Page 10-Friday, April 6, 1979-The Michigan Daily PLAGUED BY STAFF CUTBACKS, UNCERTAIN LEADERSHIP City human rights-personnel merger inefficient (Continued from Page 1) four people in the two departments resulting in a total staff of seven, and a budget Cut of 35 per cent. Despite these figures, Mayor Louis Belc'er said, the department merger has ereated an increase in staff. "I don't Me any reason to enlarge the department. Every department in City Hallits more people," he said. THE MAYOR added that there have been cutbacks in staff across all depar- tments Ond that more' departmental constraitits can be expected in the future. Figures on departmental staff and budget cutbacks for fiscal 1978-79, however, reveal that none of these decreases came close to the reductions in the Human Rights Department. No other departments of comparable size lost more than one person, and the next largest budget reduction was a nine per cent cut in the Planning Department. As a result of the across-the-board reductions in the Human Rights Depar- tment, Rowe said it takes much longer to resolve complaints and that he is for- ced to turn over the majority of his cases to the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. "It takes three or four months longer that way, but it is better for the client. With the amount of work I have now, I wouldn't be doing the per- son justice by handling his case," Rowe said. Rowe added that he has been faced with a tremendous backlog of work because of his new Personnel Depar- tment responsibilities. "I am the Per- sonnel Department," Rowe said. - RAYMOND Chauncey, the one other field representative in the department,, said he has had similar problems meeting the demands of an in- creasingly heavy workload. "I have to put things off a lot," he said. Both Chauncey and Rowe agreed that one of the major problems caused by staff cutbacks, has been an inability to effectively "advertise" the department and the human rights ordinance. "There are people who don't even know we're here," Chauncey said. Rowe said this problem of adver- tising has further added to com- munication difficulties the department has had with companies charged with discrimination. "Companies don't un- derstand that we're just there to assist them, to offer them expertise in recruitment. ve are not accusing them of discrimination. Once we get past this communication problem, we can have a good working relationship," Rowe said. ROWE ADDED, however, that this is often difficult because of the large delay in handling cases, and the frequent lack of follow-up. The effective functioning of the Human Rights Department has been hindered further by uncertain leader- ship. For the entire year preceding the merger, the Human Rights Department had no director. When the Personnel and Human Rights Departments merged, a director was appointed to preside over both departments. That. director, however, left his position in November and since that time, Byron Marshall, assistant to City Ad- ministrator Sy Murray, has been the acting director. Although plans are underway to ap- point a new department head and a per- sonnel assistant, Marshall said he is unsure when such plans will be im- plemented. DEPARTMENTAL cutbacks aside, current statewide trends in human rights legislation have' also hampered the department's ability to enforce the city's human rights ordinance. On August 15, 1978, Attorney General Frank Kelley issued a statement that local human rights departments are "limited to performing education, counseling, and advising rules in the area of civil rights enforcement." The Human Rights Departments in Ann Ar- bor and Detroit are currently the only such departments in the state with legal powers. Although City Attorney Bruce Laidlaw, in response to this statement, said the Human Rights Department would continue to act under Ann Arbor law, those connected with the depar- tment said the Attorney General's opinion, combined with the recent cut- backs, would have a stifling effect. "THE DEPARTMENT isn't going to be as effective as we would like it to be," said Marshall. And faced with an increasingly apathetic climate in the general area of civil rights, most observers agree the future for human rights enforcement in this city looks gloomy. The thinking around City Hall, said city Councilman Ken Latta (D-First Ward), is that "human rights has become something of a nuisance." 0th Anniversary of the BAM STRIKE: What was its implications? EQUALITY vs LIBERTY; The Search for a New International Economic Order. Lecture by Prof. Archie Sin ham Professor of Political Science, Brooklyn College, CUNY; current U research scholar on the New International Economic Order; and Nonalienment. FREE Friday, April 6, 1979 at 8 p.m. in Schorling Aud. (School of Education) Over 200 anti-nukes protest (Continued from Page 1) Europe. lHE SAID contractors are now taking soil samples near Gorieben, West Ger- many, a proposed nuclear waste dum- ping site for European reactors. Beiver said 35,000 protesters have demon- strated at the site and that the West German border patrol was mobilized to "prevent people from crashing" the site. Currently, there are two nuclear power plants under construction in Michigan, according to Ken Lans, a University medical student and Arbor" Alliance member. Sponsored by: The Black Matters Committee, BSU, LSA-SG, MSA, PAC, and Office of Ethics and Religion In 1974, construction- began on two nuclear plants in Midland, Michigan, at an estimated cost of $300 million. The plants are now 80 per cent complete and their cost has swelled to approximately $1 billion. TIHE ALLIANCE is demanding a halt in the construction of these two reac- tors, as well as use of the Fermi 1 and 2 reactors in Monroe, Michigan. Following the speeches at Regents' Plaza, the protesters marched to the Diag, then back to the plaza where the demonstration disbanded 45 minutes later. The demonstrators stated in their literature that the Harrisburg incident demonstrates the U.S. does not have the capability to ensure safe construction and functioning of nuclear power plan- ts, and that reactors pose a "threat to the healh and well-being of the population." Members of the Alliance plan to at- tend a massive anti-nuclear rally at Detroit's Kennedy Square scheduled for noon today. 'U' phone bill tops $5 million in 1978-79 By BONNIE JURAN Though most University ad- ministrators and faculty may seem easy to reach, one would think they never get off the phone, considering the amount of the University's phone bill. According to Don Gagnon, University Telephone Operations Manager, the estimated phone bill for the 1978-79 fiscal year is a cool $5.2 billion. Gagnon said the sum may sound like anenormous amount, until one realizes all it encompasses. The money goes toward replenishing such equipment as telephones, teletypes, alarms, and data circuits, and also toll calls, and long distance phoning (watts line, 'direct distance dialing, and credit card calls). GAGNON EXPLAINED that the majority of the sum, around $3.5 million, will be directed toward equip- ment upkeep, with approximately $1.4 million spent on long distance calls, and the remaining $450,000 on local calls, which cost 6.7 each. The University's phone bill has in- creased steadily each year, from $4.5 million in 1976-77, to $4.8 million in 1977- 78, and this year's anticipated $5.2 million. Gagnon cited several reasons for the high bill, explaining that in the past seven years, Michigan Bell has steadily increased its rates. Also, the Operations Manager said the Univer- sity has continually needed new equip- ment and said the University has also increased its amount of long distance calls, which constitute a 13 per cent in- crease each year. Gagnon attributed ,the annual in- crease in long distance usage to the fact that "as we become more and more sophisticated, it is easier to use the telephone rather than using any other form of communication." GAGNON SAID the University also has access to a watts line which is located downtown in the Michigan Bell office. All the departments within the University are entitled to utilize the watts system, Gagnon said. Gagnon added that all long distance calls, which are made within Univer- sity departments, are automatically transferred to the watts line, but if all the watts lines are busy, the call goes through direct distance dialing. Gagnon said about 95 per cent of all directly I dm I nmi511 6UE'I W .9 ILTTf .V A q TI IU. V 1 "4 AI