The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 7, 1985- Page 5 Supreme Court case could alter future affirmative action in U.S. WASHINGTON (AP) - In a case that could affect the future of affir- mative action in the American work- place, the Supreme Court was urged yesterday to wipe out a plan that preserved jobs for black teachers by laying off whites with more seniority. At issue is the validity of a union contract provision challenged by eight white teachers from Jackson, Mich., who say they are victims of unlawful reverse discrimination. T HE COLLECTIVE bargaining process is not competent to determine someone's constitutional rights," lawyer K. Preston Dade Jr. of Golden, Colo., argued for the white teachers. But school board lawyer Jerome Susskind said the contract provision was part of a comprehensive effort to racially integrate Jackson's school system. "This is not a time to move back 20 years," he said. "It's a time to move forward." THE JACKSON case, expected to be decided by July, is one of three un- der high court study in which the Reagan administration, in the role of a sidelines cheerleader, is seeking to end preferential treatment in em- ployment for minorities and women unless they can prove they personally were victimized by past discrimination. Dade contended that the Jackson lay-off provision was not created to remedy any identifiable discrimination in the Jackson schools. "The use of race in this case has no remedial character," he said, adding: "there has to be some remedial character" for race-based decisions by public employers to comply with the Constitution's equal-protection guarantees. SUSSKIND, HOWEVER, noted that before 1954, when the Supreme Court ordered an end to racial segregation in the nation's schools, a black had never, taught in Jackson's public schools. One black was among the 250 teachers hired by the school district through the 1950s, he said. Justice Lewis Powell aggressively challenged Susskind over the lack of any court decision finding that Jackson school officials were guilty of past discrimination against blacks. "The school district didn't wait to be sued" before agreeing to the lay-off provision in its 1972 contract with the local teachers union, Susskind said. Since 1972, the Jackson school boar- d's contract with the teachers union has included an exception to the usual last-hired, first-fired seniority policy. The exception says that at no time will the percentage of minority teachers laid off be greater than the percentage of minority teachers em- ployed at the time. The affirmative action plan was upheld by a federal trial judge and the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Associated Press Is this Venice? National Park Service buildings in the historic district of Harper's Ferry, West Virginia were flooded to the first floors by the raging Shenandoah River early yesterday morning. Budget amendment . concerns educators (Continued from Page 1) might have to meet in an attempt to bring the two sides together. HIGHER education funds would be affected because they are one of the few items in the federal budget which is not exempt from mandatory budget cuts. "Roughly half of the federal budget has been exempted from coverage under this amendment," Zaglaniczy charged. ,n Butts said he is upset that the amendment was passed in the Senate last month without going through the long process of investigation by com- mittee. "THEY didn't know what they were ,passing, but they passed it anyway," said Butts. "It's a very scary when our leadership passes something they don't know much about." "The idea was added on as an amendment and it caught fire," said Butts. "It's a very attractive notion, the deficit is a big concern right now." Butts added that with the automatic budget cuts written into the amen- dment, legislators have denied responsibility and deflected blame for the resulting cuts. This lack of accountability angers Butts. "I think this amendment has very serious implications if legislators aren't going to do what we elect them to do. It seems to me they should do their job and do it right." Test yourself. Which early pregnancy test is as easy to read as red, no -white, yes? Which is a simple one-step test? Which has a dramatic color change to make the results unmistakable? Which is 98% accurate, as accurate as many hospital and lab tests? Which is portable for convenience and privacy? FIVE REASONS TO BUY THE ATT&T PERSONAL COMPUTER IN 1985: 1. Your Freshman Year 2. 3. 4. 5. Your Sophomore Year Your Junior Year Your Senior Years Your Future! $2399 * 256 K " Graphics Monitor " Disc Drive " Keyboard * MS-DOS, GW BASIC $2999 " With 10 MB Internal Hard.Disc Drive (All other configurations and peripherals available.) gSP Graphic Software Products, Inc. R17 E U 1iuareitu chue o.. Supporters of pet ban bill. testify before legislators (Continued from Page 1) have learned from a video-tape." McCardle said videotapes would be as 'effective as watching demonstrations in class. WITH MORE expensive lab 'a animals, researchers would be less likely to waste animals in experimen- :ts, McCardle said. He noted that at Harvard, which is subject to a similar state law, researchers are using half the animals they used before the law, without great harm to their research. But Christine Williams, director of laboratory animal care at Michigan State University, said universities must adhere to federal laws gover- ning care for the animals, and use of an animal must be approved by a university committee. She added that universities and animal dealers are inspected regularly without previous notice. McCardle had charged earlier that it surveys conducted by the Humane Society, some dealers had not been in- spected in four to five years. He said most inspectors are also part- time with little training in animal welfare. Sandy Roland, representing the Great Lakes regional office of the U.S. Humane Society, showed photos of animal dealers dragging dogs off the ground by the nape of their necks. DeMasco, however, defended MSU's labs, saying he visited one this week and found the animal stalls "cleaner than some restaurants I've eaten in." Supporters of the bill held a brief rally on the steps of the State Capitol before the hearing. isnid e 1@8 OA '"l2i1 9j,nOk o 1 L. universuy,Julie Lo u Ann Arbor, MI 48104 (313) 663-0088 " Full Warranty " Full Installation " Service & Counseling PLACE YOURSELF HERE enroll in SKI WEEKEND-l01 at CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN $4 00 Package includes: 2 nights JUST lodging in area motel, all area day & night skiing from per person 5 p.m. Friday thru Sunday group rate departure, & all taxes. * * *GOOD TIMES FOR ALL* * * 21 Slopes, night & day NASTAR, free beginners lesson, rental equipment available, 22 Km's X-C Skiing with lighted All