Lawsuit Against Performer.
In an out-of-court settlement, Clarkson's College Union Board
(CUB) was awarded approximately $2,100 for its breach-of-contract suit filed against Billy
Preston. Preston had been scheduled to appear at Colgate on September 8, 1972, and then at
Clarkson on September 9, but he failed to show for either date.
Apparently a mixup in communications caused the problem. In August, Preston had
instructed his personal agent to try to get him out of this contract which had been signed in
June. To do so, his agent contacted an agency which in turn dealt with the College
Entertainment Associates, the agency hired by the Clarkson and Colgate CUBs. Preston's agent
failed to get him out of the contract, but Preston claimed he never received that information,
and assumed the concert dates had been cancelled.
Clarkson and Colgate both sued; each received the same amount of money. CUB
booking chairman Joey Lamonico stated that this victory was unusual, for performers usually
are protected by an "Act of God" clause, allowing them to break the contract for such reasons as
illness, accident, inclement weather, transportation difficulties, etc.
Biology Program.
Dr. Robert Costa of the SUNY Brockport Department of Biological
Sciences was hired to investigate the possibilities of establishing a biology program at
Clarkson. He interviewed high school seniors and current Clarkson students for expressions of
interest in such a program. Active student interest in biomedical engineering, biochemistry, and
pre-med, convinced the College to begin a biology program by 1974. It also served to attract
transfer students.
In time, the program grew to offer over 35 different courses consisting of 23 lecture
courses, five lab courses, two research courses, and five directed study courses. From it
emerged the Industrial Hygiene and the Environmental Toxicology majors, both of which
emphasize the use of analytical chemistry, environmental health, and toxicology in the world of
industry.
Voices, Literary Magazine.
Freshmen in one of the options among the second semester
humanities courses, HU121 Introduction to Fiction, taught by Dr. Joel Ray and Mr. Ron Ein,
contributed some of their creative efforts to inaugurate a Clarkson literary magazine,
Voices
. Its
first issue went on sale in April and contained poetry, prose, and drama.
Pass-No Entry Policy.
Introduced at the beginning of the spring 1973 semester, a new Pass-No
Entry policy allowed students to enroll in a course with little worry about it affecting their
overall GPA. If their work received a grade of C or better, their transcripts would show a P
indicating "Pass"; if their grade was D or below, the course would not be entered on the
transcript, just as though they never had taken it. This allowed students to take courses in areas
in which they were curious or had a passing interest, but which were not especially relevant to
their specific majors. It allowed "intellectual curiosity" to flourish.
Manufacturing Technology.
A new program leading to a bachelor of professional studies
began in the mechanical engineering department. Designed as a two-year curriculum for
qualified graduates of two-year colleges, this new program was planned to lead to careers in
machine and product development, product and tooling design, quality control, process
development, and manufacturing planning. An advisory board of representatives from industry
