Trinity Tripod, 1989-11-21
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Challenge Ahead For New Registrar -by David Kilborn- that has had moral problems News Writer within its ranks and high employee turnover rates in the recent past. Millerretired from Trinity in 1985, On November 15 th, Dean of but according to her and Dean the Faculty Dr. Jan K. Conn an- John S. Wagget, the administra- nounced the appointment of Dr. tor in charge of the Registrar, she Nancy Birch Wagner as the new was subsequently brought back in college Registrar, effective Janu- August to tackle these problems ary 1,1990. Wagner's selection and to deflect criticism aimed at ends a search process that took the office by reassuring the rest of over seven months and even the Trinity community that a stable stalled once. During this time, hand presided over the depart- there was discord within the ment. registrar's office that caused some In the period after Miller's employees to leave. retirement in 1985, until this Wagner is presently the As- August, the Registrars office has sistant Dean of the College at installed a new computer system, Wesleyan University, where she lost two Head Registrars, and also teaches. From 1980 to 1988, recently, was operating with just Wagner was the registrar at the one full time administrator. Hartford Graduate Center. She Miller suggested that the received B.A. and M.A. degrees chaos within the office was partly in German from Vassar College caused by the college's request and a doctorate from Yale Uni- that the last Head Registrar, A crane stands ready to remove parts of the Berlin Wall at the Brandenburg Gate. Photo by David Molner versity, in Germanic Languages Joanne Hanley, in effect, hold two and Literatures. She taught at positions. Besides being Head Yale as well. Registrar, Hanley was hired as Wagner was offered the job the expert in charge of the new A Diary from Berlin: last semester, but turned it down "IA" computer system installa- for "personal reasons." She then tion, said Miller. Miller also said contacted Trinity earlier this that Hanley's responsibility for Views From Both Sides of the Wall month to reopen her candidacy. implementing the new computer sneeze, the history of the. event, needed a plan of attack. Wagner said that she changed her kept Hanley in the computing -by David Molner- has been written. Prior to departure, 1 iiau mind based on "professional and center for much of her4enure. Well, it was with more than compiled a dossier of the past two personal reasons," on which she After Hanley leftin April and Special to the Tripod usual scrutiny that I gave the weeks 'events in East Germany. I wished not to comment due to the no successor was appointed, events in East Germany the once vacuumed up all these facts on the nature of herpresentemployment. plane and discharged the follow- Rhonda Geddis, the Associate There are moments in history over, and something told me that She did say that part of the reason Registrar, took over all adminis- the place was coming unscrewed. ing scene: five days in East Ger- was the "chats" that she had with it seems - 1789, 1848, 1917 - many split between Berlin and trative duties. According to which tend to erupt into eras, rather The hot tip was that the entire East Interim Head Registrar Joanne Wagget, Geddis did a commend- German cabinet had resigned. Liepzig. History would just ooze Miller, Associate Registrar than rounding the sixty second up out of the ground around me, I able job considering that the of- mark with the usual sangfroid, I'mnotinsistingthatyouneed Rhonda Geddis, and Data Coor- fice was "operating with a bunch to plan for this sort of thing, but was sure, if only I positioned dinator Louise Gunning. Wagner chipping the future into the pres- myself between the seat of gov- of temporaries and people who ent. These are the so called revo- there really is no harm in some expressed her enthusiasm over her had not been there long." How- preliminary spadework. One ernment, Berlin, and the publica- new post saying that she wants to lutionary moments, which, even tion capitol, Liepzig. ever, as several administrators when one has the ear to the ground, doesn't just go whizzing around stay at Trinity for "a long time." said, forces within the college, in some crumbling Eastern Euro- So, some six thousand miles Wagner will step into an of- give relatively few warning sig- later, I was in line with a couple of especially the faculty, were un- nals. They simply breeze right in pean countries like a popped bal- fice, currently headed by Miller, Please see Registrar, Page 6 loon. Strategy was the thing. I hundred passport clutchers at the and happen, and before you can portal of history, Checkpoint Charlie. This was my second visit to the city, the first having been in Gerety Outlines Harassment Policies 1987 when prevailing conditions were closer to some boarding The letter from President Gerety. The pamphlet clearly school in a Bronte novel. I no- •by David Gerber- "We want to impress upon ticed the change even during the victims that we are supportive and Gerety enumerated the steps that describes the Colleges policies and News Editor are being taken to "reduce the procedures regarding sexual har- routine border formalities; East hope that they'll bring forth inci- Germans streamed past wearing dents, so that others won't have to number of assaults that take place assment. A lengthy definition of in our community." Gerety will the term sexual harassment pre- various masks; tears, joy, solem- In a letter to the Trinity Col- suffer this indignity," said the nity, perplexity — all amid a lege Community, President Tom Dean of Students Office. recommend to the Sexual Harass- cedes the two levels (formal and ment Grievance Committee that informal) of complaints. chorus of West German ya-hoos. (jerety reinforced the College's According to the Dean of As fascinating as it was to stance on sexual harassment. A Students Office, approximately they investigate the issue of sex- According to the Dean of ual assault on campus. He will Students Office, if there is enough witness, the importance of the pamphlet outlining the sexual eight women have been victim- movement westward did not en- harassment grievance procedures ized in some way this year; how- then ask the board to make sug- interest, they would be willing to gestions to the the community on form a support group for victims tirely dawn on me. Travel restric- accompanied the letter, which was ever, not all of these cases have tions had been eased, and the distributed on Friday. specifically involved date rape. how we may improve the situ- of sexual harassment. Regarding ation. the confidentiality of such agroup, politburo had been dissolved and Members of the community the Dean of Students Office noted reestablished. ButDeyelopments have always been urged to act that it would be for women who had been thrown into high gear as responsibly, but Gerety warned were looking to speak with others I had crossed the Atlantic. that we must go one step further. whohavehadsimilarexperiences. To my disadvantage, I re- "We must discourage others as Above all, the Dean of Stu- mained a step or two behind the well. To be silent is to be an dents Office is hoping that women unfolding events. I spent the first accomplice in these offenses," will feel confident enough in the afternoon trekking through East said Gerety. system that they will come for- Berlin, noting things and trying Inordertogetvictimstocome ward ratherthan assume reticence. Please see Wall, Page 5 forth, the College made it clear that confidentiality will be kept throughout the process. "The Medical Office and the counselor are required by law to maintain confidentiality. In addition, other outlets such as the Dean of Stu- dents Office, the Women's Cen- •Rampant Violence at Brown ter, and the Sexual Harassment Grievance Committee are mor- • Bad Poets Showcase ally and ethically bound to confi- dentiality," said the Dean of Stu- •Trinity: 1984-1986 dents Office. The distribution of the pam- • The Tripod GRE Review Matt Freeman and Mike Pina grapple during Jcllo wrestling on Saturday phlets which accompanied the evening. The match was a draw. See story Page 6. photo by MMc™ s iimm.i letters was another step taken by Page 2 • The Trinity Tripod • November 21,1989 Opinion Editorial Minority Hiring Policy The latest product of Trinity's attempts to grapple with issues of race is the Resolution on Minority Hiring. Approved by both the faculty and the board of trustees, the policy is a neccessary step in the quest for a more diverse faculty and administration. The Tripod supports this resolution rSecause it will lead to the kind of staff which Trinity must have to honor.its committment to diversity. The college has decided to pursue minority students aggressively, making a committment to faculty and staff diversity essential. It will not be easy, but careful implementation of this policy can only benefit the college. President Gerety has promised to spearhead the drive for the best faculty possible, but in some areas the numbers are not favorable for Trinity. ' At only $131 million, a weak endowment is part of the problem. Dean Cohn has said the college would like create ten new teaching positions in the next five years, but the school can only afford five. Of these five, at least three positions will be filled by minorities in accordance with the new hiring policy. Tri-Delta Misrepresented in Editorial Yet many faculty members believe virtually all professors hired in To the Editor: was quite surprised that I was not childrens hospitals, nursing the next 5-10 years will be minorities, eliminating any opportunity to The objective of this letter is to contacted in order to inform you homes, and soup kitchens, and we add white, male professors to the staff.