Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 9, 1982)
Oregon daily _ _ emerald Oregon outflanks Taiwan See Page 8 Tuesday, November 9, 1982 Eugene, Oregon Volume 84, Number 48 Ralph Nader Corporate values rule, Nader says By Richard Burr Of tt» Emfrrakf Students need to reorient their thinking away from corporate values dominating the University, consumer activist Ralph Nader said Monday. “Corporate values shape our life and we don't realize it," Nader said before a capacity crowd in the EMU Ballroom. Cultural Forum, Survival Center, Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group. ASUO Executive and Save Our Ecosystems sponsored the speech Many students view the University as a "glorified trade school" that will get them a job, Nader said The University is, however, a place to develop citizenship skills, he said The University was noted for promoting consumer concerns and other causes during the late 1960s and early 1970s, Nader said OSPIRG was the first PIRG formed in the nation, and is an example of the rejuvenation, Nader said PIRGS help students develop citizenship skills and give them experience, he said Students in other countries are fighting for their rights while University students are more interested in pleasing business recruiters, Nader said Interviewees should say to interviewers they are concerned with corporate responsibility to consumers and reporting business violations, he said "Give them a message Nader said Otherwise, they'll think you're an apathetic crowd " One legislator who has helped the corporate corruption has been Republican Sen Bob Packwood, Nader said at the speech and at an earlier press conference "He's been doing a lot of dirty work in Congress,” he said at the press conference Packwood has voted for big business, nuclear plants, Senate salary increases and the Reagan tax cut, Nader said. The senator is inaccessible to consumer groups but available to big business interests, he added Students need to develop independent, critical thinking, which is the purpose of the university education, he added "Students are bored with the faculty and the faculty is bored with students," Nader said "You kind of bore each other." One reason is the method of teaching, he said Students and faculty participate in the "consumption of the calendar,” promoted by the teaching process of "memor ization-regurgitation-vegetation,” Nader said. Students need to have more input about the types of courses taught, he said A Curriculum Reform Committee should be formed to promote classes that also will have an effect on students’ lives, Nader said. Courses on politics in nutrition or Bob Packwood, with students being actively involved in the research, help in vigorate the learning process, he added The problems boil down to an inability of America to discover fundamental solutions to its problems, Nader said. Americans need to get involved to change this, he said. "Do it, and end up with a better society, or don’t, and pay the bill,” Nader said. City cited in ‘naming’ suit By Marian Green Of ttorn EmtfiM “There oughta be a law and there is." That s the slogan of a 17-member citizens' group that filed a lawsuit Monday in Lane County Circuit Court that protests the way the Eugene City Council changed the name of the city s $22 3 million performing arts complex Citizens For Open Government alleges that the council violated the Oregon Public Meetings Law when it changed the name of the Eugene Performing Arts Center to the Hult Center for the Performing Arts The council approved the resolution during a $10-a-plate recognition dinner Sept 23, the eve of the center's grand opening, to recognize a $3 million donation from local community leaders Nils and Jewel Hult "While we may not agree with the city council upon the name chosen for the center, the basis for this lawsuit is the process by which the name was chosen, rather than a challenge to the name actually decided upon, reads a statement signed by CFOG members Rachele Raia, John Bauguess and Morley Young, plaintiffs in the suit It's basically a violation of the law, and we want the city council to correct what they did,” Bauguess said The complaint calls for the city council's action on Sept 23 to be declared void and for the defendant to pay court and attorney fees But council member Gretchen Miller, also a Eugene attorney, said in a telephone interview Monday that the suit serves no purpose but "to embarrass the donor.” "I think it’s real unfortunate that somebody feels that they have to file a suit, but I don't have any doubt that it (the council's action) was legal," said Miller, who didn't attend the Sept 23 dinner/meeting Miller said the council’s action was "poorly thought out. ” “You can draw whatever conclusions you want about the fact that I didn't attend the din ner," she said The council made the decision under harried conditions with little prior knowledge, she added ‘ Nobody really knew much about it ahead of time It happened in just a matter of a few days " Nevertheless, the council complied with the regulations stated in the Oregon Public Meetings Law (ORS 192 610), Miller said “I really don t think there's any illegality going on," she said. "If there is any violation, it doesn’t have any remedy." Miller said the law, which states its intent is to ensure that decisions of governing bodies be arrived at openly,'’ does not provide for mandatory reconsideration of the governing body's action Two ot the seven councilors who approved the original name change would have to propose and second a counter motion, and a majority of the councilors would have to approve it. Miller said The complaint alleges that the council violat ed the statute on three points: • "The meeting was not open to the pub lic in that open paying ticketholders were allowed to attend A doorperson was instructed to allow anyone admi;tance to the dinner to hear the city council, according to city officials But apparently no one attended just for the council meeting • “Defendant failed to give at least twenty four hours notice of the meeting reasonably calculated to give actual notice to the public and to interested persons, as required by ORS 192.640." • "The notice given by the defendant failed to adequately inform news media, interested persons and the general public of the anticipated action to be taken by the city council." The city manager’s office issued a meeting notice, stating the time and place, on Sept. 22. The notice said the meeting's agenda “in cludes a special announcement and introduction of a resolution concerning the Eugene Perfor ming Arts Center.” Civil rights going backwards; activist puts blame on Reagan By Sandy Johnstone CM the Emerald The United States is at a sig nificant crossroads in civil rights, according to Arthur Flemming, former University president and immediate past president of the U S. Commis sion on Civil Rights. “This is the first time in three decades we are moving backwards in terms of being helpful to the poor," Flemming said on Monday. Flemming said one indication that the Reagan administration is not a strong supporter of civil rights is the fact that his is the first administration since the origin of the Commission on Civil Rights 25 years ago to ini tiate changes in the leadership. Currently there are three posi tions open for appointment, and Pres. Ronald Reagan intends to eventually replace all six members, he said. Flemming was removed from his post as chairer of the Commission by Reagan about a year ago, just before he released a highly critical statement about the civil rights policies of the Reagan admin istration. Besides serving on the Com mission on Civil Rights from 1973 to 1981, Flemming has been secretary of the Department of Health, Educa tion and Welfare, and president of Ohio Wesleyan University and Macallester College in Minnesota. One main problem facing the United States is the regressive movement, whose members will ‘‘do everything they can to eliminate or weaken these laws and court decisions" support ing civil rights, Fleming said. The methods legislators are currently focusing on is placing riders to appropriations bills which limit agencies in their abilities to fund some functions dealing with civil rights, he said. For example, a rider proposed by Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., would make it impossible for the Department of Education to implement desegregation poli cies defined in the Supreme Court decision Brown vs. Board of Education, Flemming said. Another rider proposed by Sen. Bennett Johnston, D-La., would limit the ability of the courts to rule on desegregation cases, he said. Both of these riders were attached to appropriations bills that passed through the Senate. Arthur Flemming The passage of the John ston-Helms amendments is a “serious defeat for the civil rights movement,” Flemming said. He added he is afraid the amendments might be approved by the House in the upcoming lame duck session or in the next regular Congres sional session. Flemming is optimistic, how ever, about the ability of people at the grassroots level to over come the legislative movement to curb civil rights. Flemming admitted grass roots support for civil rights needs stronger organiza tion, however, and that the complexity of issues such as the Johnston-Helms riders are dif ficult to explain.
