WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16,1991
EUGENE. OREGON
VOLUME 93, ISSUE 35
Thomas narrowly wins seat on Supreme Court
WASHINGTON (AIM Clarence
Thomas won Senate confirmation lor
the: Supremo Court Tuesday night on a
52-to-48 vote, overcoming explosive ac -
cusations of sexual harassment to be
come only the second black, justice m
history.
With crucial help from Southern
Democrats, Thomas, a libertarian-lean
ing conservative, will succ eed Thurgood
Marshall, the first black justice and one
ol the court's last liberals
Thomas won confirmation with sup
port from 41 of the Senate's -til Republi
cans and 11 Democrats Sens Sam
Nunn, Wvche Fowler, Charles Robb, [,
James bxon, Alan Dixon, Richard Shel
by, John Breaux, j. Bennett Johnston,
David Boren, Truest Hollings and Den
nis DeConcmi.
Sons James Jeffords and Bob Pec k
wood cast the onlv Republican votes
against him
Sen Mark Hatfield, ROre., joined the
majority in voting to confirm Thomas .is
a member of the Supreme Court, while
Packwood was one of only two Senate
Republicans to vote against the nomina
tion.
The vote ended one of the angriest,
most emotionally c harged confirmation
battles ever.
Thomas said he wanted to put the or
deal behind him
“This is more a time for healing, not a
time for anger or for animus or animus
ity," Thomas said, standing outside his
house with his wife, Virginia, under an
umbrella in the: rain
"1 guess in so many ways, as 1 say to
mv wife so many times, l‘d like to thank
America.” said Thomas, who rose from
rural poverty in Georgia to prominence
in government.
Thomas had been uc c used by law pro
fessor Anita Hill of making unwanted
advances and humiliating her with lewd
remarks a decade ago when she worked
for him at the Fducution Department.
Her surprise charges brought an abrupt
halt to the Senate's plans to vote on
7 urn tc THOMAS Page 3
Students rally against sexual harassment
By Kirsten Lucas
Emerald Reporter
Minutes before the closest
Supreme Court confirmation
of this century, students ral
lied in the EMU Courtyard
in opposition to nominee
judge Clarence Thomas and
in support of Professor Anita
Hill
Hill alleged that Thomas,
her former employer, sexual
ly harassed her when they
worked together in the curly
19803.
As news of Thomas' con
firmation was broadcast into
the courtyard, a couple of
students broke into tears.
While the Thomas confir
mation was the news of the
day, the rally focused on the
issue of sexual harassment.
"Anita Hill represents the
millions of women that are
being sexually harassed in
the work force every day,"
said Thcruso DuBravac, rully
co-organizer.
"What happened this
weekend is a visible public
symbol of women fighting
back," said Ellen Purstner,
former president of Lane
County National Organiza
tion for Women. Eurstnor
spoke along with University
law Professor Caroline Poroll
at the afternoon rally.
Pored, who teaches a sem
inar on women and the law
and has researched the issue
of sexual harassment, said
she listened to the testimo
nies of both Thomas and
Hill.
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University Lew Prolessor Caroline Foroll. speaking at a rally Tuesday, said women need to
be taken seriously when they are sexually harassed.
"Wo nood to believe wom
en, ” Foroll said. "Tlmo and
time again we believe
men over women when it's
his word against hers "
Not only did Kornll empa
thi/.e with Hill's experience,
she pointed out that conduct
that creates a "hostile work
environment” was not ret
ognlzed by the Supreme
Court until 198G about
five years alter Hill claims
siie was harassed
"Today it is still tremen
dously difficult, painful and
risky to seek a legal remedy
(to sexual harassment),"
Forell said.
Rally participant Alicia
Swaringen understood ex
actly what Foroll and Hill
were talking about.
"I'm hero in support of
Anita Hill because 1 believed
her story," Sw.iringen said
’Tve b<«!n sexually harassed
and the way she responded
is exactly the way I respond
ed.
1 never reported the sex
ual harassment because 1
knew I would be put on the
spot I knew people proba
bly wouldn't believe me.”
Women are speaking and
we have to listen and sup
port them because it is diffi
cult iinii painful, l-urslnet
said.
"Why do wo live in ti six:i
«ly whom sexual hnrussinenl
is ovon .in issue? it dixisn't
have to ho, but us lung ns it
is, wo can’t ignoro it and
wo cannot bo ladies any
mom,” she said
[•‘urstnor also said she be
lieves tli,it all men should be
concerned uixiut the issue of
sexual harassment
"This is about people
struggling honestly with is
sues betw een men and worn
on that have no easy all
swers,” she said
Familiar Oregon rains to return this week
By Gerrit Koepping
Emerald Reporter
It was sunny, it was pleasant, it seemed like California
obviously it couldn't last Forts asters say the nh-so-familiar
Oregon rain clouds will be back belore the week is over
Normally at this time of year, storms from the (lull ol Alas
ka flow down the jet stream and into the Northwest, but this
year a high pressure ridge has forced those storms into Cana
da.
Joseph Culbreutb, a climatologist and weatherman for
KMTK-TV. said the presence of such a high pressure ridge is
not unusual. What is unusual is the length in which it has
stayed. This ridge has been here lor two months, whereas nor
mally such ridges only last for a few days
Hut rain clouds will probably return by today or Thursday.
Calbruath said Thu storm should break up the high pressure
ridge and give the area some moisture, he said
John Fischer, meteorologist and weatherman for KFZ1-TV ,
said he expects about one-tenth of an inch of drizzle by
Thursday.
By the weekend, still more drizzle should fall, insuring that
the high pressure ridge does not re-form, Calbruath said
Fischer said the weekend sprinkles "should be just enough to
turn the dust into a fine layer of mud."
The news is a comfort to local fire fighters who have be
come increasingly concerned about the dry conditions. Spun
cur Butte, Skinner Butte and the Kidgeline trail have all been
closed by the city ofFugene because of fire danger
Tim Birr, public information officer for the Fugene Police
Department, said the area will need at least two inches of rain
Pt'Oto t>y An«1fl» M4""'
The unusually dry weather ol the last two months has caused
lire lighters in Oakridge some concern. Forecasters are
predicting that ram will return by Thursday
before the buttes cun he re opened Fischer said it is unlikely
that that much rain will fall by the weekend
The current period of pleasant, dry, comfortable weather
will s(xm lie over, Fischer said, and "we won't have this kind
of weather for another six to eight months ”
One thing that has not presented a problem has been water
levels at the local reservoir’s that supply the Eugene area Ron
Henry, a power plant operator for the Army Corps of Engi
neers, said water levels are not abnormal for this time of year
Torn to HEAT, Pago 3
INDEX
A library wronged_
Despite 1111r itiscovi-ry ill several
box os of iiiro materials stolon from
tho University s Knight Library, ami
lilt.' conviction of tho mart who stole
thorn, it is uncertain whi n tho hooks
and documents will return home.
See story, Pago 4
Beat it, Columbus_
Christopher Columbus was a sick
man from a su k culture, so said kuk
patrick Sale, an activist and author of
Columbus and llu> C'ow/uesf of I’.tr.i
disc.
See story, Page 5
The Beet goes on_
The Sugar fleets, a hand composed
ol University students, describe their
sound as a mixture of bluegrass, orig
inals and freeform ja/./.
See story, Page 6