Session# 2007-05-29: 3
Accession Number: 76-15
New Tape Label Info: Ac.Affairs: Ac.Deans:Rudy Martin 4/11/00 - 30 Year Anniversary of Founding Faculty Planning Year. Held in CAB 107
Old Tape Label Info: Rudy Martin 4/11/00
Note: CAB Building Rm 140. 30 years after founding faculty reflection.
Synopsis:
00:00 - (no lead in - tracking is bad for the first 30 seconds). William Arney (thanks Jane Jervis) introduces faculty speaker Rudy Martin.
Rudy Martin talks about how history is taking data and forming it into stories. Starts telling stories of his own personal history. Talks about living in Pullman, getting doctorate at WSU, and considering teaching positions. Talks about formation of Evergreen in Olymipa. Talks about the essay he wrote about his view on teaching. Coming to Olympia and staying at the Bailey Motor Inn. The temporary buldings for the college. Experience in Olympia of someone downtown calling him a "nigger".
17:40 - The problem with the early planning faculty being primarily white men (asides from Rudy Martin himself). He also mentions he was one of the only ones with a valid driver's liscence. Talks about where various founding faculty originated from and how many came from Oregon State and University of Arizona.
23:15 - Talks about the mutal desire to pursue "different approach to education". Innovation effort in American higher education. Context within the time period. Arguments/disagreement over whether Evergreen should be directly involved in politics.
28:30 - Talks about the design of the college building plans and disatisfaction/surprise at them amongst faculty. Talks also about governanace and admission. Hiring of 38 faculty members in first year of college.
32:00 - Talks about trying to work towards consensus amidst decisions around college and the struggle to meet that goal.
34:50 - Deciding what they were going to do at the college; putting teaching and learning at the center and deciding what they weren't going to do. "No Grades, No Football, No Departments, No Chickenshit!". Trying to arrive at structures that would incorporate ideals. Working towards knowlege as being unified. Feilds existing only to the extent that they can contribute to eachother.
39:40 - The only learning that mattered was "self appropriate learning" or learning that people chose to take on. Students needing to take charge of thier own education, taking control of thier learing. Bulding structures that gave form yet remained flexible.
42:02 - Trying to make decision makers both locatable and accountable. Community members being responsible to others and themselves. Emotional Contracts/Covenants.
45:35 - Mention of people in town calling people at Evergreen "commie pinkos". Articles in the paper critisizing the college. Also talks about turmoil within the college itself and how "anything worth doing usually exacts a pretty high toll". The coming about of traditions of potlucks and retreats.
49:38 - Dark times. Boys going missing. Death of faculty. State putting limits on the amount of students who would be admitted.
55:00 - Questions from audience: Question about first women faculty hired. Question about the application requirements why the drop in requirement for essay. Question about Free University movement. Question (not very audible) information scattering slowly and negative impressions of Evergreen. Question about arguments against student choice as not giving "well rounded" education.
1:08:18 - end of tape.