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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 16, 1981)
emerald Vol. 82, No. 134 Eugene, Oregon 97403 Thursday, April 16, 1981 Spurned med student cites discrimination By GABRIEL BOEHMER Of the Emerald Former University student Tommy Hui Park took the witness stand at a legislative public hearing Wednesday at the request of Rep. Margie Hendriksen. Hendriksen, D-Eugene, and House Education Committee chairer Rick Bauman, D-Portland, took lengthy tes timony from several people at the first public hearing on the state of affirmative action policies and practices in Oregon’s educational institutions. The Committee’s affirmative action subcommittee is examining the status of women, minorities and the disabled in education. The most dramatic of the testimonies came from Park, a 29-year-old Asian American, who is convinced that the University of Oregon Health Sciences Center school of medicine violated affir maitive guidelines in rejecting his applica tion for medical school three times. Park says he has spent $2,000 in legal fees trying to prove the medical school has violated affirmative action guidelines. He claims the school’s hazy selection process allows the admissions committee to “jus tify almost anything.” When Park received his first rejection from the medical school — a Portland institution separate from the University — he accepted the committee’s invitation to discuss his application. Park says admissions committee repre sentative Dick Speight told him his B-min us grades at the University of California at Los Angeles, where Park attended from 1971 to 1975, were “an albatross around his neck.” Park earned his first degree at UCLA and then entered the University biology program, graduating with honors in 1978. Speight also told Park that his medical school application was competitive and his entrance scores above average for accepted applicants. Speight encouraged him to reapply and take the test again. In the interim he recommended Park strenghten his application with additional chemistry and biology courses. Although Park says he was ready to abandon hopes of attending medical school after the first rejection, he took Speight's advice. He dropped out of a University master's degree program to take the additional science courses. Park earned all A’s in the courses and scored higher on the entrance exam. But he was rejected again in 1979. At Park's request, University Prof. W.R. Sistrom wrote to the admissions commit tee. Sistrom, who also testified Wednes day, wrote Speight that the University pre-medical advisory committee found the second rejection 'disquieting.” Sistrom said Park was an “unusually strong ap plicant both academically and personally.” Speight never answered the letter, Sis trom said. Sistrom also said that Speight later refused to discuss Park’s application by phone. “Informal approaches got no results,” Park said, so he employed Eugene attor ney Martha Walters. Although Park said he was frustrated by the committee, he applied a third time. He hoped sthe admissions committee would accept his application to amend the situation. Park was turned down again. “While the only course I have open is litigation,” Park said, “I’m not sure I'll be ready for medical school in two or three years even if we win.” Sistrom said he wasn't surprised at the first rejection because of Park's UCLA grades. But the second rejection “was very suprising " Meanwhile, Rep. Bauman said he has introduced legislation that would radically change the admissions policies of the medical school. The bill will be considered by the human resources committee May 27. Jimmy Buffet, with his Coral Reefers, made Mac , . , , Court the first stop on his '‘Coconut Telegraph" tour It S my JOD Wednesay night, electrifying a University audience with homespun favorites like "Cheeseburger in Paradise" and "Margaritaville." Hendriksen: Budget cuts devastate women By GREG WASSON Of the Emerald SALEM — Oregon’s women sounded the alarm Wednesday that budget changes proposed by the Reagan Administration will severely — and unfairly — affect women. The president wants to decrease federal money sent to the states and offset the pain by giving local governments more freedom in spending the remaining funds. Most money currently comes from federal grants with stipulations on how and where it can be spent. Reagan proposes shifting to block grants, where there are few federal mandates. Rep Margie Hendriksen, D-Eugene, charges that the alteration could be devastating to women. “I can't stress enough the importance of the categorical grant in the area of family planning and day care. I believe that Reagan has declared war on the women of this country.” Hendriksen, the Oregon Women’s Political Caucus national representative, complained that poor women will be especially hurt in the political struggle for the loose money. The women's group, particularly poor women, do not have the same kind of political clout at the Legislature that other interest groups have. So they are going to be at a disadvantage in the competition." Responding to a question at a Wednesday press conference, Hendriksen added that cuts in federal and state social service programs threaten to return the United States to the long, hot summers of the late 60s '“It is going to increase the social tension, and we will probably experience a lot more episodes of people venting their hostilities and frustrations. But you can’t expect these people to just quietly starve to death." According to Country Joe McDonald, marijuana makes you behave. The Oregon Legislature, however, doesn't seem to appreciate the demeanor the weed fosters. Tuesday evening, a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee drastically toughened pieces of legislation dealing with the substance The panel killed part of HB2422 that would have allowed individuals to grow three plants in their homes. The legislation also contained anti-paraphernalia provisions which were amended and passed on to the full committee. As approved, the legislation prohibits the sale of any smoking device to people under 18 and requires signs be posted in all retail stores detailing penalties for illegal use of marijuana and tobacco. The subcommittee also considered a proposal by Lane County District Attorney Pat Horton to increase the fine for most drug possession, in some cases to $100,000 Horton says the change would let him seek meaningful punishment for those convicted of large scale dealing. However, committee head Rep. Tom Mason, D Portland, told the committee that he intends to use the Horton proposal as a vehicle to reduce the penalties of more than an ounce of marijuana. Mason also told the committee that is time to remove any distinction between dried matter and live plants. Wednesday morning, the Senate Labor Committee held hearings on the plant closure bill, legislation requiring companies with more than 100 employees to give six months advance notice before closing the plant. Companies that fail in that regard would be forced to pay maintenance wages while the employees relocate A representative of Georgia-Pacific argued against the bill. “One of our most serious concerns is that we believe it will discourage industry from locating in Oregon," he said. “Especially those industries that are needed to expand and diversify our economical and social base.” Sen. Ted Kulongoski, D-Junciton City, then testifed in favor of the bill. “And it’s because this state has strong safety laws for its employees, it has strong environmental laws, it’s concerned about the people not only in the industry but with all the citizens If that is wrong, I hope Oregon stays wrong."
