Griffiths Urges Women to Participate in Politics
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$7he Observeruniversity of notre dame sI mary's college Vol. X „ No. 30 Tuesday, October 14, 1975 Griffiths urges women to participate in politics by Pat Cole really a reward. The real reward Homemaker, to be released next Staff Reporter that a woman receives is the year. ability to influence law.” According to Griffiths, full Rep. Martha Griffiths urged "Shecan learn about the system, equality for women will be reached young women to get involved in and it compels her to know the "in 2,000 y e a rs ." politics last night in O'Laughlin provable facts in issues," she Auditorium at St. Mary’s College, added. Involvement Needed “There have been women Griffiths continued, “ A career in lawyers, but more are needed. politics disciplines one' thinking. "Women must go to legislators There are only three women Newspapers say that all men are and -to publishers and television governors, and there are 80 female smarter than women.” stations and the press for equal representatives in Congress," she "But not if a woman is in tim e," said Griffiths. pointed out to the audience of 50. politics," she said. "Women can do much better than Griffiths said that laws would be that." Griffiths maintained. different if women had the op University payroll checks for $35 or less will be cashed Mondays portunity to contribute. and Fridays from I to 4:30 pm in room 109, the Lost and Found “ Take the 1935 Social Security G riffiths cited lack of confidence room of the Administration Building. Act," Griffiths observed. "This as a reason for women not wanting The service, which began yesterday, is designed especially for law was passed by men and to enter politics. students who have no checking accounts. The service affects only collected a tax for all who “ Women do not believe they are students on University payroll. (Photo by Tom Lose) w o rk e d ." competent to enter the "It paid money to women who profession," emphasized Griffiths. were beneficiaries of men. But "Furthermore, they want what about the widows? The Affirmative Action somebody to ask them to enter the legislators did not even think of profession," she stated. "Instead them."she said. they should be asking for support.” Griffiths also remarked about seen as insufficient the Welfare Bill. She said that men Cites Example gave the provision for women to by Christie A. Ilerlihy collect but not men although the Staff Reporter Griffiths brought out the case of men were able to contribute to her a girl who went door to door w e lfare . Last of a two-part series campaigning for votes. "Welfare and tax laws," com Some faculty members have attacked the recently approved "As a result, she won the mented Griffiths, "can destroy the Notre Dame affirm ative action program as insufficient. Opponents primary lor her district over a American family. If women had a have also criticized the effectiveness of the HEW’s enforcement democratic male candidate," she chance to influence the policy; procedures. said. there would be a change.” In his testimony at the Labor Department hearings two weeks Griffiths is the representative of ago. University Provost Fr. James T. Burtchaell questioned the the 17th congressional d is tric t of Unfavorable Laws competency of an outside agency to evaluate whether colleges are the State of Michigan, a position making sincere efforts to equitably hire qualified women and she has held since 1955. G riffiths elaborated on how laws minorities, citing the 1974 investigation as an example. are unfavorable to women. Five complaints filed by individual faculty members against She has advocated the Equal "In Alabama, if a woman dies Rep. Martha Griffiths cited lack of Notre Dame prompted the campus visit of an Equal Employment Rights Amendment and televised without having made a will, the confidence as a reason for women Opportunity Commission I EEOC) official. The woman who arrived sessions of Congress. husband gets all of the property," not wanting to enter politics. lo investigate was a former graduate student who had discontinued She received her B.A. degree she explained. "On the other hand, her studies. from the University of Missouri if the husband dies without having (Photo by Tom Lose) "No amount of brilliance or dedication can make such an inex and her J.D. degree from the made a will, the property goes to “ Two-thirds of the women who perienced person competent- to investigate a group of University of Michigan. She served the husband’s mother. work are widowed, divorced, or professionals," Burtchaell stressed, adding that other institutions in the Michigan State Legislature “In fact, the wife is sixth in who have husbands out of work. have reported sim ilar experiences. from 1949 to 1952. succession to receive the These women must support their Coercion by itself is not enough to effect social change, Burt property," she pointed out. families on their own effort," chaell argued. Lists Rewards “ This proves that homemakers G riffith told the audience. "This is the same, troubling view I am objecting to today: that have very few rights,’’ said the government knows best what all our common needs are, and Griffiths listed the rewards for G riffith s . Griffiths concluded, claims the right to take our money and direct our actions towards women upon entering the field of Griffiths is currently writing a "Everything that happens to you is chosen goals," he stated. politics. book entitled The Report to Sub touched in some way by politics. “Money," she stated, "is not committee on the Rights of the Women must be represented." Possibility of Discrimination Charges "Every time a woman or a black or a Hispanic-American or a non-Catholic is unsuccessful in securing a faculty appointment or a promotion or tenure at a university such as ours," Burtchaell said, “ Ihere is the inevitable temptation for him or her to believe, or at least to allege, that he or she was a victim of improper discrimination." Since the affirm ative action program applies to university grants through executive order, filed complaints are reviewed by HEW or the Civil Rights Commission of the State of Indiana and thereby completely by pass review by federal courts. "...no one can claim a right to be awarded a federal contract," Burtchaell said. "Therefore those accused of discrimination can be punished without judicial process by preemptory denial or with drawal of contracts." - In order to adequately defend itself against complaints filed 4 regarding discriminatory hiring policy, the University must do ■ elaborate and time-consuming paperwork. "II takes so much tim e," Sr. John Miriam Jones complained. She continued, "On one complaint I had to send in a list of the 560 job applicants along with the top 20 dossiers for the agency to read and judge to see if we had made a professional judgment in denying this person employment." Victims of Extortion Not only does the affirm ative action program make institutions a ready victim of complaints but also of extortion by the federal government, Burtchaell claimed. "For no one really has a vested right to governmental moneys: HEY DUCKS! DON'T YOU KNOW THAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO FLY SOUTH FOR THE WIN a ll gra nts are a grace, and are quite d iscre tio n a ry ,” he said. TER? It felt like sunny Florida yesterday as temperatures reached 86 degrees. (Photo by Tom (continued on page 3) Lose) the observer Tuesday, October 14, 1975 world briefs ND ranked eigh SALEM, 111. (AP) — Two federal prison escapees who had eluded Princeton heads U.S. colleges searchers for three days were captured Monday night after one of them sought a drink of water a a house on the edge of this farm by Kathy Mills ministration, faculty, student siderations were the boards of town, authorities said. Two other escapees were still at large. Senior Staff Reporter considerations and a general area trustees. Only three boards of A fifth convict was captured Sunday. which includes facilities and trustees received an “ A” rating. related university organizations. These were the trustees of Prin LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Premier Jose Pinheiro de Azevedo Notre Dame is ranked eighth The evaluation method used is ceton, Harvard and Notre Dame. said Monday the collapse of m ilitary discipline could make Por among American undergraduate s im ila r to tha t o f the S A T’s. A “ D ” tugal ungovernable, but his coalition cabinet “ intends to save the colleges and first among American is equivalent to 200, “ C” to 400, Criticizes Reports c o u n try .” Catholic colleges, according to “ B ” to 600 and “ A” to 800. Azevedo did not offer any specific measures to end pro- “The Gourman Report: Con The Gourman rating is an Richard Conklin, director of Communist mutinies in the army or street violence that is un fidential Ratings of American average of all the items rated. information services said the dermining his center left government. C olleges.” Notre Dame received a rating of rating systems of undergraduate This study was prepared by the 741, an average of its academic institutions such as the Gourman PINE RIDGE, SD (AP) — Four bombs exploded on the Pine Continuing Education Institute, ra tin g o f 740 a n d its non- report “seem to suffer from Ridge Indian Reservation Monday, extensively damaging two Inc., under the direction of Jack departmental rating of 743. quantifying things which can’t be Bureau of Indian Affairs offices, a tribal courthouse and an electric G ourm an. in 1967-68. quantified.” transformer, the BIA said. Gourman is a professor of Many Items Evaluated He cited Notre Dame’s faculty history and political science at San hiring policy as one area which ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Premier Suleyman Demirel’s con Fernando Valley State College, The information for the does not allow for quantification.