Westfield State University - Tekoa Yearbook (Westfield, MA)

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THE SILENT Do you believe the current unrest is justified? most certainly do! As far as I am con- cerned people can be pushed just so far and then they react. Joanne MacDonald — 1973 Yes. Academic and Personal Freedoms are Stifled. Fernand C. Auclair — 1973 The unrest is justified but the way in which they express their feelings is not justified. Emotional responses are a ways rash and maybe some logical thinking would help. Richard Walsh — Commuter — 1974 Yes. I feel that the students on this campus are finally concerned with college gover- nance and that the lack of partnership in it is the major cause of unrest. It has always been my belief that democracy is worth fighting for. Terry St. Jean — Pres. Senate Yes it seems obvious that most student demands are reasonable, necessary, and also that not enough is being done. Carol Mennier — 1974 Terry St. Jean Richard Walsh

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Mr. Mazza Do you believe that the current student unrest is justified? No, the student unrest is not justified. It is hard to justify a refusal to negotiate, espe- cially in view of the fact that negotiations for governance has been a long-standing goal. Refusal to bargain merely delays the servic- ing of students ' real needs and desires. If the present administration stays in pow- er, do you believe that it is possible for equal governance to exist ? Governance must be the rule of law and not the rule of men. If a system depends on personality, and not on merit, it is of poor quality. Also, it is the process of achieving governance that is important and not the governance structure itself. The process that produces structure must also produce change. What is given externally can be tak- en away externally. What is earned from within is dearly protected. How would you describe the ideal college climate (atmosphere)? It centers around the quest for intellectual growth and greater social awareness. All in- dividuals must seek to grow in these areas. Since no-one has an absolute corner in the intellectual market, the sharing of ideas — based on experience, reading and re- search — is a major medium for this quest. General Statement To achieve the educational and develop- mental mission of this or any institution of higher education each segment of the col- lege community needs to be engaged in a continuing dialogue which occurs in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Responsible dissent is an honorable part of the American Heritage. This should never be denied. However, violence and threats of violence are sickening and hopeless ap- proaches to the resolution of human prob- lems. The stage has been set by changing times and circumstances for the develop- ment of sound governance structures and procedures which can be creative avenues by which concerns can be articulated and dealt with in a responsible manner. A system of checks and balances is necessary in hu- man society to insure that the rights of all are observed. Thus, there must be a rule of law, rather than of men. Every member of the college community needs to be working toward the development of sincere respect for the rule of law if stability and harmony are to be created so that the learning envi- ronment is to be meaningful and a sense of community becomes a reality. Mr. Kirk

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MAJORITY judging from past record I would be forced to say no unless the administration feels vulnerable enough to change. Kenneth Richards — Class of 1974 Do you feel that students and faculty have exhausted all legal channels to solve problems at Westfield? Legal channels is a question of semantics. According to the schools ' legal channels, yes. We have exhausted them. But according to the student ' s definition of legal channels we have not even taught what we consider to be legal to oust. Tom Staltare — Commuter — 1972 No. There is always appeal. The exhaus- tion of all legal channels to solve all prob- lems is just a rationalization for their actions and this will never justify violence of any degree. Richard Walsh — 1974 Legal channels do not work effectively when people don ' t trust each other. Howev- er, apart from trust, when the Board of Trus- tees control all legal channels and are as much a part of the unrest as those on this campus, then how can we hope to utilize these channels effectively? Joe Bernier — Pres. Class of 1973 Tom Staltare