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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 16, 1978)
ACLU suit challenges funding of chaplains The present system of funding chaplains in Oregon state institu tions "is a clear violation of the Oregon constitution,” Stevie Re mington, American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) executive direc tor, said recently. The ACLU has filed suit chal By IAN THOMPSON Of the Emerald — lenging state funding of chaplains who work in state institutions, say ing it is a constitutional violation to use state funds for religious pur poses. Remington, in a press release, said “The state has an affirmative obligation to afford inmates and patients of its institutions an op portunity to worship in accor diance with their religious beliefs and to receive spiritual counseling from ministers of their faiths. But the Oregon constitution requires that the costs of providing the ser vices must be borne by the religi ous communities involved .” The suit refers to a law signed in 1913 requiring the provision at all state mental health and correc tional institutions of “adequate chaplaincy sen/ices, including but not limited to Protestant and Roman Catholic.” At present the state spends ap proximately $500,000 each bien nium on chaplaincy services. The state currently employs 12 chap tains and has 13 positions in state institutions scattered across the state, including the State Peniten tiary in Salem, Fairview Mental Hospital and the different state hospitals. Each has a Protestant and Roman Catholic chaplain. Remington stated that with the Department of Human Resources selecting the chaplains, the state chooses the prominent faith to be represented. “The chaplains should not be responsible, not to the state nor to the heads of the institution, but to their own church,” Remington said. State reaction to the suit has been of almost immediate opposi tion. Gov. Bob Straub says “The program has been very success ful and I am in favor of continuing it.” He adds that he will “vigor ously contest" the lawsuit. Straub also says the state can't and shouldn’t support all of the re ligious representatives. The smal ler, religious organizations, he says, have the right to send in representatives to administer people in the state institutions. The chaplains who work at the state institutions do not see the state control of funding as a threat to their work, but as a necessary source of revenue with which to continue their work. Jesuit Father Frank Callan, who works at the Oregon State Hospital, considers private funding impractical. He notes that it would be too difficult to get the many churches together to fund one or two ministers for the state institutions. “About 70 percent of the people I serve are not of my faith,” says Father Callan who runs non denominational services. “Be sides, they can’t pay 75 to 80 cha plains to work." Callan views the lawsuit as a “very delicate thing," saying there is too much concentration on the relationship between church and state. “It’s to give a service to people who have the right to ex ersize the First Amendment,” Cal lan said. Callan notes there is no real ad vantage of any one religion, cal ling the job “universal.” “This is a necessary place where we can’t separate church and state, for here is where church and state go together as one to serve the people." says Callan. State Treasurer Clay Meyers, one of the defendants named in the suit, says that although the lawsuit does raise a serious con stitutional question on the separa tion of church and state, the situa tion in Oregon “is a unique rela tionship in this instance.!' If the ACLU does succeed in its lawsuit, the state would have four possible alternatives to the pres Jerry Rust— (Continued from Page 8) five member board, since the commission will now be elected on a district basis rather than at large. We make county ordinances,” emphasizes Rust, “not district ones. I fear for some parochialism to get into the decision-making process,” However, he is glad that the three areas will be getting greater representation. “Five members is going to be healthy. It will help share the load and bring in more viewpoints.” In the meantime Rust is content with his $26,000 a year job of shar ing responsibility for an annual $100 million county budget. How ever, he is not sure whether he will run for re-election whenhis term is up in three years. "I like the job a lot,” says Rust, “but I’d have to consider what I’d have to contribute three years from now.” Rust discerns that certain is sues will be of prime interest to the county in 1978, including de velopment of an energy plan at the local level, consideration of the T-2000 master transportation plan for Lane county, investigation into water quality in terms of sewer management and the possibility of implementing composting toilets, and the final phase of land-use planning. Rust is particularly concerned with creating greater visibility and public accessibility for the 1990 r PSYCHIC Advises on business, love & personal direction. Jamil P.O. Box 10154 Eugene, Oregon 97401 Phone anytime: 342-2210 484 2441 J plan, which is a blueprint for the county's future development, ' The 1990 plan bas been buried under some rocks,” says Rust. “It has no meaning, people are un sure why we have the plan, the plot process is unclear and people feel they cannot influence policy direction.” ‘‘It is crucial to develop in teragency cooperation. It is vital that cities, counties, state agen ties, the forest service, the Uni versity, Lane Community College, EWEB and all local bodies be aware they are not separate from each other.” In essence, Rust sees the func tion of county government, as play ing an intergral part with all other components of government. ‘‘We are shepards of the public's trust, purse and policy. Red tape mustn’t eat us up.” 1 "Listen sweetheart, I don’t care if it is in [Springfield, see. La Cucina has great Italian Food.” Unique Italian cuisine and pizza at reasonable prices Cocktails in the lounge Near the Rodeway Inn on Gateway St. at Beltline Open til Midnight daily Sunday 4-10 pm 726-1844 ent system, according to Meyers. One would be voluntary funding from private sources, but with several hundred religious groups in the country, Meyers says that would create a “tower of Babel situation.” The other alternatives include a State constitutional amendment to allow the state to continue funding chaplains, federal aid to continue funding or a shutdown of the prog ram. Meyers says the last alternative would deny people in the institu tions religious freedom, and that would be totally unacceptable to him. Beside filing the suit on Jan. 5, the ACLU also seeks an injunction against the payment of the chap lains from public funds. 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