xt741n7xpj7k https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt741n7xpj7k/data/mets.xml The Kentucky Kernel Kentucky -- Lexington The Kentucky Kernel 1975-07-01 Earlier Titles: Idea of University of Kentucky, The State College Cadet newspapers English Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. The Kentucky Kernel The Kentucky Kernel, July 01, 1975 text The Kentucky Kernel, July 01, 1975 1975 1975-07-01 2020 true xt741n7xpj7k section xt741n7xpj7k

Vol LXVII No 4

Kemp

Lexington. Ky. 40506

Tuesday, July 1, 1975

Grad student starts program
to aid Vietnamese refugees

KATHY DALY
Kernel Staff Writer

Tham Truong, a Vietnamese graduate student at
UK since 1971. is well aware of the problems of
incoming refugees.

Thirteen members of his extended family joined
him here in Lexington since the fall of Saigon
iegime in late April -- " - :3};

Some 200 Viet-
namese refugees,
who have migrated
to Lexington, face
the problems of
resettling in a dif-
ferent country. So,
Truong has set up the
Vietnamese Refugee
Information Center
(VIRC) to aid fellow
Vietnamese in their
period of transition.

Major problems confronting refugees are em-
ployment. medical care, housing, food and lan-
guage. They also may not be aware of agencies that
could help them. That’s where the VRIC comes in.

VRIC helps inform Vietnamese refugees and their
American sponsors about food stamps, Medicare
and other social services, Truong said.

In Lexington. the VRIC works with Tenant
Services. Manpower Consortium and various
churches.

'l‘llAM TRUONG

Many Americans are reluctant to sponsor
refugees because of the costs they expect to

By BYRON WEST
Assistant Managing Editor

Ticket sales from Saturday's ap-
pearance by comedian Bill Cosby at
Memorial Coliseum “didn‘t quite cover
our expenses." said William H. Miller,
producer of the show.

“Mr. Miller, poor fellow, he‘s not going
to make it this time.“ Cosby told a crowd
of about 3,000. “He's the only man who
ever promoted a benefit, and nobody
beneﬁtted from it.

“Except this building," he continued.
“The building got paid off, and it’s rich.
We may go in the hole. but we‘re coming
back, almost right away and do something
else, we‘ve got to get some more money.”

Proceeds of the concert were to go to the
Hospitalized Children‘s Fund of
Lexington. The purpose of the fund is to
provide toys. games and decorations for
children‘s wards of local hospitals.

“If you look at the pediatrics ward in the
UK Medical Center and compare it to

doing," Miller said. “The Med Center

The fund covers more than 25,000
other hospitals. you can see what we’re childreninfivelocalhospitals, Miller said.
“To run the thing right, we would like to
walls are covered with cartoons and have about $20,000 a year," Miller said.
decorations. makes kids feel like they’re “But we’ve never had more than two or
going to a party instead of being operated three thousand all the time we‘ve been
on.“ operating."

encounter. But the only actual expense is housing,
he said.

Extended families (generally 10-13 members)
present housing problems since few Americans are
capable of accommodating so many people.

Most refugees speak formal English but are
unfamiliar with American slang, Truong said. This
makes applying for jobs, relating to personnel and
welfare offices, hospitals and schools more difficult.

The Fayette County Adult Education program,
for instance. is conducting special English classes
for the. refivzgees. Special " "tori ng 3 ill also“ ue given
to Vietnamese children before they enroll in public
schools.

The Office of International Programs provides
office space, telephones and contact with social
service agencies in the area.

In a similar aid program. Gov. Julian Carroll
recently assigned the Bureau of Social Services of
the state Department of Human Resources to assist
refugees.

Truong developed the idea of an information
center with Daisy Yang, a counselor with the
international student office. who has since left the
University.

VRIC receives no funding and is operated by
Truong and his sisters-in-law as a volunteer
service.

The federal government appropriated $500 mil-
lion for refugee assistance. but Truong said most of
it goes to resettlement camps.

Truong feels more money should be spent on local
information centers, such as VRIC, to aid refugees
once they leave the camps. But, he said, “the
refugees understand they can’t ask for much.”

Miller said.

Most of the work in the hospitals is done
by the board of the Hospitalized Children’s
Fund and nobody on the board gets paid,

The money is used for recreational
supplies. parties, and so on and none goes
for medical expenses. Miller said.

DHKK £311;wa

Not very weak

John Kellogg. a player on the Woodland Weaklings
volleyball team, participates in a practice game in
preparation for a volleyball tournament. which begins
today. The tournament is being sponsored by the Metro
Parks and Recreation Department.

“Even the doctors say if a kid is in a relaxed environ-
ment with plenty to occupy his mind, he seems to heal

faster." he said.
' The fund also pays for parties for
children who have to be in the hospital
on their birthdays, Miller said.

“We used to try to give each child a
present when he came in." he said.
“but we don’t have enough money to do
that anymore."

There is no final count on the number
of tickets sold, but “we’ll be lucky to
have 3,000," he said.

“I can ‘t understand why so many
people stayed home for this, when we
brought in one of the iggest comedians
in the country," he said.

“He (Cosby) was amazed when he
called me Saturday afternoon and I told
him what the advanced sales were. He
said he didn‘t mind if people didn‘t
come to see him. but he thought they
ought to come to help the kids."

Miller said Cosby is coming back, but
final arrangements haven‘t been made

“The man, God bless him. has sort of
adopted us.” he said. “He blew my
mind when he said on stage that he was
coming back to raise more money. We
hadn't discussed it before that time."

When Cosby came out on the Colise-
um stage, the microphone wouldn't

(‘ontinued on page 8

—m CraMill

Editorials

«ML (Dam

Anti-ERA
mongers

at it again

Editor-in-Chief
Nancy Daly

Managing E ditor
Susan Jones

Associate Editor
Jack K oeneman

ArtsEditor
Dona Rams

KI'N'I L‘CH"

It looks like Kentuckians will face the
kind of legislative nonsense in 1976 that
makes one grateful the General Assembly
only meets 60 days every two years.

Some opportunistic state legislators have
indicated they will challenge Kentucky’s
ratification of the Equal Rights Amend-
ment when the legislature meets next
Januay. The ERA is an attempt to rewrite
a mistake made by the Founding Fathers
when they drafted the US. Constitution
and left out any mention of women. And
now some second-rate politicians are
trying to undermine that effort by
rescinding Kentucky’s ratification.

The rescission movement's timing
couldn‘t be worse. The race to beat the
1979 ratification deadlineis losing steam.
deadlocked four states short of the 38
required to tack the ERA on to the con-
stitution. The situation has changed
considerably since the first state (Hawaii)

ratified the ERA only 32 minutes after it
received Senate passage on March 22,
1972.

Kentucky gave the ERA an early nod
during a special session of the legislature
in the summer of 1972. In 1974 a weak
rescission drive failed when a bill
proposed by State Sen. Don Johnson died
in committee.

But 1976 will be different. The ERA was a
volatile campaign issue this spring in
several state legislative prirmries in
Western Kentucky. Fallacious and
emotionally-charged rhetoric got at least
one ERA opponent elected —— State Sen.-
elect Richard Weisenberger of Mayfield.
Weisenberger and others will no doubt
mount a well-organized rescission of-
fensive next January.

A hearing on the ERA is scheduled next
Monday in Frankfort before the state in-
terim committee on election and con-

stitutional amendments. The committee’s
chairman, anti-ERA Rep. Lloyd Clapp, has
reserved the House chamber for the ex-
pected large turnout against the amend-
ment. Although no vote will be taken, the
hearing’s outcome should forecast what to
expect when the legislature meets in
January.

Even though rescission of a state‘s
ratifirntion is probably invalid, keeping
Kentucky on the pro side of the ERA tally
sheet is crucial. Another rescission (states
have already) would further erode the
momentum necessary to push ratification
over the top.

The July 7 hearing will present an in—
teresting dichotomy of attitudes on the
ERA if not an ideological battleground.
Rut hopefully logical debate and not a
circus will prevail to convince Kentucky
legislators of the need for a legal
guarantee to sexual equality.

Sports Editor

Production Staff

The Kmtucky Kernel, 114 Jomnalism
Building, UniverSity of Kentucky, Lexingr

reader buy and any false or misleading
advertising should be reported and will be

Barry Forbis L'nda Carroll ton, Kentucky, 40506, is mailed five times
Mary PatSChumer weekly during the year except during
PhotoEditor GailCohee holidays and exam periods, and twice

Chuck Corn bes

Assistant Managing
Editors
Walter Hixson
Byron West

Judy Demery

Advertising Production
Steve Ellyson

Advertising Manager
John Ellis

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