Remove sponsorship for Tobacco CEO Susan Ivey

Dear President, Rev. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C, this is a humble petition to ask you to quickly remove and renounce the University of Portland a Catholic school as a co-sponsor for Susan Ivey the CEO of RJ Reynolds Tobacco, to speak at the July 24th Power Breakfast at the Governor Hotel in Portland. (See: http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/calendar/)


Legal tobacco is predicted to painfully abort one billion adult addicts this century. Millions of these deaths will come from developing countries with the possibility of no medical treatment.





Remind you that Iveys RJ Reynolds Tobacco contributed $4.8 million to defeat Measure 50 in Oregon last year, while more than 80 groups, representing millions of Oregonians, supported Measure 50 including teachers, nurses, pediatricians and child and health advocates. (See http://www.healthykids-oregon.org/ and http://blog.oregonlive.com/politics/vote_2007/ )





In September 2007, Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) of North Carolina, President Baldemar Velбsquez asked to meet with Susan Ivey, the CEO of Reynolds American Inc., to discuss the conditions of field workers producing its products. Listed below:


racism


long hours of stoop labor in the fields


harassment in their work


abject poverty


staggering debt


exposure to lethal nicotine and pesticides


poor health


miserable housing in labor camps


denial of basic labor and human rights protections


Reynolds replied that it saw no reason to meet with FLOC. A group of clergy has appealed to Ms. Ivey to reconsider. (http://www.floc.com/RJR\%20Campaign.htm )





Your swift action will help deflate the tradition of prestige, power, and propaganda of the legal and lethal tobacco hirelings who will always passionately place wealth over health.