VOL. XXI, NO. 1 2 9 ____________ THURSDAY^PRIL^l^ the independent student newspaper serving Notre Dame and Saint Man's Biased death penalties U.S. knew of Soviet bugs ruled valid by Court as early as 79 Associated Press choosing who lives and who Associated Press dies but it doesn’t care,” Seth WASHINGTON -The Su­ Waxman, a lawyer for the Con­ WASHINGTON -U.S. offi­ preme Court ruled Wednesday gressional Black Caucus, said cials were fully aware as long that state death penalty laws of Wednesday’s ruling. ago as 1979 that the Soviet KGB can be valid even if statistics Jack Boger, the New York was bugging the Moscow Em­ indicate they are carried out in lawyer who argued against the bassy during its construction, racially biased ways. Georgia system before the high but believed they had a strat­ In its most important ruling court, said the justices “failed egy for finding the spy devices, on capital punishment since to acknowledge a very power­ a top State Department official 1976, the court split 5-4 in up­ ful pattern of discrimination.” said Wednesday. holding Georgia’s death David Whitmore, a lawyer “I think the supervisory penalty system even though for the American Civil people knew that the embassy killers of white people in that Liberties Union in New Or­ was being bugged,” said state are far more likely to be leans, said the decision Robert Lamb, assistant secre­ condemned to death than those removed the last hope of nearly tary for diplomatic security. who kill blacks. a dozen of Louisiana’s 47 death “They contributed information The ruling dashed what row inmates. to us about the bugs that were coming in.” many death penalty opponents Illinois prosecutor Mark considered to be their best Lamb told a hearing of a Rotert called the ruling “very, House Foreign Affairs subcom­ chance of saving hundreds of very good news.” the nearly 1,900 men and wo­ mittee that U.S. personnel “It was one of the last, best were placed on the embassy men on death rows nationwide. chances to get a broad-based The decision removed the site to intercept listening attack on death penalty litiga­ devices. “We had a strategy for last legal claim many of those tion nationwide,” Rotert said. inmates had raised in fighting finding it,” he said. Justice Lewis Powell, writing “Where this strategy was for their lives, but it is not ex­ for the court, said a statistical pected to dramatically quicken weak was in the sense that the study of Georgia’s death Soviets used parts of the struc­ the pace of executions. penalty system “at most indi­ Since the Supreme Court ture itself as the bugging. cates a discrepancy that ap­ These are the kinds of things reinstated capital punishment pears to correlate with race.” in 1976, 70 U.S. prison inmates that are going to be difficult for But he said the discrepancy us to neutralize.” have been executed by does not violate the Constitu­ Investigators have said some electrocution, poison gas, tion’s equal-protection guaran­ Victory Kiss The Observer/Paul Oeschger large components of the build­ firing squad and lethal injec­ tees. ing were fabricated away from tion. In previous decisions, the Rain spoiled the original site of the An Toastal Air Band Contest the construction site by a Soviet “The court is saying there but not the spirit. Kiss won the competition which was held on may be racial discrimination in see COURT, page? Wednesday night at Theodore’s. see BUGS, page 4 ND theologian attacks proposed Vatican document Associated Press boards of trustees to the of Chicago. ident and board of trustees into dence, McBrien said. Church hierarchy, the Rev. The document would em­ rejecting controversial “As a theologian, I would find CHICAGO - A prominent Richard McBrien said. power the Vatican alone to de­ theologians for jobs or tenure. that a happy solution,” he said. Catholic theologian and chair­ McBrien said the document termine whether schools are McBrien has spoken against “As a Catholic, however, I hope man of theology at the Univer­ seeks to give bishops the power truly Catholic and would give the Vatican document and pray it never comes to sity of Notre Dame delivered to control theologians and as­ the Church “some significant repeatedly, but Wednesday’s that.” on Wednesday his sharpest at­ sure the orthodoxy of their measure of control” over the speech represented his most tack yet on a proposed Vatican teaching. institutions, he said. concise statement on the issue, A catholic university that in­ document he says threatens the “The Vatican’s proposed The Vatican proposal is university spokesman Richard sists on academic freedom academic freedom and inde­ schema is unacceptable be­ unneeded and unenforceable, Conklin said. does not threaten its Catholic pendence of Catholic univer­ cause it would undermine he said. Notre Dame President character, McBrien said. Any sities. every Catholic university’s Nevertheless, McBrien sug­ Theodore Hesburgh has said contrary view conflicts with The Vatican document on claim to being a university in gested a scenario under the that if forced, the trustees Vatican II teachings that the higher education, proposed in any meaningful sense of the document in which a conserva­ would forgo an official Vatican Church is “the whole commu­ 1985, would shift a basic author­ word,” McBrien said in a tive bishop could pressure an label as Catholic in favor of re­ nity of the faithful,” not just ity over Catholic schools from speech to the Notre Dame Club intimidated Notre Dame pres- taining its academic indepen­ the hierarchy, he said. Iran sentences an American 14 to receive honorary degrees to ten years on spying charges Special to the Observer of the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize. Academy through research Associated Press was arrested last June, shortly He has devoted his life to de­ on genetic engineering, after an Iraqi air raid on the Fourteen persons will veloping high yield varieties parasitic diseases, mental NICOSIA, Cyprus -Iran has center that interrupted Iran’s receive honorary degrees at of Mexican wheat for use in retardation, and “nuclear sentenced an American en­ communications with the out­ Notre Dame’s 142nd Com­ under developed nations. winter.” Chagos is a Brazilian gineer to 10 years in prison on side world. mencement May 17. Mrs. Rosalyn Carter, wife physician who has pursued a charges of spying for the CIA, Derek Bok, president of of former President Jimmy career in biophysics. the official Iranian news According to the news Harvard University, will Carter, will receive a doctor Mrs. Coretta Scott King, agency reported Wednesday. agency, he faced seven charges deliver the Commencement of laws degree. Mrs. Carter widow of Dr. Martin Luther related to espionage and using address and receive a doctor has long been involved in King, will be awarded a doc­ The Islamic Republic News a forged passport to enter the of laws degree. Bok was groups that promote the tor of laws degree. Mrs. King Agency, monitored in Nicosia, country. It did not specify the named president of Harvard needs of the elderly, the per­ has headed the Center for quoted “informed sources” for charges of which he was found in 1971. Prior to that Bok forming arts, and the needs Nonviolent Social Change, its report on the sentencing of served as dean of the Harvard guilty. of the homeless in the U.S. which has been a pivotal force Jon Pattis, a 50-year-old tele­ law faculty. and in underdeveloped in building interracial coali­ In addition to Bok, Norman countries. communications specialist. It In an appearance on Iranian tions. She has also served as did not say when the trial oc­ state television in October, the Borlaug of College Station, A doctor of science degree co-chair of the Full Employ­ Texas, will be awarded a doc­ will be bestowed on Dr. Carlos ment Action Council. curred. American engineer said he tor of science degree. Bor­ Chagas of Rio de Janeiro. He Mrs. Joan Kroc will also be Pattis, employed by Cosmos passed information through his laug, known as “The Apostle is the first non-priest to head awarded a doctor of laws Engineers of Bethesda, Md., company to the CIA on Iranian of Wheat,” is an agricultural the Pontifical Academy of worked at the Asadabad tele­ military activities, oil produc­ plant scientist and the winner Sciences, and has directed the see HONORS, page? communications center 200 tion, inflation and food distri­ miles southwest of Tehran. He bution. The Observer Thursday, April 23, 1987 - page 2 In Brief A student’s guide to better T he h earin g of the Notre Dame student charged in connection with a traffic accident that resulted in the death campus housing of junior Michael Cogswell was postponed again Wednes­ day. The hearing has been rescheduled for April 29. A plea As the semester draws to a close, it’s time to a Class A misdemeanor charge of driving under the for An Tostal and approaching finals. But there Rob influence of alcohol was expected Wednesday from the is another rite of spring that does not get nearly student. -The Observer as much attention: room picks. Hennig In every dorm, the process of room selection F o u rte e n p e rc e n t of Notre Dame’s 7500 undergradu­ is looming large on the horizon. But did you Copy Editor ates are involved in some form of volunteer social service, ever wonder how you got in the dorm you are according to statistics from the Center for Social Concerns.