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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 9, 1981)
Emerald VaLBlNg- 26 Eugene. Oregon 97403 Friday, October 9, 1981 PNRC memo Once again the Pacific WOrinWWR WOUfC6 vwlfei » involved m a political con troversy Hep Margie Hen on*? sen, 0-40, said m a television newscast Thursday evening that extraordinary political pressure has been placed upon University Pres Paul Olum About the time the budget cuts became a hot issue, Olum was under pressure through what Hendnksen terms a secret memo" from the House Ways and Means Committee A copy of the memo in dicates concern over the location of the Pacific North west Resources Center, part of the University s Environ mental Law Clinic. In the past. Olum has said that tor the University to remain "neutral ' in public policy matters the PNRC should maintain its offices off-cam pus in the May 12 memo, the committee stated that "such a solution, arrived at in an expedient fashion, could relievo us ail of the possibility of emotional pubbc floorings and unfortunate hashing ovor of post agreements, which might harm the good name of the University of Oregon." The memo was signed by nine of the 12 committee members Hendrik sen told the Emer ald the memo was a pretty heavy-handed pressure device " The memo atso could be interpreted to mean the University's budget may be affected if the PNRC wasn't moved off campus, she said Hendhksen added that Ed Harms, president of the State Board of Higher Education, told her if Pres. Olum doesn't move the Clinic off campus, the Board would see that a rule was estab lished system-wide so that it would occur ” 'I think the memo is in timidating," Hertdnksen said. ”we should be above this kind of pressure tactic ” GTFF approves contract after drumming up voters By DEBBIE HOWLETT Ol #» Emerald Some last-minute scrambling in the EMU Thursday night produced enough Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation members to vote on ratification of a proposed contract. Before the ratification meet ing, Tammy Maurer, president of the University GTFF, predict ed that only a shortage of voting members could prevent con tract ratification The sparse crowd fell 13 short of the needed quorum of 95 voting members After a 25-minute recess, the number of voting members rose to 97. Members attending the meeting had dug up some quarters and put Ma Bell to work, calling in the numbers needed for a quor um With a littie brt of effort and a little loose change, the GTFF got what it bargained for. With an overwhelming 96 “yes" votes and a single dis senting vote, the GTFF members ratified the proposed two-year contract, including a 14 7-percent pay increase “Given what the University offered earlier, this contract is about the best we can do,” said Photo by Mark Pynes Jim Morgan Alan Dickman, a third year GTF in biology Maurer said, “I think it's an affirmation of the parts of the contract that protect the things that are important to the GTF’s. such as a reasonable salary in crease and a fair workload policy.” "The workload remained an issue until the bitter end,” said Peter Novotny, a GTFF member. The landslide victory brings several changes to the GTFs’ contract. The GTFF successful ly held out against the University administration, which attempt ed to increase the GTF work loads from 175 hours a term to 250. This victory also does away with a complex formula for figuring workloads that Maurer said few of the GTFs understand anyway. The contract calls for a 14.7-percent increase from the 3-percent increase obtained in a June 30 raise. The raise would be spread over the next two years. To assure the safety of all GTFs, the contract calls for phones or other electronic communication devices to be near the GTFs at all times The contract originally asked for health care provisions for the GTFs, but state legislation prohibits GTFs from bargaining for a health care package The door was not shut completely though, because some members of the union plan to lobby against that legislation. If the law is changed, the GTFs will be able to bargain for health care. Groups gather to preserve Title IX Leaders urge students to pressure legislators By MIKE ANDERSON Of fh* Emarak) Equal opportunity activists rallied for support of Title IX Thursday in the EMU in re sponse to Pres Ronald Reagan s consideration to eliminate the law designed to prevent sex discrimination in universities The Women's Referral and Resource Center and the ASUO sponsored the rally as part of Title IX Awareness Week Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in admissions, educational programs, recruitment, scholarships, fin ancial aid, health benefits and athletics State Rep. Margie Hendrik sen affirmed the state's com mitment to civil rights, despite what she calls an assault on civil rights at the national level “The state of Oregon is committed to the concept of equal opportunity in em ployment, housing and education," she said Hendriksen said equality in education is the state s re sponsibility and urged students to sign petitions and to write letters to their con gressional representatives "We cannot forget our com mitment to fundamental human justices,’’ she said Eugene City Council member Cynthia Wooten said the equal rights concept is "fading into myth” Wooten, also an aide to Congressman Jim Weaver, D Ore , said working people, poor people, and women have been the victims of Reagan’s cuts “It’s no secret that we have no friends or allies in the Reagan administration.” Wooten emphasized the danger of AB 1361, a con gressional measure, which, if passed, will redefine many Title IX provisions "We will not be beaten into political submission or exile,” Wooten said, calling recent threats to Title IX "only a tem porary state of injustice ” Sherry Oeser, legislative vice president of Oregon Women's Political Caucus, criticized Gov Vic Atiyeh’s ve to of House Bill 3074, which would reinforce the state civil Photo by Bob Baker State Rep Margie Hendriksen says civil rights — including Title IX — are endangered by the Reagan Administration rights bill by allowing the courts to battle sex discrimin ation Calling Atiyeh's veto a major setback for civil rights, Oeser urged victims of sex discrimination to take action through such existing chan nels as the University's affir mative action office Oeser believes the Universi ty operates in fairly close ac cordance with Title IX provi sions, but she says, "We know there's discrimination on this campus. There's no question about that." Addressing the students, Oeser said, "My advice to you is to put pressure on the ad ministrators. Let them know you're watching what they do "
