After extended discussion, senators voted 25-5 on May 14 to recommend that the university establish an Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) on sexual or romantic relationships of faculty and staff with students they supervise. Senators also approved unanimously a revision of the Student Conduct Code defining sexual misconduct by students.

President Dave Frohnmayer will immediately forward the proposed OAR 571-04-007, "Conflicts of Interest and Abuses of Power: Sexual or Romantic Relationships with Students," to the Oregon Secretary of State's Office for promulgation.

"I am pleased that the University of Oregon now will have a clear and compelling set of rules in place regarding these issues," he said. "I appreciate very much the hours of time and the thoughtful consideration that many faculty members have devoted to the development of this rule over the past two or three years."

The proposed administrative rule discourages faculty and staff from having sexual or romantic relationships with those students they supervise or evaluate. It states that such relationships, even if consensual, "can involve a conflict of interest, an abuse of power, compromised judgment and impaired objectivity..." that also may adversely affect third parties and be "disruptive of the collegiality and mutual trust that are essential for the effective functioning of an academic unit."

Realizing that romantic or sexual relationships may occur nevertheless, the proposed rule would require involved parties to acknowledge their relationship and then take appropriate corrective measures. Corrective actions may include moving a student to another section of the same class; appointing a different faculty member to serve on a thesis, dissertation or other evaluative committee; establishing alternative means of evaluation of academic work or work performance; or moving a student employee to another position of the same or comparable status and duties.

Senate discussion, lasting nearly one hour, focused on fears by some faculty that the policy would make them vulnerable to false accusations. To help counter those concerns, David Soper, Physics, suggested raising the standard of proof required of the student in a sexual or romantic relationship with a staff or faculty member from a "preponderance" of the evidence to "clear and convincing" evidence, but his motion failed.

Employees who violate the rule would be subject to sanctions ranging from written reprimand, imposed at the discretion of the appropriate vice president, to reassignment of duties, reduction in salary, suspension without pay, or dismissal, imposed according to faculty disciplinary rules or classified staff collective bargaining agreements.

Complainants who abuse the process through intentional dishonesty or willful disregard of the truth also may be subject to appropriate disciplinary proceedings and sanctions.

The Senate approved the Student Conduct Code amendment that replaces Offense 20 of OAR 571-21-030. To help stop date rape, the new provision describes sexual misconduct and defines rape and sexual assault.

The amendment says those who fail to obtain "explicit consent" from a partner before having sex are committing sexual misconduct.

The Student Conduct Committee presented the measure to the Senate after a November public hearing on campus, and a number of student groups had endorsed it.

"Student victims of acquaintance rape often choose not to subject themselves to Oregon's criminal statutes, which have not been updated to deal responsively with this problem of contemporary sexual culture," says Elaine Green, Student Life associate dean and student conduct coordinator. "This amended section of the code gives me a much better tool and will make it easier for victims to come forward and for perpetrators to be prosecuted."

According to the policy, explicit consent means "voluntary, non-coerced and clear communication indicating a willingness to engage in a particular act," including "an affirmative verbal response or voluntary acts unmistakable in their meaning."

For such consent to count, the person giving it must not be incapacitated by drugs or alcohol, physically helpless because of unconsciousness or incapable due to mental disorder.

The revised code extends UO jurisdiction to sexual misconduct off campus if it can be shown that the offense materially interferes with the victim's academic or job performance, or that the perpetrator's behavior demonstrates a reasonable threat to the health or safety of the campus community or the student survivor.

Gleason will serve as dean while a national search is undertaken to fill the post permanently.

A Journalism and Communication faculty member since 1987, Gleason has been the school's associate dean for the past two years. His faculty colleagues nominated him for the interim position after an internal search.

"We're very fortunate to have someone as experienced as Tim Gleason to serve as interim dean," Moseley said. "His work as associate dean, coupled with the strong support of his fellow faculty, will allow him to further build on the successful record of Duncan McDonald."

Gleason, 47, replaces McDonald, who on May 1 became vice president for public affairs and development. McDonald had headed the journalism school since July 1994.

"During my tenure, I expect to continue the momentum developed in the past several years," Gleason said. "We will continue to review and improve our curriculum, and we will move forward with the improvements to our facilities in Allen Hall that are already underway."

A graduate of SUNY-Empire State College and the University of Washington, Gleason has been a free-lance photographer, photojournalist and newspaper reporter. At Oregon, he has taught courses ranging from reporting and freedom of the press to photojournalism and communication research.

With colleagues Alan Stavitsky and William Ryan, Gleason has developed courses for a distance education pilot project. Currently, he is building a communication law site on the Internet.

"I remember a few years ago we had some students demonstrating for animal rights. After having some trouble garnering our attention, one of them came in and asked, `Don't we bother you?'

"Of course, we all couldn't help but recall having survived trial-by-fire during the Vietnam War demonstrations, the burning of the ROTC building and such. Although it's never been like that since then, each administration has had something memorable, and each president was different. All were wonderful to work for," she says.

A university employee for 37 years, Leonard has been the assistant to the president for the last 29. She is retiring this year, and her friends and colleagues plan a campus-wide reception at 3:30 p.m. May 23 at Gerlinger Hall Alumni Lounge.

Of all her memories, the one that is most special to Leonard is graduating from the university in 1981. She went to school at night and on her lunch hour, and was part of the last graduating class of Community Service and Public Affairs.

"My son who is 6'4" says to people, `Yep. My mom went to school at night, and all we lived on was peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches and chicken soup because that is all my dad knew how to cook.' But, as you can see, it didn't stunt his growth any," she says with a smile.

She credits Bill, husband of 41 years and Library emeritus, for being her anchor through it all.

"He was the one who kept encouraging me to finish school even when I was feeling like I was never going to get it done. So, graduating was a big deal for me. It was an accumulation of many years of work, and it was a long-term goal. It was truly a neat experience because not only did I work with the people in the office, but I was able to interact with students. I got to experience university life from both sides--administrative and academic."

Leonard has managed to keep a sense of humor in order to handle the all ins and outs of the "nerve center," as she calls the Office of the President.

Leonard considers all the people she has worked with her second family, whom she will miss seeing on a daily basis after she retires.

On May 12, Wildish Construction and university project managers began mobilizing in the EMU Courtyard to start demolition and construction of the North Addition. A parallel make-over of the Courtyard, paid for with student funds, also is getting underway.

The $4.5 million EMU project will transform and update major portions of the building, upgrading food service and recreation areas throughout the 45-year-old west wing. By the time you read this, the noisiest phase of the project--concrete demolition--is likely to be past.

"We ask students, faculty, staff and campus visitors to be patient with the noise, dust and other inconveniences they may experience during demolition and construction," says UO project manager Alex Gordon, Facilities Services. "Once the demolition phase is completed, the remainder of the project should be much less disturbing."

Construction fencing now encloses the Courtyard, preventing pedestrian traffic through the Breezeway. Wheelchair traffic must use a temporary ramp at the stairs west of the Fishbowl terrace. Campus pedestrians and bicyclists also need to pay attention to increased truck traffic on East 13th and University.

Jon Cawthorne, Knight Library; Daniel Goldrich, Political Science; and Stephanie Paramore, Career Center, are 1997 recipients of Outstanding Faculty Awards. Multicultural Affairs honored them May 17 for their "commitment to working with students of color and dedication to increasing ethnic and racial diversity at the University of Oregon."

Four doctoral degree candidates--Laura Clarke, Physics; Alexis Easley, English; Stuart McElderry, History; and David Watters, Linguistics--are recipients of 1997 UO Doctoral Research Fellowships. Each award for up to 12 months includes a $15,000 stipend and a tuition waiver to support exceptional, advanced doctoral degree candidates as they complete their research and write their dissertations.

Keith Richard, who retired last fall after 24 years as UO archivist, was honored May 16 in Spokane, Wash., as one of the first two recipients of "Emeritus Member" awards from Northwest Archivists, Inc. (NWA). Richard and John Guido, head of Washington State University's Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections, were recognized for their service to NWA, their universities and the archives profession. Both are former presidents of the organization whose nearly 170 members include professional archivists, users of archives and others interested in the preservation and use of archival materials in the Pacific Northwest.

George Wickes, English emeritus, edited Henry Miller and James Laughlin, Selected Letters (W.W. Norton & Co., 1996).

Jon Erlandson, Anthropology, is co-author of "An Archaeological and Paleontological Chronology for Daisy Cave (CA-SMI-261), San Miguel Island, California" in the most recent issue of the journal Radiocarbon. He also is editor of Archaeology of the California Coast during the Middle Holocene (UCLA Institute of Archaeology, 1997) in which he is the author of two papers, "The Middle Holocene along the California Coast" and "The Middle Holocene on the Western Santa Barbara Coast."

Lowell Bowditch, Classics, presented "The Economy of `Otium': Representations of Horace's Estate" at the American Philological Association's annual meeting Dec. 29 in New York City.