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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1984)
Oregon daily emerald Tuesday, May 1, 1984 Eugene, Oregon Volume 85, Number 145 Kerans, Day file lawsuit against state By Doug Nash Of the Emerald Two legislators lashed out at Oregon's governor and attorney general Monday, criticizing them for the state's handling of a $32 million sex discrimination lawsuit. House Speaker Grattan Kerans and Sen. L.B. Day both reacted angrily to an April 26 letter by Gov. Vic Atiyeh, in which the governor refused to reveal the state's legal cost in Penk vs. State Board of Higher Education. The discrimination suit is brought on behalf of the 2,200 female faculty members who have taught in Oregon's colleges and universities since 1979. But Kerans and Day have brought a lawsuit of their own, charging that the state must disclose the cost of retaining the Philadelphia law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius to help the state prepare its defense for Penk. In his letter to Chancellor Bud Davis, Atiyeh said disclosing the cost informa tion could "significantly hamper" the state's cause in the Penk case. "In my layman's view, it would be un conscionable to require the state to lay all of its cards face up on the table before the parties begin the sensitive process of assessing the strengths and weaknesses of one another's case and searching for some common ground for compromise," Atiyeh wrote. In legal matters, Atiyeh said, the Oregon Public Meetings Law only re quires a public body to disclose its records after the litigation has been completed. But Kerans and Day disagree. A per sonel services contract law, designed by Day in 1981, requires state agencies to be held accountable for public service con tracts such as the one made with the Philadelphia firm, the legislators say. ''They're totally and completely off point," Kerans says of Atiyeh and Frohnmayer. "All L.B. and I have done is say meet the terms of the law." In addition, Kerans says the Public Meetings Law does not apply in this case because the contract with the Philadelphia firm will not be entered as litigation in the Penk trial. "The fact of the matter is that he (Atiyenj cioesn i nave a leg 10 sianu un, Kerans says. "This contract will never be entered into the evidence of that trial. Therefore, his citation of the Public Meetings Law has no merit at all." Both Day and Kerans say they are cer tain the courts will rule in their favor. And both are angered by the actions of Atiyeh and Frohnmayer. "It's an insulting letter," Day says, ad ding that Frohnmayer has been "childish through this whole thing." "I have not asked them to lay any cards on the table," Kerans says, reacting to Atiyeh's letter. "It's all smoke. They are engaged in some kind of a public rela tions assault on me and Sen. Day." Day and Kerans filed their suit about two weeks ago. Herstory not history The 1984 Women's Symposium, a "celebration of women's wholistic perspective," sponsored a herstorical parade Monday in memory of the na tion's foremothers. Participants dressed as their favorite heroines and marched from the Bookstore to the EMU Courtyard, ending with a commemorative rally. The Symposium will continue throughout the week, focusing on aspects of the women's move ment throughout time and in countries all over the world. Today's theme is politics. Here is a complete schedule: Women in Politics Internationally, 10 a.m., Forum Room Politics of Upward Mobility, 11:30 a.m., 108 EMU Noon Gig, "Girls Like Us," Courtyard Feminization of poverty, noon, Forum Room Grassroots Organizing, 12:30, 101 EMU Gender Gap, 1:30 p.m., 108 EMU Women & Alternative Media in Mexico, 2 p.m., Forum Room Sex Discrimination & the Law, 3 p.m., 108 EMU Aunt Sam wants you: Women taking hold of public offices, 4 p.m. EMU Forum Nuclear Annihilation will trivialize Feminism, 4:30 p.m., 101 EMU Issues '84, 7 p.m., Dad's Room Photo by Kirk Hirota Matassa chosen 1984-85 Emerald editor By Michael Doke Of the Emerald Michele Matassa will be the 1984-85 editor of the Oregon Daily Emerald, the Emerald board of directors announced Monday night. Matassa, the associate editor for com munity coverage, shares editorial responsibility beginning today, and will take over completely june 4. “I want to continue the watchdog role of the newspaper," Matassa said. "We will have more issue-oriented and in depth articles. We will let the University administration and the student govern ment know the Emerald is watching them with a regard to students' in terests," she said. Matassa said the experience she gain ed as this year's community editor has helped her understand how people off campus see the student paper. She is determined to bridge the gap between campus and community. "The community views us as a student publication; I want them to see the Emerald as another valid medium in Eugene,” she said. "We're not a bad publication, it's just that we are not seen by much of the com munity," she said. Improving the graphic design of the paper — and building on the magazine format of the entertainment supplement — are ways of getting the community in volved with the Emerald, Matassa said. She will replace the assistant news editor position with another University beat editor to give students better coverage of the University. She will con solidate the responsiblities of the assis tant news editor position under the news editor, she said. ''With another beat position the paper can cover the areas that haven't been covered," Matassa said. She says she hopes to provide better analyses of news about the University's budget, financial aid, Oregon Hall and the student health center. Matassa has worked at the Emerald for three years and has been politics editor as well as community editor. A junior in journalism who graduated from Roseburg High School, Matassa has also worked for the paper's advertising department. 1983-84 Emerald editor Debbie Howlett sees the appointment of Matassa as "continuing in the tradition of the newspaper." Not only will Matassa con tinue on the traditions, she will expand on them, Howlett said. "My big concern this year was the stu dent vote — that's why we put the Emerald on the ballot," she said. "Michele shares this concern. "There will be an entirely new staff on the Emerald next year," Howlett said: "It will be an entirely new paper." Matassa said she wants the Emerald staff to build the consensus that the paper is serving the students. "I want a qualified staff and I plan on getting one," she said. "I'm determined that students realize that everything we write in the paper is written for them." Michele Matassa