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El Laberinto, 1971-1987

top priority in planning our events for the Spring. The CIASU wanted to give notice of the fact that minorities make up 8% of the total numbers of lawyers in the U.S., but represent a 20% minority population. Former Hispanic Alumni who graduated with a Juris Doctor Degree from the UI will be asked to address this issue and the type of law they are dealing with (e.g. immigration, legal aid, city district attorney). The keynote speaker will be Ray Romero who is the director of the Mexican American Legal Defense Education Fund (MALDEF) in Chicago. He will describe the functions of the organization. Student input into the program is needed. This will be a two-day event.
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MIGRANT CLINIC NEEDS YOUR HELP
"One Hispanic migrant family had to live in a converted hog pen. When one of my nurses spoke out against the living conditions to the public, the landowners had her arrested for trespassing. This is just one of the obstacles the clinic runs into when treating the patients," said Sister Irene Munoz, director of the Muscatine, Iowa Migrant Clinic. Sister Irene spoke on campus at the American Medical Association's workshop October 15, at the Bowen Science Building on the UI campus to explain some of the problems at the clinic and to recruit university medical students interested in their summer program. The program is worth semester credits and wages, promised Sister Irene. But more than credit and money is that the "students will have the opportunity to become sensitive to another culture and see patients in a different light," said Sister Irene, who is also a registered nurse.

The clinic is in desperate need of medical students who are in at least their sophomore year of medical school. Those students interested should contact Dr. Robert Wallace at 353-6502 for more information. The medical students would not have to treat all 5000 migrants in the Muscatine area alone. There is a staff at the clinic and the students would consult with the doctors at the Muscatine Health Center.
The "Extended Outreach" program is the clinic's main service where the staff foes out to the camps to give personal treatment. Many of the children in the camps suffer from pesticide poisoning and severe cases of diarrhea; their drinking water is believed to be unsanitary and the bathrooms are filthy.
At the lecture, Sister Irene expressed her frustration with the Heinz Company's (the corporation that runs the tomato fields) attitude towards the migrant workers. "I once asked for a donation for the clinic (a service that keeps their workers healthy so they can rake in the bucks) and all they gave me was soup" (People pity the poor in far-distant countries like India and give their donations, but what about the poor in this country?). With the low pay the workers receive and no health benefits, they cannot even be admitted to a hospital when in need. Pregnant women have given birth right in the camp shacks, which are known as "Heinz's Huts." "We live in such a rich society but when we see those living conditions, it rips us apart. Americans used to own their slaves, now then rent them," said Sister Irene.
The director's hope for the future is that every migrant worker will be eligible for medicare and other social benefits, like many other Americans are. But for now, Sister Irene's clinic is their only comforter.
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CONGRESSIONAL ACTION MAY THREATEN BILINGUAL EDUCATION

Bilingual education is an issue of great importance to all Hispanics. In fact, we feel it is an issue that should be important to all U.S. Americans. Therefore, in this edition of El Laberinto, and in those to come, we hope to share information with you and keep you up to date with what's happening at both the local level and on the national scene. In conjunction with the article reprinted below from the New York Times, Editor Joe Castel talked with Dr. Alfredo Benavides, director of the UI Bilingual Education program, trying to get a sense of the political climate surrounding bilingual education.

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top priority in planning our events for the Spring. The CIASU wanted to give notice of the fact that minorities make up 8% of the total numbers of lawyers in the U.S., but represent a 20% minority population. Former Hispanic Alumni who graduated with a Juris Doctor Degree from the UI will be asked to address this issue and the type of law they are dealing with (e.g. immigration, legal aid, city district attorney). The keynote speaker will be Ray Romero who is the director of the Mexican American Legal Defense Education Fund (MALDEF) in Chicago. He will describe the functions of the organization. Student input into the program is needed. This will be a two-day event. ________________________ MIGRANT CLINIC NEEDS YOUR HELP "One Hispanic migrant family had to live in a converted hog pen. When one of my nurses spoke out against the living conditions to the public, the landowners had her arrested for trespassing. This is just one of the obstacles the clinic runs into when treating the patients," said Sister Irene Munoz, director of the Muscatine, Iowa Migrant Clinic. Sister Irene spoke on campus at the American Medical Association's workshop October 15, at the Bowen Science Building on the UI campus to explain some of the problems at the clinic and to recruit university medical students interested in their summer program. The program is worth semester credits and wages, promised Sister Irene. But more than credit and money is that the "students will have the opportunity to become sensitive to another culture and see patients in a different light," said Sister Irene, who is also a registered nurse. The clinic is in desperate need of medical students who are in at least their sophomore year of medical school. Those students interested should contact Dr. Robert Wallace at 353-6502 for more information. The medical students would not have to treat all 5000 migrants in the Muscatine area alone. There is a staff at the clinic and the students would consult with the doctors at the Muscatine Health Center. The "Extended Outreach" program is the clinic's main service where the staff foes out to the camps to give personal treatment. Many of the children in the camps suffer from pesticide poisoning and severe cases of diarrhea; their drinking water is believed to be unsanitary and the bathrooms are filthy. At the lecture, Sister Irene expressed her frustration with the Heinz Company's (the corporation that runs the tomato fields) attitude towards the migrant workers. "I once asked for a donation for the clinic (a service that keeps their workers healthy so they can rake in the bucks) and all they gave me was soup" (People pity the poor in far-distant countries like India and give their donations, but what about the poor in this country?). With the low pay the workers receive and no health benefits, they cannot even be admitted to a hospital when in need. Pregnant women have given birth right in the camp shacks, which are known as "Heinz's Huts." "We live in such a rich society but when we see those living conditions, it rips us apart. Americans used to own their slaves, now then rent them," said Sister Irene. The director's hope for the future is that every migrant worker will be eligible for medicare and other social benefits, like many other Americans are. But for now, Sister Irene's clinic is their only comforter. ________________________ CONGRESSIONAL ACTION MAY THREATEN BILINGUAL EDUCATION Bilingual education is an issue of great importance to all Hispanics. In fact, we feel it is an issue that should be important to all U.S. Americans. Therefore, in this edition of El Laberinto, and in those to come, we hope to share information with you and keep you up to date with what's happening at both the local level and on the national scene. In conjunction with the article reprinted below from the New York Times, Editor Joe Castel talked with Dr. Alfredo Benavides, director of the UI Bilingual Education program, trying to get a sense of the political climate surrounding bilingual education. [image to left]