or Texas A M because only they have access to the Permanent University Fund. Clements' recommendations for higher education include tapping the PUF for research and other programs. But Hobby said the PUF battle was fought last summer. The attempt to raise the funds didn’t go anywhere,” he said. Things haven't changed. However, Hobby said, that’s not the only source of funds. UH’s costs are offset by the Higher Education Fund (Proposition 2), and UH has access to construction money not available to A M and UT. You can’t have 57 world-class universities. If UH wants to become a first-class research institution, it should attract the researchers. UH or any other institution has to earn the research fund, Hobby said. A university must develop its skills and excellence, and then come the funds. Hobby was at UH to address a conference, sponsored by the Center for Public Policy, on the consequences of House Bill 72. On that subject, he said he regretted that the public school reform got its impetus outside the educational community. It is disappointing that the initiative for HB 72 came largely from our business community,” he said. Our teachers and administrators should be out front demanding higher achievement, rather than taking refuge in the status quo. Positive effects of school reform included better Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, uniform measures of academic achievement for students, evaluation of teachers’ performance based on statewide standards, and increased state aid per student to $1,579 in 1986 from $1,515 in 1985, he said. High school graduates are not, however, prepared to compete with progressive countries such as Japan or even old-fashioned Russians,” Hobby said. Our dropout rate is far too high when one-third of our ninth-graders don’t finish high school and nearly one-fifth of adults haven't finished junior high school. — James Millsap Lt. Governor Bill Hobby has taken a strong stand in favor of higher education, UH President Richard Van Horn said. At left Hobby addresses the special session of the legislature in Austin during the 1986 budget crisis. The State's decision to cut 10.5 percent from its higher education budget can mean big set-backs for UH, including vacant teaching positions, smaller variety of classes and possibly the elemination of entire degree programs. Photo by l an Alder. Above Hobby discusses budget matters and reform measures in the Hilton Hotel lobby with James Millsap Photo by Michael Williams. 21