Campus OSPIRG branch largest in state
By JANE LEHMAN
Of the Emerald
This university is one of 13
campuses to support a chapter of
the Oregon Student Public In
terest Research Group (OS
PIRG).
In fact, Sharon Hill, state chairer
and an education major here,
claims that this chapter “is the
cornerstone" of the state organi
zation. She readied that condu
sion on the basis of level of adiv
ity, monetary support and the
state leadership generated by this
campus — five of the 19 people
serving on the state board ot direc
tors attend school here.
Hill describes the public interest
group as “students mobilizing as a
force for social change." Toward
this end, the organization is in
volved in consumerism, environ
mental issues and human rights
problems.
OSPIRG was the first “pirg” or
ganized by Ralph Nader in the late
60s. It was officially incorporated
in June, 1971. It now stands as the
second largest of the 26 members
nationally, trailing behind New
York’s NYPIRG.
At this university, OSPIRG is
funded through incidental fee
Student gripes Initiate
discrimination fight
By LARRY MAGDER
and TOM WOLFE
Of the Emerald
The dear message of recent
state and federal laws, administra
tive guidelines, and a smattering
of precedent-setting University of
Oregon grievance resolutions is
that students need no longer tol
erate unreasonable treatment
based on prejudices of race, sex,
age, marital status or handicap.
Last year about 10 University
students filed discrimination grie
vances through the University's
Affirmative Action Office in
Oregon Hall. “The grievances
filed have been very successful,''
says Karen Alvarado, an Affirma
tive Action counselor.
“Students have made solid,
perceptive complaints about dis
criminatory treatment and their
complaints have set precedents
— It's a beginning."
But there is one big catch in
University affirmative action ef
forts. Dependance upon a grie
vance procedure for correcting
unreasonable or illegal treatment
of protected minorities means
f
students must understand the law
to take advantage of it.
"There is simply no other group
equipped to deal with monitoring
the University as a whole," Al
varado explains. "It's students
who sit in the classrooms and see
what's going on.
"One big problem with all this is
that students simply don’t know of
their rights under the law and the
system for protecting those
rights," says Alvarado. "And for
that matter a lot of professors and
counselors don’t know what the
law requires of them,” she adds.
Alvarado’s contention receives
support from an ASUO survey last
year indicating that most students
do not fully understand their rights
under Title IX, a federal act requir
ing equity throughout men’s and
women’s intercollegiate athletic
programs.
"(Oregon Statute) 204 de
mands much more and people
even know less about it," warns
Alvarado. The counselor finds that
fact disturbing and ironic since
most successful grievances filed
at the University last year came
under this state law rather than
(Continued on Page 24)
1
OREGON
PHOTO LAB
"on campus"
"Photofinishing Is Our
Business... Not A Side Line"
MOST FILMS
4 HOUR SERVICE
Emergency Serv. Available
1231 Alder 2538 Willamette
485-0661 485-6897
money. This financing method dif
fers from other schools, which use
a voluntary check-off system to
fund OSPIRG chapters or have
budgets approved by student se
nates. Hill prefers the incidental
fee system since “we don’t have
to spend all of our students’ time in
fundraising.”
The funding system means
OSPipG is ultimately accountable
to the State Board of Higher Edu
cation. “But they’re pretty good
about us,” says Hill. “They’re
mostly worried about our tax
status.” OSPIRG is required to
appear before the Board every
two years, but she presented six
reports to them this past year.
The OSPIRG state board has
outlined five areas it will concen
trate on this year in preparation for
Oregon’s 1979 Legislature. They
are housing, health care delivery,
wild rivers protection, discrimina
tion and water resources.
Students wishing to get in
volved in these issues can find out
more information at the chapter’s
first meeting during the first week
of classes.
Hill recommends doing a pro
ject as “the most satisfying way”
to join OSPIRG. As such, students
can work on a project related to
the five designated areas. A staff
member will be available to teach
necessary research skills. Re
source specialists include staff
lawyers, to aid in literature re
search, and staff scientists.
Some of the upcoming projects
include a landlord-tenant work
shop. There will be an investiga
tion of the student health center
here to analyze insurance policies
and service costs.
The wild rivers project includes
on-site inventorying of vegetation
and animals. This will be used in
testimony for designating the riv
ers as legally protected scenic
areas.
OSPIRG plans to emphasize
discrimination projects this year
since, “we don’t do that much in
the way of human rights,” says
Hill.
OSPIRG has been awarded a
$10,000 federal mini-grant to put
on a water conference in January.
“Even before the drought, we
were looking into water manage
ment,” says Hill. For instance, a
report released in May concluded
that the Umatilla River runs dry
because it is over-allocated.
Students also have the option of
creating their own project. Such
an endeavor requires state board
approval of the application before
the project is sponsored. Staff
time and the cost of travel and
printing can then be provided
through OSPIRG.
"There are different levels of
commitment,” says Hill. When five
or six people work on a project, not
much time is required of each vol
unteer. Some projects will last
from one week 14) to one or more
terms. Currently there are 50 peo
ple who put in 30 hours a week on
projects. Another 200 people work
on a more periodic basis. Class
credit is often available for OS
PIRG work.
“We generally try to get people
involved with their interests,
especially if their major relates to a
project,” says Hill.
One other way people can be
come involved with OSPIRG is
through their organizational struc
ture. Local board elections will be
held during October. Until then,
the campus chairer position is a
collective effort.
On the state level, this campus
is allocated four board of director
positions due to population size.
Hill is a fifth person from this cam
pus serving on the board.
Hill became involved with OS
PIRG by doing a project at the end
of her freshman year. She began
attending state board meetings
and was eventually elected treas
urer. As a senior this fall, she will
be serving her second year as
state chairer.
This year, two other University
students sit on the executive
committee. Paul Kaptur,
philosophy major in the honors
college, is treasurer, and and
Randy O'Toole, a graduate stu
dent in urban planning and
economics, is vice-chairer. Other
positions include member-at
large and secretary.
The OSPIRG office, located in
Suite 3 in the basement of the
EMU, also acts as a clearing
house for information on such
areas as rental agreements, credit
and checking comparisons and
health care analysis.
Hill is optimistic about the up
coming year for OSPIRG. “We are
more organized and have a better
sense of direction than before.”
She adds, “we are fairly well re
spected with state agencies. We
have a reputation of credibility.”
-"All the things of the Universe Wheel have spirit and life, including the
rivers, rocks, earth, sky, plants and animals. But It is only man, of all the
Beings on the Wheel, who is the determiner. Our determining Spirit can be
made whole through the learning of our harmony with all our brothers and
sisters and with all the other spirits of the Universe."
/ Hyemeyohsts Storm
Grammar
Literature
Reading
Science
Math
SOCial St“d'e* raduate credits.
rk study positionsatS^SOanhour
also available