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