tl19730323-000 "towerlight Volume XXVI No. 22 Towson State College March 23, 1973 Towson, Md. 21204 Analysis: Fisher blasted in questionable articles by George E. Mattingly Towson State College President Dr. James L. Fisher came under fire from the Baltimore Evening Sun and local electronic media early this week for using a car provided him by Brooks Buick Incorporated of Towson. Sunpapers reported David Lightman said that Dr. Fisher receives the car for three months each year as a ""favor"" from the dealership. Lightman went on to quote Brooks Buick general manager David Widows as stating that he ""gets a lot of business out of the college."" He also alleged that Brooks Buick gave Towson a Buick Opel that was ""used during athletic events and at other times stayed on display in the gymnasium."" The Sunpapers went on to question Fisher's ethics on their editorial pages on the strength of Lightman's article, and called for the state's board of ethnics to take a good look into the matter. Local electronic media stated a similar theme, claiming that the College did business with Brooks Buick. Lightman's story would appear to be less than accurate. While it is true that Fisher uses a car provided by Brooks Buick for his use, it is not true that the College deals with Brooks Buick, nor is it true that a Buick Opel was or is on display in Burdick Hall. The car is provided by Brooks Buick for the use of the President, as are two others for the College's driver education program. The College has absolutely no business relation with Brooks Buick, and could not have one even if Fisher desired it, due to state purchasing regulations. In a statement released by the Office of News and Publication Services, Fisher said that ""by accepting the cars, the College is able to purchase fewer state vehicles, thus saving the taxpayers thousands of dollars."" President James L. Fisher has been criticized for using a free Brooks Brother Buick. Full text of remarks on page 7: Photo by Buddy Rehrey College returns media's fire at Thursday press conference by George Mattingly Towson State College Director of News and Publications, William Carey revealed this afternoon that the source used by Sunpapers reporter David Lightman in connection with recent Evening Sun articles and editorial commentary, concerning Outlook for lowering credit requirement Fisher's use of a car from Brooks to 120 hours by Susan DeBolt Academic Council members Dean Kenneth Shaw, Faculty Association President Harold Muma, assistant English professor Donald Craver and Chairman Herbert Andrews seem to agree that students have yet to show justification for their desire to modify the graduation requirement from 128 credits to 120. All have called for extensive investigation into the question of changing the requirement. Andrews summed up the opinions of the group as he said that there ""has to be some pretty good justification for the change including that students are going to learn just as much."" He continued, ""I have not yet been presented with any persuasive evidence that 120 credits would be preferrable to 128."" The Academic Standards Committee, headed by Shaw, is currently studying the question. Student Government President Rick Danoff, has composed a list of reasons to justify the proposed change, but the list has yet to be sent to the Standards Committee for consideration. Danoff listed prime benefits as cost benefit analysis and the greater concentration on quality education rather than quantity. He also feels that the reduction appears to be dim would alleviate a system which ""creates a hardship"" for students in that, according to the registrar the average student takes only 14 credits per semester. Danoff also said that the reduction would provide a less restrictive format-more in line with the Maryland Council on Higher Education's recommendations, plus it would keep pace with other higher learning institutions. The proposed change would also benefit in scheduling classes and taking meaningless elective courses. The SGA president also urged that Health, Education and Welfare guidelines be met. He goo 41100.A Photo by Buddy Rehrey Dr. Herbert Andrews, chairman of the Academic Council. gave an example in that a school tells applicants for administration that they have five years to graduate but a five year schedule with 12 credits per semester will still be short eight credits at the time of graduation. Danoff believes that this does not ""encourage minority and lower income groups to attend Towson State. SGA Senator Bob Leatherwood called for the change in order ""to bring Towson in line with other liberal arts colleges in the area."" He said that the 128 credits was good when Towson was primarily a teacher education institution but that the number is no longer justifiable. The Academic Council recently sent the question to the Standards Committee for consideration, and their report will probably be revealed in May. Chairman Andrews said the council's position was ""let us look into getting more information with apparently lower requirements to see what other schools require for graduation."" Other Maryland schools which require 128 credits are Morgan, Bowie and Goucher, whereas Salisbury, Frostburg, (Continued to Page 5) Buick, was a member of the state board of ethics who has disagreed with Dr. Fisher in recent months on items unrelated to the use of car. Carey indicated that Lightman was duped by the board member into running a three year old story as though it were a hot news item, and failed to give Lightman the full story. Vice-President of Institutional Development, Paul E. Wisdom, speaking at a press conference called after Carey discovered the source for the articles while talking with reporter Lightman on the telephone,said that the member""by using the press in this manner while a member of the Board of Ethics, this person, however unintentionally, appears to have committed a violation of ethics which makes a mockery of the important body which is suppose to judge the practices of all other state officials."" Wisdom, who stated in a letter to the editor of the Evening Sun that he was ""shocked to read Lightman's 'critical � and almost totally inaccurate article' in the March 19th edition of the Evening Sun, went on to state that Lightman himself ""registered amazement"" that his source did not reveal the facts behind the case. Dr. Edgar Berman, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Maryland State College System, said that it ""pained"" him to attend a press conference on ""such basic trivia as this."" Berman went on to state that he ""didn't have to defend Jim Fisher,"" because ""his record stood for itself."" He indicated that former President of the Board of Trustees of the Maryland State College System, Mathias DeVito, had full knowledge of the matter, and supported the use of the car just as he ""supported the use of any gift"" from the private sector. Berman accused the Sun of ""journalistic schizophrenia,"" saying that while the paper was trying to build the city of Baltimore, it is trying to ""tear down one of the best college Presidents in the country."" Berman noted that Fisher's use of the car resulted in a $1,20041,500 a year savings to the taxpayers. In a related development, Martin B. Greenfeld, Assistant Attorney General of the State of Maryland for Towson State College confirmed today that he had requested an ethics board ruling on the case last July, and again in October and February of this year. The Board never ruled on the case. Greenfeld said that he assumed that the board did no take up the matter immediately ""because they don't meet too often during the summer."" Wisdom collaborated Greenfeld's story in his remarks at the press conference. In addition, he stated that the Board of Ethics also discussed the entire Towson State fund raising program at its February meeting, and that the Board ""appeared supportive of President Fisher's efforts to improve the College by the means of private gifts and loans."" "
