Letters, Higher Education Section, The Australian

30 September 1992

BOLD FACE HEADLINE: GALE BLOWS COLD ON HOT ISSUE

    We write as postgraduate members of the Centre for
Archaeology (formerly Department of Archaeology) of the
University of Western Australia in response to the feature
interview with Professor Fay Gale (HES, 23/9).

    We totally disagree with the statement that she
"handled the archaeological fight effectively."  We find it
insulting that Professor Gale claims to "have been strong
and moved quickly".  In fact, considerable time appears to
have been wasted in sanctioning what amounted to a witch
hunt against Professor Sandra Bowdler rather than
addressing the real source of the problem.

    The university administration's apparent failure to
honestly answer the ongoing media speculation merely gave
credibility to what proved to be a series of totally
unsubstantiated allegations. Professor Gale appears to have
chosen to allow media attention to focus on Professor
Bowdler as a distraction from the real issue.

    We see no evidence to support Professor Gale's
description of "her campus style as consultative" and take
exception to her denial that "her administration has been
too isolated from campus life", Continued attempts by staff
and students from archaeology to obtain any information or
reassurance from this administration concerning the problem
met with a complete lack of response.

    We find Professor Gale's assessment of her achievements
as presented in the feature article, particularly in regard
to her relationship to the university community, to be
unrealistic.  If her handling of the situation that
occurred in the Department of Archaeology is any indication
of her administrative style, then dark times lie ahead for
the University of Western Australia.

Martin Gibbs, Cathy Stokes, Lynda Strowbridge [sic=Strawbridge]

Centre for Archaeology

University of Western Australia

The relevant passages from the 23 September 1992 interview
cited above include: Title: GALE'S MILD BREEZE OF CHANGE

By Stephen Matchett

    Fay Gale says she is "a conservative who has been
billed as a radical."  She is a bit of both.

    Now in her third year as vice-chancellor of the
University of Western Australia, her administrative style
remains cautions.  She has not radically changed the
direction of the university and has a steady approach when
talking about student numbers and discipline mix.  
[ . . .]

    Fay Gale may walk softly, but she appears very
conscious of the substantial stick she carries as
vice-chancellor.  She describes her campus style as
consultative and denies her administration has been too
isolated\ from campus life.  "I have achieved a lot but I
have tried to do it in a not too conspicuous way," she
says.

    This is not always a style which can quickly defuse
difficult situations.  A long controversy in the
archaeology department has been both an internal and public
relations problem for the university.  The squabble based
around management problems and personal relationships,
split the department headed by Professor Sandra Bowdler and
generated internal reports and a closed-session debate in
the university Senate. 

    Despite six months of controversy, which has found its
way into the press, Professor Gale believes she handled the
archaeology fight effective: "I have been strong and moved
quickly."

    She rejects claims of sexual harassment in the
department saying no formal accusations have been made. 
"there has been lots of talk but not formal complaints and
I have dealt with ever issue that I can have validated,"
she says.
[. . . ]