Volume 23, issue 32, July 27, 2001

Metronews

Report: university president turnover often troubled
Eric Garza
Daily Texan (University of Texas - Austin)

(U-WIRE) AUSTIN, Texas — The transition into the office of the presidency at U.S. colleges and universities is rocky and can often be detrimental to the school's stability, according to a report released July 21 by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.

The report, "Presidential Succession and Transition: Beginning, Ending and Beginning Again," states university boards of trustees are often unprepared for handling presidential transitions, which can lead to a stagnant campus.

"Ample evidence suggests that many presidential transitions are untimely, poorly managed, personally dissatisfying, and, in some cases, even demeaning for the primary players the presidents themselves," the report states.

The study was compiled from interviews with current and former university and college presidents who belong to the association, along with surveys of those presidents and reports from the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges and the American Council on Education.

While the report states new presidents often find their transitions poorly managed, Tom Ingram, president of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, said that to say the new presidents are left unprepared is an overstatement.

"I wouldn't sell presidential candidates short on their moxie," Ingram said. "There are always surprises. The question is how big the surprise is."

Ingram added that a valid criticism is, many times, boards of trustees are too impatient when selecting a new college or university president.

"I think it's a fair criticism of many universities," he said. "Sometimes, boards are anxious to find new leaders because they know they cannot and should not run the university. There is a sense of urgency."

But Jerry Gaston, deputy chancellor of the Texas A&M University System and chairman of the system's search committee, said the search for a new Texas A&M System president is thorough, lasting anywhere from eight to 13 months.

"It's my thought that the problems that surfaced in the study are not as problematic as they seem to be," Gaston said. "Our experience to date is that candidates know how systems work."

Gaston and the committee are currently searching for a new president to replace outgoing president Ray Bowen, who will resign in June 2002.

Gaston said what separates the selection process at the Texas A&M System and the UT System from other selection processes is the open dialogue between candidates and the schools' chancellors. He said there are many people available to offer guidance, and a new president will feel more relaxed in seeking advice.

When finalists are announced, candidates at both the UT and Texas A&M Systems spend at least two days visiting the campus at where they are applying.

Edwin Sharpe, UT executive vice chancellor for academic affairs and chairman of the UT selection committee, said that David Watts, who recently assumed the role of president at UT-Permian Basin, spent about three weeks visiting the campus before starting.

"An advantage of the University of Texas System is we don't do this every decade," Sharpe said. "There is institutional memory in the selection process. A problem with some universities is that they're trying to reinvent the wheel. They haven't thought about it enough or put together a good committee."

(M)any presidential transitions are untimely, poorly managed, personally dissatisfying...
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Tivoli parking lot repairs to be completed in August
Aimee Potter
The Metropolitan

A construction project that has been going on in the Tivoli parking lot during the last year is scheduled to be complete the second week in August.

The project has involved installing storm sewers to help prevent and minimize flooding.

"This is the final phase of the project," said Tivoli director Barb Weiske. "The new storm sewers have been connected to sewer lines along seventh street; we have also been able to tie in sewer lines from the King building to minimize flooding around there."

Combined with the new sewer lines, workers have been able to modify and improve the curbsides, gutter, and sidewalks.

Weiski also said they have purchased new parking toll booths. "The new huts are very efficient and will help keep our staff warm during the winter.

The new huts have been ordered and we plan on installing them by Aug. 13," she said.

Wieski also said there has been a delay on the new huts, and if they do not arrive on time she plans to have the old huts reinstalled until they arrive.

Wieski said she could not recall total costs but said, "Since the Tivoli parking is a user-pay system, the revenues go into a reserve. That's the money we used, no student fees were used at all."
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Corrections
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Metroeditorial

Olympic decision dishonors U.S. veterans
David Hindman

It sat there on the grounds in stark and mocking contrast to the beauty of the July day around us. Its multi-paneled blackness, the monolithic blocks of marble, each represented the pain of so many shattered and tortured lives, and the impenetrable barrier between the living and their lost loved ones. The POW-MIA flag flew overhead, a black and white echo of living torment, joining the imagined cries of those in the black mirror; the dying soldiers in Vietnam.

The second weekend in July was a day of remembrance at the "traveling wall," a scaled-down version of the permanent Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C., which came to Lakewood at Crown Hill Cemetery. Ironically, it was the same weekend the Chinese communists, who helped fund the deaths of 58,000 American servicemen and women in Vietnam, began celebrating the International Olympic Committee’s decision to grant them the 2008 Olympics, largely due to the influence and investment of major U.S. corporations.

We joined a good friend, who lost her uncle in the war, and stood in honoring silence as she traced Graham R. Hicklen’s name from the memorial with paper and pencil. Her tracing seemed to set in motion the unfolding of a story. A story of four young men in their early 20’s who belonged to the same unit: Shover, Gould, Tomlin and finally, Hicklen, who was from Texas, and naturally received the nickname, "Hick".

Hicklen acted as an older brother to the bunch. Shover, the only surviving member of the four friends, (three having lost their lives on the same day), wrote in a letter that "Hick" was a gentle person, well-liked and always taking care of his "younger brothers", warning them not to volunteer as the point-man more than necessary, and making sure they wrote home often. "Hick" was upbeat, optimistic and, according to Shover, never had a negative word to say about anyone; not even the North Vietnamese.

Out of love for his country, Hicklen enlisted in the Army, requesting a dangerous position in the infantry that he knew would put him on the front lines. That sacrificial decision led him to a fateful day in April of ’67, when courage, and devotion to a brotherhood formed under fire, led him to move up under heavy enemy resistance, on a machine gun position, while he laid down covering fire. The enemy machine gun was removed from service, but Hicklen fell silent with a mortal wound to the head.

Hicklen’s commanding officer comforted his mother with the words "quick death" and "no unnecessary pain". He illustrated Hicklen’s bravery, offering that enemy resistance was so intense, it took a napalm strike just to be able to retrieve his body.

Shover, after 30 years, finally wrote Hicklen’s mother. "I miss my Texas friend, Hick." He continued, saying he wished he could "…remember more of what the 30 years had erased…" of the memory of his friend. He said in another letter, "I’m one of those guilt-ridden survivors, barely alive and regretting that past; that past Vietnam…," and that relief came through self-medication: alcohol and drugs.

The price that Shover, Gould, Tomlin and Hicklen paid was denominated in blood, fear, pain and death, and in Shover’s case, the ongoing torture of regret and the torment of dreams, not to mention the names of dear friends written in the black mirror.

They fought a communist threat against the ideal of democratic freedom, like their countrymen before them who fought a similar war in Korea. It was a dark threat funded by the Chinese government in the form of troops, weapons and a supply of heroin to U.S. soldiers, who were trying to kill the fear as much as defeat their enemies.

Tragically, U.S. government officials and U.S. corporations, supposedly loyal to this country and the principles of our democratic republic, are funding a little war of their own against our national interests, and spitting on the graves of American freedom fighters in the process. Through a push for globalization and expansion of markets, these forces of wealth and greed are ultimately waging war against freedom and self-determination, pretending to be the new American revolutionaries, and slapping those who paid the true price of liberty in the face. Chanting the mantra of free-markets and democracy for all Chinese people, they have created a trade imbalance which has only served to strengthen Chinese nuclear and military capability, and tighten the grip of the communist government on it’s people, through mass executions of political prisoners and supposed criminals, as well as the hearty persecution of religious groups. This last month saw a government crackdown on the free exchange of information in China at Internet cafes, leading to dictatorial monitoring and closures.

The underwriting of the 2008 Olympics in China by U.S. corporations, under the lie that it will help force Chinese democracy, coupled with the attitude of Olympic athletes, ("Human rights violations? What human rights violations?") appears as more of a bold and brazen treason in the name of money, than a benign and altruistic effort at easing the bonds of dictatorship.

The next time you think about buying something "Made in China," or from a company bent on expansion under a brutal communist regime, consider whom you’re supporting. Then remember the persecuted in China, and the Americans whose names are written in the black mirror.

Metroactive

Yoga with a purpose
Nicola Grun
The Metropolitan

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Colorado chapter and Denver Parks and Recreation are hosting "Yoga for People with MS" at the Washington Park Recreation Center through Aug. 14.

"I have MS, and I was walking with a cane when I began," said Pam Rollings, who has been teaching the yoga class for four years. "[Yoga] has saved my life."

Naomi Hiller-Reynolds and Martha Patt offered a free workshop in June for people with MS in addition to the regular class at the recreation center. It was funded by Patt’s grant from Berlex Laboratories Inc.

"We work on strength, flexibility and balance to restore range of movement," Rollings said. "Most of the moves are similar to original yoga, but they are modified so they benefit people with MS."

Multiple Sclerosis is a disease of the nervous system that causes fatigue, vision loss, paralysis and walking difficulties. The muscles of people with MS that extend the limbs become weaker while the muscles that contract become stronger. Symptoms appear when nerves in the brain and spinal cord lose their ability to transmit signals. MS has been diagnosed mainly in women who are between the ages of 20 and 40.

"This class is so uplifting," said Mary Wells who has been attending the class for more than four years. "Everyone is so supportive of each other. It really helps everyone feel good about themselves."

Hiller-Reynolds and Patt also teach a modified version of yoga especially for people with MS. Patt has worked with the Northern California chapter of the National MS Society since 1994 to develop this yoga program which was recently introduced to Colorado by the local MS society chapter.

"When I was diagnosed, yoga really kept me from dropping off the deep end." Patt said. "MS is like a buzzing, in my mind and soul. When I’m under stress, MS is like a buzz and I need to relax, center and focus by doing yoga."

Patt, 43, was diagnosed with MS at 26. Her daily routine involves waking up in the morning and doing 15 minutes of yoga. She works full-time and does another 45 minutes of yoga in the evenings. She said any hint of MS fatigue is relieved by her daily yoga routines.

Patt has Relapsing Remitting MS, and said the pain in her legs has been the biggest challenge for her to manage during the last 17 years. She signed up for a yoga class in 1982 after she had her first severe problem with balance. She realized the simple movements and meditation relieved the chronic and emotional pain.

Hiller-Reynolds, a graduate of the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco, taught Iyengar yoga techniques at the workshop in June.

"There are many styles of yoga." Hiller-Reynolds said. "Find your own yoga style — they all lead to the same goal. We are building mindfulness through bodily awareness."

The use of props while doing Iyengar yoga helps those with MS reach the classical postures and attain benefits. Most exercises demonstrated can be practiced while seated or even lying down. Reynolds stresses that workshop participants "observe the quality of your breath and see if you can find a smooth breath."

Breathing exercises, yoga and meditation can be especially useful for reducing the stress MS often causes, said Rollings. Deep, slow, rhythmic abdominal breathing allows for deeper exchanges of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs, which is important for MS sufferers who may not be able to achieve this through vigorous exercise.

Patt’s Betaseron Champions of Courage Grant funds "Yoga for People with MS." Berlex Laboratories Inc, which produces the medication Betaseron, also provides grants to people with MS in recognition of their accomplishments in achieving community service goals and who inspire others. Each grant recipient receives a maximum of $7000.

Reynolds and Patt donated mats and other equipment to the Colorado chapter so the program can be continued and improved in both Denver and Fort Collins. The Colorado MS Chapter hopes to run another similar workshop similar next year.

"Yoga is helpful for everyone, not just people with MS." Patt said. "It’s for clear thinking and a bright mind. It can keep us focused in this very stressful world."

"Yoga for people with MS" is being held at the Washington Park Recreation Center every Wednesday from 10 — 11:30 am through Aug 14. If you would like more information about the class or if you would like to volunteer to assist participants in the class, contact Pam Rollings at 303-695-9356.

More information about the grants can be found by writing to info@championsofcourage.org

Jaime Jarrett contributed to this article
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Farewell to Emmanuel Gallery
Interim director oversees what might be her final show at the campus gallery
Chris Ward
The Metropolitan

This may be Katy Charles’ final show at the Emmanuel Gallery, so it is fitting in a way it represents the best the campus has to offer.

Charles recently learned her contract hadn’t been renewed, meaning after July 31 she would no longer be the interim director of the gallery. The University of Colorado at Denver, which is taking over the gallery, would hire a new director.

The show, Crème de l’Auraria, is a showcase of student work from the three campus schools. It opened July 19 and runs through August 23. The art was selected with names taken off to avoid any possible bias. Curators Manya Tan and Charles selected pieces with an outside juror. The results were "very Metro-heavy," Charles said. "There’s great work from all the schools, Metro is just a big school."

"We had a great opening," Charles said. She estimated about 200 people were at the gallery the first night of the show, "which is great for an opening reception.

"I think the student shows are successful here," Charles said. "I know the students who come in here…I really see first-hand the effect the gallery has on the students."

With no central theme, the artwork of Crème de l’Auraria varied from artist to artist, both in subject matter and medium. "It’s a very broad cross-section of work," Charles said.

Community College of Denver artist Ryuichi Ogino even varied mediums within his untitled series. Four of the pieces were mixed media, with the look of animation cells, and a fifth was an oil on canvas painting of the same character that appeared in the cells.

On the walls alongside paintings and photographs was a series of posters by various graphic design students, advertising everything from a show at the Denver Art Museum to a program to quit smoking.

Other unique pieces included an album cover design for the soundtrack to Psycho by Charles Mountain and a book of Meditations on the Golden Triangle by Randy Garcia.

There were also more traditional art forms, from the out of focus photographs of corporate signs in Stephen Sanderson’s Conformity Series to Naomi Mandeville’s Color & Shape paintings to Gary Rawson’s sculpture, "A Matter of Time."

Even though she may be leaving soon, Charles hopes Emmanuel Gallery will continue to serve the campus as it has since reopening in March.

"We had our momentum going, and I would hate to lose that momentum," she said.

"I think this gallery exists for everybody on campus," Charles said. "In a lot of cases this in the only art experience the students and faculty have."