Employees Association Union Organizing Committee (CSEA), a statewide union present on
most SUNY schools, visited campus to explain its positions.
After four months of deliberation and discussions among them- selves, and with
members of the administration and representatives of the union, the staff voted on April 27,
1989. Clarkson set up a shuttle bus running every 15 minutes from the hill campus to Snell Hall
throughout the day so employees could vote. The staff rejected the union by a vote of 99-38. Of
146 employees eligible to vote, 145 ballots were cast; eight were not counted because of legal
challenges.
TUB.
An addition to the Educational Resources Center was completed in September. Called the
Temporary Union Building (TUB), this area was set aside as places for students to study, to
meet, to socialize. Expecting that the Hill campus would have a student union constructed
within the foreseeable future, the student body pushed for this temporary locale.
Once the Cheel Center was completed in 1991, this area became the Career
Development Center, bringing a busy office much closer to job-hunting students. (See 1986)
Alcohol Survey.
During the winter months of 1987-88, the Board On Alcohol and Responsible
Drinking (BOARD) conducted a survey of drinking habits and attitudes at Clarkson. Given to
50 randomly selected freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, this survey revealed that
drinking was quite heavy at Clarkson, as on many other college campuses. Forty-two percent
said that they drank two or three times a week or more, and 29 percent said that they usually
drank seven, or eight, or more drinks per occasion.
This survey also looked at peer pressure and its effects on drinking. Results indicated
that almost half of the respondent's consumption was influenced by how much or how often
friends drank; more than half reported that their consumption was increased markedly by a
friend or date constantly offering more drinks, especially during drinking games. The resultant
statistics showed alarming results:
75 percent drank to unwind;
62 percent drank to celebrate;
33 percent have had blackouts two or more times while drinking;
25 percent admitted that they drank to gain self-confidence;
17 percent have damaged property two or more times after drinking too much;
15 percent drank when they felt depressed;
13 percent have been criticized by friends two or more times for drinking too much;
12 percent admitted that they had driven two or more times after drinking too much;
10 percent have gotten into fights two or more times after drinking.
In response, BOARD, Student Development, and the Residence Life office
implemented several programs to combat this problem. One, the Peer Alcohol Advisor
Program, trained 70 students to be aware of alcohol problems on campus and to understand
ways to talk with friends who might have drinking problems. Alcohol Awareness Week
(October 11-14) worked to educate the Clarkson community about the dangers of alcohol.
Phonathon Record.
After 24 evenings of rigorous dialing, the Fall Phonathon netted a grand
total of $325,000, surpassing 1987s total by more than $45,000. More than 650 students
