The Prospector (El Paso, Tex.), Vol. 45, No. 1, Ed. 1 Tuesday, August 29, 1978 Page: 1 of 12
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C rOSOCCT
Student Newspaper of the University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas
■ ■. t
Francisco J. Lewels, chairman of the mass communication department
be an incompetent administration.
Kenneth E. Beasley
Memo fuels KTEP dispute
Emptying water from a boot was an easy task for this crewman compared to removing four and one-half
feet of water from the basement of the University Library.
by Bill Loving
Major Staff Writer
into this area, it should be regarded as
a personnel matter.”
The vice president then explained
that he was not allowed to discuss
Special
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and
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Rains flood campus library basement
action, and Louis Valles, the station’s
general manager, resigned. Valles’
resignation, which came shortly before
Templeton’s decision, later was
rejected by the administration.
The move, Lewels explained, was
made to provide students with greater
opportunities to gain broadcasting
experience.
“The problem,” Lewels writes,
“consisted of derogatory remarks
about student work and personalities
made by staff members on a regular
basis and a reluctance to give students
work of any responsibility.”
But KTEP program director, William
G. Everist, disagrees, saying, “I do not
think we have a bad attitude toward
students.”
Everist also says students have had
responsible positions and notes that
students have operated the control
board for the station.
The mass communication chairman
also says there is a lack of
professionalism on the part of station
reference librarian, noted that the
water was so powerful it bent an
iron door back, allowing more
than four feet of water to stream
into the basement.
Throughout last week,
maintenance personnel from the
Physical Plant were involved in
clean-up activities. Work included
manually shoveling the mud from
the basement, siphoning water
and “literally baking the moisture
out of the motors,” Obenour said.
Two electrical motors were
installed Aug. 25, restoring lights
and air conditioning to the
library. Obenour expects one
other motor to be ready for
installation some time this week.
Several 14,400 volt fuses as well
as a steel door also had to be
replaced.
Obenour added he won’t know
the total monetary amount of the
damages incurred until clean-up
operations are completed.
Unless problems within public radio
station KTEP are resolved, the mass
communication department will “seek
other avenues for giving its students
advanced practical experience,”
according to a memorandum sent to
the president of the University
yesterday.
The memorandum, which was sent
by Francisco J. Lewels, mass
communication department chairman,
accuses station personnel of a lack of
professionalism and a negative attitude
toward students. It is the latest
development in a controversy that
resulted in the Aug. 18 removal of the
station from the mass communication
department by Arleigh B. Templeton,
president of the University.
The two-month-old controversy
began when Lewels instituted a policy
change that put Harry W. Haines, mass
communication instructor, in charge of
the station.
Station personnel opposed Lewels’
After a week without lights or
air conditioning, the University
Library is cool and lighted once
again. The power failure was the
result of massive rains that hit El
Paso Aug. 19.
Following the storm, library
1 personnel and patrons worked by
dim sunlight as a work crew
cleared mud and water from the
the building.
A gulley of water rolled off the
side of the Franklin Mountains
during the storm, pouring into the
library electrical vault and
mechanical room, Bill Obenour,
assistant director of the Physical
Plant, explains. This shorted out
switch gears and saturated
electrical motors with water.
“Because of the excessive
amount of water, none of the
drains could handle the
moisture,” the assistant director
points out.
Helen Bell, • loan-computer
The chairman defines this
incompetency as a continuing practice
of the administration in breaking personnel matters by law. However, he
University policy. For example Lewels did say, "The intention and desire of
says the vice president’s office refuses the University is to provide through
to work within proper channels. the station, the best possible balance
Citing the most recent case involving for broadcast majors, and at the same
KTEP, Lewels says when time, meet our responsibilities to the
station personnel had grievances the community.”
proper channels are to present themfirst Beasley also stressed the U niversity’s
to the department chairman, then to financial commitment to the mass
the dean of the College of Liberal Arts communication department with
and on up until they reached the regard to the establishment of a public
University president. television station, new equipment and
In this case, Lewels says, “They a rennovation of Cotton Memorial for
jumped directly to the vice president.” the department.
The department chairman also says In addition, Lewels claims that the
Kenneth Beasley, vice president for administration is harrassing persons in
academic affairs, made a the department.
recommendation to remove the station "I understand the vice president’s
from the department based on his office is reviewing the personnel files
discussion with the station manager of faculty in the department,” the
and left the department out of the chairman said, adding, “They required
decision-making process, that one of the persons go searching
“The administration chose not to for a diploma and show proof that he
ever discuss this with us before they had an advanced degree.”
made their decision,” Lewels said. Lewels also referred to another
When asked about the incident in which Haines was called
decision-making process, Beasley into the vice president’s office to talk
deferred comment, saying, “I think I with Beasley.
would have to say that when you get (continued on name 31
Tuesday, Aug. 29, 1978 Vol. 45 Not,
forced the department to cancel “One
Week,” a weekly news program
personnel and writes that an attempt produced by students.
to acquire higher professional “I received a memo,” the mass
standards at the station was being communication instructor relates,
made when KTEP was removed from “that said that production time for the
the department. program was being cut in half.”
However, station personnel point to Reducing the production time from
a recent survey that rates KTEP as four hours to two hours made it
19th out of 210 public radio stations impossible to continue to produce the
in terms of listenership. program, Haines contends, so it was
“Obviously I think we’re very canceled.
professional,” the program director Lewels’ fifth complaint in the
says, adding, “Obviously that's a value memorandum is that there is no
judgement by the person writing the structuring of on-air work by students
memorandum.” to ensure that they receive high quality
Two other areas mentioned in the experience.
memorandum were a lack of The memorandum follows Lewels’
cooperation in broadcasting letter to the UT System Board of
student-produced programs and Regents in which he called for an
scheduling of production time for investigation into Templeton’s move to
students. take the station away from the
Responding to the claims, Everist department.
says student works have been aired in The department chairman stated in
the past and commented the his letter that the action was taken
availability of production facilities without consulting department faculty
saying,, “We have done a lot of student or the chairman and against the
work and than’s where you do it in recommendations of the dean of the
the production facilities.” College of Liberal Arts.
But Haines noted that recent Lewels continues to say he thinks
development tends to support Lewel’s the action was taken as a means of
contention. He explains that a recent gaining retribution against him because
decision of the KTEP management has of his criticism of what he considers to
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University of Texas at El Paso. The Prospector (El Paso, Tex.), Vol. 45, No. 1, Ed. 1 Tuesday, August 29, 1978, newspaper, August 29, 1978; El Paso, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1621048/m1/1/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting University of Texas at El Paso.