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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (July 20, 1972)
ACT demands release of info By CLAY EALS Of the Emerald A union of residents of the Amazon married student housing projects has demanded that nine categories of housing information in University files be released. The union —Amazon Cooperating Tenants (ACT)— also has threatened “an ap propriate legal suit” if the in formation is not delivered to it by next Monday. ACT’s action came in a letter dated Wednesday addressed to Roy Lieuallen, chancellor of the state system of higher education, and written by ACT’s attorney, Robert Ackerman. Demands release Ackerman’s letter demanded release of the nine categories of information, “pursuant to Chapter 192, Oregon Revised Statutes.” The categories are: —“Occupancy rates (for §iazon) from 1966 to June 30, 2 —“Names and addresses of all residents as of (Wednesday) in the Amazon Housing Project. —“All minutes of the Housing Policy Committee and Housing Governance Committee. —“All recommendations from the Housing Governance Com mittee recommending any in crease of rent for the Amazon Housing Project for fiscal year 1972-73. —“All recommendation for the Housing Policy Committee recommending any increase in rent for Amazon Housing Project for fiscal year 1971-72. —“The amounts of all financial reserves attributable to Amazon Housing Project from fiscal year 1966-67 to 1971-72 and all interest earned, therefore, and all transfers from said fund or funds. —“All long-range projections for Amazon Housing Project relating to rent increases or decreases, capital expenditures and improvements, and disposition of surplus earnings or profits attributable to Amazon housing Project.” ft- "All letters, memorandum or correspondence relating to proposed rent increases for Amazon Housing Project for fiscal year 1972-73.” —“All letters, memorandum and correspondence relating to ACT (and) their members after Jan. 1, 1972.” ACT members Dennis Gilbert, Carol Reich and Rich Reich said Wednesday that ACT had at tempted to obtain the nine categories of information last Friday. However, University administrators have declined to release it as of Tuesday, pending determination of legal in I JAMAIS $175 Wedding ring 29.75 Student Charge Accounts Invited Valley River & Downtown Eugene terpretations of such release, they said. Because the administrators have “stalled,” ACT has sought legal recourse, they said. Because “it appeared that they were stalling, ACT sought legal recourse through Ackerman,” Gilbert said. Hearing set “There are strong in dications,” Gilbert said, “that if we get this information, it will show bad faith on the part of the administration.” Gilbert, Reich and Reich said the nine categories of information will “help our case” at next Monday’s meeting of the State Board of Higher Education in Portland. There, a public hearing is scheduled on the issue of whether rent for Amazon should be in creased for 1972-73, Last spring, the University proposed a $7.50 a month in crease in the $42.50 monthly rent. However, the University has subsequently changed its proposed increase to $2.50, after ACT began speaking out against any rent increase in June. Gilbert said ACT’s original membership has waned from its original 80 per cent of Amazon’s 247 units. ACT’s membership is now “around 50 per cent,” but that is due to persons moving out of Amazon, he said. “No one has quit ACT,” he said. “We definitely have sup port.” Gilbert, Reich and Reich said they plan to circulate a new ACT petition soon to build up the union’s membership. ACT representatives plan to meet with Housing Director H.P. Barnhart at 10 a m. today in the Chapman Hall conference room to further discuss the Amazon rent issue. OSS heads to meet Clark A meeting between University President Robert Clark and the directors of all programs in the Office of Supportive Services (OSS) has been tentatively set for next Tuesday, according to one of the program directors. Michael Burch, director of Project 75, said Wednesday that the subject of the meeting will be some “concerns” Clark has about the OSS. The “concerns” include Clark’s feeling that some students and faculty feel there should be a central OSS office for 1072-73. Burch said. Burch said the tentative meeting with Clark was arranged during a Wednesday meeting with Gerald Bogen, vice president for student services. Jan Newton and Joan Acker discuss the Univer sity's grievance procedures with the University’s affirmative action officer, Lorenza Schmidt (not shown). Newton recently had her one-year Photo by Phil Wrtldstein teaching contract renewed and Acker is active in women’s issues at the University. Schmidt has proposed that the grievance procedures be directed more toward the individual involved. Grievance process hit The current grievance procedure for job discrimination in the University is “inadequate” and needs change “im mediately,” according to the University’s affirmative action officer. Lorenza Schmidt, interim director of the Office for Af firmative Action (OAA), ex plained her dissatisfaction with the procedure during Emerald interviews this week. Schmidt’s main complaint with the procedure is that it is not geared toward the individual. A University employee should have “one place to go” if he or she has a grievance, she said. The current procedure for University employees, except classified staff and graduate teaching fellows, is as follows: “An employee having a grievance must take it up orally directly with his immediate supervisor. “If the grievance is not satisfactorily settled at the previous step, theemployee, or his representative, may submit the grievance in writing to the dean, director, manager, or superin tendent of the employee’s division. “If the grievance is not satisfactorily settled at the previous step, the employee, or his representative, may submit the grievance in writing to the University President. “Before the grievance is taken to the President, any employee having a grievance concerning discrimination in employment may request that the grievance be referred to the Committee on Equal Employment Op portunities, which is composed of academic employes, classified employees, and students, and ask the committee to hear the COME IN OUT OF THE WARM. jr Volvo air conditioners put out enough B.TUls to cool a medium-sire room. Take a Volvo for a cool-off lap. SHEPPARD MOTORS LTD. SWEDISH CARS 1001 W.7th 343-8884 grievance and advise the President.” Rather than go through this procedure, a person should be channeled through one office— “an office for grievances,” she said. Schmidt said she has been asked to “prepare a recom mendation soon” on a possible change in the procedure. However, she has “no idea” what she will put in her recom mendation yet. She said she hopes she will prepare the recommendation “immediately,” to the University President. As an example of a grievance situation which was geared toward the individual, she cited Jan Newton, visiting assistant professor of economics. After receiving a letter in March stating her one-year contract would not be renewed because of University budget cuts, Newton brought a grievance to Schmidt’s office. Schmidt talked with com mittees and administrators on campus, the decision regarding Newton was eventually reversed, and Newton now has another one vear contract. The affirmative action officer said she feels that Newton received a more fair handling of her situation by going through just one office. But Schmidt cautioned that she thinks the grievance office shouldn’t be the OAA, because the OAA has other affirmative action responsibilities. Tennis Racket Frames Dunlop Maxply *19'* Wilson Pro Kramor $a|395 Head Master $36 MILL 13th & Lawrence llth & Mill NORDIC SKI SHOP Open Thurs. and Fri. nights 'til 9. GREATEST SELECTION ANYWHERE! I BATIK AND ETCHING SUPPLIES l PAPERS.. sculptuk;: * ceramic’ TOOLS AND MATERIALS. BLACK LINE OH BLUE LINE PRINT PAPERS. RAPIDOGKAPH SETS. MARKERS, LEADS.... CSMIKOIDS, PARATYPc PRESSURE SHEETS, ETC.
