page 2
daily nebraskan
.monday, january 14, 1980
Ex-worker says Boys Town is becoming ghost town
Editor's Note: This is the first in a two-part series.
By Cynthia Coglianese
OMAHA-Recent changes in the child care program at
Boys Town are not in the best interest of the boys there,
contend former employees, staff members and teachers.
But the Boys Town administration says the changes are
being made in accordance with the times and are in the
best interest of the home's 374 boys.
The critics, some of them Boys Town employees and
former employees of 20 years, make the following
accusations:
-Boys Town is not taking care of enough boys.
-The new program reduces boys to statistics.
-More money is going to outside projects than to the
boys.
-Boys Town chooses boys to fit its program.
-The changes are institutionalizing Boys Town.
-There is no love for the boys among the administrat
ion and no comradeship among the employees.
-There is a high turnover rate of family -teachers
(couples assigned to homes as surrogate parents).
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-Hoys Town is becoming a "ghost town."
To these charges, the administration said it expects
criticism from former staff members because it is changing
the program and introducing a new philosophy in child
care.
"Boys Town is a ghost town' are the words of a
former employee of nine years at Father Flanagan's Home
for Boys.
It is not the kind of ghost town with tumbleweeds and
dusty streets, but the former employee feels that other
projects at Boys Town are phasing the boys out.
In jeopardy
"With the small number of boys under care (300 to
350 in a home designed to accommodate 1000), the'
school system is in jeopardy. The vocational school, an
excellent facility, is suffering from lack of students," the
employee said.
"A visitor touring Boys town will see only a collection
of empty buildings instead of a boys town. Boys Town as
a 'City of Little Men' no longer exists. The traditional
town cqneept has been or will be completely eliminated,"
the former employee said.
Other employees whose jobs were phased out because
of a massive program change echo these words. They are
reluctant to attach names to their comments because they
fear possible repercussions, yet they are willing to speak
out on their grievances.
A former employee said a consequence of the new
program has been the closing of dining halls, warehouses,
the clothing 'Store., butcher shop, medical and dental
services, the printing shop and laundry.
Additionally, the employee said, the bank and social
services were phased out of Boys Town. Emphasis was
placed on a family -type atmosphere. The boys and family,
teachers must go into the community to seek services
closed on campus. .
Said Dr. Elery Phillips, director of Youth Care at Boys
Town: "The Youth Care program has changed
dramatically from when Father Flanagan lived but I
firmly believe that we still aspire to the original goals of
Father Flanagan. In fact, 1 feel that if he were alive today,
this is exactly the kind of program he would want,"
Hupp agrees
The Rev. Robert P. Hupp, Boys Town d i recto r agrees,
adding that because of changes over time. Boys Town has
been forced to change its program-sometimes to the dis
may of long-time staff members.
Maurice Wolff, 74, taught economics, government and
French at Boys Town for 1 7 years before retiring. He said
he remains loyal to Boys Town but he is doubtful of the
new administration's capabilities and the new program.
"The only criticism I would have of the place is I don't
think they have enough kids. I'm not in a position to
criticize., I'm just making a personal opinion," Wolff said
from his modest Omaha home, "They're making big
mistakes out there. They have only 200 to 350 guinea pigs
out there trying out their new program,"
Wolff adds:. "They have the money and the facilities
but they don't accept kids anymore. It's a fact, Boys
Town is there to help homeless boys and the
administration isn't doing its job,"
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The Most Rev. Daniel E. Sheehan, president of the
Boys Town board of directors and archbishop of the
Omaha archdiocese, added: 'The changes at Boys Town
.are in accordance with the times. There is no longer a
need merely for food and education like there was years
ago. We have a much more complex society now. The new
model and direction of Boys Town is more in tune with
modern times."
Vity of Little Men no longer exists
The new model was initiated in 1975 by Phillips and
Dean Fixen, director of the child care assistance program
at Boys Town. Both were behavioral psychology
professors at the University of Kansas before they were
invited to come to Boys Town by Father Hupp.
Phillips and Fixen designed a program at the University
of Kansas to help displaced children adjust in a large
society. At Boys Town, a behavioral technology called the
family -teaching model replaced the old programs.
Problem solving
"Our philosophy is behavioral, humanistic and a little
bit of everything," Phillips said. "We don't know what
goes on inside the mind, so we need to teach. If an
individual can learn skills, he can solve problems.
Phillips' model contrasts with another kind of
psychology he calls ' the mentalistic, or Freudian
psychology.
"That's the psychology where we look at an individual
and say we can't change the individual until we find out
what is going on inside his mind."
Basically, Phillips' model provides boys with rewards
as incentives. Boys negotiate for privileges according to
how they behave-each day under the scrutiny of their
family -teachers.
Family-teachers act as surrogate parents in each of the
home's 41 cottages. Eight to 10 boys live in the homes.
In 1946, founder Father Flanagan had big plans for his
home, A $10 million building program was designed to
take care of 1 ,000 boys. Today Boys Town has about 374
boys on campus, with a capacity of 410 boys.
Continued on page 9
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