
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 17, 1991                   TAG: 9103170128
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: D-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: HAMPTON                                LENGTH: Short

BUSH SPEECH OPPOSED BY STUDENTS

Some seniors at Hampton University say plans for President Bush to speak at graduation are a "slap in the face," partly because of Bush's veto of civil-rights legislation.

Student concerns about Bush were aired Friday at a meeting called to discuss "logistics" of the May 12 graduation ceremony, said Martha Dawson, vice president for academic affairs.

"Basically, we feel it's a slap in the face to have him there," said Harry Morgan, a sociology major at the predominantly black university.

One reason students oppose Bush is because he vetoed the 1990 civil-rights bill, said Erica Baker, a senior marketing major.

The bill was designed to offset the effect of six recent Supreme Court decisions that made it harder for women and minorities to win employment-discrimination suits, according to civil-rights advocates. Bush said the bill would have led to hiring quotas that would have made it difficult for employers to defend legitimate hiring practices.

by CNB