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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 1985)
■# I.-Í.1 C C 3 i i V o r a l t y •**■ » o f O r- to n L i b r a r y • • *? n e , C»*-¿’ OB 3 7 4 0 3 Observer circulation manager dies W e regret to announce that M rs. Helen H endrix, C irculation M anager o f the Portland Observer for fifteen years, died at her home W ednesday morning M rs. H endrix had been with the Observer since its inception in 1970. She was a member of Bethel A M E Church. A King Day holiday? See below Volume XV, Number 16 February 13, 1985 25c Copy Two Sections \ > U of O law dean resigns in protest of hiring process by Landa Duke G RASSROO T NEW S. N . W . - " I t would be the worst form o f hypocrisy for me to complain and criticize the practice in general while remaining silent when I see it happening at the school where I am Dean.” With these thoughts in action, Der rick Bell, Dean o f the University o f Oregon Law School, resigned Feb ruary 7th because his faculty refused to hire an Asian-A m erican woman who was the final candidate for a teaching position. " I'v e been concerned that m inori ties who may not be perfect in quali fications arc not being hired any m o re ," Bell said, adding that the candidate had more potential for the job than he had in 1969 when he was hired to teach at Harvard I-aw School. "T h is was not a m atter o f overt discrim ination. The m ajority o f the faculty was ready to give me the go- ahead to offer this woman the job. It was the procedure that excluded her,” Bdl explained. The procedure Bell objected to was the Law School's "substantial objection" rule. I f a candidate meets with questions or protest, a job offer is withdrawn. In this case the faculty committee recommended 3-2 to hire the wom an, but three faculty members raised "substantial o b je c tio n " and other faculty members decided this ap pointment should not go forward. "Collegiality was more important than hiring this candidate. I don 't think this kind o f thing would have happened 10 yeas ago and I d on 't think it should have happened today. If I have any integrity at all, I had to submit my resignation to separate my self from the process,” Bell added. Ironically, the University o f O re gon has an Affirmative Action policy that states when a qualified person of color is a finalist for a position, the DERRICK BELL job should be offered to him or her. Former Dean Chapin C lark said a feeling of sadness blanketed the school because of Bell’s resignation, "B u t I wish Dean Bell had discussed it with our school president. The school will evaluate this rule, but under this rule many minorities, including Bell, have been hired.” C lark called Bell's reasoning an honest difference of opinion. " I do not think it's fair to say the processes of the school are at fault. After all, we are the first State la w School in the coun ty to hire a Black Dean " Bell agreed with the premis that the federal government had retreated on its coinitment to A ffirm ative Ac tion. “ But Affirmative Action did not start with the federal government. It started with an outcry from the com munity. The federal government and other institutions simply provided a vehicle that was more convenient for them than helpful for us. W hen we stopped, they stopped." Bell w ill serve out the rem aining term as Dean and plans to continue teaching at the school. " W e are all motors of A ffirm ative Action When the motor dies the vehicle stops. W hat will be required, regardless o f what the federal government does or does not d o , is for people who are con cerned about fairness to remember that they are the motor. I feel that I am a part of this motor, too. I did what I thought I had to do.” Bell, 54, a form er H arvard Law School professor, became dean at Ore gon in 1981. He has also served as a deputy director of the O ffice of Civil Rights in the U .S . Dept. of Health, education and W elfare , and he is known for taking outspoken stands on busing, South Africa and filter issues. Bell w ill serve as dean at the law school through June and then stay on as faculty member. Ron McCarty's ethics questioned Lyron Cox, 7 years old. pitches tha baN at the basket during a carnival bald at tba Salvation Army (Photo: Richard J. Brown) lack So. Africans pan Kennedy U N IT E D N A T IO N S - A Black South African nationalist group M on day dismissed Sen. Edward Kennedy's recent South African visit as a "con science-washing exercise” o f little help to Black people there. The P an -A fric an ist Congress o f Azama issued a statement at the U nit ed Nations charging that "the evils of apartheid.........do not require to be ex amined but rather effective solutions worked out to totally eradicate this abhorrant system.” Azania is the Black African name fix South Africa. Apartheid in South Africa's system of racial separation. " T h e people o f A zania are not concerned about Sen. Edward Ken nedy’s personal abhorrence o f apart heid, precisely because he is a public figure in the United States and a legis la to r," said the statement from the P A C , which seeks the overthrow o f the w hite m in o rity governm ent in South Africa. The P A C said it needed instead a total end to all trade and other rela tions with South Africa. KW “ Anything short o f comprehensive mandatory sanctions against the apart had regime constitutes, in our view, a conscience washing exercise," it said. Aides to the Massachusetts Demo crat said his visit to South Africa ear tier this m onth, at the in v ita tio n of Nobel Peace laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu, was to gather information first hand about the country's apartheid policies. Blacks frequently protested the senator's appearances with noisy dem onstrations Bill Introduced to make King birthday Oregon state holiday State Representative Margaret Cart er today announced the introduction of a bi-partisan House bill to establish a state holiday to honor the Rev. Mar tin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader. Nobel Pece Prize w inner, and black American clergyman. "W e are honor ing Dr. King, a black American who taught love, respect and brotherhood among all Am ericans regardless of race, religion, national origin or politi cal affiliation. The bill also will bring O reg o n ’ s com m em oration o f D r. King's birthday in line w ith recent national legislation signed by Presi dent Reagan," Carter said. T h irty -o n e members o f the 60- member House joined in sponsoring the legislation Sponsors include repre sentatives Agrons, Banzer, Bauman, Brogotti, Bunn, Burrows, Burton, C alouri, C am pbell, Cease, Eachus, Gillis, Hanlon, J. H ill, L. H ill, Hool- ey, Hosticka, Delna Jones, Kopetski, Kotulski, M ason, M ille r, Peterson, Rijken, Roberts, Springer, T arzian, Van Vliet, W h itty, and Young. Sup porting groups include the Oregon As sembly for Black Affairs, the Oregon rainbow Organizing Committee, and the Oregon Black republicans ¿eST: by Robert Lothian Another state legislator from Port land is being questioned about his ethics. Ron McCarty, a Democratic repre sentative from Northeast Portland, falsified inform ation on unemploy ment compensation report form s, and owes the state $387, according to a state hearings officer. McCarty deliberately falsified dates and listed his w ife's tax consulting business as a possible em ployer, ac cording to the hearings officer. M c Carty replied by saying he made a mis take about the dates and that his wife's business was as good as any other and there was nothing wrong with using it as a job contact. The state hearings officer found Mc C arty to be "evasive and argumen- tive" and “ not a credible witness.” His use o f G ood News Tax Service, "owned or operated by himself or his wife is a sham,” the officer continued, because M cCarty would have known whether there was a job opening in conversations with his wife. M c C a rty , a perpetual candidate who ran for officer (including Port land School Board) every two years until he won in November, is a state licensed tax consultant. He described the proceedings against him as a "kan garoo court." M cC arty is also being pursued by the Oregon Dept of Revenue to make good on a wage claim filed against him by a former employee of a tavern Mc Carty once owned. The original amount of the claim was $85 in 1972, but it has increased to $600 because M cC arty has refused to pay the claim, and says he won't. The Dept. o f Revenue could gar- \ nishee M c C a rty ’ s tax returns, but M cC arty said he will make sure that lus income tax refund is insufficient to pay the claim, although he acknowl edged that his property lax refund might be garnisheed. Oregon Bureau o f Labor and In dustries staff that originally dealt with M cC arty on the claim described him as "profane, abusive and hostile." In another case. Representative Pal G illis, a Portland Republican, was censured recently by the Oregon House of Representatives. Gillis admitted un authorized use o f a letterhead o f the American Association of Retired Pcr- sons during his campaign and mis representing his educational back ground in the Oregon V o ter’ s Pain phlet. Gillis blamed the Democrats for his bad publicity. His actions are now under investi gation by a Marion County grand jury for possible election law violations, but so far no legal action has been taken against McCarty. Apparently in response to the M c C arty and G illis cases, the Oregon Legislature is forming a Citizens A d visory C om m ittee on Legislative Guidelines to review procedures for investigating campaign misconduct. Serving suggestions.. . Congressmen Ron Wyden (DI of Portland and Bob Smith (Rl of Pen dtoton participated In eprogram that allowed them each to talk to folks In the other's district Monday. Feb. 12. Wyden and Smith ware pouring coffee and chatting with customers at Devlin's Cafe In North Portland (Photo: Richard J. Brown)
