Westfield State University - Tekoa Yearbook (Westfield, MA)

Page 28 text:

U. Mass At Westfield??? During November of 1975, Kevi l B. Harrington the Mass. State Senate, filed legislat on that would have abolished the State College Board of Trustee; and placed all ten State Col- leges under the University of Massac husetts. The bill was drawn up jointly by Harrington ' s office and t le office of U Mass President, Robert Wood. The supposed rations le behind the bill was to make Mass. public higher education mon efficient, of better quality at less cost. The students at Westfiel d could not understand ho Harrington ' s bill would accomplish this. Amidst flying rumors favoring at d opposing re-organization, a public forum was planned for Devei Auditorium on November 24, 1975. The open forum was to havt been used to relay whatever information that was available, to a iswer questions if possible and assess students ' feelings about the H irrington proposal. The forum panel consisted of: John Mahoney, SC Student Senate President; Pat Findlen, WSC Student Senate V ce-President; Deb Tosti, WSC Student Advisory Commission Repi tentative; Bruce Bishop, Bos- ton State College Student Goveri ment President; and Jimmy Steele, Framingham State College S udent Government President. These students, who had been work ng with the Student Advisory Commission to obtain as much infc rmation as possible, presented parts of the bill to those attending ind speculated on possibilities that were not clearly dealt with b) the legislation. Would Boston State and Mass. College ot Art be closed, as Harrington stated? Would campuses become specialized satel- lite schools of U Mass? Would our best faculty be transferred elsewhere? How much, if any, money would be saved? Why was no long-range study of re-organization done before filing legisla- tion ' J Would a degree that says University of Massachusetts State College at Westfield be more prestigious? WSC President Randolph, at a faculty meeting, took the opinion that Harrington ' s bill was a fait accompli and there were clear advantages for WSC in it. Yet he could not address the student ' s questions. The faculty was split on re-organization. Those who favored the bill could not answer the questions either, although they saw advantages from their faculty viewpoint. Those who opposed were asking main of the same questions as the students. As the 1975 Legislative Session drew to a close, Sen. Harrington, sensing rising opposition, withdrew his re-organization bill. The matter did not (lie there, however, as a slightly different version of the bill was to surlaee early in 1976. 26

Page 27 text:

Count Basie The WSC Jazz Rock Ensemble sponsored Count Basie and his orchestra on December 8, 1975. Once again they provided the Westfield Community with a top name in entertainment. Even for non-jazz afficionados, Count Basie is a well known name. This band demonstrated a high level of professionalism and musical talent. Unlike the Maynard Ferguson band, Count Basic ' s orchestra did not play much improvisational jazz. However each of the band members played at least one solo. There were also two vocal numbers near the end of the program. The band received a standing ovation and performed an encore. A triumph for the college ' s jazz studies program, and an impor- tant evening of entertainment for all music lovers. 2S

Page 29 text:

Special Ed. Honors Skinski Despite initial opposition, an all-day special education seminar was successfully held at WSC on December 3, 1975. The Semi- nar featured lectures by various people in the education field, discussion groups, films, demonstrations, displays and a cocktail hour. Committee members were Kathy Alward, Debbie Bennet, Cin- dy Constantino, Sue Czelusniak, Louann Denny, Patti Howden, Cheryl Koncas, Janis McMahon, Susan Pyra and also members of the Career Education and Guidance classes. Tom Stanton and Nancy Zacek were co-chairpersons and Mr. Dewey McGowen, Special Education instructor, was faculty advisor. At the end of the seminar, Dr. Edward Skinski, a former special ed. instructor, was presented with an award. When asked about the seminar, Anne-Marie Batten had this to say: The seminar was excellent. All the people involved, stu- dents, faculty, and speakers alike, were very enthusiastic about the seminar. There was a warm, personal feeling radiating about the place. We are planning other seminars. WSC needs them and everyone should get involved. The seminar was intel- lectually stimulating. It was great! 27