1969_11 The Daily Collegian November 1969

              Major shake-up rumored
SPECIAL EDITION
Daily
Collegian
Plans for administrative changes may
include Keyes, Burtner, Albright, Fikes
LXXV/3-t
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1969
By Gerald P. Merrell
Collegian Editor-in-chief
Highly Informed sources In and
around the college administration
today were predicting that newly
appointed acting president Karl
L. Falk ta planning a major
shakeup In several departments.
The announcement la expected
within a 'few days" and some
persons said the president may
even make pubUc the. changes
today.
Charles Dick, director of community relations for the college,
said today that Dr. Falk told him
he has not made a decision. However, Dick said 'some reorganization' la planned.
Tbe rumored shake up la aimed
at removing liberal faculty and
administration leaders from high
positions at Fresno State College, sources said today.
Paul Murray, ombudsman, said
he ia 'very concerned* over the
reported plans. 'I am very concerned about the processes by
which these changes are made.
Security of the campus la at
stake and If an' orderly process
la not followed It will create a
very fearful atmosphere," he
said.
Murray aald the president'haa
not consulted widely, but If he's
i make major decisions
this I
iuld h
counsel of several people.*
Murray charged that Dr.James
Fikes, chairman of the Home
Economics Department and once
considered for acting president,
■has made public statements that
there will be quick changea. When
a, man that close to the leadership makes these kinds of statements  then lt lends validity to
One faculty member, who asked
to remain anonymous, said Dr.
Falk Is preparing to 'purge liberals on campus.*
Tbe- new president, appointed
only laat Tueaday by SUte College Chancellor Glenn S. Dumke,
has been meeUng with representatives from r
Falk, McConnell Report
differ on polarization
According to Dr. Karl Falk,
Fresno State College Acting
President, the much publicized
split In Ideology existing among
ihe faculty is 'greatly exager-
Shortly after being named to
Ms new post by the California
State CoUege Board of Trustees,
Dr, Falk eald, 'On most major
issues'two-thlrds of the faculty
seems to vote together. I don't
call that a apUt.'
Dr. Falk reUred from F.S.C.
In June of 1968 after being on
the faculty since 1938. Unas been
reported that In hla last-ten years
ii the c
s not a>
i campus politics. This would
seem to Indicate that perhaps he
is not as familiar with the Increasingly political delineation
among the faculty as a survey
team who studied the college.
Dr. Falk's evaluation of the
.situation to the contrary, a report complied by the Center for
Research and Development In
Higher Education of the University of California at Berkeley has
named Fresno State's faculty political polarization as a major
hindrance of smooth operaUon of
administrative business.
Commonly known as the McConnell Report, the survey of
the running of the coUege statea,
If the polarization is In fact so
rigid that the votes on any Issue
can be predicted accurately in
advance, it will be Increasingly
difficult to arrive at considered
judgments on significant questions of college policy.*
After lengthy Investigation of
the guidelines for committees
and interviewing nearly 100
members of campus personnel,
the committee made several conclusions and recommendations
which lt hoped would help to lessen the tension between the factions of the campus.
The study was requested by
the Dr. NesS administration for
the evaluation of faculty government and faculty-administrative
consultation for the first Ume
since the administrative structure was reorganized by Dr;
Ness in 1966.
The team has suggested several steps to aid in ending the
factional split which is so dangerous to the operaUon of campus affairs. The first recommendation Is a return to civility and
Although Dr. Falk seemingly
refuses to recognize this element
in the running of the campus, thla
spUt and 'struggle for power'
became quite evident before he
was named to the post of Acting
President. Dr. JameaFlkes,acting chairman of the Home Economics Department 'ran' for the
position stressing that he Is a
conservative. If Indeed there was
no political facUonaUzatlon
among the faculty it would seemingly, not be neceasary foranyone
to make a point of his political
persuasion.
The final suggestion of the re-
retire from the •<
low others who ©
making deliberative i
tative bodies Into productive policy-making instruments to do so.
If the reported shake-up in the
administration is as complete as
some of the reports have Indicated, lt Is likely that these people 'whose manner createa tension' wlU Indeed be retired.
and faculty since assuming tbe
presidency last Thursday.
The Daily Collegian learned
that thc president met yesterday -
with Dr. Robert Comeajya, professor of history, and Dr. David
H. Provost, associate professor
of political science, and that
some 'definite decisions* were
reached regarding the ahakeup.
Dr. Comegya and Dr.'Provost
are both regarded aa conservatives. Attempts to contact them
and the president for comment
were unsuccessful.
The changes surround two
areas: ethnic studies and administrators close to the president.
It Is reported that the president
will remove Richard Keyes aa
chairman of the Ethnic Studies
Program and replace Dr. Dale
Burtner, dean of the School of
Arts and Sciences. .
Both men have recently been
embroiled in the controversy
surrounding Black Muslim lecturer Marvin X.
•I have heard rumors that several people will be fired and that
I am one of them,* Keyes said
this morning. *I don't know what
will happen (to the campus) If
there Is a ahakeup.*
One report said Dr. Burtner,
whose department controls ethnic
studies and must recommend to
the president on appointments of
faculty and lecturers to the program, wlU be replaced byPhlUlp
Walker.
Walker, a conservative, Is currently chairman of tho Speech
Arts Department.
It la also reported that Dr.
Flkes wlU be elevated to a position of vice preaident.
ft is believed he will either replace Dr. Harold Walker as executive vice president or that a
new position of vice president
will be established for him.
A source last night said the
preaident first wanted to replace
Dr. Walker with Dr. Flkes but
ired there
alternative (creatine a
Hon) when lt appeal
might  be  adverse reaction on
campua by ousting Dr.Walker.
Dr. Walker withdrew as a candidate for acting president on
October 23. He aald at the Ume
he beUeved be could beat serve
tbe coUege by continuing In his
current position.
He served as acting president
when former president Frederic
W. Ness was away from campus.
He held the position laat aemeater when Dr. Ness took a leave
of absence to study student dissent In Europe.
However, Dr. Walker came
under fire laat aemeater when he
supported a move to suspend one
Issue of the Dally Collegian a
week to allow the Chicano and
black studenU to publish their
own  newspapers   on  alternating
At the lime some conservatives charged that Dr. Walker
had 'buckled to pressure.'
Last night Dr. Flkea said he
beUeved talk of the shakeup were
■Just rumors." However, he left
tbe door open for a possible elevation to a new position by say-
■I would have to wait and see
about tho appointment. I would
have to see what position it was
and what my responslbllltiee
were.* He said be haa not been
offered a new position with the
administration.
Dr. Flkes said be does not
■remember* making a statement
attributed to blm that Dr. Harold
Walker would not even be 'second assistant to a custodian's
janitor* within a week.
Be said Dr. Falk bas held a
■variety of meetings* since Us
appointment but that be knows
nothing about a major change in
Talk of the shakeup was wlde-
Dr. Harold Walker w