Oregon daily emerald., January 13, 1972, Page 3, Image 3

University legal team assists students
By TORRIE McALLISTER
Of the Emerald
Lawyers Robert Ackerman and
Richard Owens form the legal team
hired by the ASUO to provide legal
consultation and representation for
University students.
“As of last summer there were
two similar legal programs in the
United States, providing complete
legal services to students,”
Ackerman said. “Since then we have
been contacted by 15 other cam
puses looking into the University’s
program.”
Ackerman describes group legal
services as a relatively new kind of
service where a lawyer or a law firm
provides defined legal services to
members of a group.
'Hie services of Ackerman and
Owens are available to any student
at the University who has paid his
fees. The ASUO spends about $1500 a
month to retain the team with
money that comes out of students’
incidental fees.
The ASUO Legal Service office
is located on the 3rd floor of the
EMU. Owens is available in the
morning. Ackerman keeps af
ternoon office hours.
An average case load during fall
term was abo it 75 students a month.
Ackerman said. We are in our EMU
office every weekday, and have seen
students during weekends and over
vacations when necessary, he said.
Ackerman explained that while
they prefer to see students by ap
pointment, if a student comes in and
the lawyers are available they will
talk over the problems.
“Everyone who makes an ap
pointment will see an attorney,”
Ackerman said. “If a student wants
to see a lawyer we think he should be
able to see one. If we have to turn
him down because we can’t handle
his particular case we want to ad
vise him and Jet him know why.”
Ackerman explained that this
attitude reflects the desire of
President Iain More and the ASUO
to provide more personal, in
dividualized services to students.
Tlie kinds of cases handled by
Ackerman and Owens during fall
term ranged from landlord-tenent
problems to no-fault divorces. Under
their ASUO contract the services
Ackerman and Owens can render
include: review and drafting of
leases, contracts and settlements,
advice and consultation on any legal
matter, legal research necessary to
adequately represent the client, and
assistance in no-fault divorce.
Ackerman explained that
much of their work for students
involves negotiations to resolve a
dispute, and the drafting of legal
Robert Ackerman
documents.
“We try to avoid litigation (a
contested law suit) whenever
possible,” he said. "We take the
problem up to the point where you
have to go to court. This has never
happened yet.”
The ASUO contract does not
allow Ackerman or Owens to make
appearances in civil cases in any
court.
“If a student is in trouble we can
negotiate and advise him up to the
point where h~ is arrested, and in
jail,” Ackerman said. “Once a
student has been arrested, if he has
financial need, he can get a court
appointed attorney.”
“If a student wants to take a
case to court and represent himself,
we can do the basic research, and
advise him on how to handle it,”
Ackerman said. “But we don’t
necessarily recommend it.”
Ackerman’s case record shows
a diverse list of claims handled for
students during fall term. Landlord
tenant complaints, loans, state
residency, domestic relation,
unemployment compensation, wage
claims, immigration, name
changes, and insurance are among
the problems dealt with during the
first three months of the 1971-72
school year.
The no-fault divorce provision ot
the ASUO contract allows Owens
and Ackerman to process divorces
for students where the issues of
children, and property have been
resolved by the couple. This service
ordinarily costs a person around
$300, including the lawyers fee.
Under the no-fault divorce provision
the student pays a court cost of
about $70, and small fee for typing of
required papers.
Owens is a specialist in draft
problems and counseling, and acts
as an advisor for the ASUO Draft
and Military Information Center.
Nixon
appoints
Flemming
as aide
Arthur Flemming, a former
University of Oregon President, was
sworn in as a new “Presidential consultant
on aging” to President Nixon Tuesday
afternoon in the White House,
Flemming, 66, who was president of
the University from 1961 to 1968, will
receive $36,000 a year as Nixon’s aide.
President Nixon announced the ap
pointment at the White House Conference
on Aging Dec. 2. Flemming was head of
the 1971 conference.
Prior to the time he served as
University president, Flemming was
secretary of Health, Education and
Welfare in the late Dwight Eisenhower’s
cabinet. He left the University of Oregon to
become president of Macalester College in
St. Paul, Minn. He later left this position to
become chairman of President Nixon’s
1971 conference on aging.
Flemming’s assignment will involve
overseeing the development of policy
decisions by various federal agencies to
insure that they do not run counter to the
interests of elderly persons.
Faculty oks
PH.D. degree
in Business
Two personnel committees were formed
and the College of Business Ad
ministration was granted permission to
award a Ph.D. degree in Wednesday’s
brief meeting of University faculty.
Most of the 45-minute meeting was spent
discussing whether the College of Business
Administration should be allowed to award
a doctorate of philosophy (Ph D.) degree
instead of the DBA (doctorate of business
administration) degree.
The motion, which was approved by the
Faculty Senate last week, was presented
by Frank Reithel, Professor of chemistry,
on behalf of the Graduate Council. He said
the council felt the DBA degree was less
prestigious than the Ph.D. degree and
could hinder students when seeking jobs.
Discussion was centered on an amend
ment by Vice-President Harry Alpert to
postpone changing the degree until Oc
tober, 1972, when the Hearing Panel on
University Priorities (HPUP) will finish
its study of doctoral programs. The date
was subsequently changed to April, 1972.
Alpert’s amendment was criticized by
lain More, ASUO President, and Donald
Tull, Dean of the College They pointed out
that a delay could impede persons
presently seeking jobs and that changing
the degree would have no relevance to the
HPUP study
The amendment was defeated and the
main motion passed.
Also passed was Advisory Council
Chairman Paul Civin’s motion forming
two personnel committees to study
promotion and tenure. Civin said the
committees—a Professional School
Personnel Committee and a Liberal Arts
Personnel Committee would only “affect
one change in the procedure the Advisory
Council has been using in the review of
tenure and promotion.” Previously, the
Advisory Council appointed sub
committees to deal with tenure; the
motion would make the committees
elected from the faculty.
The motion passed with little discussion,
although Iain More raised the question of
student members on the committees, a
problem President Robert Clark referred
to the Student-Faculty Liaison Committee.
In other business, the body heard Clark
reassure them that any budget cuts will be
spread among all University areas and not
come only from the faculty portion of the
budget. However, he said, "We really do
not know what items will be cut from what
budget We are trying to achieve the goal
of reducing the budget by seven per cent
but, at the same time, trying to protect
positions of the faculty.”
FOLK CONCERT
featuring
OLD HAT BAND
&
Wheatfield
Saturday, January 15
8:00 p.m. EMU Ballroom
Presented by ASUO
Cultural Forum &
University Folk>
Music Club y
Admission
Children
— 5100 ’
— 50c i
SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDOE
Earn 1-9 hours credit
in Cl 409 or Cl 509
Optional Grading
Project Continuation needs tutors
with a desire to learn
as well as teach
Contact Kim Laiolo 305 Fenton Hall x3568
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