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Social, Legał Teachings to Merge in New Minor

Couch Fire in Kelly A Is Called Act of Arson

By Jim Pa—ano

There was a reported case of areon

By Ron Dunphy

The Social and Behavioral Science Department, the Pre-Law Department, and Political Science Department have combined their efforts to create a new interdisciplinary Socio-Legal Studie?

Saturday night in the center hall lounge of Kelly A. The incident occurred at about 10 PM. according to Chief Fire Safety Marshal Bill Schultz.

Schultz said that the fire began when an unknown person dropped a flaming piece of paper from an upper floor down to the fi ret floor lounge. The paper landed on the couches in the lounge. which caught fire and bumed through the wood. Pam Brown, the Resident Aasistant (RA) on duty, said that the fire was put out by a student living on the firet floor. She stated that she did not arrive on the scene until after the stu-minor. The emphasis of the minor will be about law and ita relationship with society.

"We’re trying to do something dif-ferent than give a lega) education,”said June Starr, the minor co-ordinator.

dent, Kevin Twomey. eztinguished the flaming couch.

Schultz said that aithough the fire was out when he arrived on the scene, he could tell it was definitely a case of araon. "It was out by the time we got there. It wasn't a big fire. but there was about $400 worth of damage done to the lounge." he said. Steve Kent, another RA in Kelly A said aithough he wasn*t there at the time, he later saw the after effects. “There is a big hole in the lounge [couch] now," he said.

Schultz added that aithough the fire was contained in the lounge. the second floor was filled with smoke and the building was evacuated. The matter is still under investigation at this time.

"We're trying to de-mystify law and and create morę awareness of how confiicts are reaolved in different societies." Starr said the couree is a "cross cultural comparative." of the difference in legał systems between several countries. in-cluding China, the United States. Turkay. and ,some middle eastern countries.

The requirements for the minor are as follows: POL 220. thrce credits in the areaof “Ethnic Diversity and Legał Plu-ralism." 12 credits from a “list of ap-proved courses." and ANT 411. ANT 411 is being introduced as a new class. The course will be listed as “Law and Conflict Resolution. Socio-Legal Perspective."

Starr said that some professors are re-designing their courses to stress the "interdisciplinary" aspect of the minor. Merton Reichler.a Pre-Law Advisor,“is going to slowly redesign POL 220 and begin using morę cross-cultural exam-ples," Starr said.

The minor is not restricted only to those interested in pursuing a legał ca-reer. According to literaturę available on the new minor, it will be useful to studenta planning a career in public policy, law. legał services. rural devel-opment studies and urban affairs.

Original SB Prof Plans to Retire

(eontinued from pagt 5) rule. or seek other avenues so he could continue to teach one class per semester. he is disappointed that he cannot continue. “I suppose the idea is that eve-ryone would liketoslowdowngradually and not stop abruptly."

Fiessdoes. however, have plans for the time that retirement will afford him. He plans to do some traveling with his wife Natalie, who is assistant to the Chem-istry chairman here. He al9o plans to do some writing. including a “piece on Henry James that I fooled around with too long.” But what Fies? said he will probably do the most deals with what started his ^areer.

“It sounds paradoxicat but one of the things 111 have time for is reading. I have ceruin projects lined up....I want to re-read Gibbons’ ‘Decline and Fali of the Roman Empire.’ ”

Fiess will have towaituntil nextweek to start that project. He is being honored next Wednesday by his fellow faculty members at a luncheon at The End of the Bridge restaurant in the Stony Brook Student Union.

Preparingfor the 21st Century in Today’s World

Sf afMik« Chan

Patriei« Rob«fti Harn» \*oconć from l®ft) the lut ipuka tor ih« 1933 84 Univar»rtv O-itmg.i.ihnd Luctura Series tpnaks ,vith Harry Weiner. daan of the Averell Harrimao College for PoUcy Anelysu and Public Menegement

Lecture Series Concludes Until Fali

The speakere for the 1983-1984 Dis-tinguished Lecture Series came from as far away as the West Coast to discuss topics ranging from the thoughts within a human mind to the ezploration of the depths of the univeree. The series con-cluded last Monday night with a lecture by Patricia Roberta Harris on the proe-pects for the next century.

In ita sccond year of existence. the Lecture Series has brought to Stony Brook seven noted scholars and public officials to talk about the ideas for which they are recognized and that they have developed over the couree of their lives.

Czesław Mikwz. the 1980 Nobel Lau-reate in Literaturę, opened the series last November with a readingofsomeof

his poetry. In December. Paul Ehrlich. a well-known ecologist. spoke before a filled Main Stage at the Fine Arta Center on the possible aftermath of a nuclear war. Eleanor Holmes Norton came here in February to discuss the advances madę in Affirmative Action. some of which she was responsible as the firet woman to chair the U.S. Equal Employment Commission. March brought three speakera who spoke respectively on advances in space science®. man’s purpose in life. and on becom-ing a writer. These speakere were: E.. Marga ret Burbidge. Admirał Hyman G. Rickover. and Carlos Fuentes.

The lecturere for the series arechoaen from nominatłons madę by student.

faculty. and community members. Nominations for next years lecture series are encouraged to be submitted by June l. 1984 to the Provost's office.

Yideotapesof past lectures are avai labie and those wishing to see them can eon tac t the Educational Communications Center on campus. Radio broad-casts of each lecture. by WUSB. the campus radio station are madę at a predetermined time following each lecture. The station is at 90.1 on the FM dial.

The tape of the lecture by Carlos Fuentes will be broadcast this Thura-day. May 10 at 9 PM. The lecture by Patricia Harris will be broadcast on June 14at9 PM.

(continutd from pagr .1)

In respon.se to a question from the audience on how to mobilize people to effective political. economic. and social activity. Harris replied that we must “first improve our judgnment about how wcchose our leaders. Thequalityof political discourse in this country is appallingly Iow and we accept it. We want to be entertained by our leaders."

Inslead of looking for competence. experience. and integrity voters see what Harris considers trivial matters-such as whether a candidate is duli. moves in an interesting way. or has an eye-catehing advertising campaign. As a result. “We don’t have a leadership elite who are seeking juslice for people who have not madę it but one for people who are trying to figurę out how to get an even better watch and how they can afford an Alfa Romero now that they are bored with the Mercedes.” said Harris.

Though it may be easy to blame a political establishment as being alienated from the common person. Harris warned against believing that the contro! has “always been somebody that is rich or in the power structure." Harris pointed out that “it was a black. former Civil-Rights leader who was the first mayor to cali for the elimination of public assistance." and that other minonty public officials disconnected from the power structure were calling for an end to help for the disadvantaged.

“The callousness and the cruelty have seeped down from those who had once been ita victims." said Harris. "We must become angrier with bnth our academic and political leadership. We can look forward to a twenty-firet century which is livable only if we become less reiuc-tant to challenge those who go through the motions of seeking justice but never seeming to find iL"

STATESMAN Wedneaday. May 9. 1984