ucsb el gaucho 196-

UMAS Blasts EL GAUCHO;

Claims 'Insensitive to Goals'

By Ruth Brinton

EG Staff Writer

UMAS has lashed out strongly against EL GAUCHO for insensitivity to its activities and goals.

UMAS spokesman Joel Garcia said that EL GAUCHO had failed to cover several UMAS-sponsored activities over this past week-end. As an example, Garcia cited the appearance of El Teatro Campesino, the Farm Workers Theatre of Delano, in Campbell Hall Saturday night. EL GAUCHO, in an editorial Friday, had urged students to attend, but then, Garcia said, did not follow up by sending a reporter.

"We're being taken lightly," claimed Garcia, "This is the first time the University has had something that the Chicanos can relate to. The conference was a positive, constructive thing. The student media should realize its responsibilities. I don't think we were forgotten; I don't think we were ever recognized to be forgotten."

AS a result of this, Umas has formulatd a resolution which they presented to Leg Council last night. The resolution reads as follows:

If EL GAUCHO is incapable of relating relevantly and sensitively to the Mexican-American community on this campus it becomes necessary to demand that either

(1) funds which have been allocated to EL GAUCHO be cut back in order to allow the Mexican-American students on this campus to put out a newspaper which will meet their needs and inform the campus community of important issues or

(2) that a minimum of one-half page in each copy of EL GAUCHO be devoted to minority group affairs on this campus. This section should be written by two new EL GAUCHO staff members, on Black and one Chicano."

"We want our position to be very clear," Garcia stated. "Our activities are serious, not a joke. They should not be taken lightly. There are problems that we are trying to deal with in a responsible manner.

"EL GAUCHO is a student newspaper, not just the staff up here, and we are students. We feel that we, as students, have the right to express ourselves."

Garcia emphasized that UMAS had to go to EL GAUCHO for coverage, instead of EL GAUCHO pursuing the news. "we had to state our position very strongly. It took a grievance committee to explain to the editor the importance of this."