4
conditions in ''merican industry? j
Among student effort, one Vk'hicn
shows promise ia a nevvly formed j
project by Environmental Resources,
Inc., one of t\vO lasting organi- j
zations W'hich grew out of the ,
Environmental Teach-In and Earth
Day last A^ril 22. In their head
office in Washington, DC, the
five initial members of the pro
ject have started building a
vvorking resource library, ex-
tablishing contacts v;ith labor
unions, medical schools and en
vironment groups, and writing a
general handbook on the problem
and several brief booklets on
specific problems and diseases.
Led by Rick Atkins, a third-
year medical student on leave
from Stanford, and Paul 'itt,
a Stanford rolitical science grad
uate, the group stresses "sen
sitization*' to workers* problems
and local initiatives by coali
tion groups of students, workers,
and community members. They have
received a $20,000 grant from the
Stern Foundation to begin w,ork,
and their advisory board includes
Leonard wookcock, Udall,
Willard Wirtz, and George VJald.
Among specific student activi
ties they will help organize and
promote are: conducting inven
tories of local industrial hazards
and applicale la^s; holding
seminars and teach-outs on the
problem of in-plant pollution;
making university laboratoires
and skills ..'.vailable for analy
zing gas and partculate matter
found within p-^'^^ts’ setting up
regional, vjeek-long training ses
sions at medical schools for
union representatives and uni
versity students.
In addition, the project mem
bers hore to interest the nations
media in the problem, perhaps
eliciting a network documentary.
They also \v\'nt to establish a
national toll-free telephone
number for vorkers to call for
specific answers on industrial
hazards.
Another student group begun
this summer is Youth Projects,
led by former University of
Penns3’'lvania instructor Jim Goodell
Also x.orkin:' v.ith foundation grant
money, they have several projects
underv.ay, one of which is a con
tent analysis of news media in
coal mining regions of Appalachia.
The horrors of Black Lung disease
among miners ■ nd the callous
ness and corruption of o\ ners and
union leaders have been nationally
documented, but the local me
dia in those areas have been
largely silent. Goodell hopes
to gather evidence on how the
industry-dominated ov nership of
nevi/spapers and television stations
results in bias in the news.
JOHN H, MER
^1^ «.•.
•'t" •n' "I"
STUDENT PARTICIPATION
FAILS TO DEVELOP
WASHINGTON(CPS) The massive
student participation in election
campaings that was predicted
last spring has not materialized
this fall.
In the wake of the U.S, in
tervention in Cambodia and the
shootings of students at Kent
State University and Jackson
State College last May, thou
sands of students came to Wash
ington to lobby in Congress. A
number of groups were set up to
coordinate an outpouring of
student political activity that
was to culminate in widespread
student campaigning for peace
candidates. That hasn’t happned.
A check with correspondents
accross the country and with some
of the student coordinating
groups indicates that student
participation in election cam
paigns is only slightly above
normal and is far below the level
of student participation is the
196G Presidential campaign.
Ttl
e are not goinf to have