1970_12 The Daily Collegian December 1970

              FACULTY FIRINGS
'PART OF POLITICAL PURGE'
Daily
Collegian
LXXVI/54
SOCIAL WORK
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, T970
Dutton, two others
get their notices
By Phyllis Martin '
Collegian Staff Writer
Charges of'outside community
politics" were made yesterday by
Associate Professor of Social
Work Edward P. Dutton following
notification from theadmlnlstra-
and was being terminated at the
end of the spring semester. Dutton was  among  several faculty
regarding tenure and teaching
reappointments from Presno
State College President Dr.Nor-
Two other associate professors in the School of Social Work,
Dr. John O'Neill and ErvlngKuhl,
were given one-year terminal
contracts, which allows them another teaching year. At the end
of thel071-72academlcyearthey
will be terminated.
Another professor. James A.
Bates, field Instructor In social
work was reappointed for another
year.  All four professors were
by Dr. Barbara K. Varley, graduate department of social work
chairman, because of "philosophical differences between her and
Professor of Chemistry
Toney is on firing list
Joe Toney, assistant professor
of chemistry who last year was
cleared of charges ofthe'unlawful detainment* of then Acting
Dean of Arts and Sciences Phillip
Walker, received a letter of termination yesterday In the wake of
' several other non-retentionnoti-
Toney, along with five students,
was charged with detaining Walker In his office against his will
but the charges against Toney
were dropped. The five students
were acquitted of the detainment
charge but two were found guilty
of disturbing the peace.
Toney, who began his second
year of teaching at Fresno State
College this fall, said he had no
formal   statement  to  make  *at
■I'm really upset. I can't understand why they fired me. All
I want to do Is teach.*
The alleged detention took
place March 19 In the School of
Arts and Sciences conference
room. The dean and about 50
students and faculty members
were Involved In the confrontation, which stemmed from a
meeting to discuss retention of
English lecturer Nathan Heard
and    members   of the  Ethnic
Studies faculty.
Toney was charged by Walker
with participation and leadership In the alleged 'forcible detention.* The complaint resulted
in the chemistry professor's arrest on criminal charges.
Fresno County District Attor-
(Contlnued on Page 3, Col. 1)
English prof Everett
Frost is terminated
By Burton Swope
CoUegian EdItor-ln-Chlef—
Assistant   Professor of  Eng-
Ever
C.  Fro
tlons, probationary (untenurcd)
Instructors are reappointed each
year for a three-year period. In
the fourth year, the college either
called the "fifth and terminal
year*) or gives them teaching
positions for the fifth year, which
leads to tenure. If instructors
are denied tenure In the fifth
year they are subject to Immediate dismissal by their department or the college.
O'Neill and Ruhl had nolmme-
dlate comment yesterday on their
notices, but did say that 'differences within the Department of
Social Work" were the Issues involved and "not their teaching
ability  or professional conduct.
Dutton, an outspoken administration critic who received a
short letter from Baxter Informing him of his dismissal, openly
charged the administration with
'bowing to outside political pressures concerning his tenure."
'Baxter has never talked to me
or given me reason for his action," Dutton said, *but as human
beings, we have to talk as people
at some point, especially when
one   regards   the   existence   of
(Continued on Page 5, Col. 1)
figure at Fresno
State College, has been notified
he Is among those faculty who
are being terminated by the college administration.
Frost was Informed of his termination In a letter received
yesterday and signed by FSC
President Dr. Norman A. Baxter. Baxter, who gave no reasons for not retaining Frost In
the letter, said the termination
is  effective at the end of this
Frost has charged his non-
retention Is 'politically motivated" and is not based on 'his
ability as a teacher or his pro-
*I am part of a political purge
that   is   ruthless   in  the  sense
that   It   Is  willing to sacrifice
•Hence for polltl-
goals,* he said.  'It appears
1   in   v
n of
rights, especially
First Amendment rights, and In
violation of professional ethics.
I'm sorry for the school, as much
as  for  myself, that Dr. Baxter
he said, 'I refused to sign tbe
evaluation form, because Rea had
not reviewed the form wll
and there were no reasons given
by Rea why he would not discus;
lt. Yet, Rea Indicated on thc
form he had discussed the evaluation with me, and that was
lie,"
Frost said that under the co
sultatlve procedures outlined
the Faculty Handbook, Rea Is r
quired to discuss the evaluation
of probationary staff with the department chairman.
•This  he hasn't done," Frost
Frost was overwhelmingly
commended for rehiring by a i
of the tenured faculty within
Department of Engllsh.   He was
also  recommended for rehiring
by  the  personnel and exi
r the School of Hu-
Frost   said he asked Acting
Academic   Vice   President   Dr.
Horace O. Schorllng and the c
lege Personnel Committee to:
turn Rea's  recommendation
grounds that he (Frost) had
been consulted about the evaluations form and he 'had i
•Meanwhile,* Frost said, *Rea
, refused to meet with the tenured
members of the English Department collectively. He did agree
however to meet with tenured
members of the department Individually, if they wanted to, and
Frost said he assumed that the
college's Personnel Committee
had returned his file to Rea taking
no action. He added, however,
that he received the information
"second hand* and was uncertain
what the Personnel Committee
had in fact done.
•However, Schorling told me
a number of times lt would be
appropriate for Rea to talk things
over with roe,* Frost said.
•He (Rea) never did meet with
me,* he said. 'Once or twice
he offered to meet with me privately - that Is, without Dr.
Zumwalt being present. I refused for several reasons, the
primary reason being I would
have had no witnesses to the
conversation. I also refused on
the grounds of established policy. The Faculty Handbook states
(Continued on page 7, Col. 1)
i  fit to b
(Acting Dear
Humanities Dr. Ralph C. Rea)
who has, at best, a minimal understanding of academic profes-
rlghts."
Frost was Informed Oct. 29
by Rea that he was recommending Frost not be retained. Frost
was notified of Rea's decision on
a standard form (Form A) for
the evaluation of probationary
(untenured) staff. Rea stated on
the   form   that  "In   my  opinion,
terests ofthe English Department
(Frost)."  No reasons were given
on the form, however.
"I have had never had an opportunity to review the contents of
the Acting Dean's evaluation form
He said Chairman of the English Department . Dr. Eugene
Zumwalt, Rea, and he met for
an hour shortly after Frost was
notified of the acting dean's recommendations, but Rea had refused to review the evaluation
form with them.
•All that was discussed was
whether to discuss the evaluation,* Frost said.
■At  the  end of the meeting,*
Hall, Mabey are not
retained on faculty
By John Jefferles
CoUegian Staff Writer
Elton A. Hall and RendeU N.
Mabey, both assistant professors
liUhe Department of Philosophy,
received their notices of non-
retention yesterday as a wave of
such letters swept the Fresno
State College campus.
Dr. James M. Smith, the Philosophy Department Chairman,
was retained and granted tenure
In an unexpected move by the
administration.
Recom mendations that all
three of the professors not be
granted retenUon or tenure were
made Nov. 16 by Acting Dean of
the School of Humanities Dr.
Ralph C. Rea. Yesterday's notices sent out by FSC President
Dr. Norman A. Baxter concurred
with Rea's recommendations ex-
glven the reason for his negative
recommendation as «overstaff-
lng*  In  the Philosophy Depart-
Kenneth Kerr gets terminal contract notice
By Daniel R. safreno
Collegian Nyvs Editor
Director of Student
Dr. Kenneth Kerr has been notified he will be allowed to stay
In his present position for the
next year only. Kerr was given
a one-year terminal contract
which makes bis firing mandatory
at the end of the 1971-72 academic
Kerr, an appointee for former
Fresno SUte CoUege President
Dr. Frederick Ness, has been
the Director of Student Activities for three aod one half years.
He is also active In the Fresno
coordinator in the Big Brothers
of America program.
Kerr told the CoUegian yesterday that his termination is
a "legal option* of the president (Dr. Norman A. Baxter).
He said he had no formal statement to make at tills time;
"I still have to gather my
thoughts. I regret what's happened. It's unfair. I haven't
been able to Identify any defensible stand they (the administration) have taken as to my three
and a half years of professional
conduct,* Kerr said.
Deryle Allen, the dean of students and Kerr's Immediate superior, told the CoUegian that he
would rather not 'get caught li
Incident,* Allen said. *ThU U
a personal matter.'
Baxter could not be reached
for comment. An Informed
source told the Collegian that
Executive Vice-President Dr.
James A. Flkes had recommended Kerr be *lmmedlately dismissed." However, Flkes said
1 didn't agree with the decision.
I really didn't even know that
lt waa being made. This la the
first thing I've beard about it.*
Under Title V of the Calltor-
When contacted concerning his
letter of non-retention, RendeU
Mabey said, *Had they (the Administration) so chosen, they
could have worked the overstating problem out. However, In my
case they chose not to do so,
with poUtlcal motivations.*
Smith said. It's a terrible
thing that RendeU Mabey was not
retained. He is an exceUent
teacher and will tx
department.
•This 'overstafflng' t
is not a legitimate reason for
failing to retain Mabey. Several
other departments within the
School of HumanlUes, as weU as
the School of Natural Sciences,
agreed to support (allocate money
to) the Philosophy Department
so that the three of us could re-
Smith   said,   'Mabey's  views
to him."
Mabey was asked If he thought
the reasons for his termination
could be narrowed to any one
point. He said, I'm Inclined
to think that one of the big factors Is my political actlvenesa
on campus. I've spoken a few
tiroes in the Free Speech Area
and I've been critical of the Administration. I once grabbed the
mike ai a meeting of the Academic Senate and snooted at people for a few minute*. But all
u an I g
Mabey aald he bas no plana for
Elton A
and not available for comment.
Rea also could not be reached