thursday, december 4, 1980
lincoln, nebraska vol. 105, no. 71
Gonzales visit elicits accusations of prejudice
By Patti Gallagher
and
Steve Miller
When Chicano Civil rights crusader
Corky Conales speaks in the Nebraska
Union today it will not have been with
out the usual organizational hassles as well
as the unusual.
Members of the University Program
Council, the Campus Activity Program
and Talks and Topics have been blasted
with accusations of mishandling organiza
tion of the speech and money used for the
appearance, and of infringing upon the
rights of Chicano organizations.
Rumaldo Lovato, ASUN scnaU who
said he was representing the UNL United
Chicanos and Chicanos of Aztlan, said that
UPC and CAP have violated previous
agreements concerning the organization of
Gonzales' appearance.
Sara Boatman, CAP associate director,
said she had been confronted by Lavato
about the possibility of a lawsuit because
of the problems.
Gonzales, leader of the National Chic
ano Organization, will speak today in the
Nebraska Union Ballroom at 1 1 a.m. and
7:30 p.m.
Alleged prejudice
According to Lovato, the violations
stem from both group prejudices against
Chicanos and their opposition to bringing
Gonzales, a controversial speaker, to camp
us. Also acting as sponsors of the speech
are the La Raza Unida Party and the
Nebraska Penal Complex's Mexican Aware
ness through Association Group. Gonzales
will speak at the penitentiary at 2 p.m.
today.
Lovaio said the conflict between the
sponsors began early in the semester when
the idea to bring Gonzales to Lincoln orig
inated. After speaking with the CAP of
fice about Gonzales possible visit, Lovato
said the CAP office proposed that UPC
and the penitentiary provide $75 each for
transportation costs.
Lovato also said at that time CAP led
oilier groups to believe that Gonzales
never agreed to speak free of charge,
Lovato added.
He said that after he checked with other
sponsors, a fee was set of SI. 000 by the
United Chicano group.
Bloodmobile drive passes goal;
Lincoln hospitals to get 90 pints
The campus blood drive went three
pints over its goal during the Blood
mobile Tuesday and Wednesday.
The goal was 540 pints and 543 were
collected, said Margie Cook of the
Omaha Blood Center.
"I'm pleased with the outcome of
the Bloodmobile and the students who
organized it and volunteered their time
should be commended." she said. Cook
credited Denise Glissman and Carole
Shaffer, the co-chairpersons of the
Bloodmobile. and the other members of
the campus Red Cross for the drive's
success.
Tuesday's effort with the Red Cross
took in 253 pints. 13 over the goal of
240. Glissman said.
Wednesday's joint effort with the
Red Cross and the Lincoln Community
Blood Bank collected 2U0 pints. 10
short of its goal for the day.
Of the total number of pints. 0 will
go to Lincoln hospitals. Cook said. The
rest will go to the Omaha Blood Center,
which will distribute it to more than
100 hospitals in 2 counties in Nebras
ka, Iowa and Kansas.
Communists lose decision control
Lovato's claims are out of line according
to Boatman, and Kathy Sjulin, Talks and
Topics chairwoman.
Boatman said Lovato has thought from
the beginning "or at least given the impres
sion that bringing Corky Gonzales was his
own project."
A rrange men t s prede term i ned
In actuality, Boatman said, Gonzales
already had arranged to speak at the
prison and they had called and suggested
the university arrange with him to speak to
students also.
An October date was set for Gonzales'
appearance, Boatman said, but was cancel
led because Gonzales and his wife were in
a car accident.
"At that time he was coming for free,"
Sjulin added. "He would only have receiv
ed money for travel."
Lovato became involved at that time,
according to Boatman. She said that Lo
vato said that it would be disgraceful for
a man of Gonzales' importance not to be
paid something.
"He even came up with the figure of
$10,000 which is our total budget," Boat
man said. After talking to Gonzales, Lo
vato then decided $1,000 would be
appropriate.
Talks and Topics gave the approval for
$825 to be given to Gonzales and adjust
his "recommendation that UPC grant the
money. Lovato arranged for donations
from other groups. Boatman said.
Relationships severed
Another accusation Lovato made was
that the CAP office had severed relations
between the United Chicanos and a major
academic department on campus. Lovato
refused to identify the department.
According to Lovato. the department
chairman pledged $75 to help support
Gonzales' speech. However, after he learn
ed that no other academic departments
were contributing, the chairman approach
ed Boatman.
The chairman said he thought Lovato
had violated agreements because no other
department was involved. Lovato said. The
chairman then threatened to cut off all
relations with the CAP office if he was
forced to pay the $75. Because of this,
Lovato said, Boatman would not allow the
department to contribute.
Lovato said he should have been allow
ed to deal with the department himself.
"Sara cut off that relationship herself
without allowing us to handle it," Lovota
said. "The CAP office is trying to treat us
as though we were a childish organization."
According to Boatman, the department
chairman was right in not donating the
money.
Lovato had taken the pledge with
the stipulations, but no one else knew
about the stipulation, Boatman said.
The chairman had stipulated that he
would donate the money only if other
academic departments gave donations, she
said.
Within rights
Boatman told the chairman he was
within his rights not to give the donation.
Meanwhile, UPC was forced to come up
with the extra $100 to cover the loss of
the donation.
At this point, the UPC Culture Center
had provided $425, Talks and Topics gave
$400 and when the department dropped
out. the culture center added another
$100.
"We were putting up $950 and weren't
having any input in the arrangements,"
Sjulin said. "After the mix-ups that had
already occurred we got worried about
that and decided we had to have some in
put." The misunderstanding about the speak
ing fee and who should handle it got the
planning stage off to a bad start, Lovato
said. He said he questioned why the
United Chicano group was not initially
contacted about the costs since they orig
inated the program. He also said the CAP
office continually has conflicts with the
Chicano group because the group is politic
al in nature.
Lovato said he did not find out that the
UPC was involved in the planning for the
program until about two weeks into the
semester. At that time, the United Chic
anos drew up four conditions by which
they would work with UPC.
Continued on Page 7
Soviet invasion of Poland is questionable
By Maureen Cost el lo
"Anyone who predicts the Soviet Union will invade
Poland is dead wrong, but if you say they will not, you
arc dead wrong also. This situation is more complex than
first meets the eye," said Ivan Volgycs. UNL political
science professor.
Volgycs spoke in the main lobby of the Nebraska
Union Wednesday to about 300 students about the cur
rent situation in Poland. Volgyes has taught international
affairs at UNL for 14 years. He is an adviser to the U.S.
State Department and the Department of the Defense. He
also is the author of more than 20 hooks.
Communism came to Poland in 1945 because there was
no other form ot government that could possibly meet
and answer the demands of the Polish society, Volgycs
said. There could not be a democracy because the people
were not involved in government, he said. There could not
he a capitalist government because there was no capital,
and there could not be a socialist government because
there were no workers, Volgyes said.
By 1956. the Communist system had failed. The soci
ety was no more equitable than they had ever been. "A
new class of millionaires came in and took the system for
everything they could. They succeeded in making Poland
a private enterprise for their own good and services. They
made a mockery of the principles of socialism and de
stroyed the basis of socialism." Volgycs said.
No economic answers
The government failed to answer the economic prob
lems of society." he said. They tried to centralize the
government
Volgyes said he thinks the communist party has lost
control of every decision-making channel. Three things
the Communist government must have control over are
Central Planning only works well when there is a single
dictator who will line up and shoot people at will like
Stalin. Voluvcs said.
output, input and feedback. Output concerns the decis
ions made; the input is concerned with suggestions, poli
cies, and what is given out; and the feedback pertains to
how the people feel about the sytem and policies. Volgyes
said.
"The Polish government can no longer generate symp
athy for the Cummunist party. In the first poll ever taken
in Poland, only two percent of the population would vote
for the communist party. Seventy percent would vote for
a democracy and the remaining people would vote for a
socialist party government," Volgyes said.
Leaders uninformed
Voleves said he doesn't think the Soviet leaders know
J vr k
Photo by Mark Billingsity
Ivan Volgyes
what is going on in Poland.
"They only read what they desire to read and under
stand. All they are hearing is'We don't want Soviet inter
vention.' " Volgyes said.
The Polish leaders cannot convey any other image
because the Polish people are fed up with 25 to 30 years
of mismanagement of the Polish economy.
"We know far too little to get a clear idea as to wheth
er the Soviet Union will intervene in Poland." Volgyes
said.
A lot depends on how Soviet leaders see the Soviet
Army's success in Afghanistan, he said. The army has suc
ceeded, in our eyes as occupying but not subduing Af
ghanistan, he added.
If the Soviet leaders feel the army did not perform well
or if they perceive the army did not succeed, they may in
tervene just to prove that they can do it, Volgyes said.
"The pressure toward intervention is increasing. Mili
tary intervention is not the Soviets' only option. The Soviet
Union could cut off any and all energy sources to Poland,
stop commerce in one day by cutting their rail and sea
lines, or the Soviet Union could call in Poland's $16 bil
lion in loans. But the Soviet Union has never been known
for using the gloved, soft hand approach," Volgyes said.
There are some hopeful signs though, Volgyes said.
The Soviet Union extended 1.2 billion in credit to the
Polish government, and Poland's 60 generals have been
called to Warsaw. Volgyes said a resistance may be being
planned.
"There is nothing the West can do. will do or should
do to prevent Soviet intervention." he said. The U.S.
wrote off Eastern Europe in 1942. We have no role in
Eastern Europe. Our tanks area allergic to dust, our troops
cannot fight their way out of a paper bag and our state of
alert stinks. The only thing we have is a nuclear deterrent,
and I'm not sure how well that operates." Volgyes said.
"Wc should not raise Poland's expectations. If they
perceive that we are promising them something, they will
die in the streets of Warsaw like flics."