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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 1981)
IFC increases foreign student budget By GABRIEL BOEHMER Of the Emerald Although the Incidental Fee Committee has cut back many student-organization budgets this year, one group Wednesday escaped with a budget increase. The Foreign Student Organ ization, which includes 20 separate groups and services about 700 students, walked away with 17 percent more than last year’s allotment. The IFC voted unanimously to almost double the FSO assistant director’s stipend Committee member Susan Harris explained that the administrative burden falls on only two people, and that increasing the stipend will allow other FSO members to share the duties. The assistant director’s salary will be increased from $486 to $837, while the director’s salary was maintained at $1,107. However, the IFC rejected the FSO’s work-study increase request by a 4-2 vote. The ASUO reduced the amount of its original recommendation in light of the assistant director’s stipend increase, ASUO repre sentative Gus Palmitessa said. Minority program works Grades improve for law students By JEFF ENGLAND Of the Emerald A year ago, minority law students were questioning the quality of the education they were receiving at the University law school. Now, administration, faculty and students are guardedly op timistic that the causes of last year’s 69-percent academic probation rate among first-year minority law students are being alleviated. A platform written by the Min ority Law Students Association (MLSA) in February 1980 listed several problems in the law school, including “administra tion and faculty insensitivity and unawareness of minority is sues.” "Such insensitivity is seen by some as subtle racism,’’ the platform said. While commending the law school's flexible admission policies, the MLSA contended that minority and disadvantaged students needed special help to survive the first year of law school. A committee of administra tors, faculty and students or ganized and obtained funding for a three-phase Academic Support Program (ASP) for academically disadvantaged students that began this fall. “While I think the ASP has been a success in all of its parts, the extent of that success is far from clear,” says law Prof. Wil liam Randolph. Of the nine students par ticipating in the program this fall, seven finished with grade Correction A total of approximately $6,000 will be divided among the organizations receiving proceeds from Monday’s Jackson Browne benefit con cert. point averages “substantially better" than their predicted group average of 2.3 or less, according to Randolph. The law school is evaluating the ASP before applying for continued funding. It will lose the almost $10,000 only if it fails to honestly evaluate its prob lems, says Gary Kim of the Council for Minority Education The council provided $8,000 for the program this fall. “We have soft evidence. We know everything (at the law school) isn’t OK," Kim says. But students may hesitate to criticize the program for fear of losing it, he says “The MLSA has always had problems talking to the admin istration.” The percentage of incoming minority students placed on probation has declined 30 per cent this year — from 69 percent to 39 percent. But minority students, who comprise only 11 percent of the law school population, still account for 33 percent of the students on probation, says MLSA president Manuel Perez. "I hope that the administra tion and the MLSA can come together in a unified effort to resolve these probtums," Perez says. The hiring of civil-rights lawyer Derrick Bell as law school dean has encouraged minority students, Perez says. “Our commitment is to meet our educational goals rather than those of a particular pro gram," Bell says. “I’ll embrace those programs that work and change those that don’t." Bell says the law school will continue its commitment to a balanced student body and faculty. "It's good for Oregon that our grads have contact with people from a wide array of back grounds and social settings I believe we all see the value in that.” FSO director Julie Mungai asked for an increase from 10 to 15 work-study hours a week for an FSO office secretary. “To get more students involved, we need more staff hours,” she said. for FSO educational films, and a matching amount for revenue producing films. The FSO will pay back 75 cents on the dollar for the movies shown for profit. Harris said the FSO is "one of the few organizations that have been successful” at profiting on films. The committee also approved more than $3,250 for the FSO's cultural programs. International Night, which attracted 800 peo ple last year, is the largest pro gram the FSO sponsors, Mungai said Mungai argued that funding the FSO is cheaper than funding each of the groups in its organ ization separately, and that money budgeted for cultural programs should not have to be paid back. “The bulk of our programs is in cultural nights and they’re on 75 percent pay-back,” she said, "so you’re really not giving it to us." In other business, the IFC ap proved $1,200 for Rape Crisis Network (RCN) telephone ex penses. The YWCA houses the RCN at low cost, and all workers either volunteer or are paid by federal programs This is the first year the IFC has funded the RCN For the past two years, the RCN has operated from a now-discontin ued Law Enforcement Assis tance Administration grant. Action Now, which loans tools to students, received $3,800 The IFC also increased the Committee for Musical Arts 1981 -82 budget by more than 13 percent. The musical arts com mittee brings performers to campus for concerts and student workshops, and often charges students a reduced ad mission to its events. 1 i lie; i wv^ucoicu uuuyci 111 crease — from $297 to $405 — did not reflect the additional number of students who would benefit from the work-study in crease, committee member Jim Edmunson said. The IFC also approved $550 i.r & ‘ Sb$ '' !'4V ' ' i tfiMk * •, 4* Nil,*?*&•*■» • ~1>‘M a ^ i ■ Win your place in the sun — Sunriver. ■ The UO Bookstore and the Sunriver Resort bring you a unique opportunity to win exciting awards as well as to improve your campus shopping headquarters. It’s simple. All you have to so is tell us how we can serve you more effectively. Stop by the table on the main floor. The fun starts Monday, March 2. Only at the UO Bookstore. If ^ 13th & Kincaid Mon-Fri 8:15-5:30 BOOKSTORE Sat 10:00-2:00 Textbooks 686-3520 • General Books 686-3510 • Supplies 686-4331 W ' f ... and to think we met through an ODE PERSONAL
