Spisak-Gambie discrimination iclaim settled

by Bob Mitchell

Antonina SpisakrGamble and the college
came to terms on a no-fault settlement in
February concerning a complaint she
brought to the Equal Employment Op-
portimities Commision.

In a prepared statement to the 5553
Spisak-Gamble, a former part-time in-
structor in the math department, said her
complaint “was based on the college’s
failure to comply” with its aiiirmative
action guidelines when the math depart-
ment added a full—time position last year to
accommodate increased enrollment.

The agreement, to which the EEOC is a
party, requires Spisak-Gamble not to
bring any legal action against the college
In exchange for a letter of recom-
mendation signed by Dean of the College
Waldo Walker.

The settlement is signed by Spisaks
Gamble, Walker, Eugene Herman. furmer
math department chairman, and Arnold
Adelberg, the department‘s current
chairman. It includes a draft of the letter
the college has agreed to furnish Spisak-

Gamble, which praises her academic and
teaching background and says these
qualifications make her “an excellent
candidate in the field of mathematics."

Under the affirmative action guidelines
then being used by the college, the air
iirmative action officer had to be informed
of a department's hiring decision by the
Dean of the College before formal iob
offering was made. The AA otfice then had
a 7/1 hour period during which to review the
decision, 7

But William Deminoff. who was.
the college's acting affirmative action
officer at the time, was never notified of
the decision by Walker, says Spisake
Gamble.

“The college administration did not
allow the affirmative action officer to
make the review of the hiring decision that
the attirmative action program required
him to make,” she said.

in fact, Spisak-Gamble said, ”its quite
likely I was the first to have brought the
decision to his attention."

Walker said Deminoff had not been

notified in time to review the hiring
decision. But. he added, attorneys for both
sides fclt this was not an important point.

Deminoff said he cannot recall if he first
learned of [he math departments decision
Irom SpisaksGamble. But he said he felt
the college observed “the spirit and the
letter" of its affirmative action policy in
the case

In her statement, Spisak-Gamble said
the math department also gave no con
sideration to the fact she is a woman when
it made its hiring decision.

”A senior member of the math depart»
ment assured me that its members had not
given any consideration to the fact that I
was a woman when making its hiring
decision.”

Adelberg called thisstatement“tactually
incorrect " “All things b‘eing equal, we
would much preferred to hire a woman

to say we gave no consideration to the
sex of the applicants is erroneous,"

Adelberg added the department con-

sidered other factors besides sex as well

Spisak-Gamble hired Chicago attorney
Rob Nichols to represent her, and he first
contacted the college by letter May 19. he
said, Negotiations, including a meeting
between Walker, college lawyer John
Phillips and Nichols in Walker's office
continued up to Sept. 3, when Spisak-
Gamble filed her complaint with the
EEOC,

The Complaint was filed Nichols said,
“in order to keep the case alive.”

Discussions between the college and
Spisak»Gamble continued through the fall
and culminated this Feb. in the informal
agreement he said,

Spisak-szble said she plans to cons
tinue her teaching career and wanted to
make sure the College provided her with a
suitable letter of recommendation.

“I just wanted to have a letter of
reference and I think I wanted to make it a
matter of agreement. And I don’t think I
want to say anything beyond that," she

. said.

The Grinnell

Scarlet 33’ Black $th

(USPS tau-con)

 

3/9/79

Grinnell College
Grinnell, Iowa
Vol. 87, No. 21

 

Search committees begin task ’Folkie

by John Mandel
The process of selecting a new
college president has begun with a
iinal decision expected by late
summer or early fall, said Charles
Bear, chairman of the
Presidential Trustee Search
Committee
Involved in the selection process
. are three separate presidential
search committees composed of
trustees. iaculty, and students,
While the trustees make the final
presidential choice, both the
faculty and student committees
will have an important role in the
process.
BEAR SAID TIIE faculty
committee met with both advisiory
committees last week and the

Eventually the committee
concluded the faculty was not
unanimous In its wants. But Kurtz
said the committee did decide
“The president must have a good
educational background, Valuable
personal qualities, a good ability to
work towards the future, alld in.
tellectual, educational, and
iinancial integrity."

KUItTZ SAID AS the procedure
goes into the scrcening process to
reduce candidates to a manage
able level. “We Will be advising
each other." However, he said the
trustees as a whole make the final
decision. Kurtz said he is en-
couraged by the meeting with the
trustees and feels “We are off to a
good start ”

“The trustees were bending over

backwards to involve the students. . .

I felt reassured that we would be

thoroughly involved in the process,”

entire selection process IS now in
the, very early stages. Ads have
been placed in the New York
Times. The Chronicle of liighcr
Education. and The Black Scholar
and ads have already appeared in
the iormer two publications. he
said,

In addition. Bear said. louns
datlons, other colleges, alumni.
faculty, and students are all being
contacted about Grinnell's Search
tor a new president.

TIIE FACULTY search com-
mittee met with the trustee
Search committee last week in
order to add input about what
qualities the new president should
possess said Ron Kurtz, chairman
of the faculty committee. Prior to
this meeting, the committee held
sessions with the 1974 iaculty
search committee.

— Greg Youtz

The student search Committee
met a week ago Thursday and
centered its discussion upon
criteria for the selection of a
president, said Greg Youtz.
chairman of the student search
committee, I-Ic-said a major issue
facing the Student group is the
number of applications the com
mittee would be allowed to View

III“, SAID '1'" ‘Y wanted losec
as many applications as possible
and the trustees were very
rcccptlve to the idea. But a
question or confidcnliality arose
and it was then decided those
applications marked “con-
fidential” would remain in the
hands of the trustees, he said

Committee member Trena
Cleland said one of her

most important concerns is

seeking a lemzlle or minority
member for the position, She does
not feel ovenvheimingly optimistic
because there are “not that many
tcandidates) floating around" and
the college has a ”limited
selection "

Youtz said "The trustees were _
bending over backwards to involve ,
the students“ and “I felt quite
reassured that we would be
thoroughly involved in the
process " He said he would like
students to participate in the
process through suggestion or
important criteria to the comp
mittee

IN THE LAST presidential
search approximately 400 ape
piications were submitted, 300
were soon eliminated, 18 were ‘
seriously considered, and six
persons were inter-viewed. said
Youtz.

Some of the more important
criteria formulated by the student
search committee include:

a sense of the importance of
student airairs programs and
social problems;

a concern ior admissions policies
and recruitment:

a good academic background:

knowledge oi Grinnell;

and keeping in touch with
students.

Post gives his most '

Chicago folkie .Iim Post belted out balladsi blues, and spirituais at
Iiist Saturday‘s double concert which also featured Grateful Dead

songwriter Robert Hunter.

Candidates speak out, p. 8

 

Hopp, Kramer vie in runoff

The results of Wednesday's SGA presidential
election have been temporarily suspended and the
Election Board plans to file charges with the
Judicial Council because of “improper conduct by
certain individuals "

A statement issued by the Election Board Thurs-
day evening said it will recommend to the Judicial
Council “that the announced results be certified."

Melissa liopp and David Kramer emerged as the
victors in Wednesday‘s SGA presidential election,

IIOI’P AND KRAMER have been scheduled to go
through a runoff election to be held Monday from 9
am. to 5 pm ill the Post Office pending cers
tification of Wednesday's result by the Judicial
Council

The election board found 39 “bogus ballots” in the
ballot box.

THE BOARD LEARNED Wednesday before the
polls closed “that there was a possibility that the
bogus ballots had been distributed to students as a
Joke," according to the statement

The election would have been declared null and
void, the statement said, had the number of
fraudulent ballots “been great enough to alter" the
results. But ”since this was not the case,” the Board
decrded to release the election results Wednesday

night

THE FINAL RESULTS gave Hopp 167 votes;
Kramer, 158; Harvey Leif, 68 and Jon Christianson.
33 TtVentYVeigllt votes were cast for writeins, King
said.

Challengers Leffand Christianson both agree that
the small turnout was the deciding factor.

"THIS YEAR‘S turnout was considerably smaller
lhan last year's About 55 percent voted in last
ycar's elections while Wednesday's voting involved
only about 40 percent of the student body. 1 think
the people who did vote voted specifically for
something that was very responsive,” said Left.

Christianson said there should be possible
changes in the iuture. “These changes should be
directed more on the issues and less on the
dissemination of names. It seems most students
didn’t know the issues. So candidates get elected
purdely on the basis oi popularity and footwork,” he
sat ,

He says, however, the election was tau and
cveryone was given an equal chance, “But I also
feel that advertisement was too big of a factor, All-
inrall, though, l reel that somehow I won by losing,
It’s unfortunate that the victory is still empty.”

 

