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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (March 2, 1982)
Students rally to protest aid cuts WASHINGTON (AP) - Thousands of college students — some chanting "books not bombs" — lobbied Congress Monday against Pres Ronald Reagan s proposed cutbacks in federal grants and loans for education The large turnout came amid mounting signs of resistance among both Repub licans and Democrats to Reagan's call for cutting education aid from $13 billion to less than $10 billion in fiscal 1983 Many students arrived in buses char tered by their schools or student as sociations "I'm very scared," said Fran Pheeny, 21, a New York University sophomore, “It does seem (Reagan) has lost some support, but I'm still very scared " Nearly a dozen lawmakers delivered speeches of support to more than 500 students who crammed into a room in a House office building. The so-called National Student Lobby Day, organized by nine national student groups, was to end with a rally on the Capitol steps. "We are going to prohibit any further cutbacks and we should commence to restore the cuts that have already been made. We are going to prevail," said Rep Carl Perkins, D-Ky., chairer of the House Education and Labor Committee Some of the 21 freshmen Republican members of the House who have sent Reagan a letter attacking his education cuts as "unacceptable" and “unfair" held a news conference to support the student lobbyists. Several said Reagan should reduce his proposed increases in defense spending. But Rep Larry Craig, R-ldaho, also lectured students to pay back their loans. "If you have to drive a used car and live in an apartment for a few years to get your loan paid off, you ought to do it,” he said Reagan wants to make graduate students accrue interest on their loans while they are still in school. Their monthly interest payments alone could range up to $466. Under loan cutbacks Reagan wants to put into effect April 1, graduate students would be barred from getting the 9-percent Guaranteed Student Loans on which the government pays all the inter est until after a student leaves school. Instead, he wants the graduate students to borrow under a 14-percent auxiliary loan program, with no in-school interest subsidy, and to boost their debt ceiling from $25,000 to $40,000 Reagan also wants to double the 5-percent origination fee under graduates pay for Guaranteed Student Loans, subject all borrowers to a needs test and make the students repay at market rate two years after leaving col lege In addition, Reagan wants to cut $1.5 billion from Pell Grants, work-study funds, National Direct Student Loans and other aid programs now costing $3.3 billion. Those cuts would affect awards in the 1983-84 school year. The GSL program now costs the government $2.7 billion. The administra tion says its costs would rise to $3.4 billion next year without the cutbacks to hold its cost to $2.5 billion. Tuesday, March 2, 1982 Eugene, Oregon Oregon daily Volume 83 Number 112 emerald One candidate is out; Weathersby’s still in By Ann Portal Of Mt Erne me Negotiations with George Weathersby, the State Board of Higher Education's first choice for chancellor, continued Monday while one of the other two remaining finalists withdrew his name from consideration William Bud Davis, president of the University of New Mexico, announced Monday afternoon that he no longer should be considered to replace Chan cellor Roy Lieuallen, who retires in July Earlier, board president Ed Harms had called Davis to inform him the board intends to wait a week before making a final decision "Under these circumstances I have requested that my name be withdrawn from consideration," Davis said "I am no longer a candidate for the position Harms said that although he talked by phone with the third candidate. Pres George Rainsford of Kalamazoo College in Michigan, he can't answer whether Rainsford also will withdraw Following an executive session Mon day, board members said the premature identification of Weathersby as the board's top choice may have hampered relations with Davis and Rainsford ‘ It's certainly been embarrassing to the other candidates,” Harms said Weathersby, commissioner of higher education in Indiana, is scheduled to return to Oregon for further interviews this weekend Those interviews hopefully will include a meeting with Gov Vic Atiyeh, Harms said Although an Associated Press article claimed Sunday that Weathersby had rejected the board’s offer, Weathersby said the article was incorrect and that the board had not yet made him a definite offer The board decided to meet again with Weathersby after board members talked in two executive sessions by telephone Monday Three board members, Alvin Batiste, Jane Carpenter and Robert In galls. also spoke again with Weathersby Continued on Page 3 Legislature nears finish; tax relief cut final issue SALEM (AP) - The Legislature pushed to the brink of adjourning its special session Monday night after set tling everything except how much to cut property tax relief The lawmakers approved $113 million in spending cuts Monday and passed a 3-cent per pack boost in the 16-cent state cigarette tax Those steps, together with a $75 mil lion income tax hike and other revenue measures approved earlier in the six week session, came within $10 million of eliminating a projected budget deficit A House-Senate conference commit tee labored late Monday in an effort to reach a compromise on a property tax relief cut That issue became the chief sore point as lawmakers tried to adjourn the record-length special session that began Jan. 18 The House passed a $44 million tax relief reduction last week, but the Senate wouldn't go along with a cut that deep. The Senate approved a $15.6 million tax relief decrease Sunday. The House rejected that measure Monday, putting the dispute into the joint conference panel to try to find an acceptable middle ground The Senate quickly endorsed the bud get cuts 21-9 following 32-27 approval in the House Opponents of decreasing property tax relief have warned that voters may im pose a tax lid on local governments Property tax foes are circulating initiative petitions for a ballot measure that would limit taxes to 1.5 percent of property value. A program under which the state pays about 30 percent of homeowner taxes and gives equivalent relief to renters is budgeted to cost $189 million this year. If the Legislature didn't cut the tax relief budget, the maximum homeowner relief payment this fall would be $355 The House voted to drop the maximum payment to $220, but the Senate rejected the measure Posters on dorm walls ignite fire marshal's ire Posters plastered on dorm walls over the weekend were fire hazards that had to be removed, the city fire marshal told about 10 Watson Hall residents Mon day The students, upset that the posters had to come down, gathered in the hall Monday afternoon to protest the deci sion. After standing firm for about an hour, the students eventually began to tear the posters from the walls ‘ It’s not like wore anti’ anything. They think we re going against the maids, but we re not ” said dorm re* sident Mike Rivers, o'iginator of the ‘ poster art." Rivers had decorated nis door and a small wall space with the posters when the rest of the floor got involved and proceeded to cover all of the walls with "about 500” posters, Rivers said. "We did it because we’re sick of looking at the gray-brown walls," said Lance Brechbill, another dorm res ident. "We did this as decoration.” But the housekeepers in the dor mitory complex said the wall-to-wall posters presented a very real fire danger. The students’ housing contracts al low them to decorate halls and rooms only after gaining the housing depart ment’s approval. According to Larry Spencer, area director for the Hamilton Complex, the students removed the posters after the fire marshal issued an edict pointing out the danger.
