University of Massachusetts Amherst - Index Yearbook (Amherst, MA)

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September Gbrtuhvr A ilruivtu mth gvutnmarg nf Eurnta Southwest Seourit Tightened One of the fall semester's recur- ring news events revolved around the Southwest living area, one of the country's most densely populated liv- ing quarters, containing numerous low-rise dormitories and live 22-story towers. Residents of the area were plagued by several incidents concern- ing objects being thrown from the towers. Steven Rodman was hit on the head by a roll of toilet paper tossed from a window of John F. Kennedy tower on Sept. 16. Rodman was mo- mentarily knocked unconscious and spent three days in the University In- firmary under precautionary mea- sures. Brian Turner, who had been ac- cused of hitting Rodman with the ob- ject was later acquitted on the charge. There were numerous incidents of a similar nature during the beginning of the semester. Another student was accused of throwing a weight out of his tower window while he was adjusting the screen on the window. He was spotted by a security man around the time a weight had crushed the roof of a car parked below his dormitory. The stu- dent was later found to be innocent. On Sept. 27, David McDonough was suspended from the university for allegedly throwing a cinderblock out of the ninth floor lounge of Washing- ton tower. in the early morning hours of Sept. ll. Witnesses said McDon- ough had been involved in a poker game on the morning of the incident and angered at having lost money in the game, threw the block out of the window. Stories of the Southwest incidents were carried in local newspapers as well as the Boston Globe. University officials said screens would be placed on tower windows to alleviate this hazard and issued strong warnings to the residents of the area, saying such misconduct would result in suspen- sion and criminal charges. Looking deceptively calm in this picture, Southwest was a dangerous place to live in early September. ,, , ,, -f '-: .I ,, Q.. School started, and along with it, the books came out. From any angle, some things-basically never change. Earthfooa's Offers Alternative Menus Tostados, gazpacho, cold cucum- ber soup and pero may not sound like the typical college lunch, yet Univer- sity of Massachusetts students began forking up such meals Sept. l3. They were eating at Earth Foods, a student-run, vegetarian restaurant in the Commonwealth Room of the UMass Student Union Building. Earth Foods, which has expanded in its second semester of existence. unlike two other Campus Center eat- ing places, the Hatchet-and-Pipe and the Campus Center Coffee Shop, is a non-profit organization staffed en- tirely by students and all meals there are homemade. A complete hot meal such as piz- za, onion soup, garden salad, and tea costs less than SZ. We have a responsibility to give students a decent meal they can al'- ford every day, said Bill Sprague of Earth Foods. Malcolm Quint, an original founder, said he fought for eight months to persuade university offi- cials to allow a vegetarian restaurant on campus. There were a lot of people want- ing and needing vegetarian food and we had the resources to have the rcs- taurant, Quint said. After receiving a SL700 grant from the Student Government Asso- ciation, Quint was awarded the Stu- dent Union space for Earth Foods which opened May, I976. We're always adding to our menus. And once a week. there will be an ethnic dinner, you know. Mexi- can, German, italian meals. said Joanne Fillatti. menu planner. No meat or fish and only small amounts ofdairy products are used in Earth Foods meals.

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Students enjoy the use of the Music Room on campus. The facility was under consideration as a possible location for a commercial bank but students banded together to keep it intact. The Administration denied the room was a potential location for a commercial enterprise. tudents ppose Commercial Bank Petitioners attempting to block possible efforts to relocate the music room and study lounge on the Cam- pus Center concourse collected over 500 signatures in early October, while university administrators de- nied they were considering the loca- tion as a place for a commercial bank. Chancellor Randolph W. Bro- mery, who had formerly denied hav- ing considered the spot for a bank location said bids were sent out two years ago, and several banks had sub- mitted bids. He said he believed the banks considered the bids expired and the project would have to be re- bid. He repeated his previous state- ment saying there were no current plans to construct a bank in the Cam- pus Center. The music room space was one of several locations under consideration Bromery, Wood visit Hokkaido On Sept. IO, UMass President Robert C. Wood and Chancellor Randolph W. Bromery embarked on a two week gift-bearing mission to Japan. The two administrators and John Maki of the UMass political science department met with Japanese edu- cators at Hokkaido University for three days in celebration of the cen- tury-old educational exchange pro- gram between the two schools. The relationship between the uni- versities goes back to 1876 when Wil- liam S. Clark, then president of Mas- sachusetts Agricultural College Cnow Ulvfassl, went to Hokkaido at the in- vitation of the Japanese government to help establish an agricultural col- lege there. One of Clark's students later became president of Sapporo Xgrlcultural College tnow Hok- lt idol, tthere he furthered Clark's idea . During the war years. ties with Hokkaido were broken, but in l958 UMass was awarded an Aid for ln- ternational Development Grant which went toward re-establishing the relationship, .--..1,-N--.--- Y ,,,, ..1.....,, to accomodate an expanded Cashier's Office. The former Cashier's Office was closed down later in the year, due to insufficient space for proper secu- rity measures. This left the Campus Center and the Student Union with- out such an office. Michael Pill, member of the Campus Center Board of Governors QBOGJ said, In the short run, they fthe administratorsj are telling the truth about not putting in a bank. In the long run, they're lying through their teeth. Pill, a lawyer, added, I agree with Chancellor Bromery that the present bank bids are invalid. He felt, however, that the bank issue was far from dead. Stuart Belkin, co-coordinator of the Union of Student Employees, was opposed to any efforts to move the music room and lounge, and through the petition attempted to halt any such action. Campus Center Director, Dean William F. Field, said I-did not want a bank. I tried to argue this thing through. I'd be delighted if the chan- cellor formally canceled the bids. Field, saying he was sick and tired ofthe whole issue, added, It's mostly a matter of credabilityj' as to wheth- er.or not students want to believe the administrators are trying to slip a bank into the Campus Center. Bromery made a similar.state- ment saying, If anyone will not be- lieve in my integrity, they can go take a leap. Infirmary Hit NORTHAMPTON - Allegations were received by the Hampshire County district attorney's office late in September against some UMass Health Services employees for il- legal and improper conduct, as termed by UMass students involved with the Student Advisory Board which submitted the complaint. According to a statement issued to the press after the group of stu- by Student Allegations dents met with a staff member ofthe district attorney's office, the com- plaint dealt primarily with a sup- posed conflict of interest existing in hiring, promotions, competitive bid- ding, and the awarding of overtime pay and what the group termed pos- sible corrupt gifts made to some em- ployees at the Health Center. District Attorney John M. Calla- han was not there to receive the alle- This student is taking advantage of infrmary facilities, which were brought under fre by students charging the Health Ser- vices with illegal and improper conduct by employees. gations personally but said in a tele- phone interview the following day that his office would look into the matter out of due process, but added, there probably isn't anything in it. Barry W. Averill, director of Health Services, and president of the National College Health Association, said the accusations are categorical- ly untrue and that the statement contained only vague accusations. Averill said, I've done nothing, nor has anybody on my staff. Every- thing we have ever done has been in accordance with proper University channels, that's for sure. James H. Starr, a student Legal Services Office attorney who helped the students prepare the official statement said that tens of thou- sands of dollars over a course or three to four years were involved in ques- tionable purchases of services and supplies. Michael R. Federow, Graduate Student Senate president, said the possibility of kickbacks and bribes ex- isted in the purchasing of contractual services. Averill said the only instances when supplies might be purchased without following a bidding proce- dure would be if an instrument or pharmeceutical was needed immedi- ately. He said he had checked with his business people and was not aware of anybody who's received any gifts. That's ridiculous.