European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 12, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Saturday. October 12, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 7 More balanced View of Columbus Impact urged by educators Washington apr America s teachers were asked thursday to offer their students a Broad account of Christopher Columbus deeds that does not conceal one consequence a a the most extensive depopulation of a group of Peoples in the history of the National Council for the social studies said it would distribute to 3 million educators a position statement laying out guidelines for teaching about Columbus. The statement resulted from a year s deliberations and has been endorsed by 29 education groups. The Council said it wanted to keep a important facets of history from being obscured Quot in the Public hyperbole Over the 500th anniversary of Columbus exploration. A a we re just trying to be honest with the kids a said Charlotte c. Anderson president elect of the Council. President Bush took a More traditional View of Columbus at a White House ceremony where he signed a proclamation designating monday As Columbus Day. A what Columbus discovered has helped Chart the course of exploration and Opportunity a sailing Freedom s ship to every Corner of the Earth a Bush said. The educators guidelines ask that Columbus be portrayed As the explorer who a brought two old worlds into permanent contacts rather than As the discoverer of America. Students also should be told How indigenous Peoples a suffered catastrophic mortality rates from exposure to smallpox measles whooping cough Chicken pox and influenza against which they had no immunities. Those diseases plus four centuries of warfare a was Well As the now Well documented instances of genocidal and displacement policies of the colonial and Post colonial governments further contributed to the most extensive depopulation of a group of Peoples in the history of Humankind a the guidelines say. At a news conference Don Allery administrative manager of the National Congress of american indians welcomed the statement As a a great beginning for the next 500 a the unfortunate part is it took 500 years to develop these concepts Quot Allery said. A live often decried the Lack of accurate concepts in teaching about Columbus. If we can overcome that this nation will be much better off. Certainly the Indian nations will Samuel Gammon executive director of the american historical association agreed. He said schools used to teach Quot a lot of things we Blush about not Only did Columbus not a initiate american history Quot the guidelines say. A neither did the Vikings nor did the seafaring africans chinese Pacific Island president Bush holds a Model of the Santa Maria presented to him by Spanish adm. Cristobal Colon Lefta direct descendent of Columbus. Also present thursday at the ceremony in Washington sold executive office building was Columbus qui Centenary commission chairman Frank Donatelli right. Ers or other people who May have preceded the the land they found was inhabited by a Peoples with Rich and Complex histories dating Back at least 15,000 years or possibly earlier Quot the guidelines say. Africans role should also be Given attention the guidelines say asserting that until the 1800s, More african slaves than europeans arrived in the americas. Anderson asked if she anticipated resistance to the position paper said she hoped that a was people read it it makes Good sense to but she said she expected a that some people will take exception to the groups endorsing the position paper including Allery a and Gammon a included the american association of school administrators american Indian heritage foundation National association of elementary school principals National association of secondary school principals National Catholic educational association National science teachers association National education association american anthropological association. Association of american geographers National science teachers association and organization of american history 50% of women received full child support by the Washington Post Washington a Only half of the 5 million . Women with Legal orders for child support in 1989 actually received the full amount from the absent father the census Bureau reported thursday. The Survey showed that despite years of Federal and state efforts to strengthen child support enforcement against absent fathers with Strong support from Many women s groups the proportion receiving Only partial payments or no payments at All had declined Only slightly since 1978. Health and human services Secretary Louis w. Sullivan called the report a a striking alarm for our children and our Socie y. Not living with one s children is no excuse for ignoring the financial and emotional support that a child needs to Sullivan said that from 1979 to 1989 the number of children without a father present had increased from 7 million to about 10 million. The census Bureau report said $11.2 billion was paid out in child support in 1989. About $5 billion less than specified in court orders and Legal agreements. The 2.5 million women who did not get full support a were about equally divided Between those receiving partial payments and those receiving nothing Quot the Bureau said. The mothers receiving child support averaged $2,995 in 1989, slightly lower than in 1978 after adjusting for inflation. The Bureau said that in addition to the mothers who had court orders More than 4 million other women had no child support orders or Legal agreements although two thirds wanted them. Reasons included inability to locate the absent father or pursue All the Legal Steps needed. A we see a Lack of enforcement of the Laws a very Good Laws Are in the books but the local child support enforcement agencies Are backlogged and maybe one in ten who go in the door actually get services a said Geraldine Jensen president of the association for children for enforcement of support a nationwide organization with Headquarters in Toledo Ohio and a member of the . Commission on interstate child support. Bush Given Low Marks by Nea s top leadership Washington a the National education association a 2 million member teachers Union that has never endorsed a Republican for president continued its tradition thursday by issuing a biting reproach to president Bush. A George Bush May be called Many names. But he cannot truthfully be called the education president a said Nea president Keith Geiger. A the does not warrant the Nea Seal of leaders of the Nea s political action committee voted unanimously thursday against endorsing Bush for re nomination he said. Geiger said Bush has drawn significant attention to education issues since becoming president but has fallen Short of the standards he set during the 1988 Campaign. The Union the nation s Larest criticized Bush for trying to Cut and redistribute Federal Money for education nutrition health care and other social programs affecting children. Geiger said the Nea could not endorse a president who spent $26,000 of taxpayer Money to televise a speech he recently gave at a High school in Washington a while cutting school lunch funds for the neediest nor he added could the group endorse a president who says he supports Public schools but has proposed voucher and school Choice plans that would shift Public Money into private schools. The Nea sent about 00 delegates to the 1988 gop convention and some 5111 delegates and alternates to the much larger democratic convention that year. . Increases number of refugees to be let in Washington a president Bush has authorized the admission of up to 142,000 refugees to the United states in the year ahead including 61.000 from the soviet Union the White House said thursday. In both instances that is 11,000 More than the ceiling set on refugee admissions for humanitarian reasons during fiscal 1991. The increase for soviet refugees makes up for a shortfall in the number who actually arrived in this country in the past year said Pam Lewis a spokeswoman for the state department s Bureau of refugee programs. While there were 50,000 slots reserved Tor soviet refugees for 1991, Only about 39,000 made it in she said. Bush s order reserves 52,000 spaces for refugees from East Asia the same As last year. I Here Are 3,000 slots Lor refugees irom Eastern Europe Down from 5.0 h. Albanians Are currently the Only nationality in Eastern Europe eligible to apply for refugee admission to the United states. There Are no slots for yugoslavian fleeing the strife in their country although the state department has provided $1 million in humanitarian Aid to the red Cross Lewis said. The 142,000 slots include 11,000 spaces not allocated to refugees from any particular Region. Here Are the fiscal 1992 refugee allocations by Region a Africa 6,000, up 1,100. A East Asia 52,000, no change. A soviet Union 61,000, up 11,000. A Eastern Europe 3,000, Down 2,000. A near East South Asia 6,000, no change. A latin America Caribbean 3.000. Down 100. A unallocated funded 1.000. Up 1,000. A unallocated funded by private sector 10.0 no change
