Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 1977)
Alien residency deadline arrives By GARY NEWMAN Of the Emerald Thai god awful word “alien that the govern ment starts using every year at about this time came to us care of the Roman Empire It began as alienus in Latin, then the Old-French made it a weapon of cultural imperialism against the Anglo Saxons after 1066 Now the word is used to ask citizens of foreiqn countries who are residing in the United States to register with the government The word itself may be something of a spur, Applications for American citizenship increased by thirty per cent during the first three months of the year, according to Lyle Dahlin, District Director of the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Portland The jump is caused by the Alien Address Report program, said Dahlin All citizens of foreign countries who are in the United States during January, except diplomats and members of certain international organizations, are required to get an Alien Address Report from any post office, fill out the computer-sized card, put a stamp on it and mail it to the U S. Immigration and Naturalization Service in Maryland This included 4,714,005 people nationally in 1975 (the last date for which national figures are available) The 1976 figure for Oregon was 28,014 There were 765 foreign students registered at the University fall term A potential citizen must live in the United States for five years, or be married to a U S. citizen for three years Exceptions to this residency requirement are made for veterans of the U S. military The potential citizen must have two witnesses who have known him for the stipulated period and can vouch for his moral character. If he meets these requirements he can then qualify for a fifteen to twenty-minute oral citizenship test. Citizenship classes are not an official part of the program, but are designed to assist the immigrant in his quest for citizenship. Other countries have similar requirements. Drawing by Slave Sandstrom Japan, for instance, requires the potential citi zen to live in Japan for over five years, be over twenty-years old, possess a definite skill or have a means of support and a sponsor who can testify to the aspiring citizen's character. Aiiens who are mar ried to Japanese citizens are automatically citizens after five years residence. If the alien is under 60 years of age he must learn to read and write Japanese. Citizenship classes are offered by LCC, usually during fall and winter terms. The class meets once a week and runs ten weeks. Tuition is $14 plus $3 for the book. Half of the tuition is paid by Civitan Interna tional, an international service club, said Russel Tompkins, who teaches the class. Tompkins is amazed at the quality of people who have passed through his class. He talks of a Russian man who walked across Siberia and into China, a German lady who crawled out of East Germany through a tunnel and a Chinese man who hid under his father's house for six months before he cduld leave China. ‘‘It is pretty beautiful to see these peo ple, he says, "these people are gifted people.” The test is not date and name oriented. Instead, it focuses on the constitution and the structure of the U S. Government. These people often know more about the United States than people who were bom here, says Tompkins, who once took an informal poll on Willamette St. about the Bill of Rights. He asked ten or twelve people what the Bill of Rights is. Only one or two knew. One last note on the derivation of the word alien. It would seem that etymologists prefer to call things by their Latin names. The word alien bears a striking resemblence to the German word alein, which means alone. Is it possible that this specimen came in with the Saxons or did the German species metamorphose from the same Latin chrysalis? Bargaining bid by LCC part-timers fails By BILL LUTZ Of the Emerald Forty-two teachers at Lane Community College (LCC) lost their first bid for bargaining unit recognition last week The LCC Board of Education voted 5 to 2 against voluntary rec ognition of the Adult Basic Educa tion (ABE) and High School Com pletion (HSC) instructors. The issue now goes to an Employment Relations Board (ERB) hearing scheduled for Feb 3 at LCC. Members of the unit have or ganized as the LCC Educational Association (ICCEA) and af filiated themselves with the Oregon Educational Association (OEA) LCCEA members say this ac tion by the board delays improve ments in the department and will cost taxpayers money to cover the cost of ERB hearings and elec tions. "It is impossible to effect needed improvements in the de partment unless we have job sec urity and bargaining power first," said one member of the unit who wished to remain anonymous due to what he she called lack of job security ” Board members who voted to deny recognition say they do not oppose part-time instructors or ganizing a bargaining unit, but say they only wish to have the ERB make a unit clarification Board member Edward Cooper said his vote was "not a negative no-vote " We are not necessarily ex pressing opposition to bargaining, we just want the ERB to make that decision," he said Stephen Reid, who also voted no, clarified the issue. "There are 250 part-time employes here," he said "Wejust don't want too many bargaining units." Katherine Lauris and Jim Mar tin, the two board members who voted for recognition, believe the ABE-HSC instructors are an ap propriate unit. Lauris called them a “very un ified group with particular working conditions — a very logical bar gaining unit." "! believe in the recognition of working people." Lauris added adamantly. LCCEA Pres. Pat John said her organization is seeking a more equitable salary schedule and job security. Members of LCCEA point out that although they teach as many hours as full-time teachers in other departments, they are con sidered part-time and paid an hourty wage "For this reason we are only paid for classroom time, although we spend a considerable amount of time in preparation as do other teachers,' one LCCEA member said. They further point out that adult education and high school serves an important service to the com munity as well as.bringing consid erable funds to the college from state and federal funds. If the ERB recognizes the LCCEA as a bargaining unit they will hold an election to determine whether eligible teachers want representation by the LCCEA or no representation at all. The LCCEA president says a mailed poll taken by the OEA indi cated 75 per cent of the ABE-HSC teachers want union representa tion. Reid, however, said that even if the ERB recognizes the ABE HSC instructors as a bargaining unit he will move that the board challenge the appropriateness of the unit. MATTOX OUTFITTERS Sale 25% OFF ON ANY CROSS COUNTRY SKI PACKAGE of SKIS. BOOTS. POLES and BINDINGS 15% m any siifie Mm lor 0 OFF em* v urr country skiing A {fsb «T 3355 E Amazon Now conies Miller time. 7 oz. Ponies 251 4-7 pm TONITE ©1976 T'ie Miller Brewing Co Milwaukee. Wis
