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Identifier
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Eng
Newsletter_198711.pdf
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Title
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Eng
The Evergreen State College Newsletter (November 1, 1987)
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Date
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1 November 1987
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extracted text
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Office of Information
Library 3122
Services
Next Newsletter—December 4
Newsletter
The Evergreen State College
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November 23, 198?
EVERGREENERS IN THE NEWS
A TEAM OF FOUR LEADS THE EFFORT FOR A MORE MULTICULTURAL EVERGREEN
Greeners On The Road—Director of Community and Alumni Relations Larry Stenberg
has been collecting "Frequent Flyer" coupons, keeping in touch with Evergreen
grads in Anchorage, New York, and Boston. Next stops: San Francisco on
December 4 and Los Angeles, December 7. He'll have stale airline cashews for
everyone when he returns.
Academic Dean Barbara Smith delivered the keynote address at the annual
meeting of the National Collegiate Honors Council in Dallas on October 29. She
spoke about models for collaborative learning.
Two staff members made presentations at the Association for General
and Liberal Studies' annual meeting in Cincinnati on October 29 and 30.
Jean MacGregor, assistant director of the Washington Center for the Improvement
of Undergraduate Education, spoke on learning community design and implementation. Joyce Weston, director of the Hillaire Student Advising Center,
addressed the integration of academic advising with career development.
Roberta Floyd, administrative assistant for the academic deans, recently
donated a trumpet, complete with extra mouthpieces and case, to the instrument
check-out collection. A student plays it in Evergreen's newly-formed jazz
ensemble, according to Faculty Member Andrew Buchman.
Video producer Doug Cox is serving on the Washington State Division of
Health AIDS Review Panel, a volunteer group which reviews all printed, audio
and visual material distributed by the state about AIDS.
John Parker, director of the Teacher Certification Program, became concerned when a student failed to appear at a student teaching assignment for
three days. On October 17, he went to the home of the student, John Buitenkamp,
and called authorities when there was no answer at the door. Buitenkamp was
found on the floor, the victim of a stroke caused by a faulty heart valve. He
was taken to Black Hills Hospital, and transferred to University Hospital in
Seattle, where he remains in stable condition according to his mother, former
student Irene Buitenkamp. "We were grateful that someone cared enough to go
look after him," she says, adding that John's chances of recovery are very good.
Fall Phone-A-Thon Nets Funds—This is the first year the college Foundation
has had its major fund raising phone-a-thon in the fall, and the first time students have been paid for making the calls. It was a great success, according to
Forrest Wilcox, director of the Evergreen Fund—2,136 calls made during 16
nights netted $29,791 in pledges. The Foundation supports scholarships, faculty
development, library resources, the arts, science equipment and more. Also,
Evergreen alumni called East Coast Evergreen alums from New York on October 25,
raising nearly $1,000 in pledges.
Building a multicultural community has always been important at Evergreen, but
now the college is dedicating people, time and money to an assertive approach to
recruiting people of color and the physically challenged to faculty positions.
"What we want is a college community that accurately reflects the world out
there. The world isn't white and the world isn't Western. We want to see the
college get closer to reality, both in its constitution and in the things it
does," says Faculty Member Rudy Martin, who directs the National Faculty.
Martin is a member of a
four-person team leading this
recruiting effort, aimed at
enriching the faculty applicant pool with people of
color and the physically
challenged. Other team members are Academic Deans Matt
Smith and Barbara Smith; and
Rita Cooper, on leave from
her position as Employee
Relations director to help
kick off the project.
There are now two overall
goals in faculty hiring. One
is to hire people with varied
interests and backgrounds who
can teach broadly across the
A TRADITIONAL HOME ALTAR IN SEATTLE:
curriculum. The other is to
WASHINGTON
CULTURES SEEN THROUGH EXHIBIT
recruit people with multiThe
Centennial
Commission has granted $70,000
cultural experience, either
to help fund "Peoples of Washington," an exhiin the United States, a Third
bit that illustrates the histories arid cultures
World country or another
of the state's communities, coordinated by
culture. "That experience can
Evergreen Faculty Member gid White. Pat
be shown in a variety of ways
Matheny-White, faculty librarian, is research
and doesn't only mean a percoordinator for the project. Faculty Member Bob
son is a member of a Third
Haft's photo (above) will join many other conWorld or minority culture,"
temporary and historical photographs, verbal
says Matt Smith.
commentary,
migration maps and demographic
There are no changes in
charts,
documenting
where people of Washington
the actual hiring process,
came
from,
and
cultural
continuity and change
and deadlines are not being
in
the
state's
communities.
Evergreen will be
set. The focus is on building
the
first
of
12
stops
when
the
exhibit begins
applicant pools with
touring
the
state
in
1989.
qualified people from the
Galleries Display IndigenousJVrt—Faculty Member Gail Tremblay is one of 14
Native American artists featured "New Directions Northwest," on campus in
Gallery Four until November 24. Faculty Member Mary Nelson's paintings of Native
American women of the Northwest is feature in Gallery Two through December 18.
j-vi
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target group. However, 11 of the 17 new positions created with funds from the
last legislative session are designated to be filled by faculty who have
substantial multicultural backgrounds. Those positions will be filled
temporarily until that qualification is met.
Advertisements used to announce faculty positions have been revised to
reflect the new emphasis, but that's not enough. "Just by saying you want
someone doesn't mean you get them. It takes going out and recruiting.
That's where the efforts of Rita and Rudy are crucial," says Matt Smith.
For Cooper and Martin, that involves making as many contacts as
possible. They are starting with people they know in education across the
country, and people recommended by the campus community. They also are making
contacts through professional organizations.
For these two, recruitment takes place on several levels, searching for
faculty for: 1) continuing appointments; 2) one- to nine-quarter appointments;
and 3) faculty exchanges. Cooper and Martin will also be seeking outstanding
speakers with rich multicultural backgrounds to visit the campus to lecture and
give workshops.
Cooper is even recruiting potential faculty while they're still in graduate
school. "I'm hoping that by the end of next year, we will have spoken to every
graduate student from these protected classes who is about to graduate from
selected colleges and universities," says Cooper. Part of her job is to put
these students in contact with Evergreen faculty who are willing to act as
resources for their graduate work, in hopes this will help attract them to
Evergreen after they earn their degrees.
Although this recruiting effort isn't limited to graduate students,
Evergreen is not "raiding" other colleges' faculty. The team is getting the word
out, hoping to find qualified, experienced applicants who aren't happy in their
jobs or want to teach at a college as interesting as Evergreen. They, and
others, are taking time out on their travels to conferences and meetings to
visit nearby campuses to encourage potential applicants. Other Evergreeners are
encouraged to do the same.
Cooper is also focusing on community colleges, which she believes may be an
untapped source of ethnically diverse professionals. Community colleges, she
points out, have many part-time faculty, teaching loads similar to those at
Evergreen, and are places where women and minorities have been able to find
work.
Post-graduates teaching temporarily at Evergreen may also become commonplace. "We can give post-grads the best teaching experience of their lives. If
we give them one- to three-year contracts, and then they want to do research
somewhere else, they're going to be one leg up," says Cooper.
"If our fondest dreams are realized, we will have at least 7 to 10, and
hopefully many more, qualified people of color as applicants in each position
next year, and be able to hire a substantial number of them," says Matt Smith.
If you know of appropriately qualified people or want to check out the
advertisements for open positions, contact Roberta Floyd, assistant to the
deans, ext. 6870.
BOARD OF TRUSTEE NOTES
Two action items came before the Board of Trustees during their November 18
meeting, including the adoption of a new faculty leave policy that grants leave
based on who has accrued the most leave time, rather than a competitively based
proposal. The board also approved the new Commercial Activities Policy. All
Washington's state colleges were mandated by the 1987 legislature to develop
such a policy in collaboration with local businesses, to be sure college commercial activities don't compete unfairly with local business. The Olympia/Thurston
County Chamber of Commerce gave Evergreen's policy its full endorsement. The
board and President Olander expressed condolences to Western Washington
University for the loss of their president and two vice presidents and approved
a letter to be sent to the college. Other business included an announcement that
a Student Affairs communicable disease policy is being developed, and discussion
of final enrollment statistics. Following adjournment of the regular special
meeting, the board stayed on to hear a variety of concerns from students,
including the college's open records policy and the HEC Board Master Plan. Four
board members were able to stay until 5 p.m. with students.
VOYAGERS TO RUSSIA SHARE VISIONS AND EXPERIENCE: A PIECE OF THEIR MINDS
In one half-hour, 250 dazzling slides taken on a 450-mile walk through the
heartland of Russia will illustrate the emotional experience of a lifetime from
the view of Larry Stenberg, director of Alumni and Community Relations. After
the slides, you can ask questions of Stenberg, Evergreen student Rebecca Smith,
and Olympia resident Sarah Lisch, all who participated on the walk. It's all
part of the "Piece of my Mind" lecture series, Wednesday, December 2, from 12:10
to 12:50 p.m., at the Olympia Center, 222 North Columbia.
m enclo««i|
SMOKING:
LOCALE FOR LIGHTING UP
Last year Evergreen
began its first smoking
policy, implemented
after recommendations
were made by a DTF, to
protect the health of
Evergreeners. As a
reminder to the community, we've reprinted
the smoking area chart
here. Complaints about
smoking should first be
addressed to the
offending party and, if
there is further
complaint, to the person supervising the
area in question.
CdMMUMICATIOMS &UH-PIM&
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Diagram by Randy Hunting and Mark
Clemens
Office of Information Services
Library 3122
Newsletter
Next Newsletter—November 20
Photos by TESC Photo Services
The Evergreen State College
STUEWE-PORTNOFF NAMED GREENER OF THE MONTH
•
The Secret Quacker Society is at it again, naming
Cher Stuewe-Portnoff, director of Evergreen's Prior
Learning from Experience (PLE) Program, as Greener
of the month.
The note slipped under the door says Cher spends
endless hours listening, encouraging, mentoring and
supporting adult learners who have been in the
working world, away from education, for long periods
of time. Her individual attention, loving and sensible attitude and clear articulate explanations
help students understand what they've learned from
work and life experiences. She instills a real excitment for learning that has helped hundreds earn
Evergreen degrees.
This quarter, 135 students are enrolled in PLE,
documenting what they've learned into "papers" that
look more like full-length novel manuscripts.
"The work Cher has done in PLE accounts for its
tremendous success," says Rita Pougiales, academic dean. "It's gone from a prograi^
where very few students completed their documents and earned credit, to a
program where the majority finish and their documents are accepted. PLE is one
of Evergreen's best programs for adult learners and returning students and now
occupies a much more central place of importance to Evergreen."
Stuewe-Portnoff, a '79 grad, was a mental health therapist in Lewis County,
and also taught professional counseling to Evergreen part-time students, before
taking the helm of the PLE Program in 1983.
"In a way, students develop a whole new logical body of knowledge," says
Stuewe-Portnoff. "It's the approach one takes to what one has learned, the
intellectual integration that one brings to thinking about past experience, that
eventually earns college credit."
Students develop excellent writing skills, revising draft after draft of
their papers, responding to Stuewe-Portnoff's insightful questions that are
designed to draw connections and clarify weak points in each students' analysis.
Marda Moore. Evergreen student and College Book Store employee, completed
PLE last April. "I relived 25 years of my life thinking about all the things I
had done and learning what I had learned. Without Cher's support and her
keeping me at it, I never would have done it." Pat Barte, secretary for
Information Services, just completed her PLE paper and awaits the committee's
decision. "Cher's an incredibly busy person, yet she always takes time to give
you her complete attention, and that makes you feel special. And she has incredible insight that helps you dig out what you've learned."
Stuewe-Portnoff is pleased that more than 85 percent of those who enroll
complete the rigorous PLE process. Many eventually earn master's degrees. "I
think I've got one of the best jobs on campus," she says.
<
<
November 6, 198?
THE MASTER PLAN: SOME QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
The campus is concerned over the Higher Education Coordinating Board's (HEC
Board) Master Plan. The plan seeks to establish a policy framework to guide
growth and change in higher education in Washington. The final draft will be
presented to the 1988 legislature,
as mandated by the legislation that
created the HEC Board in 1985. The
latest 80-page draft says higher
education is at a crossroads. In
1985-86 the state ranked 46 out of
50 states on per student funding—
that's about $1000 less than the
national average. The Newsletter
talked with people who have followed
the Master Plan through its development to find out who the HEC Board
is, and ask some questions about
what the board intends this plan to
achieve. Our main sources were Stan
HEC BOARD MEETS WITH STUDENTS:
Marshburn, special assistant to
Emotions ran high as students and Chuck
Evergreen's president, and Jack
Collins, HEC Board Chair (above), and
Daray, associate executive director
board members Mary James and Andy Hess,
of the HEC Board staff. While the
exchanged dialogue October 30. The
answers we received don't represent
meeting was moved to the CAB's second
all points of view, more details
floor at student request.
about the plan, including a
discussion of admissions policies,
the economic language of the plan, and how the board informed the public about its
meetings, is expected to be mailed to the Evergreen community later this month.
Who sits on the HEC Board?
t
(
Members of the HEC Board were appointed by the Governor in 1985 to fouryear terms. Lyle Jacobsen, deputy state treasurer, is a former Washington State
budget director and former school teacher who started work in government as a
staff member for the Senate Ways and Means committee. Mary James is a juvenile
court administrator from Ellensburg and was nominated to the board in part for her
role with Washington Women United. Pearl McElheran is a King County administrator
and a former legislative staff aid. William Wiley is a physicist and senior administrator with Batelle Northwest at Hanford. Board Chairman Chuck Collins is a
former co-chair of the Northwest Regional Power Council, and former head of public
transportation for Seattle's Metro system. John Fluke, Jr., president of Fluke
—Continued next page
Continued from page one—
,.*^-<
•
Manufacturing Company, sits on the Washington Roundtable. Andy Hess is a former
legislator who chaired the Senate Education Committee. Vivian Winston is a community activist from Spokane, noted for work on social service programs. Judith
Wiseman, whose appointment is effective November 6, is a grade-school teacher from
Bellingham and a community college trustee. The board consists of citizens who
volunteer their time, and are not employed in higher education.
What would happen if we didn't have a master plan?
"The worst thing that could happen is the status quo," says Daray. For
years, the legislature has heard complaints about higher education throughout the
state. Problems have included "turf battles" between colleges competing to offer
higher education in the same area, problems with four-year institutions accepting
transfer credit from community colleges and manipulation of enrollment. Meanwhile,
the system has suffered from chronic underfunding. All this adds up to a lack of
confidence in the system by legislators. The Master Plan seeks to address these
problems by setting directions for development of the state's higher education
system, while stating the importance of all kinds of education. This is intended
to create confidence in the system, and establish a basis to argue for increased
funding. "If we don't have a master plan, we don't have a tool to justify having
policy makers give us more funding," says Marshburn. "We've been saying 'trust us'
for years, but that hasn't worked."
What about assessment?
r
tions must be more accountable. This, according to the HEC Board, will increase
(
communication between each institution and their constituencies—students,
faculty, alumni, the legislature and the public at large.
There are three methods for assessement recommended by the plan: two methods
require that institutions develop their own self-evaluation systems, and one
proposes a standardized, nationally-normed test to allow comparisons between
institutions.
There is no language in the master plan that ties individual student scores
to the funding of their school. However, increases in funding would be tied to
each institution's efforts to implement assessment programs.
Each institution would develop self-evaluation methods to determine if they
are meeting the objectives that are unique to their style of education.
Secondly, each school would survey graduates and their employers for a postgraduate assessment.
l
The third kind of assessment, and the most controversial, calls for a two-year
pilot program using a standardized, nationally-normed test of basic reading,
writing and computation skills to be given at the end of the sophomore year.
This would be used to see how Washington's colleges compare within the state,
and to their peer institutions (similar schools in other states). The intent of
these tests, according to Daray, is to help instill confidence in the system in
a general sense. "The board is very insistent that specific funding are not to be
tied to assessment scores," he says.
The test will also determine if students, at the end of their sophomore
year, have the basic reading, writing and computation skills needed for advanced
study. This test would not be used to screen out people who do poorly, nor used
as criteria for graduation.
^
(
I
Will the nationally-normed tests discriminate?
he HEC Board and the state's institutions would select a nationally normed test
in September of 1988. After two years, everyone involved in the testing will
decide if it works. "What the board really wants is assessment of assessement,"
says Daray. Marshburn says, "If the standardized test is racist, sexist or
classist, it'll come out in the pilot program and the test will fail." If that
happens, according to the plan, another form of evaluation will be sought. Those
concerned about a situation where faculty would have to "teach to the test,"
according to Daray, need only worry about teaching basic reading, writing and computation skills."
What's the next step?
The final HEC Board work session (which was open to the public, though no testimony was taken) was held November 5, when final changes were made to the plan.
The final version is being printed, and will be given to the governor and
legislators. Copies will be on campus, and you can check with the Information
Services Office to learn when and where they will be available. If you want to
comment on the draft, contact the Governor's Office or your legislators.
PRESERVING AN ANCIENT ART
John Crosby, Evergreen's book restorer,
likes to get his nose into a good book—
literally. "I love that smell of leather
and paper you get from an old book," he
says. Crosby works to preserve books,
and to keep interest in the art of bookbinding alive by speaking to local
schools and community groups. On
November 16, Crosby will present a
workshop on handbinding at Highline
Community College for library staff,
students in the Library Technicians
program, and several area librarians.
GREENERS ADD GARISH GARNISH
Just announced: Crosby will be working
TO HALLOWEEN:
on a project to preserve the original
Front: Corey Meader, recreation coorWashington Constitution document.
dinator. Row Two: Kate Crowe, administrative secretary; Jan Lambertz,
TRAGEDY BEFALLS EVERGREEN STUDENT
director of Recreation and Athletics;
Debbie Garrington, Development; Rita
The loss of student John Scherpf, who
Cooper, Employee Relations; Gail
planned to graduate this spring with an
Martin, vice president. Top: Stone
emphasis in video communications and
Thomas, dean of Student Development.
environmental studies, is felt by the
Evergreen community. Scherpf drowned
when his kayak overturned on Summit Lake.
"It was simply a very tragic accident for the expert kayaker, who enjoyed early
morning journeys on the lake," says Mark Papworth, Thurston County deputy coroner
and Evergreen faculty member. Milton Scherpf expresses great appreciation for support he and his family have received from his son's friends and others at
Evergreen. A memorial in John's name has been set up with the Sierra Club
Sasquatch Group in Olympia, 753-2386.
Newsletter_198711.pdf