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City council approves dorm financing
by I^ri L. Smith Managing Editor
Clarence T. Bach of San¬ dalwood Properties, the local developer who is building on- campus housing, won approval December 19 from the San An¬ tonio City Council on a proposi¬ tion that will allow the sale of tax free bond.s.
These bonds will enable in¬ vestors to earn tax free interest on the money they invest in the dorm project. This final assurance of financial backing made future dorm life a reality for the UTSA campus. ¦ "This proposition allows us to have it at an earlier time than we would be allowed to have it if we ¦ had to fund it straight from ourselves" said Dr. Wagener to the city council.
A bus transported students and administrators to City Hall to show support for the bonds.
Fred Medina, a senior, spoke to the City Council about the prac¬ ticality of having dorms. "Dorms offer the perfect educational en¬ vironment for stuents .. If dorms were available now, I would most likely be living in them," Medina told council.
Helen Ayala, President of Citizens Organized for Public Ser¬ vice, also spoke in favor of the is¬ suance of tax free bonds for finan¬ cing the dorms. "We also are here to get commitments from UTSA... That the focus of UTSA will not become just in dor¬ mitories, but they will continue to look   at   pursuing  a  downtown
campus," said Ayala, whose organization is seeking the development satelite campus downtown. "The satelite campus will make higher education more accessible to young people from the west, east, south and central areas of San Antonio," she in¬ formed the council.
Councilman Bob Thompson ad¬ dressed the remoteness of the UT¬ SA campus, but also reminded COPS that "that is not really the issue here."
"I think that the dormitories will add significantly to the at¬ mosphere of the campus," said Thompson.
Maria Berizobal, a 1979 UTSA alumni, was thankful for the UT¬ SA's arrival at San Antonio, and supports "continued commitment for the recruitment of students from the eastside, southside, and westside, to retention; to the . special programs that will pro¬ vide an environment for these stu¬ dent to thrive after they get there and stay at school after they get there."
Helen Dutmar moved for ap¬ proval of the proposal, and Ed Harrington seconded the motion. The council voted unanimously in favor of the proposal, with Van Henry Archer the only coun- cilperson not present for the vote.
On the bus afterward, Pederson informed Paisano reporters that "the question as to whether or not there will be a campus down at hemisfair, is really one that is not within our purview as far as |}eing the administration of UT San Antonio."*
Tenure dispute nets Levi $300,000
LEVI:
"Some professors may get
retaliated against for their courageous stands in my behalf"
President Wagener: ''We'll appeal it"
(,'ynthia Nash Staff Writer
Former UTSA sociology pro¬ fessor. Dr. Kenneth Levi, was awarded $300,000 by a federal court jury last Friday after it found that Levi had been unfairly denied tenure by the university in 1982.
After almost five hours of deliberation, the jury of five men. and one woman found that Levi Itad twen treated differently from, other faculty members seeking tenure at UTSA and that he had been stigmatized as a result of be¬ ing released by the university.
The litigants listent I solemnly as Judge William Ses.^ions read the jury's verdict which found that Levi's constitutional rights to equal protection and treatment under the fourteenth amendment had been violated.
Obviously relieved to have the four year battle end in his favor, Levi exchanged smiles and con¬ gratulations with his attorneys. Asked how he felt about the jury's finding, Levi said, "I'm still in a daze! "
Before the jury's verdict, Levi had commented that he had been satisfied to have his day in court "no matter which way it goes." He said he was really fighting for a "wider issue" than his own dismissal. Levi said the wider issue was "the fairness of the way things are done at UTSA."
Levi claimed that he was denied
tenure partly because the univer¬ sity had been offended by the cor¬ relations drawn in his book, "Violence and ReUgious Commit¬ ment." The book took several theoretical approaches in its ex¬ amination of reUgious violence and used the Jonestown massacre and Jim Jones followers as a case study.
George Kirk, Levi's attomey, said that the tenure committee had been "offended by any idea of ¦ a correlation between religion and violence." Levi's ixx>k asked if there was "in religion a demonic potential that could drive people to such extremes."
Kirk said that "different ideas are supposed to be safe to talk about in a university."
Other evidence submitted dur¬ ing the trial revealed that Levi's student evaluations were favorable and that while there was not a sociologist on the tenure review board that outside sociologists reviewed Levi's book favorably.
The jury found that his book was not the basis for his dismissal but that he had been treated dif¬ ferently from other faculty members in his tenure considera¬ tion.
Not addressrd by the jury were Levi's request for back pay, at¬ torney fees, and reinstatement at UTSA. These issues will be decided at a later date by Judge Sessions.
Asked  if after   his   four  year
struggle he could be happy work ing again at UTSA, Levi said, "Certainly. 1 have lols of friends there ' He also expressed concern that "some professors ma> ^el retaliated againsi for Ihi'ir courageous stands in my behalf.'
UTSA President, James Wagener, replied that Levi's con¬ cerns of retaliation were unfound¬ ed. He said, "I'm pleased they come forth with their understan¬ ding of the process."
Wagener went on to say that the university believed that they had prevailed in three out of four of the issues argued by the plain¬ tiff. That is, of the contentions by the plaintiff that his first and fourteenth amendment rights had been violated, the first amend¬ ment claim was struck down by the jury as were liberty and pro¬ perty interests claimed under the fourteenth amendment. The only fourteenth amendment claim upheld by the jury was a violation of equal protection.
Based on the feeling that three out of four of the issues were ruled in the university's favor, Wagener said the decision would be appeal¬ ed if it was not set aside by Judge Sessions.
Kirk agreed that the university had prevailed in three out of the four issues. He said also that it "doesn't concern us in the least. Whether the case was decided on one point or ten, the jury still decided that Ken was treated dif-
Pr0$i<tent Wagener
in . ill i'. I' > ii; ' 'I fur f,ii \.n \ .mkI that the university" did so tor no. good reason."
Kirk said that he believed the "damages awarded were \er\ conservative."
The suit as first styled was brought against UTSA. the Board of Regents and Drs. Wagener, Lamb, Henderson and Johnson. As the case progressed, the suit was put on the universily and the four administrators.
Kirk said that al this point there is a possibility that the state could cover the damages awarded Levi through a son of "statutory insurance policy" used lo cover public officials acting on behalf of the state.
When asked if he still regarded tenure a viable process in light ot this case and today "s environ ment. Wagener said, "Tenure is viable today. Its a perogative ot the university lhal needs to be protected and the faculty ni*ds to have a major say in the marriage uf its faculty lo the university."
Wagener stated that the deci¬ sion made in Levis tenure re\ iew was based on a judgement pro¬ cess made by the facully. The judgement was made on the basis of all factors and acted upon ac cordingly.""
Kirk said "V\e are going lo gel Ken reinstated ut UTS.A before we're finished. .Were working on that now.""*
Perspective of new dorms
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