Columbia Missourian Newspaper 1983-01-21

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75th Year No. 110 Good Morning! It's Friday, January 21, 1983 2 Sections 12 Pages 25 Cents
UMSL official in Senate panel's spotlight over controversial play
By Tom Dixon
State capital bure u
JEFFERSON CITY - The controversial
play " Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All,"
scheduled for a Jan. 27 opening at the Un-iversity
Missoun- St-. Louis has ignited a de-bate
in the Senate Appropriation Committee
that may hurt the University's request for
$ 197 million.
" I am very ashamed that the University
had anything to do with that play," said
Richard Webster, R- Carth-age.
" It has to af-fect
your appropriation request before this
committee."
University President James Olson read a
prepared statement detailing the system's
$ 197 million budget request $ 30 million
more than has been proposed by Gov.
Christopher Bond. Then committee mem-bers
focused their attention on the play, a sa-tirical
look at parochial upbringing.
" If you had seen a script," Webster told
UMSL Chancellor Arnold Grobman, " you
An editorial viewpoint Page 4A
could have seen it defamed the Christian re-ligion.
You don't have to have entered kin-dergarten,
let alone first grade, to know
that"
Grobman, who sat serenely next to Olson,
tried to defend himself but was repeatedly
interrupted by committee members. He
spoke in a hushed voice that was barely audi-ble
from the back row of the crowded com-mittee
room
Webster charged that Grobman had vio-lated
the state constitution, which prohibits
discrimination against any religion He then
asked the chancellor if he would allow the
play to be shown in the UMSL theater.
" As of today," Grobman replied emphati-cally,
" my answer is yes."
Following the hearing, Grobman explained
that UMSL has had a contract with the The-ater
Project Company the non- prof- it
group that booked the J C. Penney Theater
on UMSL's campus for two years The
contract allows the company to present
plays of its choosing
Following the announcement that the play
had been scheduled, the committee chas-tised
the Missouri Arts Council last week for
its $ 16,000 grant to the theater group
Webster asked the council to cancel sup-port
or face budget slashing Ironically, the
controversy has proven such a hype for the
filay that ticket sales have skyrocketed,
eaving the production self- supporti- ng and
the council grant unnecessary
Committee Chairman Edwin Dirck, D- S- t.
Louis County, had warned at that tune that
the committee would deal with UMSL for its
hand in what he termed an obscene play. He
was true to his word
Committee members grilled Grobman.
" I don't think you really read the play,
Doctor," Webster challenged
" I did."
" Well, it's an attack on Christianity "
Dirck took over
" I don't know of a single member on this
committee," he said, " that would quarrel
with freedom of speech The University has
not had stronger support from this commit-tee."
He said Grobman's action has offended
every committee member, as well as the
Legislature
" We'll see what happens" when the com-mittee
votes on the University's lump- su- m
appropriation, he said
" The next time I come to Columbia,"
Dirck cautioned Olson, ' I had better not see
that play"
" No sir," Olson replied " The play will not
be shown in Columbia, as far as I know "
Olson attempted to redirect the commit-tee's
attention to the budget
" I simply will not engage in an argument
with this committee," he said " I just want
to comment on the need of the University
and the educational opportunity it provides
for this state's youth The needs are set forth
in our budget request I hope it wiH get vour
full consideration "
The committee had used only 45 minutes of
the two hours scheduled for the University's
budget hearing when Dirck abruptly ended
the session with a wave of his hand
Outside of the hearing room? Olson and
Grobman huddled briefly before holdng an
unpromtu press conference
Grobman reflected on the committee's
personal attacks with gallows humor
" It was not as much fun as going to a Char- h- e
Chaplin movie," he said of the session
" That's my job I think the committee was
fair. They had to ask those questions "
Olson said the principles involved in the is-sue
academic freedom and prior restraint
are important
" This is an institution that depends on free
inquiry," he said " If they impose their
censorship on this institution vou will find t
situation in which there is no bu kinn out
But Grobman admitted he isn t closing the
doors behind him
" There are always options in even situa-tion,"
he said
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Ice crossing
A gaggle of geese crosses a farm
pond enroute to a supper of ground
corn. The birds are owned by John At--
Keith PWIpott
kins, who lives five miles north of Co-lumbia
on Route B. Atkins says he
hopes to double his flock in a year
Zoning laws simplified, updated
in proposal from city committee
By Leslie Werstein
Mlssourian staff writer
Columbia's zoning ordinance has been
translated into simple, understandable En-glish,
said Rex Campbell, city Planning
and Zoning Commisssion member.
Campbell and a commission subcommit-tee
were directed last May to review the
current ordinance, whose language was de-scribed
as rife with superfluous and archa-ic
language Thursday night, the subcom- mmitt- ee
presented its proposed revisions
to fellow commission members.
" We have restructured it, not in philoso-phy
and not in intent," said Campbell, " but
in the way it is organized " He said in a
memo accompanying the proposal that the
revised document is easier to read and un-derstand,
and better fits Columbia's needs
in the last two decades of the 20th century
The original document was drafted in
1935. It was last revised in 1957 Ensuing
amendments added to the bulk of the docu-ment
that one city planner said just isn't
appropriate anymore for Columbia
Columbia has changed radically since
the 1930s.
Battery stations where motorists went
to have their automobile batteries re-charged
have been replaced by service
stations and tourist cabins by hotels and
motels Yet the current ordinance still con-tains
provisions for these long- obsole- te
structures
The revisions also would incorporate at
least two zoning classifications planned
office building and commercial recreation
with planned business district
Yard requirements also would be altered
by the 114- pa- ge revised ordinance, which
makes allowance for futuristic accessories
such as solar collectors
No action on the proposed revisions was
taken at the meeting The commission will
scrutinize the document in the next several
weeks; the first of four work sessions will
begin Thursday
" This is not a finished product or a per-fect
product yet," said Campbell
Public Works Director Ray Beck agreed
At a pest- meet- mg work session during
which the revisions were formally intro-duced,
Beck pointed out that there may be
a bug in a section dealing with mobile
homes The proposal defines mobile homes
as greater than eight feet in width, he
noted
" I know that there are a lot of eight- foot- -.
wide mobile homes," Beck added
Survey rates UMC history above average
By Joe Bryant and Erwin Shrader
Mlssourian staff writers
University graduate programs in the so-cial
sciences have received mixed reviews
from the Conference Board of Associated
Research Councils
The anthropology, economics, history,
political science, psychology and sociology
programs were evaluated m the final phase
of a survey consisting of 639 doctoral pro-grams
and published in the Chronicle of
Higher Education
Only the University's history department
rated above the national average.
A panel established by the conference
evaluated programs on the basis of faculty
quality, effectiveness in training research-ers
in the field, program improvements
over the past five years and national prom-inence
of the program
The average score for all programs eval-uated
in the nationwide study was 50. Two- thir- ds
of the programs scored between 40
and 60 and 95 percent scored between 30
and 70.
The University's history program was
rated above the average; psychology and
sociology were average; and anthropology,
economics and political science ranked sig-nificantly
below average.
" We're really very pleased," said Ar- va- rh
E. Strickland, chairman of the history
UMC Social Sciences Graduate Program Review
Faculty Training Recent National
Department Quality Effectiveness Improvements Prominence
Anthropology 43 45 37 42
Economics 42 42 42 41
History 53 54 49 52
Political Science 44 43 45 42
Psychology 50 50 39 49
Sociology 49 50 55 46 i
Source Conference Board of Associated Research Councils 1
department, " especially considering the
number of staff we've lost in the last five or
10 years"
Nationally, the highest score awarded in
the faculty quality category was a 71,
which went to Yale and the University of
California- Berkele- y The Univensty's pro-gram
received a 53 When the ' halo effect"
the prestige and prominence of such
schools as those in the Ivy League is dis-counted,
Strickland said, the department's
rating looks even better
Paul Wallace, chairman of the political
science department, was less satisfied
" A 44 is not acceptable," he said of his
faculty's rating Wallace contended that
the evaluation is a reflection of prestige
rather than quality " This is no indication
of teaching ability "
Much of these ratings relied upon a peer
review board that scored programs on the
basis of visibility a faculty that publishes
extensively and attends professional con-ferences
is likely to receive a high rating,
explained Wallace He said his staff has
been publishing more of late but com-plained
that the department's budgetary
limitations make it impossible for them to
attend conferences
Sam Brown, chairman of the psychology
department, also questioned the value of
the peer ratings, considering the methodo-logy
of the study The psychology faculty
See FACULTY, Page 10A
Memorial planned for accident victim; UMC student recovering
By Shelly Anderson
and Jim Eatherton
Mlssourian staff writers
As administrators at Rock Bridge
Elementary School Thursday were
planning memorial services for 11- year-- old
Terry Lynn Strawn, the
parents of 19- year-- old Todd Bock- lag- e
were at University Hospital
awaiting updates on their sen's con-dition.
Police continued to search Thurs-day
for a truck that fled the scene af-ter
striking Bocklage Wednesday- -
night Terry was killed in a separate
accident earlier the same evening.
The Rock Bridge Elementary
School 6th grader died after being
hit by two autos while trying to cross
Stadium Boulevard near Worley
Street Police said the accident oc-curred
about 6 30 p. m when the boy
darted into the path of the oncoming
cars.
Donald Essunger, 50, of Columbia,
said he was unable to avoid striking
See UMC, Page 10A
The chase was on, and when it was over the suspect was in hand
By Mark Weaver
Mlsaourlan staff writer
Clarence Woodard says he's not
one to shirk his duty as a citizen
In the past six months, he says, he
has wrestled a purse snatcher and
captured a juvenile skateboard thief
Thursday he helped the Missouri
State Highway Patrol catch a sus-pected
hit- and- r- un driver.
It was the second such accident in
the city in less than 24 hours.
Woodard says he was sitting in his
pickup truck in a restaurant parking
lot at the Lake of the Woods Exit on
Interstate 70 when a car chasing the
hit- and--
run suspect pulled up.
The unidentified driver shouted to
Woodard to call police. Woodard,
who has a mobile phone, went one
better. He joined the chase.
The procession careened down
twisting backroads that took it into
Callaway County at speeds of 65 mph
while Woodard gave the Highway
Patrol a play- by- pl- ay account by
phone
Woodard says the chase finally
came to a halt about seven miles
north of Stephens, Mo , when a dep-utized
farmer who had been listening
on his scanner blocked the road with
his car
The patrol took over and arrested
Robert Payne, 45, of Memphis,
Tenn., on charges of driving while in-toxicated
and driving without a li-cense,
and for investigation of leav-ing
the scene of an accident
Payne is accused of hitting a car
driven by Carmen Koebbe, 43, of
Pine Grove Trailer Court on the 1-- 70
overpass at US 63 South shortly be-fore
2: 40 p. m. Ms Koebbe was re-leased
from Columbia Regional Hos-pital
after treatment for a head
laceration.
Matchmakers: wooing new Industry to Columbia
By Datra J. Scobey
Mlssourian statf writer
Columbia is for sale.
The Columbia Area Economic De-velopment
Commission's mission is
selling the city to retired people,
medically- relate- d industries and de-velopers.
Selling a city is not easy.
The first task is finding interested
buyers. The commission finds them
at the state Division of Commercial
arid Economic Development, or from
replies to its own advertisements.
The division has a file of community
profiles, which contain services and
demographics of Missouri commu-nities.
Thus equipped, it matches
business prospects with comma--
l
nib. es that suit then needs.
The process is hush- hus- h. If Co-lumbia
is chosen as a possible site,
the division tells the city to set up a
visit for the company. Often the com-mission
members do not know the
company's name only the facili-ties
and accommodations it will re-quire.
Recruiting begins anyway.
Representatives are whisked in by
plane and delivered to Bob Black, as-sistant
city manager for devel-opment
and member of the commis-sion,
and June Dodd, executive
director of the Columbia Chamber of
Commerce.
After a two-- or three- hou- r tour of
the city, the prospects are treated to
lunch, usually with other members
of the chamber, commission and
members of the City Council.
If they are interested in settling in
Columbia, the visitors usually will
make a return trip to talk to estab-lished
businesses.
Several businesses that are consid-ering
Columbia were listed in a
memo released to commission mem-bers
Jan. 6. They include:
Corporate headquarters of a
major company. Columbia is the
only city the company is considering
in Missouri. But it also is browsing in
North Carolina and Indiana
I
A laboratory of a food proc-essing
company, relocating out of St.
Louis. Such a lab would employ ap-proximately
15 people testing prod-ucts.
y A bakery to supply buns for Mc-
Donalds. The 25,000- squa- re foot bak-ery
would employ approximately 70
people.
A retirement village. The com-mission
is working to get local devel-opers
and institutions to build a 240- u- mt
village and a 60- be- d nursing
home
An automated flight service sta-tion.
The city has submitted a bid for
the station to the FAA. The station
would be a consolidation of approxi- -
Sett CITY, Paga 10
Sports column debuts TT Vw7 " From the castle to the out-house
is 40 minutes in Columbia, 6 pm. Rock Bridge High School
Missouri," iiiiMim- i- -.- fjflaaeM
boy s basketball vs Moberly Rock
columns, B. jL 3131 T
Sports Editor Hg& lil tnS. de
Mark Godich mMM analyzes tte MMBBHW Classified.
Business
3- 4- B
9A
significance Comics 8A
of Missouri's 84- 6- 3 win Wednes-- Opinion 4A
day night over the Cowboys in a Record 9A
Big Eight Conference basketball Sports 1- 3- B
opener See Page IB Weekend 5- 7- A
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