Monday, April 6, 1998
Community Briefs
UCs haven’t enacted anti-slave labor policy
A year after the UC Board of Regents enacted an anti-slave labor
purchasing policy, UC President Richard Atkinson has yet to
implement it.
The policy bans the purchase of foreign goods produced by forced
laborers as defined by California state and federal laws.
The regents adopted the policy after a similar measure was
passed by the state, affecting all state departments. The
University of California, however, is not subject to this law
because of its autonomy.
Atkinson has cited the federal Department of Energy’s policies
for not implementing the policy.
The Department of Energy will not allow the anti-slave labor
provisions in the purchasing contracts for the three national
laboratories the university operates.
"Nowhere in the federal government is there an anti-slave labor
purchasing policy," said Carl Olson, chairman of State Department
Watch.
"Now, the Clinton Administration is trying to force its
pro-slave labor policy on a state government," he continued.
State Department Watch is a non-partisan foreign policy watchdog
group which sponsored the legislation in California and is
currently trying to pass similar legislation in other states.
CSULA students to protest UC admissions
Students, faculty and staff at California State University Los
Angeles plan to rally today in protest of the UC admissions
statistics announced last week which revealed a drop in
underrepresented minorities.
Rev. Jesse Jackson will be speaking at noon at the rally, which
will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
"These drops in numbers compromise minority rights to
education," Jackson said. "We must stop the racial resegregation of
education in California."
Sponsored by the Students for Educational Opportunity. Latino
Network, the Rainbow Push and other groups, the rally will take
place on the CSULA campus.
The CSULA campus is located at the interchange of the 10 and 710
freeways, and the rally will be in the Free Speech Area behind the
student union.
UC Berkeley students protest admissions
Chanting slogans such as "Berdahl, you liar, we’ll set your ass
on fire," more than 500 students took to the streets of Berkeley
Thursday afternoon, protesting the decline in minority admits to
the university next fall and voicing their anger at
administrators.
Holding signs reading "Tired of compliance, time for defiance"
and beating on drums, members of the Students of Color Solidarity
Council marched from campus to downtown Berkeley before returning
to the intersection of Bancroft Way and Telegraph Avenue.
Upon their return, the intersection at the south entrance of
campus was blocked off with yellow caution tape, where nearly 300
of the students sat, vowing not to move until the chancellor
resisted Proposition 209.
Several protesters singled out the chancellor for what they said
was an inadequate response to the lower admissions numbers.
"We are here to challenge Berdahl to take action and resist
209," said Allison Navone, a senior. "He can say as much as he
wants, but we are angry as hell."
During a press conference Tuesday, Berdahl stated his support
for affirmative action, but said he was forced by state law to
honor the voter-supported restriction.
"I don’t believe that as a public official that I am in a
position to defy the law," Berdahl said. "We will obey the law and
we will work to make sure the effects are minimized."
Compiled from Daily Bruin staff and wire reports.