University of Southern California
DAILY
TROJAN
VOL. LXI, NO. 99
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 1970
MEST DIRECTIVA STUDENTS MARCH TO BOVARD.
Chicanos heard Mesa leaders denounce Dr. Topping’s reply to demands.
Photo by Bruce Bolinger
Chicanos hit Topping's response to demands
By MARY ANN GALANTE
Representatives of Mesa Directiva, a coalition of Mexican-Americans, said yesterday that President Norman Topping’s response to their March 18 demands were “totally unsatisfactory.”
Oscar Parra, a graduate student member of Mesa Directiva, said the signed statement the group received yesterday from Topping failed to substantiate verbal commitments made by Topping to the group representatives the previous day.
The group’s demands include the admittance of 150 Chicano students—tuition free—next fall; the establishment of an ongoing admission and financial aid program for Chicano high school students from inter-city schools; and giving Mesa Directiva a voice in the decision-making processes of the university.
Representatives of Mesa Directiva met with Dean Paul Bloland and President Topping Wednesday to discuss the group’s demands.
“The university had the power to make statements concerning admission of Chicanos. We wanted to know how many Chicanos would be admitted if the $4 initiative bill is passed,” said Miguel de la Pena, head of MECHA. De la Pena said the Mesa Directiva representatives were told that $200,000 of a $600,000 Associates scholarship fund for minority students would be given to undergraduates.
“Topping told the law students that the $200,000 would be allotted strictly to professional schools ... he reneiged on his commitment to us,” said de la Pena.
De la Pena said the group asked Topping at Wednesday’s meeting for a statement to be released on Thursday, in time for announcement to community members during the group’s symposium. “We wanted a signed statement as to exactly what the university is able to do.”
“There was nothing to Topping’s written reply,” said Parra. “All he said was it’s not the university’s policy to respond to demands . . . it’s just a stall tactics.”
Parra said Topping refused to negotiate the group’s demand for power in the university’s decision-making process. “He said certain powers were given him by the Board of Trustees and he could not share them with anyone.”
A signed statement the group received from Topping states, “	I do not believe that a
3 withdraw from election
Three candidates have announced that they have withdrawn from the upcoming ASSC primary elections, to be held April 7 and 8.
Richard Foes and Allan Leno, both candidates for the office of vice-president of academic affairs, announced their withdrawals yesterday. Richard Goodwin, a candidate for junior representative, did the same.
university can conduct its business on the basis of demands, with deadlines for the demands to be answered or met ...” The statement was dated March 31.
An additional letter to Mesa Directive yesterday states, “Central to . . . the points you have raised with us is the joint development of an appropriate role for a Mesa Directiva representing Chicanos . . . The other goals you have listed seem to be derived from the kind of participation and involvement which could be provided by the members of such a Mesa Directiva working cooperatively with university agencies and staff members . . .”
“ ... we agreed that we should continue these talks in an effort to come to specific understandings and commitments in those areas felt by the Mesa Directiva to be of particular concern to it . . .”
De la Pena said that Mesa Directiva representatives are continuing negotiations with the administration. The group has asked Topping for a final statement to be made five days after the initiative is voted on.
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES MEET
Church, war, school blasted by Chicanos
By COLLEN LEGGETT
Three Chicano leaders attacked the Vietnam war, Los Angeles schools, and the Catholic Church at the morning session of an allday symposium yesterday.
The capacity crowd in Hancock Auditorium enthusiastically received Rosalio Munoz, member of the Chicano Moratorium; Sal Castro, a Los Angeles educator, and Ricardo Cruz, head cc Cato-licos por la Raza, shouting “Chicano Power,” and clapping loudly in unison.
Cruz, who screamed at the top of his lungs several times during his remarks, attacked the Church for telling the poor to be Christ-like and then displaying a dollar-bill conscience.
““The Church says, ‘Blessed are the poor . . . give us your money’,” he said. “It teaches us that we are the Catholic Church, as if we poor could harness the power of the most powerful institution in the world.”
“We can tell it to go to hell, the feeling of most of us who are young, or we can hold it to its own word; force it to practice what it preaches.”
The last alternative, he said, was the intent of Catolicos por la Raza.
Describing his organization as "taking up the duty to educate our people,” he noted the movement had attracted over 1,500 people, mostly young, who “don’t need flattery and respectability to be called Christians.
He encouraged young people to involve their parents, who are “still attending mass and paying money to the Church.” He said $3.5 million was spent on the construction of St. Basil’s on Wilshire Boulevard, $250,000 of which was used on the glass for the poor box.
Cruz called the history of the Catholic Church the history of “la Raza,” but attributed the blame to Chicanos for allowing the Church to oppress them.
“The Church is not the people,” he yelled, his veins visibly throbbing at his temples. “It is legally one human being, Cardinal Francis McIntyre, who is a corporation sole without any board of directors.”
He pictured the schools, law, justice and politics as being against “la raza” but said the Church nevertheless advises Chicanos to use these proper channels.
“We demand better education and get thrown in jail,” he complained.
“None of the administrators (Gov. Ronald Reagan or Sen. George Murphy) say they love people or that they are Christ-like, and they are the ones in power.
“But there is one institution that is more powerful than these men, the Catholic Church. Yet we are sold out by this institution that is supposed to be on our side.”
Rasalio Munoz focused his talk on the military.
“The military is trying to create a warrior class out of our youth and lead them into the death pits of Vietnam," Munoz, who established the two Chicano Moratoriums, said.
The former UCLA student body president refused induction into the armed services, asserting that Chicanos were dying at a rate twice that of all Army personnel.
“This is part of the cultural and social genocide that has been
USC-comm unity role discussed
By D. FRANK CULBERTSON
Six ASSC presidential candidates gave their views on a variety of subjects, specifically involvement of the university in the surrounding communities, in a discussion yesterday sponsored by the Community Action Coordinating Counicl in the Student Activities Center.
The meeting, entitled “Community Action: As Confrontation with the Candidates,” began with the showing of the film “Log 43,” a documentary on the Algiers Motel incident of the Detroit riots in 1967. The film, presented to create emotional reactions from the audience and the candidates, showed two policemen harassing two Negro men and a prostitute, and finally killing the men.
Dan Smith, executive director of CACC, introduced a panel which later in the meeting asked questions of the candidates. The panel included Maurice Becnel, chairman of the BSU community projects, Margie Buk-ingham, director of Troy Camp and Lowell Ponte, CACC associate.
Each candidate was first allowed time to give short talks on their thoughts concerning community action at USC.
In response to the film and in explaining his political position, Ron McDuffie said, “We do have a community. Mine is here; I live here, I work here, and I’m familiar with problems of the community by personal experience.” He said that police harassment, like that in the film, is an everyday experience with him “I have seen so much of it that I can put events of the day into action,” he said.
Ed Hurst criticized people who just propose changes but never act on them. “Community involvement has become a sacred cow.” He also urged that programs be established that students can support “rather than making the program too abstruse and distant.”
Russ Karlan said he supports the tutorial projects in the community. “These projects give the participating students a chance to do good for the community instead of tearing it down,” he said. He also was in favor of the BSU projects that help give young blacks the drive to succeed.
Fred Minnes, ASSC president, said, “There is no formal relationship among the Los Angeles Police Department, the university and community groups.” He urged that a meaningful relationship be formed among these agents. He also proposed that high school visitation days be conducted involving students from the high schools in the community.
Wayne Howard said that the university has put itself out into the community.
“We must now bring the community onto the campus,” Howard said. “The ASSC shouldn’t be involved alone toward the community but rather as a fostering hand toward the CACC.”
Dave Dizenfeld commented, “It’s not enough that a president just write off community involvement by saying there are programs already. Instead he has to take an active and probing role in the community thus making himself the communicating channel between the student body and CACC.”