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Show i ' fhompson supports minority programs BY PETER GILLINS Chronicle Staff Grover Thompson, ASUU president-lect, president-lect, flunks minority programs at the . University must be expanded and that a forum should be held with BYU to discuss blacks and the LDS church. "The University has a responsibility to the entire community, and minorities are a part of that community," he said "Students "Stu-dents can learn a lot from having minority students on campus, just as they can learn a lot from having international students on campus." "I think ASUU can devote a lot more in terms of time, energy and money to minority students, " he added. Thompson also said that he wasn't sure he could personally justify the LDS Church's position on blacks and the priesthood. priest-hood. He called for a forum with BYU students coming to Salt Lake or University students going to Provo to discuss the issue. First Black President Thompson, who is the first black to be elected studentbody president at the University, Uni-versity, made the statements to a panel of journalism students on the KUED press conference show "Query" aired Thursday night at 7 p.m. He said that during his campaign he had tried to keep away from race and concentrate concen-trate on issues. He was elected in a write-in campaign over Bob Harrington and Jerry Jensen. When he takes office April 9, he will head up a newly organized ASUU government that will include a 64-man legislature. "The new constitutional form of government will mean that we will be spending more money in the colleges," he Thompson also discussed athle tics draft counseling, the Ecology Center and the needs of commuter students. 'Need Athletic Decision' "The new government will have to make a decision around athletics," he said "I font see ASUU stopping funds to athletics. ath-letics. We presently give $210,000 a year to athletics." "I would be in favor of making student funds for athletics optional or cutting those funds," he added, "but the recent poll conducted by ASUU shows that 68 percent of the students are in favor of continuing the support." "The Ecology center will get more money next year," he said, "and draft counceling is something that students still need and want." Favors Downtown Center He is in favor of student support for a Community Service Center downtown that would provide legal and health service to students since "this a commuter campus," he said, "and a great many students live in the community." Thompson is also working to form a student tenant league. "There are an awful lot of services that a tenant league could provide," he said, "Lots of landlords never inspect their building, never make repairs and raise rents once or twice during student tenancy." "And minority students have always had trouble getting off campus housing," he added, "This is a bigger problem than most people realize, and something that a tenant league could do something about." GROVER THOMPSON ...wants to discuss BYU race issue |
