Vietnamese scholars talk of future By Colleen Pohlig Oregon D*ry fm&skl After decades of pain, loss and bitterness for l>oth Vietnamese and Americans, it's time to close the doors of the past and look forward to a future of peace and friendship, two Vietnamese scholars said Marking a historic moment, the University is hosting two of Vietnam's most distinguished si holars. Nguyen Kim Cue and Hoang Cong Thuy — the first exchange agreement between major universities hi the two countries since the end of the Vietnam War. Cut. a pediatrician and Vietnam's leading expert on women and families, and Thuy. a professor and member of the hoard of the Vietnnm-USA Society, said they accepted the month-long professorships mainly because they want Americans to know of the mutual need for friendship "Now that the war is over, we need to heal the war wounds as well as the health and minds of Vietnamese and American peo ple," Thuy said. "We re here to show our good will and our readi ness to make peace with the people in the U S., and to make friendship.” Arriving last week as visiting professors with the International Studies Program and the Center for the Study of Women in Soci ety, Cue and Thuy are packing their schedules with lectures rang ing from the war to the Vietnamese language to contemporary social, political and economic development in Vietnam. Cue is also spending the majority of time speaking with women students and faculty as well as women's organizations about the strives for equality in her country and the status women in the United States. She serves on a 10-member committee that over sees the Vietnamese Women’s Union to which 80 percent of Viet namese women belong. "Women have very good conditions here,” Cue said "They are working very seriously and effectively for equality ' University Professor Robert Proudfoot. who has taught in Viet nam through the U.S.-Vietnam Sister University Project five times in tile last four years, said the visit is what Americans need to discard the negative stereotypes and see Vietnamese people in a true light "This is the first time that Americans can really get an under standing of contemporary Vietnam." Proudfoot said "And we have a lot to learn. They are so generous and forgiving — it rekin dles optimism for me.” Proudfoot will return to Vietnam in August to teach as a vis iting professor, this time for five months, lie said Cue's anil Thuy s visit has already opened up many doors for student and faculty opportunities to study ami teach in Vietnam Also, plans are in the works for the first ever delegation of American students and faculty to visit Vietnam next year Proud foot said Vietnamese students and faculty members will then -p*c*> Visiting scholars Hosng Cong Thuy (laft). Dr Nguyan Kim Cue and University Professor Robert Proudfoot have bean working to ease relations between Vietnam and the United States havo a U.S. delegation. Cut anti Thuy said the friendship process is being slowed by things like the recent discovery of a 1972 letter that report ed Vietnam had at the time been secretly holding more than (MM) Americans who were not freed in 197 ,1 under terms of the Paris peace accords "We don't havo any POWs (prisoners of war)." Thuy said "Why would our government hold them, and how could they keen them a secret from the Vietnamese people?" The discovery of the letter, found in Communist Party archives in Moscow, is believed to bo stalling the Clinton administration from lifting the 18 year trade embargo on Vietnam that his offi cials had signaled to doing earlier this year Most U.S experts have since rejected the letter as inaccurate In fact. the U.S embassy refused Cue and I buy v isas and they were stuck in Bangkok for six days because U.S. politicians and activists demanded an at counting. Proud foot said his request for help from Rep Peter Defa/.io, and ultimately Vice Presi dent Al Gore, made the visit happen While Cm and Thuy admit to luting nervous about how they would be welcomed by Americans, they said they were surprised to find only friendly people who are eager to talk, and listen, to them. "We're doing the best we can to consolidate between Vietnam and the US," Thuy said "The potu v of openness shows that Vietnam is ready and willing to be friends for peat e. coopera tion and development. ASSEMBLY Continued from Page 1 Americans and Latinos/Chiainos to cours ( proposed the amendment, said the first part of the requirement should in dude other groups, such as jews Hut political science Associate Profes sor Sumi Cho said the four racial groups that hail been specifieri in the first course have historically suffered more prejudice than any other racial or ethnic group, and they deserve special attention. Cither racial and ethnic groups, she said, (an be addressed by the requirement's sec ond course. When the amendment passed, interna tional studies Professor Robert Proudfoot walked out of the assembly, saying. This assembly just took away Native American identities and lumped us together with everyone else. Our voice lias lieen taken away today Thank you very much About 30 students followed him, yelling at the assembly and calling assembly members racists. "There is no multicultural requirement with that amendment,” one student shout ed. "’It's bullshit.'' A shaken assembly spent the next 20 minutes trying to decide whether it could vote by secret or mail-in ballot. instead of by raising hands as it normally does A secret ballot is against Oregon's pute lic meetings laws, said University legal adviser Peter Swan. A mail-in ballot would have been legal, he said, but the assembly failed to get the 2/3 vote nec essary for it. Several other amendments were sug gested. but the assembly adjourned I hi fore voting on any of them One amendment would reverse the Sanders amendment, which broadened the first course to deal with all U.S. racial and ethnic minority groups Sociology Associate Professor Samir a Morgen, who introduced the amendment, added language to encourage comparative discussions of racial and ethnic: groups in the first course but maintained the course's original intent. Under her amendment, she said after the meeting, a course on relations lietween blacks and lews would Ihi acceptable for the requirement's first part However, she said a course just on anti-Semitism would not. Another amendment would establish a committee to assess the fisc al and acad emic implications of the requirement A third amendment would reduce the requirement back to one course. In the next few weeks, more amend merits will likely Ihi considered at senate and assembly meetings. Supporters say even if the issue is not resolved by the end of the school year, they will not give up "We ll just keep on doing this as long as it takes." Morgen said COURT Continued from Page 1 vott'd during llu* primary elei lions If thr i onstitution court did rule (hr elis lions board v iolaled nits lions rult's. would it It* worth the cost of liov mg another elet tion. court mmii here asked Trncv Dennis, elections board coor dmalor. said the t ost of a sts mid fits tion would run between $2,000 and $5,000 It would take about two weeks to make up the ballots and get ready for the election Student Sen Michael Omogrosso filed a i omplnint against ( trrgon Dul ly Kmrntld Editorial Fditor Martin Fisher and Fditor l*at Malach. Omogrosso lost fits re-election cam paign for a one year seat on the sen ate. In his complaint. Omogrosso alleged die newspaper ran a write-in campaign for Fisher. On April 10. Fisher wrote in the Kmrmld's "Write Angles" column: "I am hereby announcing my write-in candidm y for an ASUO position Any position Fvory position "1 ogree the press should l*e grant ed extreme latitude but a line needs to be drawn," Omogrosso told the constitution court. "Mr. Fisher stepped out of tlie ring of protection of journalists and into tile ring of politicians." The Hmrrnld is an independent paper governed by the U S Consti tution and the Oregon Constitution, and not governed by the constitution court. Malach said "With respe< t to the i onstitution i ourt. I don't believe the court can tell us what we can or cannot pub lish." Mal.u It said. "The Kmcntld respectfully del lines to respond to this case.” Fisher said Omogrosso's complaint was irrelevant Iks ause elts linns rules don't supersede the First Amend ment of the ll.S Constitution "If you took my column seriously, you need more help than you're going to gel from this court." he said. Oscar Garcia, who was a write-in i andldate fora Student Senate sent, filed a complaint against the elei lions board because no elections iKwril moodier i ailed him to tell him he had to file as a candidate prior to the general election. (aircia also alleged the board vio lated elections rules when it placed Ills name on the general elei lions Iml lot. even though he hadn't filed. In the general election. Garcia received r>4 votes, which wore enough votes to win. Brad Anderson, a write-in candi date for the same sonuto seal, filed a amicus brief with the court because he believes he should lie declared the winner "I was the only candidate," Ander son said. "Therefore, I am the win ner." •** WUNDERLAND M TJSssr ilh STREET C PUBLIC MARKET VK>EO ^•**683-8464 f -- VIDEO ADVEMJMRJ | kVAU.fr AIVfAPtA/A , -gTAt-J VVVWVVVVWVW Orcti Mower* lor *n> ouUget ROSES *9.99*«. Carnations *7.99<*« jtMtvfefau' n-OWI KS AM) OIITS «r l .«-1« |7» (kaafcnx tqw. 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