I
I
2
Portland Observer
Thursday. September 11. 1975
WE SEE THE WORLD
• THROUGH BLACK EYES
H ^ n ja m in
L.
H ooks
PCC
C om mission kh
Students want voice
O n e fa cto r that the P ortland Public Schools.
P ortland State U n ive rsity a n d the U n iv e rs ity o f
O re g o n h ave fo u n d in co m m o n as school opens
this ye a r is a d e m a n d by students a n d p aren ts to
be in v o lv e d in the decision m a k in g process
For years c o lle g e students h ave bee n co n te n t to
serve in student g o ve rn m e n ts a n d p la n the social
life o f th e u niversity. N o w th ey d e m a n d a vo ice
in the a ca d e m ic fie ld a nd in som e cases e ven the
rig h t to e v a lu a te instructors.
In d ia n a n d C hica no students have w a tc h e d the
m o n e y spent on th e ir b e h a lf a t the U n iv e rs ity o f
O reg on w ith little o p p o rtu n ity to in c o rp o ra te th e ir
needs a n d desires in to the program s. The m on ey
has b ee n spent fo r a d m in is tra to rs a n d a d m in i
stra tive costs, w ith little g o in g to a c a d e m ic
concerns. O f fiv e C hica no sta ff m em bers a t the
U n ive rsity, o n ly o ne is an instructor, d e m o n
stra tin g
the
U n ive rsity's
tre n d
to
p ro v id e
c o u n s e llin g
ra th e r
th an
e d u c a tio n ,
to
h ire
m in o ritie s on p ro je c t m o n e y ra th e r th an w ith the
schools re g u la r a ca d e m ic b u d g e t.
C hica no
students
at
P o rtlan d
State,
in
a tte m p tin g to d em o n stra te a cause im p o rta n t to
them — th a t o f the fa rm w o rk e rs — h ave ta k e n up
the cause o f stu de nt rights. The S tudent C onduct
Code, b orn in the strife a nd v io le n c e o f the
1960's, does n ot seem to a p p ly to a s m a ll g ro u p
o f p e a c e fu l students w h o w a n t to m a ke th e ir
story heard.
The P ortland School Board a n d its ''T o w n H a ll"
m e e tin g this w e e k h ea rd one th e m e o v e r and
o ve r: le t citizen s be a p a rt o f th e d ecision m a k in g
process
The speakers w e re n ot "g ra s s ro o ts ,"
the p e o p le w h o m ost o fte n su ffe r a t the hands o f
the school d istrict d ecisio n -m a ke rs, b u t w e re
p e o p le w h o h ave bee n in v o lv e d w ith the schools
th ro u g h PTA, a d viso ry co m m itte e s a n d v o lu n
te e rin g .
They expressed a lack o f trust a nd
e m p h a size d the need fo r c o m m u n ic a tio n b e
tw e e n school a u th o ritie s a nd th e citizens.
O ur students a re le a d in g th e w a y in the
stru g g le fo r an e q u ita b le e d u c a tio n a l system.
M in o rity students, w h o have b ee n d e n ie d the
o p p o rtu n itie s fo r q u a lity e d u c a tio n th ro u g h o u t
th e ir school years, ore d e m a n d in g a v o ic e in
d ecision m a kin g .
They n ee d th e h e lp a n d the
su pp ort o f the c o m m u n ity as th e y a tte m p t to
p ro v id e b e tte r e d u c a tio n a l o p p o rtu n itie s fo r a ll
students.
Chicano
students
(Continued from p. 1 col. 3)
President Blumel and the D.A. office
(Francisco and Kathy).
5. The threat of expulsion against
Francisco Ybarra be terminated, a
threat
based on Prejudice
and
political activities of the Chicano
Student Union of Portland State.
Ybarra and Ms. Collier have filed
suit, asking one million dollars in
damages, charging that they were
deprived of their constitutional rights
and suffered cruel and unusual
punishment. The suit, filed in United
States District Court, names as
defendents: Joseph Blumel; John
Wanjala, director of the campus
police; three university administra
tors; five campus police officers;
Police Chief Bruce Baker and uniden
tified city police officers; Sheriff I>ee
Brown and u nid en tified county
deputy sheriffs.
According to Ybarra, there has
been little effort in the part of the
University to serve Chicano students.
There are no courses with special
appeal to Chicano students and no
active recruiting of Chicano students.
Of approximately 18,000 students at
Portland State University,
there
were less than twenty Chicano's last
year.
Give it a chance
\ iolence on television and
$
The p e o p le o f P ortland are fin d in g that children's viewing habits
have been twin ronrerns of
M a n p o w e r tra in in g is a d iffic u lt job. The p e o p le
mine for some time, indeed,
th a t a re supposed to be served a re those that long before I became a
have never b e fo re been successful in the la b o r member of the Federal
m arket.
The schools have fa ile d th em , a nd t o m m u n iration Commis
th o u g h m any w e n t th ro u g h tw e lv e years o f sion.
school rig h t here in P ortland, th e y c a n n o t read
As a grandfather, my
concern is personal. As a
a nd w rite . U n e m p lo y e d , o ve r a lo n g p e rio d o f
member of the FCC. I have
tim e , they have n e a rly g iv e n up — b u t n o w th ere
a broader concern
that of
is a n o th e r p ro g ra m d e s ig n e d to m a k e them
the public interest. By the
e m p lo y a b le .
time they are eighteen
A lth o u g h th ey m ig h t e nte r the p ro g ra m w ith years old. children will have
the highest e xpe cta tio n s and hopes, if is d iffic u lt spent more time before the
to g a in a life tim e o f necessary e d u c a tio n a l television set than they will
have in classrooms, it has
e x p e rie n c e a nd skills in a fe w m onths.
been noted.
O th e r M a n p o w e r pro gram s h ave had th e ir
p ro b le m s a nd fa ilu re s Few have had h ig h rates
Social scientists say that
television merely mirrors
o f success w h e n d e a lin g w ith the ch ro nic
u n e m p lo y e d .
The C on cen trated E m p lo ym e n t the views, values and atti
tudes that we come in
Program has been te rm e d a fa ilu re , a t least by
contact with daily in the
loca l p o litic ia n s , ye t m any o f its g ra d u a te s are real world. Thus, the lurid
n o w in p ro d u ctive e m p lo y m e n t.
headlines of crime, brutal
It is easy to p o in t to the success o f CETA II a nd v iolence, biiMxfshed, rapes,
VI, w h ic h w e re d e sig n e d to p la ce p ro fessio na ls that inflame our news
a n d s k ille d w orkers in te m p o ra ry jobs u n til the papers, are reflected in an
almost endless stream of
jo b m a rk e t im proves. CETA I, w h ic h is to tra in
a n d e m p lo y the "h a rd c o re " u n e m p lo y a b le s , is
a n o th e r story.
W e hope that w h ile se e kin g sta tistical success,
the city w ill not lose sight o f the purpose o f the by Yeroon Jordan
T h e S e c r e t a r y com
p ro g ra m
If the p ro p e r g o a l is k e p t in m in d , w e
mented that government
w ill see the results o f this p ro g ra m in th e years to
A recent news account spending is getting out of
c o m e as in d iv id u a ls n o w re le g a te d to the reported that the Secretary hand because “we've been
of the Treasury, William E.
willing to assign to the
oppressive life o f the w e lfa re c lie n t w ill fin d
Simon, blasted the food government the responsibi
u sefu l a nd p ro d u c tiv e lives.
stamp program, calling it a
well known haven for the
chiselers and the rip o ff
artists."
Here we go again!
If a federal
program
transfers funds to low-
income families, if it helps
feed, house or clothe them,
it is invariably denounced
as a rip-off.
But when a
federal
program
funnels
money to high income fami
lies or into large corpora
tions, it is beyond criticism.
Usually, the condemns
tion comes when a social
program begins to prove its
usefulness The food stamp
program wasn't started to
help out poor people who
couldn't afford to buy food
at going prices; it was
originally intended to help
farmers get rid of surplus
crops.
For a long while most
people who qualified for the
everybody would be happy, but those purchase of food stamp,
who really need the program would were kept in the dark about
how to get them. But the
still be suffering."
bust in the economy last
C om m issioner Jordan has ap
pointed Judy Phelan, who has served year led to a boom in
as acting director of Manpower qualified applicants for the
stamps, turning the pro
Service, to be permanent director.
He also appointed a Blue Ribbon gram into a relatively costly
Panel to take an objective look .at the one that was effective in
Manpower Programs and to make aiding moderate income fa
milies.
recommendations in the programs.
That makes it a prime
This panel includes:
1. D r. John Howard. President. target for the budget cut
Lewis and Clark College; 2. Don ters and the preachers of an
out moded rugged Individ
Sterling, Editor, Oregon Journal; 3.
ualism that’s against any
Bob Landauer, Staff Editor, Ore
gonian; 4. Fred Flowers, Economic socially beneficial fed eral
programs.
Opportunity Specialist. U.S. Highway
Department;
5.
Charles
Greene,
Retired Portland Businessman, Ac
tive with the Chamber of Commerce;
6. Keith Gowing, Manager of Eco
nomic Development. Chamber of
Commerce; 7. Mondalee Beck. Super
visor of Employment and Training.
Georgia Pacific: 8. Ruth Spellman,
Ix-ague of Women Voters; 9 ll^ b or
representative unconfirmed); 10. (Pa
cific Power and Light representative
unconfirmed).
Too o fte n p ro g ra m s a re o ffe re d to the p oo r as
a h a n d o u t d u rin g tim es o f p o litic a l strife , then are
snatched a w a y b e fo re the p e o p le th 6y are
supposed to h e lp a re a b le to b e n e fit fro m them
These pro gram s u s u a lly a re d e s ig n e d fo r fa ilu re ,
d e s ig n e d to h e lp the p o litic ia n s w h o crea te them
b ut n o t the p e o p le w h o need th e ir services.
Accross the c o u n ty CETA p ro g ra m s a re in
tro u b le ; it is n ot just a loca l p ro b le m .
But w e
h o p e the local p o litic a l p o w e rs w ill h ave the
concern a nd th e p a tie n c e to try to g e t the mos»
possible b e n e fit fro m this p ro g ra m b e fo re it, too,
is snatched a w a y.
Manpower
(Continued from p. 1 col. 3)
POIC training component be trans
ferred from POIC to another agency,
he has decided to stay with POIC. “In
an area like the Model Neighborhood,
where unemployment is twice that of
the rest of the city, we need to use a
com m unity
based
o rg an izatio n .
There are some things POIC can do
better than anyone else.”
Jordan emphasized that the reason
Portland's C ETA I program looks bad
statistically is the group it has chosen
to serve.
The program predicts a
twenty-five percent success rate.
Y ou have to meet the people we
serve, and talk to them, to under
stand why so many cannot make it
through the program." The clientel
are without education or skills, and
with work experience. “I t takes a
long time to train these people for
employment. I t can't be done in a
few months."
Jordan said the program could
show a higher success ratio by
seeking a higher level of clients. “We
could take people who have had some
education and training and show
them through the system in a hurry.
The statistics would look good and
Published every Thursday by Exie Publishing Company, 2201
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lity for solving many of the
problems that people should
be solving for themselves."
Noble sentiments
that
would not have been out of
place a hundred years ago,
but they bear no relation to
the reality of government's
role in a mixed economy
whose prosperity depends
on federal activism to cor
rect the imbalances of the
private sector.
It is unseemly for high
officials to blast unfairly a
food stamp program or
similar federal props for the
victims of the Depression
while accepting high de
fense costs, fed eral in
surance of private cor
porate loans (while reject
ing similar insurance for
municipal bonds) and other
costly or risky steps at a
time when unemployment is
at such a high level.
The Portland Observer's official position is expressed only in
its Publisher’s column (We See The World Through Black
Lyes). Any other material throughout the paper is the opinion
of the individual w riter or submitter and does not rmcessarily
reflect the opinion of the Portland Observer.
It can lead to stroke, heart attack and kidney failure.
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And
the
S e c re ta ry 's
and still leave some money
g ro u n d le s s
''r h is e le r '*
in the hands of moderate
charge is not only an insult
income working people.
to the buyers of food
But it is more likely that
stamps, but it also reflects
the planned review may
a shocking ignorance of the
serve as an excuse to try to
very real misery and hard
ditch a whole range of
ship many millions of people
valuable social programs,
suffer today.
leaving more people poor
B u t th e S e c r e t a r y 's
and in need,
statement is not
much
A lot depends on the
different from similar views
attitude of policy makers. If
expressed by high officiate,
they see cheats and chi
which makes the recent
selers hiding behind every
announcement of an Ad
program, they'll
try
to
m in is tra tio n
reassess
swing the heaviest axe they
ment of all social welfare
ran find and chop every
programs a cause for alarm
program in sight.
I t would be nice to think
But if they truly intend
that such a review would
to
replace
the
present
result
in
long overdue
chaotic
hodgepodge
of
reforms
One such would
overlapping programs with
be adoption of the National
a humane, rational and
Urban league's recent call
effectively streamlined ap
for a universal refundable
proach that seeks to end
credit income tax to replace
poverty and inhumane suf
the welfare system and the
fering. they've got a good
loophole ridden tax system
chance to succeed
A C IT would assure a basic
Saving lives and human
grant to all. with the grant
potential should be the goal,
taxed bark from higher
not saving a few bucks to
income families. This would
transfer to the military or
replace the welfare system
to cut a budget
What does High Blood
Pressure lead to if undetected
and untreated?
Second Class Postage Paid at Portland. Oregon
A L F R E D L. H E N D E R S O N
Editor/Publisher
bloodier violence be excised
from programming that's
shown in our homes during
the prime time hours (7:00
to 11:00 p.lh.) or that it be
rut down in a drastic way.
As citixens
we
must
vigorously mount protests
while working in positive
ways to change the basic
value system in our broad
community that makes such
programming commercially
profitable
and
popularly
attractive.
Shabby
advertiaing
in
children's T V is another
area for parental concern.
I-sst year the FCC came to
grips with this problem in a
Notice for Proposed Rule
making
I voted for the
Item and issued a concur
ring statement, declaring:
"I agree that constant and
contrived bombardment of
slick appeals exhorting su
g arroated crunchie mun
chies and other fluff to
suggestive minds. ..is gen
erally antagonistic to the
'educational and cultural
development objectives.....
espoused' Consequently. I
sym pathized w ith
ACT
(Action for Children's Tele
vision) and others who have
deplored examples of ex
ploitive huckstensm to your
youngsters over the public
airways.*'
Eternal Vigilance? That's
indeed, the price of free
dom.
And the child we
save may be our own!!
Administration reassesses social reforms
P o rtla n d O b s e rv e r
I
open ended violence in pro
gramming must have a
decided deleterious effect
on the minds of the impres
sionabie. whether they are
the young, or the mentally
immature or those who are
emotionally tottering on the
fringes
of
fantasy
and
reality.
The Federal Communica
tions A rt which gives the
FCC its authority, however,
forbids the governm ent
murders, tortures, goug
(this agency) from laying
ings. whippings, rapinga,
the heavy hands of censor
sluggings and brutal vio
ship on programming.
I
lence of every sort and
applaud this snd would
description parading across
have it no other way. For if
the bloody T V screen in our
the federal government, no
living rooms.
m a tte r how
w ell inten
The United Stales Sur
tioned.
is permitted
to
geon G e n e r a l’ s R e p o rt
censor some of the bloodier
(19721 titled:
Television
segments of violence from
and
Growing
Up:
The
programming, where will it
Impart of Televised Vio
turn next?
To the less
lence” was compiled after
offensive segments, then to
two years of effort on the
total thought control?
I
part of a group of distin
shiver at the thought.
guushed behavioral scien
Nevertheless. FCC licen
tists.
It found that while
sees are responsible for
the data are by no means
th e ir p rogrsm m ing and
conclusive, there is definite
should strive to tailor this
evidence that a "modest”
to the positive needs, in
relationship between the
terests and convienre of
viewing of violence and
their listening and viewing
aggressive behavior exists!”
audiences.
A number of psycholo
Absent such a responsible
gists and other experts
action on the part of the
agree, some of them in
broadcasters, w hat ran
much stronger terms. I am
those of us who are parents
c o n v in c e d by com m on
and grandparents do? Well,
sense, if not by the volumi
we can demand, as more
nous studies of these be
and more concerned parents
havioral scientists th at
and kinfolks are doing, that
Z ip
S ta te