• • ~ • ....... OUlSVl ar tna
Vol. XLVII, No. 27 Th of L tud nt N wspaper
Copyright 1976, The Louisville Cardinal; Louisville, Kentucky
U of L loses Naval ROTC program
By STEVE WINGFIELD
You won't be seeing any tudents in
blue Navy uniforms marching around
Belknap Campus in a few years, unless
there is an abrupt turnaround at the
Pentagon.
U of L' Naval Reserve Officers
Training Program (NROTC) will be
phased out during the next three years,
according t a letter from the Navy
received by the university on Monday .
The decision will not affect students
atready enrolled in U of L's NROTC
program, but no new students will be
accepted into the program. The four-year
program train students who receive
tuition cuts, living expenses and a naval
officer commis ion upon graduation
The Navy Department also informed
the university that the Navy Scientific
Education program at U of L will be
di continued. The program gives college
courses to enlisted men in the Navy.
Approximately 65 men are currently
involved in the pr gram.
The decision letter was sent to
university President James G. Miller from
J. William Middendorf, the Secretary of
the Navy.
In a telephone interview Tuesday ,
Miller said, "We had fallen a little under
the criteria., that Navy officials had used
in evaluating NROTC and NESEP units
across the country. Among the criteria
were the units' cost, size and location.
Miller said that Congressional action
was part of the decision to review the
units across the country.
In a letter sent to Middendorf
Tuesday, Miller said that he "cannot help
but feel a great injustice has occurred in
the decision to disestablish the NROTC
unit."
Also in the letter, Miller pointed to
several factors which he felt should be
considered. Among them were the
renovation of the NROTC building, the
declining tuition at U of L, rolling
admi sions policie and fully accr ditcd
NROT courses and programs.
Miller also said that the Navy appears
to get a good return for funds spent at
the University f Louisville and urged
reconsideration.
U of L's NROTC unit was placed on
probation Ia t year when its junior class
enrollment fell to 11, seven below the 1 b
needed to keep a university off of
probation.
This year's sophomore class had
numbered 21, however, and U of L
officials had expected the probati n to
be removed.
Miller said the university would
attempt to get the decision reversed
"We're contacting national leader in
both parties," he said. "I'm not very
hopeful, but we'll do what we can.''
Marine Colonel Richard Hawes Jr. told
the university's Board of Trustees that
political considerations were behind the
Navy's move. He refused to specify what
April 9, 1976
the considerations were.
Miller said, "I r all don't know whut
they (the political consideration ) arc .
That's what other people are saying.
of Lhad recently pent $400,000 to
renovate I he N ROT building at the
northeast corner of Ea tern Pnrkway and
Third Street.
The building won't be available for
other usc until the program is completely
phased out in three years. Miller said that
the Navy had de cribed the facilities a<;
"first rate" during an inspection last
month.
Rumors about the Navy's decision to
disco11tinue the programs had been
circulating since ·Ia t month when ol.
Hawes told the Board of Tru tees of the
possibility.
The trustees had voted to end letters
to Kentucky Governor Julian arroll,
members of Kentucky's Congressional
delegation and Navy Department officials
urging them to continue the program.
Re-allocation of s udent fee considered
By STFVE WINGFIELD
The funds raised by the $30 per year
student fee might be sharply re-allocated
during the coming year.
According to a proposal made by the
unjversity's administration, one-third, or
$10, of the fee would go to
intercollegiate athletics, one-third to
student government and student
activities, and one-third to intramurals
and salaries of student government and
student activities' administrators and
secretaries.
Student Government Association
President Stephan Phelps said "There is
just no way I'm going to settle for this."
Signs of Spring
According to Phelps , student
government and student activities would
receive approximately $115,000 of the
$340,000 which will be raised by the fee
next year. The SGA this year received
$215,000 for student government,
tudent activities and salaries.
Phelps said that he would request
Photograph by Michael Brohm
Philosophy Professor WiUiam Schuyler held his Aesthetics class in the Humanities Building courtyard this week, one of many
cla~s to meet outside in the warm spring weather.
$250,000 for the SGA.
According to Phelps, the other amount
"would totally destroy any form of
student government repre entation."
In a telephone intcrvtew Tuesday,
Executive Vice-Pre ident William
Ekstrom said that the proposal was
"tentative" and "We haven't made any
decisions yet." He added, "We have to
have a starting point" for bud ct
discussions.
"This should not be treated as a
definite policy yet," aid Ekstrom.
Phelps said that the niun for Student
Activities had already requested a budget
of over $100,000 and that many student
government programs nc dcd to
continued.
Phelps said, "There is not a quest ur.
of doubt that I will get more." If no . lc
said, "I'll go the Board I Tru tee ~ an ·
ask that the student f be cut toti.lll '.'
Ekstrom said, "The urns could be
shifted."
Ekstrom als said that th~.; rt w_J c
certain premises in the budget
discussions, such as one-third t
intercollegiate athletics and s me portion
of the fee to pay for staff costs.
The student fee was fir t impo.·ed in
the fall of 1974 as budget·balancing
measure by U of L President Jamc G.
Miller. All full-time students pay $15 per
semester, and part-time students pay an
appropriate proportion.
Phelps said that the budg t he would
submit to the administration would he a
"total line-item restricted funding
budget" broken into different programs.
The am unt allocated to the GA tlu<i
year was used to pay for student
activities, student council budgets,
student officer compen~tion, staff
salaries, the student telephone direct ry,
the student handbook and various other
functions and programs.