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Show CO Ronic University of Utah November 8, 19"3 Vol. 83 No. 30 Taught at U last year Distinguished Iranian professor imprisoned "Harris Lenowitz by JOE KELLEHER Chronicle Staff An Iranian professor who served as a visiting associate professor for the Department of English last year was imprisoned and perhaps tortured upon his return to Iran in September, according to faculty members in the Department of English. Mr. Robert Mezey, associate professor of English, told the Chronicle Wednesday that Dr. Reza Baraheni, a member of the faculty of the University of Teheran (Iran), was arrested and incarcerated as a result of an article he printed before his return to Iran. at the Middle East Center received a letter from Baraheni's wife telling us what happened," said Mr. Mezey. "She wrote that this article was not a political one, but a piece of literary criticism. She also told us that she has seen Baraheni only three times since his imprisonment and that she had reason to believe he has been tortured." Mezey said that Baraheni had been "critical" of the Iranian government and that the charge was probably a pretext. "Reza is not an activist, but an intellectual," he said. "During his stay in the United States, while he was a visiting faculty member made contact with pletely run by the Shah, and it is Ginsberg and other members of an absolute police state." the "It's a matter of public fact literary community." that Iran's secret police was set 'Distinguished' up, trained and financed by our a is "Baraheni own CIA and the Israeli secret very and service. Reza estimated the size distinguished novelist, poet playwright one of the foremost of their force as 60.000 or in his country. He is a prolific 70,000," Mezey continued. and a serious writer," Mezey 'Inhumane treatment' commented. "In my encounters with him I found him a lovely According to Milton Voigt, chairman of the Department of man." "Baraheni wanted to make English, the imprisonment is "an known to the United States the utterly inhumane treatment of a conditions in Iran," said Mezey. poet and a scholar." "Baraheni taught for our "About 80 percent of the Iranian in live wretched people poverty, department during winter and and at least 80 percent are totally spring quarters of last year," said Voigt. "The faculty found illiterate. The country is com he here, left-win- g him to be a stimulating and accommodating colleague. Students found him to be most generous with his time. We sent an evaluation letter to the University of Teheran in which we highly commended him." According to Voigt, Baraheni taught two courses at the University last year: "Fiction and the Theater of the Absurd" and "The Continental Novel." "He also participated in poetry readings both on campus and at the Salt Lake Public Library, and he supervised the production of one of his dramatic works here." In addition, Voigt said, he was (continued on page 11) Advice division closes; counselor sees problems by CLARENCE WIDERBURG Chronicle Staff "I think we'll see more 11 v emotional problems, suicides, murders and runaways," wa9 Cowley's immediate when reaction Tuesday of about the closing questioned the Counseling Division of the Salt Lake Family Court. Ms. Cowley, former marriage and family counselor for the court and a member of the faculty of the Graduate School of Social Work, also sees the closing as a tragedy to the children of Au-Dea- fN-)-X divorce. 'Hard to find support' "It will be difficult to have any consistent support to help the family adjust to the trauma of divorce," she says, "or professional evaluation of home conditions or the parties involved in the custody, visitation, child support and other issues involving children." The Counseling Division of the Salt Lake Family Court has been closed. The decision was made during closed meetings by the Judges of the Third District Court. Ms. Cowley noted that the effects of divorce are more likely to be traumatic in Utah since it is primarily a family-oriente- d , hearing testimony from the public, or without hearing testimony of the administrator, Don Holladay, or his counseling staff. Two of the judges are recent appointees. C. Inauguration ceremonies scheduled presented by the University's by ELLIS ANDERSON Chronicle Staff David Pierpont Gardner will formally become the University's 10th Monday, president November 19, at 10 a.m. in the Special University Events Center. Classes at 9:55 and 11:00 a.m. will be dismissed, so students and faculty may attend the inauguration ceremonies, which include a brief address by President Gardner and a thirty-fiv- e minute presentation by the Utah Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Maurice Abravanel. A luncheon for special guests after the inauguration will be held by the Alumni Association. The formal inauguration tops a activities week of lectures by ranging from special trial a moot to educators visiting pre-inaugur- al College of Law. "It's quite significantly through court-connecte- "The primary thrust is towards reconciliation if it can be a healthy situation for the family members. But if a divorce is required to maintain the health of the individual family members then goals two and three come into effect. The second goal is to ameliorate the harsh effects of divorce on the parents and children and the third goal is to help provide insight into the causes for divorce so that a or marriage subsequent will sucbe more relationship cessful." "I see this as a real step back wards for our state," says Ms. of the Inauguration Committee. "It is the first time we've had a by program with a the Utah symphony." Maestro Abravanel's selections, which do rt not appear in this families reconciliations. He points out that this is $40,000 a year more than the counseling program, itself, costs to operate. d The purpose of a is Division Counseling not simply financial or to effect reconciliation, says Ms. Cowley. Judges and lawyers have tended to evaluate the program, she says, without taking into consideration that there are two besides reconciliation. dif- secretary mini-conce- dependent other goals for intervention ferent from the inauguration of President Emery, perhaps the most ambitious the University has undertaken," said Boyer Jarvis, A campus gToup, "Students to society. Currently, Utah ranks Help Family Court," is currently above the national average in circulating a petition demanding suicide, alcoholism and divorce, continuation of the counseling but has a divorce rate lower than service and evaluation of the any state west of Colorado. program in open meetings. It will be available Wednesday and Surprise Thursday at the Union Huddle of the Closing counseling Booth. services came as a surprise to the A petition is also being circommunity. Judge Marcellus K. culated at the University asking Snow receitly wrote the County for the resignation of the judges Commissiohv "Although the involved and seeking support of number of divorces increase each its signers at election time. year, as do th many other Part of the criticism ot the related social problems, it is clear closing of the Counseling that the counseling division has Division has been that the and will continue to render some Family Court judges have not tangible assitance to the solution made a thorough evaluation of of these problems. As those the effectiveness of the program. directly served will benefit, so Evan E. Jones, Director of will our community as a whole." Utah State Division of Family The decision to close the Services recently pointed out counseling division came in' that the counseling services closed meetings by the Judges of saves the taxpayers an estimated the Third District Court without $120,000 a year in aid to year's repertoire, include Handel, Bach, Barber, Beethoven, and Brahms, using the University combined choruses. "It is not unusually elaborate as presidential inaugurations at the University go," said Mr. "at a time when family Jarvis. Cowley, Three special lecturers will speak in connection with the continued on page 2 emotional problems are causing other states to increase and improve their programs." breakdowns BRAND BLANSHARD and MINA REES... ...Inauguration lecturers. and resulting |