Administration Favors Montpirg, Questions Fee System by KEVIN DOLAN Montpirg Chapter Forming at MSU Is "A Good Idea" and That He Again
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Weathec Becom1ni; ~ "Fathead·· Newman partly cloudy his Texas sax act High today 45° F 10 Bozeman. Low tonight 28° F. Friday, March 9, I 984 Volume 75 Issue 35 High tomorrow 48 ° F t_---=~=-=__, See page 9. ~~~~~.~, 7.... ~, ,-oone~m--' Administration favors MontPIRG, questions fee system By KEVIN DOLAN MontPIRG chapter forming at MSU is "a good idea" and that he again. quoting a former 60's student activist who said "today's ." News Editor "doesn't know of anybody ob1ecting to that." college students are about as exciting as T.V. bowling The MSU administration has said they are generally in favor Dean of Student Affairs Tom Robinson also said he doesn't "I have no reason to believe 1t has been a disruptive influ of the idea of a MontPIRG chapter being formed at MSU , but have any problems with the idea and that he "encourages ence," added Regent Robert Knight of Missoula they are not comfortable with the fee system being proposed by students to get active polttically. "What I have heard about what they have been doing is the organizers "Their (PIRG 's) record across the nation is that they have generally quite complimentary," Knight stated. MontPIRG , which was founded at the University of Montana engaged 1n some rather significant activities," added Robinson. Although the concept of having a MonrPIRG chapter at MSU about 16 months ag o, 1s a student-oriented, public interest "In the state, most of the comments I have heard about Mont has the support of the administration, MSU's top two adminis research group that works on issues pertaining to students, PIRG are usually pretty positive." tra-tors have expressed reservations about MontPIRG's fund such as consumer information. quality in the environment and Robinson noted that when all of the students in Pennsylvania ing system. responsible government. grouped together to form PIRGs, "it was rather interesting to When MontPIRG was originally forming at UM. the fee sys A small group of MSU students started work this quarter on see how quickly things happened." tem was opposed by many students and was a major stumbling forming a MontPIRG chapter at MSU . They are currently con "I love it," said Regent Mary Pace of Bozeman. "I think it block in their effort to gain approval from the Board of Regents. centrating their efforts on informing students about MontPIRG involves college students in the world they live in and I think MontPIRG is funded by a $2 per quarter fee. which is nor before they begin a petition drive in April in an effort to receive there's a real need for that." mally charged to students through a "negative check-off" the support of over 50 percent of the student body. Pace, who was a proponent of MontPIRG when it was form system. Acting President Stuart Knapp said he thought the idea of a ing at UM, said she thinks there is a real need to get active Under the negative check-off system. students can waive the fee during registration or anytime during the quarter by signing a statement that they do not want to pay the fee. Knapp said he would rather see a system where students have to "make a decision to check off that they want to pay the fee." Knapp added that the idea of a positive check-off is a general policy of the administration, and is allowed with such activities as the Montanan. the campus yearbook. Robinson also said that MSU President William Tietz "per sonally has some real concerns about the negative check-off" system of funding student organizations. MontPIRG organizers said the positive check-off system doesn't work. "It will not fund an organization," said C.B. Pearson, executive director of MontPIRG in Missoula. "Everything would be funded that way 1f that was an effective way of funding programs. "The positive check-off 1s esentially saying you can be funded by donations and not by fees," added Pearson. "I think that (positive check-off) is too much of a restraint." said Pace. "It makes funding almost impossible," Pace added. She said the negative check-off system "gives them a little edge and I think that's necessary to get started." "I think the way it's structured at UM is working well and I support that kind of fee system," Pace stated. Pearson also said the MontPIRG system 1s a much mar~ active fee system than the mandatory fee for ASMSU . Amy Guth, a junior in political science and one of the original organizers of MontPIRG at MSU, noted tbat in order for the local chapter to even qualify to apply for the fee system, the chapter must receive the support of 50 percent of the student body under the governing rules of PIRGs She said " since it has to get such a large support to get the fee system," she sees no problems with the negative check-off system Guth also noted that if more than 50 percent of the students decide to waive the fee, the chapter automatically "goes under." "The question is, should students have the right to organize and fund their own activities?" added Pearson He said as a matter of principle, the university atmosphere "should be much more supportive of democratic initiatives." Pearson said one reason that PIRGs are organized on cam pus through their regular funding system is "to ensure the organization will carry the student agenda." He noted that many student organizations that try to survive through outside donations usually "compromise the agenda to get support from non-students. " By doing that," Pearson added. "you lose that student influ ence and base." Take a guess Pearson said that by having students able to form independ Th is young le/me demonstrates one of a number of reasons for bemg in a state oftiepression: 1) it's finals week, 2) he has a paper due, or 3) he has ently on campus, "they can effectively challenge problems that to stay m Bozeman over the break. (Photo by Tom Murphy) we face without getting a special-interest response of some sort." Friday, March 9, 1984 2EXPONENT News Briefs IN ARMY NURSING YOU France to return to work KEEP ADDING MEW SKIW. (UPI' France 1s going back to work today atter the largest labor stoppage in It ... 11n1"'t'rl.11H 1h.11 \t'll re.: th'-l!t.•d \\1th fl''•f"cll the history of the three-year-old Socialist government Union leaders claim ilw llt~nnv .H11..t h~·p1~lc~l .111 Arnl\ t.lth... ·c1 And 11, 111l1'ort.u\I lt.1 \\nrk 111 .1 yesterday's day-long action by 4 6 million public employees was a big mP1..ll'rll success and must force the government to open talks about wage increases """lk.11, «ntn t".lrn ,, It 'I' ,,1l.1n .. 11hl tr.11 d l\u1i''"h"I"11\L' nH "l 1mP< 11 The strike virtually closed down airports, as well as schools. banks and 1.11\1 .t'!'t.\..'l l1I Arn\\ \ur'lllt! 1, tlw 1..l1.:d11.... 111P11hl1..·1..hh•• llu111 ln Arin\' government offices '-\ur,lllt! \"t.'ll h,t\"1..' 1hc.· "'r'J"\lrllll1!1\ tt 1 .lltvnd 1""'r\1fl'"" 11\,tl 1..'tlllkrl"lKc.'' l"ll 't11.. .i...h 11h·nl \k·L!n.•c,.1n\l ,1u1..h .1' n11..·t\ l1l 1 1 r-..m~....,pl'1..·o.dt11..·-.. Jsckson predicts Alabama win It \••111, .1,111,knt m11k111!,!<lll v11w l\S\ Pl 11 \«H1.iln.1tl\' h.l\l' ,1 .ii\' I\ l (UPI) Democratic presidential hopeful Jesse Jackson predicts he'll win the I'"'- Uhl 1\·~1,l1..'lt'1..I h' l"'l .lc. llu' tih· l rntc.·1..I ""l.lll'' ,r l'uertP Rll.. O, Alabama Democratic primary on Tuesday Jackson told college students in ,,,k 111 \1, ''\.,-,int: "" 1 b, "1, 11 u Jacksonville, Alabama, that voting for him will put ac•oss the message that a woman should be elected vice president this year Jackson attacked Walter Call Sergeant Bob Caruso Mondale and Gary Hart for refusing to make a comm1ttment to pick a woman In Salt Lake Collect at as a running ma:e 801-524-4568 Jewish groups reject prayer proposal (UPI) The nation's three major conservative Jewish o•garnzallons yester ARMY NURSE CORPS. day came out against a school prayer pro11osal now before the Senate In a statement. the three groups declared the place to pray 1s "1n the home and in BE ALL YOU CAN houses of worship. The Senate. which 1s still short of the two-thirds vote BE. needed for passage, 1s not expected to vote on the measure until next week at the earliest U.S. troops to aid El Salvador (UPI) NBC News reports more than 2000 U.S troops will be sent to the A Telephone information and 5elf-help tape program tense border between Honduras and El Salvador during the next two months The report says the action 1s designed to increase support for the Salvadoran Army COUNSELINE Plane near-miss Investigated 994-4591 or 4592 6pm- midnight seven nights a wee)\ (UPI) Federal officials are investigating a near-miss involving a Continen \,;;T" ,, tal Airlines iet and a private plane. The incident occurred Wednesday as the '· 1\Pl llTl I 1 \Pl Tlll !\Pl rnu 001' ftll'OO\tupRu Jmll O.lb'· "'-•11 118. '·luie.\l<il!" (1\4' IJt>J1lhandfh jet approached Houston's Intercontinental Airport, with the smaller plane OOl T\pnuflrum11n 0 - Kf'h>.llH,1" f \t"nho:' (P•~ l ndt-n.Undlnf, (.r.c-f' Ph\~<~ lnluna..,, 0' ( P•11J •llh ~lr<'U .., IQ!l•Frrnd coming within 500 tc 1000 feet of the ietlmer A Continental spokesman ~ ()JQ rCJNlrr ._.., K W .16-0 ll 00 Pr~ Lut- ""'oo• F!JllhnJ.l.• lhln!Ch••lv '" ().10 \1.1~ .,..., !{,"' points out it's the private plane on visual flight rules that's responsible for l06 1 •sn~n~ '\cii~h•CI' '~ Thu#'• ~ fttlm ,,., l•;i.."'"nlnJI In \:\""C"Jll !)(-cn1<1tt oib.Ju1 flnnl.1 "watching out for other guys " : uo- DNILI 11111htun,tmt1•r \ou1 ....-fl ;oo• buril.:inP1.:o'iMh<ln )lll C"11l11Cl\nl 061 lhrup\ \\b 1 f ·~"" RelnTflH!nl ·Ouh11t•11h \np-r 11 ...