©onnecttcut SatlQ (Eampua Serving Storrs Since 1896 Volume LXXXV No. 80 University of Connecticut Friday, February 12,1982 Moslems fight against DiBiaggio complains Syrian troops in Hama about tight budget DAMASCUS Syria (AP) Syria's Sunni Moslem major- WATERBURY Gov. Wil- DiBiaggio said at a Board of UConn sentiments at the - Fighting raged Thursday ity and the outlawed Moslem liam O'Neill's budget report Trustees meeting Thursday. Office of Poliay and Man- between rebel Sunni Mos- Brotherhood, which has been for UConn outlined so many "No other State agency agement, which makes up lems and an estimated 8,000 fighting to oust Assad and cutbacks that it could be suffered the lack of support the budget, but because of Syrian troops shelling the replace his 12nyear-old labeled a "poliay statement,' we did," DiBiaggio said, the University's size, there city of Hana for the ninth government with a Moslem UConn President John A. adding that 98 out of 106 will always be openings day. Western diplomatic and see page 4 which can't be filled during a other foreign sources said. hiring freeze. The leftist government said Hama was sealed off but that reports of a revolt were DiBiaggio also said that the United States slanders. poor funding may have been One Western resident of caused by illness in the Damascus attempting to State's executive branch or reach the besieged city 120 false rumors of declining miles north of here was enrollment at UConn. The turned back by police who applicant pool is actually told him he could not contin- increasing up to 25 percent, ue because of fighting. He DiBiaggio said. said he saw President Hafez He also said that UConn ws Assad's reinforcements unable' to share information heading into Hama and am- with OPM's analyst although bulances coming out. other State agencies had this Casualty Figures could not privilege before the budget be estimated accurately, but was released. diplomatic and other ac- UConn received the budget a week from last Wednesday and was given counts say the number of only until this past Wed- killed is in the hundreds and nesday to respond to the damage is extensive in the Lincoln more statuesque at 173 proposal, DiBiaggio said. He city of 200,000. St. Louis The statue on the tomb site oi Abraham Lincoln has received a face-lift, just in Hama is a stronghold of time for the 173rd celebration of Lincoln's birthday today.(UPI photo). also criticized the report of the Blue Ribbon Commission positions eliminated in the on higher education which state were at UConn, and suggested that the Board of Volcker warns Congress; that the budget was $5 Higher Education be re- million less than requested. placed by something very DiBiaggio said that there similar to a Board of Re- deficits threaten markets may not be actual ant i- gents. WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican the session, congressional leaders who met with President "We want, very frankly, the running Reagan about his unpopular budget today said roomon Capitol Hill to examine the budget, afterwards they need "running room" to give it an independent look and perhaps come Defense minister says enable them to "perhaps come up with some up with some better results." said Laxalt, better results." Reagan's closest friend n Congress. army controls El Salvador The GOP leaders said Reagan told them he Laxalt, Senate GOP Leader Howard Baker is prepared to work with Congress in passing of Tennessee and House Republican Leader SAN SALVADOR El Salv- source said the army has the budget. Robert H. Michel of Illinois all said today that ador (AP) - El Salvador's launched a major campaign "The name of the game is getting that in- Reagan was prepared to work with Congress defense minister claimed again?' the rebels in the terest rate down and the way to do it, very in passing the budget, Thursday that his forces have southeastern part of the frankly, we think is to reduce the size of the _ the upper hand against leftist country. dificit," Sen. Paul Laxalt, R-Nev., said after seepage* guerrillas, and a military In a telephone interview with the Associated Press tne minister, Gen Jose Guillermo Garcia, denied news reports Candidate Post that the guerrillas control territory or are able to move freely in large parts of the at UConn country. "The armed forces abso- By Al Powell lutely control all the national Staff Writer territony," he said, claiming Connecticut needs effective leadership, state Senator the guerrilla reports were Russel Post, Republican gubernatorial candidate, said Thur- part of a propaganda cam- sday in a lecture sponsored by the UConn chapter of paign to undermine the cred- theNational Political Science Honor Society, Pi Sigma Epsilon. ibility of the U.S. supported "You can't have a good team if the coach is lousy," Post junta abroad. said. "The state needs direction, and that direction will come On Wednesday, counter-in- from the governor's office." surgency troops launched a If elected to that offfice. Post said his three top priorities sweep through large parts of would be to improve education,and the states's economy, and Usulutan province. 81 miles to overhaul the state criminal justice system. southeast of the capital, In order to upgrade the state's schools, Post stressed the where the guerrillas main- need to want to be the best saying "You hav~e to understand, it tain a number of secret is an attitude,that's important, you have to want to be the best strongholds, a military if you are going to be anything at all." While Post cited no source said. specific plans for UConn, he said that UConn's facilities are The source.w ho- asked an- not being used on a statewide level and said that if state-wide onymity for security reasons, use of the facilities increased, so would the cash flow into the identified the soldiers as school. members of the army's crack Post did encourage students to organize their efforts to in- Atlacatl and Atonatl bat- fluence legislators. "Don't rely on hearings to express talions. opinions", he said Residents of Usulutan City, page 3 Page 2 Connecticut Daily Campus, Friday February 12,1982 A look at the Blue Ribbon Commission By John A. DIBlaggio, President . The University of Connecticut The report is a great disappointment in a num- decide how much each unit would receive. Ob- share of the cost of their education. In addition, ber of ways. To begin with, it does not address its viously, it would not be mandatory that the original standards would be established for the use of original purpose: to ascertain how higher individual requests, as approved, be. honored. facilities, which are being underutilized according education has impacted on the economy and what it Rather the funds would be distributed according to to some conservative estimates. We take exception might do in the future to further assist the needs as the new Department saw them at that to that data and will respond more specifically in a ecDnomic development in the state. Furthermore, time. thotbugh analysis which is currently being the report begins with a conclusion; i.e., that 2. B.O.G./D.H.E. would not only have the prepared. restructuring of the governance system will resolve authority to approve all new programs, but they One of the more onerous aspects of the report is all of higher educations's problems. In sub- would determine the continuation of existing the call for formula budgeting. This is couched by sequent sections of the report, the problems are programs, campuses, schools, or even colleges. saying that the budgeting can be either program or then defined. Interestingly,a close reading of the The Board of Trustees would be provided the op- formula, but it is very clear that the Commissioner report would seem to reflect that the current portunity to making recommendaitons in this favors the formula approach. Applying formulas to system is adequately responding to the challenges sregard, but the final authority would rest with the a university with multiple undergraduate and facing the entire system. new Board. graduate offerings does not seem appropriate and The governance proposal seems to consist of the 3. B.O.G./D.H.E. would determine how has resulted in failure in other states where it has worst of all possible elements. It calls for the recisions would be assessed across the various been applied to universities. establishment of a Board of Governors, consisting units of higher education. Currently, each unit Finally, the report calls for the establishment of of eleven members, none of whom can have any af- decides how it will achieve its recision target. Un- better standards by applying certain performance filiation with constituent units of higher education. der this proposal, the new Department of Higher measurements at the completion of the sophomore Present Boards of Trustees would be retained Education would assess recisions according to its year. Recent surveys would seem to indicate that with, greatly diminished responsibility and wisdom. Thus, if a 50 percent statewide recision standardized tests are not effective means of authority. The Board of Higher Education would be were imposed, one unit of higher eduction may be measuring achievement for all students. It would changed to a Department of Higher Education, asked to absorb a 10 percent recision while another appear that some students would be lost to the retaining the present staff and Commissioner with would suffer none whatsoever. system by such an approach, even though, in con- some obvious need for expansion in personnel.