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atiyeh's brain
In search of Atiyeh 's brain (with apologies to
Garry Trudeau).
Hang on, it’s time for a safari through the
crevasses in the governor's cerebrum, with no turn
ing back until the polls in November 1982. This trip
down memory lane has been substantiated through
newspaper accounts printed in The Oregonian, the
Eugene Register Guard and the Oregon Daily
Emerald, supplemented with alumni, registrar and
news service information. Incidentally, no state travel
funds were requested
First, a word from Atiyeh, delivered at his in
auguration
"When we trade the job of helping others for the
anonymous exercise of paying tax dollars to buy
social services, we — all of us — are the losers. My
friends, government can do many things, but it can’t
hire love ”
Back in the corners of Atiyeh's brain are rem
nants of his political philosophies, lingering
reminders of the promises that swept him into office
in the conservative wave of 1979.
An early press release from the neophyte
governor's office describes him this way: "A cham
pion of senior citizens, the handicapped, and those
who need help, the majority of the bills the governor
introduced as a legislator dealt with human resources
or health matters."
A few months later, faced with a ripple of rising
budget problems, the governor’s proposals included
doubling tuition for foreign students at the eight state
institutions of higher education
He determined that the state receives minimum
benefits from the foreign students, because most of
them return to their home countries after leaving
school, a press aide said
The son of Syrian parents who immigrated to the
United States at the turn of the 20th century, Atiyeh is
well-acquainted with higher education. He attended,
but did not graduate from, the University in the early
1940s His wife, Dolores, attended and graduated
from the University Other Atiyehs came to the
Eugene campus, including brother Richard, Ri
chard’s wife Mary-Alice, brother Edward, Edward’s
son David, Edward s wife Karen and David s wife
Darlene
In 1979, University Pres Bill Boyd invited Atiyeh
to return to the University, as the commencement
speaker for the June graduation ceremony. A hand
ful of irate students — the Senior Quacks — formed to
protest Boyd’s selection The Quacks railed against
the "regressive speaker, one in blatant contrast with
the progressive education we hope to use as we
enter a troubled world."
Boyd was firm "It’s a tradition to have governors
speak on the campus, and I was particularly pleased
by the choice of Governor Atiyeh because he had
indicated that he was going to be a governor friendly
to higher education.
"So far the students haven't had a better friend
than Atiyeh "
One year later, in August, Atiyeh pledged himself
to lead the fight against a 1-percent property tax
limitation measure destined for the state ballot There
is no need to limit the rate of growth of property taxes,
he said; the rebate program is sufficient.
Defeat of the limitation measure “means that the
substantial and fair tax relief we now enjoy stays in
place,” he said.
Also that month, a special legislative session
dealt with a $204 million budget deficit; four months
later, faced with a growing 1981-83 budget deficit,
Atiyeh included a 15-percent tuition increase in his
budget-balancing proposal. The increase would help
restore higher education funds cut during August’s
special legislative session, he said.
The increase was absorbed by another
$10-million cut in higher education’s budget the
following August
Recently, Atiyeh announced $147 million in cuts
to deal with a new deficit. The cuts come entirely from
the higher education and human resources budgets
He said he hopes higher education institutions can
resume their normal operating level by 1983-84
"I did not reduce the dollars available for
Property Tax Relief. ”
He also said "the state cannot continue to
provide direct property tax relief payments to those
who make over $50,000.
"The question of dealing with the almost uncon
trolled increases in property taxes must be ad
dressed” — in January 1983, after the 1982 guber
natorial election.
Another few words from Atiyeh, spoken at a
meeting of the Association of Oregon Counties in
November, 1980. The governor is discussing the
tough budget decisions ahead
“If you face up to those decisions, and if you
make them forthrightly, you won't lose your integrity
and you won't lose your effectiveness. People ap
preciate a straight-out approach. This is not a timid
age ”
Nearing the end of our journey, here’s Atiyeh's
reminiscences about his football days at the Univer
sity of Oregon
“I was third string, basically because I wasn’t too
strong on offense In those days, you played both
offense and defense
“Although I could beat the first-string varsity on
defense offensively, I was a little weak ”
Ann Portal is the Emerald's Higher Education
Associate Editor
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letters
Image amazes
Are we supposed to be im
pressed that Cort Fernald (Emer
ald s editorial page editor) does
not consider personal commit
ments of any importance? I was
amazed that the image Fernald
wishes us to have of him is as a
wife-deserter Sometimes it is
necessary to end relationships
that are no longer satisfactory, but
the least one can do is notify the
erstwhile partner of one's inten
tions Whoever’s in charge of the
Emerald should be wary of
comments from Fernald about
going out for cigarettes", they
may be left hanging someday
without an editorial page editor
Kathleen Archer
Graduate, biology
Cort Fernald s brief biography
after his column sidelong
glances was intended as self
effacing satire only.
Mental midgets
Oregon Bar Association's
mental midgets cull their ranks of
those with individual initiative and
maintain unconstitutional corpor
ate power by abuse of their state
judicial monopoly
This abuse of power is exhibit
ed by Lane County Circuit Court
Judges refusals to unbiasedly
hear laymen's Appeals; Man
damuses; Declaratory Judgments
concerning Oregon Workers
Compensation Boards refusal to
grant injured workers the laws-in
force at time of their injury, O R S.
656 202 and constitutional right
to circuit court reviews, Roles
Shingle vs Bergerson 142 Or
131; Oregon Constitution Article
3 Section 1, rather then Court of
Appeals, O R S. 656.298 (1977),
reviews that are not locally ac
cessible; deny laymen oral ar
guments, demand costly and
complex opening Briefs in 26
copies with 2 extra copies for
adversary; prohibit Reply Brief
arguments; refuse findings of fact
and conclusions of law rulings,
unconstitutionally, under color of
O.R.S. 19.180 so-called memor
andum power to "affirm without
opinion.”
Oregon State Bar membership
clubhouse lawyers profitable res
tricitons preclude reformers from
joining the club and laymen from
using the courts.
I again found it useless to
request the Register-Guards
court reporter cover the aforesaid
judicial abuse of power and now
hold the paper responsible for
having us suffer a criminal
conspiracy unheralded
While Oregon's bench
warmers vengefully use court
powers against us; administrative
lawyers, such as Oregon Workers
Compensation Board Chairman
Kendall Barnes, refuse injured
workers “non-adversary" hear
ings, 45 Or Law Rev 40 (1965),
while illegally lobbying to charge
workers $50 00 for hearing
requests and teaching at Wil
lamette University. ORS 656.716;
In the Matter of Judge Sawyer 286
Or 369(1979).
I feel a goose-step coming on
unless we expose and remove
power abusers
JohnM. Reed
Not excessive
I am shocked that anyone could
conceive that punishment of los
ing class and obtaining a failing
grade for academic cheating is
"excessive punishment." It has
been my idea that tests are to find
how much material the students
know about the course If a
student doesn't know the mater
ial, why should he/she receive a
passing grade? If a student is
cheating, he/she obviously
doesn’t know the material An "F”
would be civil justice. As for losing
the class, a little thought should
be taken by the student as to what
their goal in college is before
cheating. There are many people
who would give their all to go to
college, to learn. That's what we
are here for, to learn Isn't it?
Anyone who has studied their
rear-end off for a class and gained
something from it, I think, would
lend to agree
Julie A. Frederick
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