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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (March 3, 1982)
Wednesday, March 3, 1982 Eugene, Oregon Oregon daily Volume 83 Number 113 emerald l Students pen protests to cuts in aid By Ann Portal Ot lh» E mar aid Concerned students con verged on an EMU table Tuesday that provided supplies for writing to congressional representatives about proposed financial aid cuts From 10 am to 4 p m . a steady flow of students knelt at the table to pen quick letters to a list of seven policy-makers, in cluding Oregon's six senators and representatives and the chairer of the Labor, Health. Education and Welfare Sub committee By Tuesday evening, more than 190 students had con tributed letters toward an 800 letter goal set by ASUO and SUAB members "I'm jumping up and down right now, said Dave Berns. ASUO legislative coordinator People are just soaking it up They want to get involved " He said his only disappointment Tuesday was that he hadn't thought to provide a second table Not all the letter writers were financial aid recipients Clint Golden, a junior in computer science, said he that although he has never received student aid, he was writing to protest Pres Reagan's entire 1982-83 budget proposal "He's just gone berserk," Golden said "It’s not just student aid — it's social programs, it's lunch programs, and it's defense ” While a volunteer guided students to the EMU table, student groups visited the Bean and Carson dormitory cafeter ias to round up more support for the letter-writing campaign Berns said he also hoped to get a table in the library, but that the students' first request for a table there had been turned down University Librarian George Shipman said heavy foyer traffic makes it necessary for the library hallways to be kept clear The library has a long-standing policy of not allowing groups to set up tables, he said "I frankly am very supportive of what they're doing," Shipman said, noting that he is working with head librarians at the other seven higher education institutions to point out how the cuts would affect libraries Berns said ASUO and SUAB volunteers are advising students on what to say in their letters, and are especially en couraging them to write to Sen Bob Packwood, R-Ore and Sen Mark Hatfied, R-Ore , who is chairer of the Senate Appro priations Committee UJhere |\uv* Alt I 1 ( '(‘ ( * ( ’4 f ^ u)| 11 l;y rt<wn' . li .p-ir. \<i Uh h\<f > a ty *4* *.% »?#***•» ~ ; £Lm-x'■*■*■* tmit;•• ;, Photo by Mark Pynes Almost 200 students sent letters to legislators with a little help from ASUO/SUAB members. Most students were angry about proposed cuts in financial aid. Session cuts spending, property tax relief bill SALEM (AP) — Legislators went home Tuesday and state officials began reviewing agency budget cuts after adjournment of the longest and costliest special session in Oregon history The lawmakers finished about 11 50 p m Monday in their 37th day at the Capitol House Speaker Hardy Myers, D-Portland, said all 90 legisla tors couldn't have been satisfied "if we stayed here six more weeks " Their last act was approving a $17 million cut in state prooerty tax cut by close votes — 17-13 in the Senate and 31-28 in the House It requires 31 House votes and 16 Senate votes to pass bills The lawmakers also approved $113 million in spending cuts, passed a 3-cent per pack boost in the 16-cent state cigarette tax voted to raise in come taxes by 7 5 percent for this year only Those steps, together with revenue measures approved earlier in the six week session, balanced the budget and left a $7 million reserve fund. "Budgets could have been cut more and taxes raised less." said Gov Vic Atiyeh said following adjourn ment Responsible legislative voices were rarely heard. The critical balance between budget cuts and increased taxes was not achieved." Denny Miles, chief press aide to the governor, said it may be a week before Atiyeh has all the paperwork from the Legislature in order to make a deci sion on the measures He's considered likely to approve the proposals Atiyeh said Monday he'll do "all that's humanly possible" to avoid another special session this year The Republican governor proposed lower tax boosts and more budget cuts that the Democrat-controlled legislature would buy. He also had called for a $26 million reserve fund Most of the Legislature's tax mea sures would take effect 90 days after adjournment See related story on page 6 A House-Senate conference com mittee labored late Monday in an ef fort to reach a compromise on a property tax relief cut That issue became the chief sore point as lawmakers tried to adjourn the ses sion that began Jan. 18 The House had passed a $44 million tax relief reduction last week, but the Senate wouldn't go along with that deep a cut The Senate approved a $15 6 mil lion tax relief decrease Sunday The House rejected that measure Monday, putting the dispute into the joint con ference panel to try to find an acceptable middle ground. The lawmakers finally settled on the $17 million cut. CORD set to fight for draft resisters By Ron Hunt OI the Emerald The U S. government s hot air is bringing us closer to a draft, say coun selors of Eugene's Coalition Opposing Registration and the Draft Despite official assurances draft registration has nothing to do with actual inductions, U S leaders are propelling us toward the real thing Step by step, all necessary preparations are being made to set the draft in motion," CORD members said at a news conference Tuesday. There is an “unoffical extension" of the grace period which ended Feb 28, said draft counselor James Lewontin, but U S. Attorney General William Smith has said the Justice Department will prosecute "hundreds and hundreds" of young men if necessary Because there are at least 900,000 resisters, they will be prosecuted selectively — probably beginning in late spring, Lewontin said Religious resisters will likely be the first prosecuted, he said, because those re sisters would not have sophisticated defenses and the government could win those cases and "get case law in their favor." The choice, says the U S. government, is between "simply signing a piece of paper" and possible prosecution fol lowed by years in jail, said Marion Malcolm of CORD’S steering committee; "and we re not accepting the govern ment’s definition of that choice " If the selective prosecutions fail to increase the number of registrants, Lewontin said, match-ups of Social Security numbers, warning letters, and more prosecutions will be likely. “They must be nervous,” he said, noting that there are about 5000 new resisters each week and the government will be faced with one million non-registrants soon “We expect young people to hold out until the last possible moment," Lewon tin said; "most of these kids” who seek counsel haven't thought a great deaJ about the draft, but are “fundamentally opposed” to it nevertheless No prosecutions in Lane County are planned as yet, he said, but if there are “I think we ll see a battle CORD members plan a demonstration Thursday, Mar 11 at noon outside Eugene's Federal Build ing and said they can protest at the Federal Building within 24 hours of the first U S. prosecution of a resister CORD members also said local claims boards are portrayed by the U S Selec tive Service as neutral, designed to “protect the constitutional rights" of young men, but the boards are “being drawn into the enforcement campaign." Packets with warning posters — intended for registration-age men — have been sent to claims board members On Mar. 20, a mock call-up of 1,000 Army reservists is scheduled, with a larger test planned later in the year. This indicates a coming draft, CORD members said, adding: "Why are simulated inductions necessary, unless registration will in fact soon be followed by the draft itself?"
