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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1997)
Volume XXVII, Number 40 High Tech Humboldt Committed to cultural diversity. MJ High-tech computers help put north Portland elementary on the cutting i euge. See Education, page A5. OCT. 1, 1997 Clowns smile on all Call him a very talented musician Racial barriers fall when the clowns come out. Brian McKnight brings the best in music to everyone from Quincy Jones to Boyz II Men. i See Metro, inside CLlie See Entertainment " H 3 . (©Í . . ve r Bernstine calls for diversity PSU president vows to build a new campus environment B y N eii . H eilpern Diana Crash Recreated French investigators have not com mented on what they learned from rec reating the car wreck that killed Princess Diana, her companion, Dodi Al Fayed and their driver. Sources said that new tests show that the driver, Henri Paul, was a long-time alcoholic. Earlier analy ses had shown that Paul had well over the legal limit of alcohol in his system at the time of the crash. More re-enactments of various aspects of the tragedy are expected in the coming weeks Racial board convenes President Clinton has convened a meeting of his advisory hoard on racial issues. Clinton appointed the board in June to counsel him on his efforts to promote a national dialogue on race. Last week he told a gathering in Little Rock. Ark., that he has been obsessed with racial equality for 40 years, since nine black students under federal escort broke the racial barrier at Little Rock’s Central High School. Fed policymakers m eet Federal Reserve policy makers met Tuesday with little fear that they will raise interest rates because of what ana lysts call a near-perfect economy. House okays money bill The House easily has approved a stop gap bill that would keep the federal gov ernment operating through Oct. 23, pre venting a government shutdown as law makers scramble to finish work on over due spending bills. The House also voted to temporarily extend a program, set to expire Wednesday, that allows illegal immigrants to remain in the United States while they try to become legal residents. Mondale to testify A Senate panel will hear from two prominent former lawmakers today on the issue of campaign finance reform. Form er R epublican S en ato r N ancy Kassebaum Baker and former Vice Presi dent Walter Mondale are due to testify before the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. Kassebaum Baker said the future of the nation’s political system is in danger unless Congress does some thing to change the way political cam paigns are financed. r. Daniel O. Bernstine promised to keep building a "diverse cam pus environment," W ednesday when he delivered his first major speech as president of Portland State University Talking to new deans and faculty mem bers in Harrison Hall, Bernstine applauded campus academic and administrative per sonnel for their efforts in bringing "dra matic changes in this institution” to make D ‘We need to make a special effort to recruit minority students and then take the necessary steps to ensure that these students succeed, ' - PSU President Daniel O. Bernstine PSU a “nationally recognized innovator." “We need to build on programs such as the Portland Teacher Program, which reaches into the middle schools to identify and begin training minority students who will take their place in classrooms as teachers and role models," he said. Bernstine called for the continued en couragement of under-represented students to study science and mathematics and to bring at-risk youth to the campus to encour age them to go on to a college experience. “We need to make a special effort to recruit minority students," he added, “and then take the necessary steps to ensure that these students succeed." The 49-year-old African-American is the first minority person to head an Oregon University. He will direct PSU 's 15,000 students and 4(H) full-time faculty m em bers. “It is important for every member of the university community — students, faculty and staff — to have colleagues and role models,” he said while calling for more minority members on the PSU faculty and Darnel O. Bemstme (right) prepares for his first major speech as Portland State University president. (Photo by Neil Heilpern staff. Bernstine also promised increased attention to PSU’s sponsored research, campus develop ment. fund raising and building community sup port for athletic and academic efforts. Promising to “redouble our efforts" to find financial support for PSU's University D istrict Plan, B ernstine also cited the school’s need to "press for the realization of other campus plans, such as the elementary school, more student housing and a vital commercial and housing district." “ I need your help and your patience as I continue to learn about PSU, its programs and its people, its strengths and, yes. its weaknesses, too,” he said. "I expect that we all will keep the student learning experience at the center o f every thing we do," Bernstine said. "In every deci sion we make — whether it involves aca demic programs, new technology, schedul ing of events, facilities maintenance or con struction, the design o f student services ...we must ask how will this affect the stu dent experience?" He vowed to be a “tireless advocate" for PSU and its "vital role in the state system of higher education.” Bernstine said his administration would be "grounded in principle, an administration that makes decisions based not on expediency and not from a concern with personal or political popularity, but decisions that air made because they are best for the institution and because they are the right thing to do.” Bernstine most recently served as dean and professor of law at the University of W isconsin. He has also served as general counsel for Howard University and hospital in W ashington. D.C. He studied political science and sociol ogy at the University of California, Berke ley, with advanced law degrees at North western. Chicago and the University of W is consin. Cosmonaut prepares walk A cosm onaut is preparing to take Russia’s first step into space while wear ing a U.S. spacesuit. Vladimir Titov from the Mir space station and American as tronaut Scott Parazynski from the shuttle Atlantis will retrieve some scientific equipment from M ir's exterior during W ednesday's walk. Titov will become the first Russian to enter space in a U.S. space suit. Netanyahu stands firm One day after agreeing to reopen peace talks with the Palestinians, Israel is reaf firming its stand on a central issue driv ing the two sides apart. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repealed his con tention today that Israel would not stop Jewish settlement expansion in Pales tinian areas. Middle East peace talks c o lla p se d last M arch w hen Israel launched settlement construction on a hill in Arab East Jerusalem. Marcos papers forged Two Swiss banks rejected as forger ies the documents that allegedly reveal close to $13 billion belonging to the estate of the late Philippines leader Ferdinand Marcos. Second man tried for Oklahoma bombing efense attorneys tried to distance ism on U.S. soil, acquiring fertilizer and Terry Nichols from convicted co other components, robbing a firearms dealer defendant Timothy McVeigh as to finance the attack and helping McVeigh they began questioning prospective build jurors the bomb. They also say Nichols helped in the second Oklahoma City bombing trial. McVeigh stash the getaway car in Oklahoma Nichols' attorneys repeatedly asked po City three days before the blast. tential jurors Monday if they could distin U.S District Judge Richard Matsch told guish between someone who is primarily each prospective juror Nichols faces the responsible for a crime and someone who same charges as McVeigh and could be sen may have had a secondary role. tenced to die if convicted But. he added, Prosecutors say Nichols, 42, was a sup ‘’This is a different case It begins with a porting player in the deadliest act of terror- clear page ” D Prospective jurors said they understood that Nichols must he judged separately from McVeigh. But one, an unemployed Fort Collins dairy farmer said. “ If he’s guilty like McVeigh. I feel he’s caused enough damage and should be put to death. What got me the worst was there were so many children in it.’’ Nineteen children were among the 168 people killed in the blast on April 19, 1995 Hundreds of others were injured. Nichols stood, bowed stiffly from the 1 waist and greeted each prospective juror. He smiled and waved to his mother in the front row as he was escorted into the courtroom. Attorneys questioned six prospective jurors on the trial's opening day Two jurors were ex cused lor medical reasons. Selecting 12 jurors and six alternates from a ptxil of 500 is expected Io take two weeks to a month. Nichols is charged with murder, con sp ira c y an d w e a p o n s re la te d c o u n ts. McVeigh was convicted of identical charges in June and sentenced to die. I
