Oregon daily emerald., June 20, 2000, Page 3A, Image 3

Advocate awarded
honor and money
■ Local champion for
disabled rights receives a
big nod of support from the
MacArthur Foundation
Jonathan Allen
Oregon Daily Emerald
Flowers, faxes and friends
have been flowing into Susan
Sygall’s life since being named
one of this year’s 25 MacArthur
Fellows last week.
“I haven’t really been thinking
much about the award,” said
Sygall, possibly the first person
with a disability to receive the
award. “I’ve been hearing from so
many people. ... It’s kind of one
of those dreams come true.”
The Chicago-based MacArthur
Foundation gave Sygall the hon
or and $500,000 over five years of
“no strings attached” support for
her work as executive director
and founder of Mobility Interna
tional USA, an organization that
empowers people with disabili
ties to achieve more than they —
and society — thought possible.
Sygall herself was in a car acci
dent when she was 17 that para
lyzed her legs.
“I hope that beyond Mobility
International, it will provide a
platform for discussing disability
issues on an international level,”
Sygall said.
Sygall received an M.S. from
the University in 1981, and short
ly thereafter she founded
MIUSA, which now has worked
with more than 76 countries to
train people with disabilities to
become leaders in the world to
day.
“Our goal is that we like to
work with grassroots people
around the world,” she said. “It’s
only when people with disabili
ties organize themselves and ad
vocate for themselves that things
really begin to change.”
Sygall’s commitment to excel
lence and her desire to make a
difference must shine through as
much to her co-workers as it has
to the family of leaders she has
created around the world.
“She’s a dynamic, thoughtful
and charismatic person to work
with,” said Susie Grimes, direc
tor of administration at MIUSA.
“It’s a validation for her lifelong
commitment to the human rights
movement for people with dis
abilities.”
“Her commitment and her
drive to make things happen are
extraordinary,” said Rhonda
Neuhaus, public relations coordi
nator at MIUSA. “She has a lot of
ideas and creativity. Susan brings
a lot of wonderful energy to the
office.”
Although she has said that she
has no definite plans for the mon
ey right now, it is quite obvious
that MIUSA’s plate is more than
full.
The national organization is
currently working on a microcre
dit program to help women with
disabilities in Africa. On July 27,
it will host young women with
disabilities from around the Unit
ed States and China to teach
them how they can get involved
in leadership programs in their
homes. And in August, MIUSA is
helping to send young men and
women with disabilities to Costa
Rica for leadership training and
an opportunity to meet locals
who work with disabled people.
These programs already have
funding; therefore, there is no im
mediate need for the money. And
the “no strings attached” part of
the grant really leaves Sygall’s op
tions open for using the grant.
“It’s an opportunity to have the
freedom to use it in whatever cre
ative way you want,” Sygall said.
“I want to take some time to re
flect on how to use it.”
She did mention that at some
point in the future she would like
to write down her thoughts sur
rounding people with disabilities
and produce a book, with which
the grant could definitely help.
In the meantime, Sygall is en
joying all the support and acco
lades from her friends and fami
ly, but she is taking this
opportunity to continue teaching
leadership skills — this time to
campus students.
“I would just really encourage
people to take a lot of independ
ent studies and really think of in
novative projects that they want
to do, especially projects they
want to do that can make a differ
ence for other people,” Sygall
said. “People do things at the
University that are reality based.
... Take responsibility for what it
is that you want to learn and
what you want to do, and carry it
out.”
Coke slapped with suit
By Justin Bachman
The Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) — The Coca
Cola Co. has been saddled with a
$1.5 billion racial discrimination
lawsuit just as it reached a tenta
tive settlement of a similar suit
that dogged the world’s largest
soft-drink maker for more than a
year.
The company’s top black exec
utive, Carl Ware, called the latest
lawsuit a “blatant and disruptive”
maneuver to derail the settlement
of the earlier one.
Coca-Cola agreed Wednesday
to settle a year-old racial discrimi
nation suit by a group of current
and former employees. Details
were not disclosed, but it could
cover up to 2,000 employees, a
lawyer close to the negotiations
said on condition of anonymity.
The second lawsuit was filed
Wednesday in Fulton County
State Court by attorneys Willie
Gary and Johnnie Cochran Jr.,
who defended O.J. Simpson, on
behalf of four black former Coke
employees not connected to the
original bias lawsuit. It alleges
nine counts of discrimination.
The female plaintiffs charge the
company with negligent hiring
practices, intentional infliction of
emotional distress and a hostile
environment.
“It’s hard to view it as anything
but blatant and disruptive legal
maneuvering seeking to forestall
the progress made in the other
lawsuit,” Ware, Coca-Cola’s vice
president for global public affairs,
said in Thursday’s Atlanta Jour
nal-Constitution.
U.S. District Judge Richard Sto
ry signed an order Wednesday de
laying the year-old lawsuit until
Oct. 30, allowing both sides to
conclude details of the settlement.
Doug Daft, Coke’s chairman
and chief executive, said in a
memo to employees the agree
ment “will result in a meaningful
and constructive resolution that
both parties can embrace and
serves the vital interests of all con
cerned.”
summer food
emu main tloor
greatful bread bakery
monday-friday
holy cow cafe {closed 7/3-11}
monday-friday
jamba juice pizza planet
monday-thursday
friday
subway
monday-thursday
friday
7am-3pm
11am-3pm
9am-7pm
9am-5pm
7am-7pm
7am-5pm
emu ground floor
buzz coffeehouse
monday-friday
erb essentials store
monday-friday
break pool
hall arcade
monday-friday
saturday-sunday
9am-4pm
9am-4pm
10am-8pm
11am-8pm
on campus
atrium cafe Willamette hall
monday-friday
aaa cafeilawrence hall
monday-friday
daily grind knight library
monday-friday
8am-3pm
8am-4pm
8am-4pm