The Australian: Higher Education Supplement
3 June 1992

EX-ARCHAEOLOGY HEAD STANDS HER GROUND
By Joe Poprzeczny

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    I FEEL I'VE BEEN DISCRIMINATED AGAINST, RIGHT DOWN THE LINE.

     The embattled former head of the University of Western
Australia's Department of Archaeology, Professor Sandra
Bowdler, is standing her ground on controversial reports
which threaten to see her department merged into the
Department of Anthropology.

    Professor Bowdler is highly critical of the two reports
(she decided to stand down after the first report) and said
she believed she had not been accorded due process and
natural justice. 

    She is keeping her options open and may even take the
matter to the University Visitor, the Ombudsman or the
State's Equal Opportunity Commission.

    The two reports arose because of several complaints
from students and some staff relating to management
problems, equity issues and inter-personal relationships,
which, according to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Fay
Gale, "were damaging to the objectivity of the department."

    The complaints came largely in the form of letters to
Professor Gale and the review committees.  They were also
accompanied by several statements from people supporting
Professor Bowdler.

    "Anybody can write letters, not one of these things has
ever been put to proof," said Professor Bowdler.

    She said she was shown the first report which was
compiled after a routine review of her department.

    Three formal recommendations from that report addressed
alleged problems in management practices, in the growth of
divisions within the department, and "purportedly
inequitable behaviour."

    This led Professor Gale to commission a second inquiry,
involving the university's Dean of Law, Professor Stan
Hotop, and the former deputy vice-chancellor (academic),
Professor Doug Clyde.

    But this report is being kept secret by Professor Gale.
Subsequently, Professor Bowdler was given 30 days to answer
a series of written questions.  These were presented after
Professor Gale sought advice from the legal personnel
attached to the Australian Higher Education Industrial
Association.

    Professor Bowdler said she had not been allowed to view
the Hotop report and it is not on the agenda for today's
academic council meeting which will consider Professor
Gale's recommendations to merge the departments and shut
down the income-earning Centre for Prehistory which was
also headed by Professor Bowdler.

    It also appears the Hotop report has not been shown to
rank-and-file University Senate members who will make the
final decisions.

    Professor Bowdler said the decision to hold the second
inquiry probably arose from the fact that she fundamentally
objected to the way the initial review was handled.

    "I think it largely arose from my complaints about the
shoddiness of the first review." Professor Bowdler said. "I
said that first review makes all these assertions and there
is no supporting evidence, no supporting documentation, and
then next thing you know is they begin soliciting letters
from people to provide evidence for assertions made in the
first review.

    "The next thing you know there are two people asked to
read this next lot of letter -- but it's hardly a second
independent report. It's just really trying to scramble
about to dig up something to justify what was said in the
first report. 

    "I feel victimised all the time by all of this.  I feel
I've been totally discriminated against, right down the
line."

    Asked if she may turn to channels outside the
university she said: "Abosolutely.  I'm keeping those
options open until this thing is laid to some sort of rest.
All those options are on my mind."

    The dispute is complicated by the fact that archaeology
lecturer Dr David Rindos was moved last year to the
Geography Department. 

    Three archaeology postgraduate students were also
transferred with Dr Rindos.

    Since the, another three students have entered
archaeology via geography.

    The current recommendation to merge archaeology and
anthropology does not involve Dr Rindos and his fate and
that of his research group is yet to be determined.