Silent No More Dallas' African-American Community Forces the City to Adopt a Fairer City Council Election System
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BALLOT ISSUE RECOM- MENDATIONS page 3 A JOURNAL OF FREE VOICES VOLUME 83, No.21 $1.50 Silent No More Dallas' African-American community forces the city to adopt a fairer city council election system. Story on page 6. Also: JEROME J. JOHNSON • Questions about Mexico's recent election (page 16) • Toxic waste disposal gets another chance (page 9) • The lottery may be a boondoggle (page 11) and other big surprises.... DIALOGUE Thanks for of Government in receivership some years ago, UT Reporting bTH II TEXAS the subsequent reorganization resulted in the department achieving marked improvement in server As a former student of Elizabeth Fernea, I its national standing. thank you for publicizing the recent events 3) The hiring of minority faculty: In a memo surrounding the change of directors at UT's dated July, 23. from Dean King to all UT de- A JOURNAL OF FREE VOICES Middle Eastern Studies Center.["Illiberal We will serve no group or party but will hew hard to the truth . partments, he stated: "I insist that you con- as we find it and .the right as we see it. We are dedicated to Arts," TO, 9/6/91.] tinue your efforts to recruit minority faculty. the whole truth, to human values above all interests, to the Elizabeth Fernea is a gifted scholar and The College of Liberal Arts did very well in rights of human-kind as the foundation of democracy: we teacher whose fine international reputation is will take orders from none but our own conscience, and 1991 in recruitment of minority faculty. I want never will we overlook or misrepresent the truth to serve the richly deserved. Hundreds of undergraduate this to continue. Because faculty recruitment interests of the powerful or cater to the ignoble in the human and graduate students have gained from her will in general be constrained,you will have a Writers are responsible for their own work, but not for not only an assortment of historical facts and greater amount of time to plan your recruit- anything they have not themselves written, and in publishing details of sociology but deeper insights into ment strategies. I want you to use that time to them we do not necessarily imply that we agree with them what it means to be human. I was shocked and because this is a journal of free voices. focus on minority recruitment." This statement dismayed to learn from your' article that she is certainly at variance with the contents of SINCE 1954 was not appointed director of the MES Cen- your editorial. Publisher: Ronnie Dugger ter, in view of her obvious and overwhelming 4) The American Association of University Editor: David Armstrong qualifications. Professors (AAUP). The AAUP was requested Managing Editor: Brett Campbell Associate Editor: James Cullen by certain faculty members of the Department Copy Editors: Roxanne Bogucka, Amy Root Mary O'Grady of English to investigate the proposed English Mexico City Correspondent: Barbara Belejack Dallas Capitol Correspondent: Lisbethtipari 306 course last year. The relevant AAUP com- Editorial Intern: Roddy de la Garza mittee voted not to do so. Contributing Writers: Bill Adler, Betty Brink, Warren Benevolent King The Search Committee. As a faculty Burnett, Jo Clifton, Terry FitzPatrick, Gregg Franzwa, • 5) James Harrington, Bill Helmer, Ellen Hosmer, Steven member, King was nominated and then elected Kellman, Michael King, Mary Lenz, Tom McClellan, As a subscriber and supporter for over 40 by secret ballot of the voting members of the Bryce Milligan, Greg Moses, Debbie Nathan, Gary years, I am more than ever convinced for the Pomerantz, Lawrence Walsh. Liberal Arts faculty to serve on the Search Editorial Advisory Board: David Anderson, Austin; need to have a publication such as the Texas Committee. He was not appointed to the search Frances Barton, Austin; Elroy Bode, Kerrville; Chandler Observer. I was therefore disappointed in the committee by President Cunningham as stated Davidson, Houston; Dave Denison, Cambridge, Mass; Bob Eckhardt, Washington, D.C.; Sissy Farenthold, way the Observer weakened its credibility by in your editorial. In addition, King was also Houston; Ruperto Garcia, Austin; John Kenneth virtue of its editorials in the September 6 (Vol. elected to chair the Search Committee. Galbraith, Cambridge, Mass.; Lawrence Goodwyn, 83, no. 17) and September 20 (Vol. 83, no. Durham, N.C.; George Hendrick, Urbana, Ill.; Molly 6) Contrary to your editorial, the funding Ivins, Austin; Larry L. King, Washington, D.C.; Maury 18) issues which centered on Robert King, for the Women Studies Program is the same Maverick, Jr., San Antonio; Willie Morris, Oxford, Miss.; acting clean of the College of Liberal Arts at Kaye Northcott, Austin; James Presley, Texarkana; Susan as last year. Reid, Austin; Geoffrey Rips, Austin; A.R. (Babe) the University of Texas at Austin. For the The College of Liberal Arts and indeed the Schwartz, Galveston; Fred Schmidt, Fredericksburg. record, let us note the following facts: university as a whole is fortunate that Dr. King 1) Dr. King did not receive a "raise." The Contributing Photographers: Bill Albrecht, Vic could be prevailed upon to return to the Col- Hinterlang, Alan Pogue. salary increase of roughly $21,000 represents lege of Liberal Arts as acting dean. As all ex- Contributing Artists: Eric Avery, Tom Ballenger, the differential in moving from a nine-month ecutive officers, King has the right and the duty Richard Bartholomew, Jeff Danziger, Beth Epstein, Dan Hubig, Pat Johnson, Kevin Kreneck, Michael Krone, academic to a 12-month administrative salary. to select those persons whom in his judgement Carlos Lowry, Ben Sargent, Dan Thibodeau, Gail Woods, This is standard procedure and does not rep- can best administer the departments and Matt Wuerker. resent a raise. Dr. King will also receive the programs. Throughout the years, I have been Managing Publisher: Cliff Olofson same 2 percent increase as every other em- impressed with Bob King's honesty. If he Subscription Manager: Stefan Wanstrom ployee at the university. makes a mistake, he will admit it. Executive Assistant: Gail Woods Special Projects Director: Bill Simmons 2) The Department of English. The old Gov- Development Consultant: Frances Barton ernance Committee of the Department of Ira Iscoe, PhD English had 10 people on it; the new commit- SUBSCRIPTIONS: One year S27. two years $48. three years $69. Full-time students Ashbel Smith Professor of Psychology $15 per year. Back issues $3 prepaid. Airmail, foreign, group, and bulk rates on tee has 28 members. It is really hard to argue request. Microfilm editions available from University Microfilms Intl.. 3(8) N. Zeeb Director, Institute of Human Development Road, Ann Arbor. MI 48 106. Any current subscriber who finds the price a burden that the old way was "more representative," should say so at renewal time: no one need forgo reading the Observer simply be- and Family Studies cause of the cost. especially with its provision for voting in se- University of Texas at Austin THETEXAS OBSERVER (ISSN 0040-4519/USPS 54I 300). © 1991, is published cret. The new. Governance Committee struc- biweekly except for a three-week interval between issues in January and July (25 issues per year) by the Texas Observer Publishing Co.. 307 West 7th Street. Austin. ture has already made considerable progress Editor's note: The UT English Department Texas 78701. Telephone: (512) 477-0746. Second class postage paid at Austin. Texas. November 2, 1991. in dealing with the pressing problems of the did not choose to change the form of POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THETEXAS OBSERVER. 307 West 7th department. This seems to me more demo- Street. Austin, Texas 78701. government that its members had evolved over cratic, rather than the autocratic dictatorial A Member of the the years — Dean Robert King foisted a new Association of AAR. nature in which you described Dr. King. Inci- see Dialogue page 23 Alternative Newsweeklies dentally, when King placed the Department 2 .-Ocromirt87-4-99-1- . 13D■.1 24100t-tr (),, EDITORIALS rob, THE TEXAS On the Lottery , 0,1 server and Other Gambles NOVEMBER'2, 1991 VOLUME 83, No. 21 PROPOSAL TO LEGALIZE a state Legislature to remove the limits on invest- Alottery is probably the main draw for the ments in the Veterans Housing Assistance and Nov. 5 general election, but there are other Land programs and to expand the investment FEATURES important issues to be decided among the 13 authority of the Veterans Land Board to in- A Dead Duck proposed constitutional amendments on the vestments authorized for state funds by the By Kim Batchelor ballot. That may sound strange, since the treasurer. The Constitution now limits invest- Constitution, as the charter upon which our ments from the Veterans Land Board funds to Burning Issue state government is based, should be changed United States bonds and obligations. Enabling By James Cullen 9 only upon grave consideration. But the post- legislation also would prohibit investment in Reconstruction Constitution of 1876 dealt with any company doing business in South Africa Conn. Game such minute aspects of state government that unless the company has adopted the Sullivan By Mike Thomas 11 the Legislature must frequently ask the Principles or has agreed to the U.S. State De- electorate's permission to put the state further partment code of conduct. in debt with another bond issue or to take any • Proposition 4, which would authorize up DEPARTMENTS number of actions (such as raising lawmak- to $1.1 billion in general obligation bonds for Dialogue 2 ers' salaries) that might simply be accom- construction and renovation of prisons, men- Editorials 3 plished by legislative fiat in other states. tal health and mental retardation institutions Las Americas 16 In addition to the lottery question, voters will and youth corrections institutions.