THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 30, 1994 TAG: 9409290059
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KIRSTEN WILLIAMS CAMPUS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
WILLIAM W. HARMON, the vice president for student affairs at the University of Virginia, loves his new office overlooking the Lawn, the grassy section that forms the core of Mr. Jefferson's university.
``What a front yard!'' Harmon said. ``You are just in the heart of tradition and history.''
But Harmon has made history himself at the university. He became the first black vice president when he assumed his position on Aug. 15.
``It's about time,'' said Harmon, who was also one of the first black deans at Wichita State University in Kansas from 1985 to 1990.
Harmon, who gets $130,000 a year, steps into a job surrounded by controversy. U.Va. has recently made national headlines over criticism of the student-run honor system's handling of a cheating case.
It won't be anything new for Harmon. The soft-spoken, reflective man had his share of battles at the University of Pittsburgh, where he was vice chancellor of student affairs.
Last year, Harmon was criticized for agreeing with the student arts committee to ban the display of an explicit painting at a student art show. The painting depicted a tree composed of penises and a woman lying on her back.
``It wasn't a matter of censorship,'' he said. ``It was a matter of taste. My interpretation was, it was a form of harassment because it shows a woman in a submissive position, so I said, `You can't do it.' ''
But, he added, ``I knew it was a losing battle.'' Threatened with legal action by the American Civil Liberties Union, Harmon relented, allowing the picture to be shown - but a screen was placed in front of it and a warning sign was posted at the door.
At Pittsburgh, Harmon also became embroiled in debate about the administration's ability to crack down on off-campus parties.
Responding to complaints from the community, Harmon and a committee including students pushed to expand jurisdiction to off-campus parties. However, no disciplinary action was taken against students.
``The definition of campus extends to any recognized student organization,'' Harmon said, explaining his rationale. ``We are responsible for inviting students to this community. . . . There are certain expectations about how students will represent the university and themselves.''
Harmon said he wasn't sure he'd intervene in the same way at U.Va. ``I just haven't heard any complaints yet'' from the community, he said. ``I had a meeting with the president of the Inter-Sorority Council, and they are attempting to do some things to ensure students who live off grounds, especially Greeks, demonstrate respect.''
Despite his controversial stands, student leaders at Pitt spoke highly of Harmon.
Heath Golden, a member of the student government board, said Harmon dealt fairly with fraternities and sororities. ``He made it clear that he didn't want any problems with them,'' Golden said. But ``no fraternities were kicked off campus or anything.''
Christine Hanna, editor-in-chief of the Pitt News, said the newspaper sharply criticized him for his handling of the art show. But Hanna said: ``I thought Dr. Harmon was a good vice chancellor because he was very involved with the students. If problems came up, he always took the time to deal with them.''
For instance, she said, after a black student group refused the student paper access to its meetings, Harmon organized students from both sides to reach a compromise.
Although he has acted firmly, Harmon said he strongly believes in students' abilities to police themselves. ``Student self-governance is important because if we are concerned with student leadership, then I can can think of no better environment for it to grow.''
Of the U.Va. honor debate, he said: ``The honor system is going to be challenged, and I don't think there is anything wrong with that. The system itself is solid.''
Harmon received a bachelor's in biology from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C.; a master's in educational counseling and guidance from Seton Hall University in New Jersey; and a doctorate in higher education administration from Kansas State University.
He had been vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Pittsburgh since 1990. Pitt, an urban school with 34,000 students, has a different atmosphere than the University of Virginia.
But when he was asked, ``What other institutions would you leave Pitt for?'' U.Va. was one of the four schools on his list. (The others were Princeton, Harvard and Berkeley.)
``When this opportunity presented itself,'' he said, ``it was destiny.
``It seemed to me U.Va. was doing something right,'' Harmon said. ``I was impressed by the level of student involvement and the extent to which faculty and administrators involve themselves with students.'' MEMO: Kirsten Williams is a junior at the University of Virginia, majoring in
English. She graduated from Kecoughtan High School in Hampton. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by CHRIS MCKENNEY
``You are in the heart of tradition and history,'' says U.Va. vice
president William W. Harmon about the school.
by CNB