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."