daiir&merald
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Vol. 77, No. 86 Eugene, Oregon 97403 Wednesday, January 28,1976
Vera Cruz says UFW
has more fights ahead
By JACKMAN WILSON
Of the Emerald
Philip Vera Cruz, 71-year-old second
vice president of the United Farmworkers
Union (UFW), spoke on campus Tuesday
about the past, present and future of the
farmworkers movement.
“The movement today is no longer con
fined to the benefit of farmworkers," Vera
Cruz told the audience of over 100 stu
dents. "The farmworkers' movement now
embraces everybody.
Vera Cruz
explained the
struggle for un
ionization in
terms of race
and class Over
the years he
believes, the
movement has
transcended it
self and has
come to rep
resent class
problems
wherever they
exist.
But the farmworkers movement remains
a labor struggle with specific objectives,
many far from being achieved Vera Cruz
said the chief problem today is implement
ing the California law which allows farm
workers to choose their union.
The Teamsters and the growers, Vera
Cruz said, are working to sabotage the law.
They do this by refusing to allow UFW rep
resentatives to go onto their fields to talk to
the workers, and by firing workers who sup
port the farmworkers union.
The UFW has been winning elections,
Vera Cruz said, but “winning elections does
not guarantee a contract. The only way
growers will contract with the UFW is
through boycott pressure. “This kind of
talk—money talk—the growers under
stand.'
The Teamsters win elections when
growers tell their workers ‘ you want to work
for the union, go and work for the union,” he
said. The idea of unionization, Vera Cruz
explained, is an abstract concept that is
not easily explained to fieldworkers who
have no education and are worried about
their jobs. "The presence of the moon is the
cause of high tides, and the presence of the
union is the cause of high wages.
Another way growers work against
unionization is by hiring illegal immigrants
at low wages. Vera Cruz said these workers
are the most difficult to organize since they
can be deported if the growers decide they
are troublemakers.
In the long run, however, Vera Cruz
thinks illegal immigrants strengthen the
farmworkers' movement. Some of them
stay in the United States, gain citizenship
and swell the numbers of the workers. Soon
they organize and join the struggle to
change the society.
A student told Verz Cruz about the efforts
to get non-UFW products off campus, say
ing that while 75 per cent of the student
body voting in a boycott elections sup
ported the effort, the University administra
tion had refused to take action. "What is
your advice to us," the student asked, who
are struggling for justice for the farm
workers?"
Vera Cruz said colleges are not democra
tic institutions, and that violence was not the
way to achieve this objective. There are
times you must go forward, there are times
you must retreat.”
Vera Cruz was born in the Philippine Is
lands in 1904 and came to the United
States in the early 30s. He moved to De
lano, California in 1943 and has been a
farmworker ever since. In 1965 he helped
set up the Agricultural Workers Organiz
(Continued on Page 5)
ASUO may sue board
over dormitory issue
The State Board of Higher Education
(SBHE) has been charged with illegally
spending nearly $500,000 of excess dorm
itory revenue gained from student board
ers.
In a Tuesday letter to Edward Bran
chfield, assistant attorney general of the
state of Oreg on and legal counsel for the
board, attorney Robert Ackerman accused
the board of violating its own policy in au
thorizing the use of those monies to con
struct tennis and handball courts at the Uni
versity.
By LOIS LINDSAY
Of the Emerald
Ackerman represents the ASUO and
seven other plaintiffs in the case. The other
plantiffs have been identified only as dor
mitory presidents and other individuals rep
resenting various campus housing
facilities.
Ackerman's letter says his clients have
legal grounds for their claim and instructs
the board to commence negotiations to
rectify the situation. Unless substantial
progress is evident within 30 days, a com
plaint for a declaratory judgment and other
litigation will commence.
The plaintiffs base their claim on action
taken by the board in October 1969. During
a meeting that month, the board authorized
the construction of tennis and handball
courts south of 15th Avenue from excess
dormitory surplus. Eventually, nearly
$430,000 was taken from this fund to fi
nance the project, according to Ackerman.
Although the Oregon State Emergency
Board of Legislature approved construction
of the facility on June 19,1970, the plaintiffs
claim that approval had qualifications. The
approval stipulated that the project would
be funded by bonds repaid by student fees,
they say.
The legal basis for the student's claim is
fourfold according to Ackermans letter.
The document claims the state board ex
ceeded the authority specified in Article XI F
(I) of the Oregon Constitution in utilizing the
unpledged net revenues from the dormitory
system to finance the facility.
The plaintiffs say the board acted con
trary to state law ORS 351 160 in using the
dormitory reserves to construct a facility of
“dissimilar use and character” from the
dorms.
This statute authorizes construction of
facilities only from “...obligated revenues of
buildings or projects of a like character.”
The student plaintiffs also claim they de
serve recompense because the tennis and
handball courts have been primarily utilized
for instructional and recreational purposes
for all students, staff and the qeneral public.
They say the dormitory residents have no
priority in using the facility.
According to ASUO Pres. Jim Bernau, a
survey of actual usage of the facility shows
that it is basically utilized for instructional
purposes. He did not,however, have the
exact statistics to substantiate the claim.
The plaintiffs say the state board has
further violated its own policy in that it has
not complied with section 70.125 of its ad
ministrative regulations. This section of the
rules provides that the costs of facilities
utilized for educational and other purposes
be pro-rated.
This would require that the board instruct
that costs of the facility come from instruc
tional funds as well as dorm reserves pro
portionate to actual usage. This has not
been done.
Ackerman s letter says the board can
avoid litigation on the issue by replenishing
the dormitory reserves and pro-rating costs
in accordance with administrative regula
tion 70.125. But if “substantial progress" is
not evident within 30 days, a complaint for
declaratory judgment and other relief will be
commenced.
According to Bernau, the complaint has
already been drafted. He says other relief
might constitute reinstatement of the
money and interest and payment of dam
ages.
“But we re not taking any legal action
now. We re waiting to see if they 're willing to
negotiate.
Bernau says he is unable to speculate on
how the board will respond. Based on past
performance of the state board staff, it
would be very difficult to predict anything
they're going to do.”
When contacted by the Emerald, attor
ney Branchfield refused to comment. He
said he has not yet received a copy of the
letter from Ackerman.
V
Graphic by JoAnn Fahlgren
Music school first to air
live concert programs
The University Music School has be
come the first in the nation to regularly
broadcast live performances from its
concert hall. The Beall Concert Series —
two to three concerts a week — is
broadcast by the University's radio sta
tion, KWAX 91.1 FM.
The concerts feature performances
by music school faculty, guest artists,
large ensembles and advanced degree
students. Concerts are at 8 p.m. unless
otherwise announced, and schedules
are available on request from KWAX.
The series is produced jointly by
KWAX-FM and the University Music
Society (UMS).
The idea for the series came from a
January 1975 conversation between
Richard Koehler, assistant to the music
school dean and director of field instruc
tion services, and Karen Kammerer,
then KWAX music director.
“We were talking about recording and
broadcasting," said Koehler, "and just
couldn't believe we hadn't any oppor
tunities (for that) here. Karen and her
engineers discovered that we already
had an AM line drawn from here to
KWAX—all we needed was a second
line for stereo. ’
No action was taken by the 1975 ses
sion of the Legislature as Koehler and
the music school were busy lobbying for
new building and renovation funds. Dur
ing that time, however. Associate Dean
Royce Saltzman (then acting dean)
learned of and became interested in the
idea.
The series had approval, but still
needed funding. During fall term, the
music school—through Koehler
—successfully asked the Oregon
Mother's Club to donate $1,800 and
KWAX asked for $2,300 from the
Eugene city room tax fund. The resultant
$4,100 paid for special wiring and stereo
equipment in Beall Hall, and the installa
tion of the second broadcast line bet
ween Beall and the KWAX studios in
Villard Hall.
The series began January 16 with the
live broadcast of the music school s Uni
versity Centennial Celebration potpourri
concert. Harris, KWAX music director, is
the series producer, and is assisted by
( Continued on Page 5l
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