Miami Hurricane, October 01, 1993

              VOLUME 71, ISSUE 7	UNIVERSITY Of MIAMI, CORAL GABLES, FLA.	FRIDAY. OCTOBER 1,1993
Rat in jeopardy:
C RIDLEY/Scorecard Staff
■ REJUVINATED RUNNER: Donnell Bennett (33) breaks loose for a / 45-yard touchdown run last week at Colorado. The running game will be featured this week against Georqia Southern
See Scorecard Magazine.
troubled
From staff reports
The Rathskeller as it is now known may be a thing of the past if the University adopts recommendations from a consulting firm.
A Cleveland-based firm, Cinni-Lit-tle, has recommended the Rat provide seated dining service for faculty, staff and students, in the form of a University Cafe.
"I love tradition. I’m crazy about tradition,” said David Lieberman, senior vice president. ‘‘But when things don’t work, they should be questioned. Because of the change in drinking laws from 18 to 21, the Rathskeller doesn’t work the way it was planned.”
He said the Rat was intended as a
times
place where students could go to eat lunch and have a beer. Now, only seniors, some juniors and graduate students are old enough to drink.
Lieberman said he is considering the proposal.
Since January, the Rat has lost between $3,000 and $4,000 each month, said Steve Sutton, director of Student Activities. Sutton was director of the Rat from October, 1992, to August, 1993. Sutton said student activity fund allocations make up for the deficit.
“I think what the Rat provides for
See page ¿’/RATHSKELLER
CHRIS BERNACCHI/Photo Editor
■ THREATENED FUTURE: Administrators haven't decided whether to accept recommendations to turn the Rathskeller into a University Cafe.
Valenta fired, vows to seek retribution for verdict
By LAURIE POWELL
Hurricane Staff Writer
Professor Jiri Valenta was fired from his position at the University of Miami Graduate School of International Studies. President Edward T. Foote II and the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees voted unanimously Wednesday to terminate Valenta.
The Executive Committee’s decision concludes a process which began Feb. 28, 1992, when fellow Professor Vendulka Kubalkova filed a formal complaint against Valenta for sexual harassment, abuse of power and financial improprieties.
Foote said these charges were substantiated through the testimonies of 53 witnesses over a 15-day period, which generated more than 3,500 pages of transcript.
“The issue was not the quality of Dr. Val-enta’s scholarship. He is a well-respected scholar. That is a given,” Foote said. “The issue was his conduct at the University of Miami, found in considerable detail by the Hearing Committee.”
Kubalkova said the University must move immediately ahead to ensure that in the future such episodes do not incur.
“I am relieved, but sad for all concerned. It is essential that the University review its procedures so that complaints of harassment and abuse of power are dealt with in a timely fashion,” said Kubalkova.
Charges surrounding Valenta's dismissal include misusing portions of a $35,000 Cuban American National Foundation grant earmarked for GSIS; misdirecting GSIS funds into his personal account; physically touching seven women, including grabbing their breasts and buttocks; inviting women to bear his children and retaliation when his advances were rebuffed.
Foote said Valenta's attorney, William Amlorig of Fort Lauderdale, declined to submit a written rebuttal to the charges against Valenta. However, on Sept. 28, Valenta submitted a brief, without his lawyer’s involvement. The Executive Committee considered the rebuttal prior to making its decision.
When asked to summarize Valenta's response to the University, President Foote said, “It is not my place to characterize I)r. Valenta’s position with respect to this matter. You’re going to have to talk to Dr. Valenta about his position."
Valenta could not be reached at his Fort Lauderdale home, nor would he return phone calls to The Miami Hurricane.
In an interview with WCIX-Channel 6, Valenta said, “I will fight to be vindicated, whatever the means.”
In the Viewpoint section of the Sept. 27 issue of The Miami Herald, Valenta stated that thought-control methods were used against him at the University, the hearings were not conducted in a fair manner and that, if he were terminated, “it would encourage disgruntled faculty members to look for new targets and expel adversaries through political vendettas."
“I am satisfied that the proceeding was fair and that the procedures established by the University were followed in a fair way,” said Foote.
Craig Simon, a graduate student, who said he was forced to leave as a result of Valenta’s actions, praised Foote’s decision to fire Valenta.
"I never expected any kind of remediation from the University. I never expected they would get rid of him or correct the wrongs done," Simon said. "I am pleased no one will ever be abused by him again."
Kubalkova said she urges the University to offer generous and immediate assistance and apologies to current and former students, faculty members and employees who were the objects of abuse of power and harassment.
See page ,2/VALENTA
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Photo Illustration by PRESTON MACK
■ RECYCLING: Tanya Gilmore, alumnus, puts her newspaper in a campus recycling bin
Recycling concerns mount on campus
By OEBBIE ARNETT
Hurricane Staff Writer
Recycling is still alive at UM, but members of Earth Alert say they are concerned about its future.
“I don’t think the recycling’s going well," said Megan Manlove, Earth Alert recycling coordinator. “1 don’t think we’re getting cooperation from the administration."
Alan Weber, assistant director for Contract Administration, said recycling is not profitable. He said the only valuable recycling was that of white paper. Everything else was not very profitable at all. And the price for hauling the recyclable goods to a recycling center, he says, was causing the costs to exceed the profit.
“Every time you take one of those (recycling bins| down to ... a recycling center, it’s a $175 traveling expense ... and you (only| get $40 or $50 back, depending on how much tonnage (was brought inj,” Weber said. “The result is you’re in a minus column.”
Last April, Earth Alert proposed a campus-wide plan for recycling. It included suggestions to establish more recycling bins around campus, begin a more efficient and daily collection of recyclable materials, and create public awareness about recycling on campus. Equipment such as compactors would be established, and recyclable products could be sold for a profit.
The plan was submitted for approval to Weber, but was not accepted because of the lack of profit in recycling. As a result of the failed proposal, current recycling on campus is disorganized and sporadic.
“Basically,” said Julie Walleisa, president of Earth Alert, “there is no current program of recycling throughout the campus.’
There are recycling bins in six places on the main campus, including each residential college and the Apartment Area.
“As far as we know, the bins are
being picked up, but we don’t know if the materials are actually being recycled, “ said Kat Hazzard, secretary of Earth Alert. “The problem is with contamination. If there’s one piece of colored paper in the white paper bin, it all gets thrown away.” Manlove said if a bin is contaminated, Dade County Waste Manage- 1 ment puts the recyclable materials I in with the regular trash; if a stu- 1 dent throws their newspaper in the bin in a brown paper bag, the news- ' paper is thrown away.
This year, Earth Alert is trying again. The proposal is being resubmitted to Weber, but with some changes. More accurate current figures, including costs to the school for buying recycling bins and compactors, are being researched. The fact that the new proposal would save the school money is also being stressed.
“We do think the program could be profitable if it was regulated," Manlove said. She said Earth Alert would like to establish a system where Physical Plant wouid be responsible for collecting the recycling from the six individual bins and depositing it in central bins. This wav, the University would only have to pay for one trip by Waste Management.
Manlove said the recyclables are collected once or twice a week now.
“We get charged no matter if the bins are full or not," she said.
Adam August, SG president, said he has pledged full support to Earth Alert and their proposal.
“I asked President Foote about the proposal, and he liked it. He said that if there's a way for us to save money, then there's no reason why we shouldn’t do it,” August said.
As soon as the final changes are made, August said he plans to return to Weber and discuss the status of the proposal, any problems that exist within it and the status of the recycling coordinator. Weber said he would be glad to work with Earth Alert on their new proposal.
No change in UM’s academic ranking
By USA J. HURIASH
Associate News Editor
For the third consecutive year, the University of Miami has failed to rank as one of the top 50 universities in the country, according to the US. News & World Report 1994 College Guide. UM’s rating in the second quartile means the school ranks between 52nd and 102nd.
President Edward T. Foote II said he thinks the rating bears no reflection upon the University.
“This is how U.S. News & World Report differentiates us from other universities,” Foote said. “But it says nothing about the quality of the schools.”
To determine it’s rankings, U.S. News & World Report had 2,655 college presidents, deans and admissions directors rank other universities based on “academic reputation.”
According to the magazine, "the resulting reputational rankings were combined with data provided by the colleges that measured student selectivity, faculty resources, financial resources, graduation rate and alumni satisfaction.”
Foote said the magazine should not affect 1994 enrollment.
"High school seniors get a lot of information,” Foote said. “And actually, applications are up from last year."
Luis Glaser, executive vice president and provost, said he does not think UM is cast in a negative light as a result of the rating.
“What we have to remember is that this is not a precise science; it is a popularity poll,” Glaser said. “We have a respectable ranking but one can
always do better. But we can’t take the whole thing seriously.”
Both the University of Florida and FSU were ranked in the same quartile as UM. The University of South Florida was listed in the third quartile and Florida Atlantic University was listed in the fourth quartile.
Brian Olin, a senior, said he is disappointed with the rating.
“It bothers me,” Olin said. “It’s tough competition out there but my freshman year we were in the top 50. I can't see why we don’t do a little better each year.”
HOW UM FARED
"U.S. News & World Report" ranked the University of Miami based on:
■	38% of freshman are in the top 10% of their high school class
■	academic reputation rank of 79
■	acceptance rate of 80%
■	student / faculty ratio of 14:1
■	graduation rate of 56%
■	100% of faculty have PhD
MICHAEL L FALK / Graphic Artist
CHRIS BERNACCHI/ Photo Editor
■ RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY: UM students were forced into raincoats and umbrellas during Tuesday’s downpour.
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