Maxson proposes way to beat the heat

By Carrie Porche Jones, On-Line Forty-Niner

Monday, September 21, 1998

Despite the heat and early school start, things are going exceptionally well, said Cal State Long Beach President Robert Maxson at Thursday's Academic Senate meeting.

"I feel terrible, and there is not a thing I can do about the heat," he said. "I offer my apologies to those of you who taught classes in the Liberal Arts Buildings and Peterson Hall in the heat. Most of the time, I teach in the LA buildings and I know how the heat is."

Maxson said Peterson Hall Building 3 will be air-conditioned if the ducts are in place, and is already fitted for it.

Also, plans are in the works for the buildings to be renovated. The Liberal Arts Buildings are not fitted for air-conditioning.

Referring to the unhappiness with the early start of school, Maxson said that school will start a week later next year.

Enrollment management was an issue that Maxson said is in need of collective thinking. CSULB does not want to lose students, but Chancellor Charles Reed is asking the school to fund every eligible student at $6,000 a full-time student.

"We would love to regulate enrollment. Every campus must take the top one-third, and we didn't take any more freshmen after April 15," Maxson said. "The better students apply early. The students who show up just before class with schedules sticking out of their pockets are not good and won't last."

Other business on the agenda included discussion of the draft of CSULB's discrimination and sexual harassment policy and compliant resolution procedures.

Barbara Franklin, professor in the kinesiology and physical education department, presented the draft for discussion and comments.

"Armando Contreras - executive assistant to the president - and I were sort of appointed to be the ones to go around the campus and talk about this," Franklin said. "We talked to the students, to the staff, to the president's Cabinet, to the executive committee. We were trying to get widespread input on this."

The revised draft will be presented for approval at the next Academic Senate meeting.