Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
The Daily Gazette
Swarthmore College
Friday, January 31, 1997
Volume 1, Number 7
NEWS IN BRIEF
1) Attorney gives lecture on violence against Asian Americans
2) The College budget to be discussed at Collection
3) Red Cross blood drive a success
SPORTS IN BRIEF
1) Women’s basketball falls to Widener
2) Tonight’s and the weekend’s competitions
NEWS REPORT
1) Attorney gives lecture on violence against Asian Americans
Elizabeth R. OuYang, staff attorney at the Asian American Legal Defense
and Education Fund in New York City, gave a lecture entitled “Causes of
Asian American Violence” on Thursday at 4:15 in the Intercultural Center.
The lecture was sponsored by SAO, Forum for Free Speech, Program in
Public Policy, Department of Political Science, and Career Planning and
Placement Office.
OuYang began by describing issues in which the Asian American Legal
Defense Fund is involved. They are working to ensure voting rights,
prevent restrictions on immigration and obtain redress for Japanese
Americans interned during World War II. Lately, they have also been
working on issues of Affirrmative Action and environmental racism.
Then, OuYang enumerated recent acts of violence against Asian Americans.
One included the brutal murder of Vincent Chin in 1982 by two autoworkers
who, mistaking Chin for a Japanese, attacked him because they thought the
Japanese were responsible for the fall in the American auto industry.
With the other people in the audience, she discussed some communalities
in these incidents. Some resulted from American anxieties about Asian
economic power, others were motivated by resentment about American wars
abroad, particularly Vietnam.
Citing other incidents of discrimination, including Senator D’Amato’s
mocking of Judge Lance Ito during the O.J. Simpson trial, OuYang
emphasized that even Asians Americans who have been in the United States
for many years and speak perfect English are still regarded as
foreigners.
OuYang cited the influence of the media in promoting stereotypes of
Asian Americans and described still existing legally sanctioned
discrimination. For example, some states are trying to eliminate the
Fifth Preference immigration category which allows Asian Americans to
bring their relatives to the United States.
At the end, OuYang proposed some ways to fight back. The vote is very
important because “people don’t listen to you if you don’t vote.” Also,
it is important to take a “more participatory role.” She ended by
describing recent gains by Asian Americans, including the election this
year in the state of Washington of the first Asian American governor on
the mainland of the United States.
*****
2) The College budget to be discussed at Collection
Next year’s proposed College budget includes no major surprises, said
Paul Aslanian, vice president for finance and planning. “The kind of
Swarthmore you’ll come back to next year will operate very much like
Swarthmore does this year,” he said.
Speaking in Sunday’s Student Council meeting, SC co-chair and College
Budget Committee member Sean Barney ’98 agreed with that assessment.
“They have written a very beautiful budget for this year,” he said.
The budget proposal will be discussed in a Collection today at 1 p.m. in
the Lang Performing Arts Center. Before the budget plan becomes official,
it must be approved by the Board of Managers at the Board’s March 1
meeting.
Aslanian said about $1 million more will be spent on financial aid next
year than was predicted in Swarthmore’s most recent five-year plan. But
most of the difference will be paid from reserve funds, so major changes
in spending and tuition charges won’t be necessary. The increase is
necessary because the class of 2000 is unusually large and has a
higher-than-usual proportion of students on financial aid.
Aslanian cautioned that in the long run, Swarthmore may need to find new
ways to fund financial aid because costs are rising more quickly than
family incomes. He said a long-term financial aid plan has yet to be
created, but the ongoing long-range planning process will likely generate
a plan.
Barney declined to comment on the issue of long-range planning. “The only
thing that we are allowed to discuss at this point is this year’s
budget,” he said in an interview Thursday. In a closed session at
Sunday’s Student Council meeting, Barney gave other Council members a
confidential report on budget plans; he declined to tell the Gazette
specifics of his report.
This year’s budget proposal also includes estimated salary increases of
8.3 percent for assistant and associate professors, and 6.9 percent for
full professors, Barney said. Planned increases for staff members include
a 3.2 percent basic raise, plus pools of $100,000 for merit increases and
$152,000 for “survey adjustments” to bring staff pay in line with current
market levels.
*****
3) Red Cross blood drive a success
An American Red Cross Blood Drive was held all day Thursday in the
all-campus space of Tarble. According to Theresa Handley, who was in
charge of scheduling appointments, 158 people had called in to
participate in the drive.
In addition to the scheduled donors, there were slots for walk-ins to
donate. The total number of donors who participated and the total number
of pints collected cannot be determined until a later time. Thanks to all
who participated! However, there is still a need for blood donations to
the Red Cross, which can be contacted at 1-800-35BLOOD with any questions
about the procedure or locations of local Red Cross offices.
*****
SPORTS UPDATE
1) Women’s basketball falls to Widener
Widener 73, Swarthmore 62
Lisl Cochran-Bond ’97 scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed 12 boards
in the Garnet’s losing effort against the Widener University Pioneers.
Pia Houseal ’97 added 15 points while Jean Quinn ’99 had 8. Swarthmore
falls to 6-9 overall.
*****
2) Tonight’s and the weekend’s competitions
TONIGHT
Wrestling travels to Haverford for an 8 p.m. match-up.
SATURDAY (1 Feb.)
Swimming hosts Gettyburg at 2 p.m. in a match-up of the only two
undefeated Centennial Conference teams.
Women’s hoops take on the Diplomats at F&M, 7 p.m. Track and field will
also be at Franklin and Marshall on Satuday for the F&M Invite.
Men’s basketball travels to Gettyburg for a 3 p.m. game. Women’s
badminton go to Albright College for an 11 a.m. match-up. Wrestling takes
part in a quad meet at Ursinus College, against Washington and Lee,
Western Maryland, and Ursinus. The meet starts at 4 p.m.
*****
The Daily Gazette
Board of Editors
Fred Bush
Kate Doty
Jennifer Klein
David Lischer
Eric Pakurar
Sam Schulhofer-Wohl
Sylvia Weedman
Contributing Writers
Toki Rehder
Sam Schulhofer-Wohl
Kim Hart
The Daily Gazette is published Monday through Friday by an independent
group of Swarthmore College students. Technical support from the
Swarthmore College Computer Society is gratefully acknowledged.
To subscribe to the Gazette, free of charge, send e-mail to
daily-request@sccs.swarthmore.edu with the words “subscribe daily” in
the body of your message. Use the words “unsubscribe daily” to cancel a
subscription.
This concludes today’s report.