THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2010 • PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY • VOLUME 64, ISSUE 116
Event of the day A free showing of the documentary Citizen Tanouye will be shown as part of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month. The documentary tells the story of Ted Tanouye, a Japanese-American who fought and died in WWII even as his family was forcefully relocated to an internment camp.
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INSIDE Arts Debunking the "CSI effect" Rod Englert talks about solving crime in the real world PAGE 4
PSU’s first chief diversity officer Interviews for the new position are underway this month Carrie Johnston and Stacy Austin Vanguard staff
Beers to make your mouth pucker Rock Bottom leads the pack this season with sour beers PAGE 4
From farm hand to festival band Alpaca! brings out the animal in all of us PAGE 5
Sports
Filling the position of chief diversity officer at Portland State has been an ongoing process, but the university is hoping to do so by the end of this school year. PSU General Counsel Chip Lazenby is currently chairing the search committee for the CDO, a new position that will be filled by the end of June. Serving as general counsel, Lazenby reports directly to President Wiewel, advising on administrative and employment matters. “This is a brand new position,” Lazenby said, referring to finding a chief diversity officer, who will also report directly to President Wiewel. According to Lazenby, the university needs someone “who can help retain people of color,” and who will be responsible for areas of affirmative action, equal opportunity, university employment activism and community outreach. “We want diversity to get bumped up a bit in our DNA,”
he said. “If you have a diverse faculty and staff, then students feel more secure on campus.” The primary functions of a CDO are to guide the diversity agenda of an institution and to ensure that minority faculty and staff are represented. CDOs are also responsible for guiding efforts to conceptualize, define, assess, nurture and cultivate diversity as an institutional and education resource, according to the Inside Higher Ed website. Their duties include affirmative action and meeting constituent needs of minorities and women. CDOs define their mission as providing and coordinating leadership for diversity issues throughout the institution. Increasing the diversity of the PSU student body and workforce has been an ongoing priority for Martha Balshem, a sociology professor and the special assistant to the president for diversity. The ideal candidate is expected to have the authority to hold administrators and managers accountable for progress toward PSU’s diversity goals, according to Balshem. “All the candidates I’ve met so far are wonderful,” she said. The Commission on Campus Climate report of 1999—an investigation of ways to improve
Liana Shewey/Portland State Vanguard
Martha Balshem: She has helped to fill the gap but is helping the process of hiring a CDO.
student-learning experiences— identified the specific goal to promote diversity throughout the institution. With the installment of a chief diversity officer position, the university is taking a major step toward that goal. Soon after Wiewel was hired in November 2008, he wrote to the Diversity Action Counsel and asked them to prepare a description of what a chief diversity officer role would look like. During that time, student leaders made their voices heard by formally requesting this position to be created. “This made a big impression on Wim,” Balshem said. The position is another step towards PSU’s commitment to diversity, as it means more funding for scholarships and students from non-dominant groups feeling comfortable on campus.
“I think that, in representing diversity issues, the [CDO] is standing in for the core mission of the university,” Balshem said. “PSU’s mission has always been about access to higher education, and access means more than just opening the door to students; it means welcoming them once they get here.” Balshem has been advocating for a CDO at PSU since 1999, reaching back to the report, which included an investigation into how diversity enriches education. According to the report, campus climate is the cumulative effect of all interactions that a person experiences related to PSU. The commission recommended that increased awareness be facilitated through
CDO continued on page two
The John Hall investigation; four months later and no info
In good rhythm PSU dance group to hold showcase Saturday PAGE 6
Adam Wickham/Portland State Vanguard Archives
John Hall
Women's golf season in review A look back at a record-breaking year PAGE 6
When: 7 p.m. Where: Cramer Hall, room 494
Professor still banned from teaching after accusing student of spying Corie Charnley Vanguard staff
It has been over four months since Professor John Hall publicly accused a student of being an FBI informant during an economics lecture. Since then, Hall was placed on administrative paid and an investigation was launched—which continues with no end in sight. According to the Portland State website, Hall is currently scheduled to teach two economics courses next fall: EC 201 and EC 446/546. However, if Hall is terminated, the classes will not be cancelled.
Instead, another instructor will replace him, said PSU Director of Communications Scott Gallagher. “Students will not be affected in any way,” he said. During his suspension, Hall has been paid his regular salary, Gallagher said. According to public records, Hall’s regular monthly salary was $10,192.69, as of Nov. 1, 2009. However, this does not account for the faculty salary restorations that were implemented on April 1, 2010. The investigation, which is being carried out by the Office of Academic Affairs, is following the process defined by Article 27, Section 3 of PSU’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors’ Collective Bargaining Agreement, Gallagher said. When asked why the investigation is still ongoing— after four months—he said that it is because it is following the CBA process. According to the CBA, faculty members are suspended during the investigation “only if immediate harm to the member or others is threatened by the member’s continuance” at PSU.
Despite the Vanguard’s attempts to contact those allegedly involved with the investigation process—including Vice Provost for Academic Administration and Planning Carol Mack and Economics Department Chair Randy Bluffstone—it has received no response. Currently, the Office of the General Counsel will not release the Campus Public Safety Office reports, citing Oregon Revised Statute 192.501(12). In a letter to the Vanguard, the Office of the General Counsel wrote, “[The statute] exempts from disclosure documents regarding ‘[a] personnel discipline action, or materials or documents supporting that action.’” Hall, who has taught at PSU for 24 years, could face losing his tenure, though the administration has not arrived at a resolution and no sanction has been imposed. “We’re still working through the process with the union,” Gallagher said. “We’re not sure how long it will take.” When asked if Hall would provide a public statement regarding his investigation, Phil
Lesch, executive director of PSU’s AAUP chapter, said that no further statements would be made. “The process is and will remain confidential,” Lesch said. “The investigation and resolution will be treated with the confidentiality and respect required of all human resource matters.” The incident for which Hall is being investigated occurred on Jan. 14, 2010. According to an article published by the Vanguard on Feb. 4, Hall accused student Zachary “Zaki” Bucharest of being an FBI agent during his “EC 445/545: Comparative Economic Systems” class. In addition, Hall said that Bucharest served as a sniper in the Israeli army, and made claims that Bucharest was a threat to the student body. Aside from the claims about his military background, Bucharest denied most of the accusations and has since been supported by several student leaders within ASPSU, for which Bucharest served as chief-of-staff. Since the incident, Bucharest was cleared of all charges during a student code of conduct hearing.