Page six of Hieronymous. Featured article is "Clark, the man the tower." Scanned with Microtek Scanmaker 1000XL Pro; as a 600 dpi TIFF image in 24-bit RGB color. Auto Level image processing applied and compressed into JPEG format using Photoshop CS3. hieronymous, page six, february 26, 1968 Clark--the man in the tower |Bruce Anderson By Patsy Miller and Sue Harrington "I want to listen to what people have to say and if they are right, I will acknowledge it. If they are wrong, 1 will try to communicate with them to reevaluate it. Some won't do it. You must believe in what you are doing and go ahead." do ahead, the students demanded. Explain the recruiting procedures, the tear gas and the police on campus. For one and a half hours on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 1967 SJS President Robert D. Clark faced more than 2,000 students, he later explained that he was not frightened, he was not fighting them; they had asked him to speak. But he was astounded by the faces of some of the students. The expressions were not simple anger or a mood of hatred, but something beyond. The demonstrations were perhaps the most curcial test Pres. Clark has had to face in his more than three years at SJS. But the protests exposed what those cloest to him in the faculty and administration already knew--beneath the quiet, soft- spoken manner there is a determined inner strength. Students generally see only the quiet, thoughtful man and Dr. Clark tries to see the students often. He likes students and he wants to meet them on their own terms. "I don't carry my office with me," he has said. He tries to leave behind what he calls "pretense of office." When he first meets a student he wants to know about them, their hometown, their opinions and interests. He is especially interested in what they are reading. Reading is one of the hobbies he has been able to maintain in spite of a busy schedule. He asks the study's what they are reading and then he reads it, jotting notes as he goes. His library includes me biography of Malcolm X, Bertrand Russell, T. S. Eliot and Ayn Rand. Many of his readings concern campus problems across the nation. Much of what the SJS President sees and reads is written down in journals which he has maintained since high school. Often he has a secretary type a favorite passage for future reference. Passing those secretaries may seem formidable to students so Clark goes to them. He has attended all Sparta and Freshmen Camps and Greek Retreats. During registration he talks with those "wonderfully good natured and long suffering students" who must go through an outdated system for a college of this size. Clark believes computerized registration will come, but in a matter of time. One good feature of the present system, he feels is the opportunity for students to get acquainted. The college president sees SJS as a lonely crowd. A student may never have the same student in another class throughout his entire college career. Pres. Clark would like to see the college curriculum reorganized in smaller, more automonous groups. Something similar to the cluster college concept at UC at Santa Cruz would be desirable. "Students relate to themselves not to cafeteria-type offerings," he said. "Students learn from each other. . .they relate to each other through common participation in classes." Tutorials, the PEER program and Experimental College are beginnings in this direction. One of the reasons Clark was attracted to the college was its location. According to the president, the biggest problems today are urban oriented. SJS is in the center of one of the nation's fastest growing urban areas. It was a challenge to him to prepare students to face these problems. Clark didn't come to SJS with the idea of changing it. In fact, he never planned to be a college president at all. He had been at the University of Oregon for approximately 20 years rising from assistant professor of speech to dean of faculties. Part of his decision to accept the SJS post was the belief that a change of job and surroundings is necessary as a part of growth. Dr. Clark didn t come to the college with planned programs. "What is suited to one college is not always best for another." Programs should be developed within the present college framework, he believes. In regard to SJS' bid for university status, Clark states the college should not be a research center like the university system. The state colleges, he says, are designed to serve the liberal arts student. University status should not change this purpose. If SJS can offer something unique and different as-in education as (continued page seven)
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
