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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1963)
A Last Editorial The last few Emerald Editors, upon leav ing office, have written their final editorials on a somewhat personal note. I cannot help but reflect in somewhat the same personal vein as they. About a year ago, the then Dean of the University School of Journalism, Charles T. Duncan, said in a speech that he felt the Emerald has over the years reflected the spirit of the University of Oregon more than any other institution. At the time I thought it a rather funny thing to say. After the past year I am still not sure he was right, but I have come to realize what he was driving at. For the Oregon Daily Emerald really is a unique thing. And the position of Emerald Editor is also unique Being Emerald Editor for this past year has meant many things. I learned early. I believe it was around the time I wrote some editorials on the athletic system here, that unlike any other job on campus, when you make a mistake it is automatically a public one. It was a lesson that was to be drummed home again and again.. Often I turned an envious eye to those students whose every action did not have ramifications in print, whose every little mistake was not called to their attention. It has been a rather searing way to learn. I was also to find out what it is like to be unable to avoid dislike, sometimes in tense dislike. An Emerald Editor cannot help but become somewhat paranoid, un less. that is. he is willing to give up his self-respect. I leave the Emerald with the strong belief that I have made twice as many enemies as any other single student on campus. An Emerald Editor soon rea lizes that either he makes these enemies, or he stops criticizing where he feels criticism is due. For being Emerald Editor is pri marily a lesson in what people are like. It is a lesson that few' people have an opportun ity to learn so young in life. In order to speak out for what you believe, you must step on some toes. And whenever you step on toes, you will make enemies—that is how people are. They do not like criticism or disagreement. But being Emerald Editor means much more than this. The Emerald position has its good side as well. Perhaps its really singular aspect, and I think the thing Dean Duncan was driving at in that speech last spring, is the perspective of the University that the Emerald Editor has the opportun ity to acquire which no other student really can. Being Emerald Editor is being a specta tor of meetings, Eugene City Council meet ings, State Board of Higher Education meetings, Ways and Means Education Sub committee of the State Legislature meet ings. ASUO Cabinet meetings, ASUO Sen ate meetings, Student Union Board meet ings, Budget Board meetings, Publications Board meetings, and even an occassional IFC President’s Council meeting. Being Emerald Editor is a chance to talk to President Flemming almost regularly in his office, a chance to have a personal chat with the Governor or the Attorney General, a chance to have the Dean of Faculty tell you why students shouldn’t protest the firing of a certain good teacher, a chance to see the number two and three University administrators almost come to blows, a chance to talk to Gus Hall, Linus Pauling, Aldous Huxley. Being Emerald Editor is getting to know administrators, faculty, legislators, and just plain students—lots of them. The Emerald Editor, like no other stu dent, has an opportunity to see the Univer sity in circumference, to know it from top to bottom, its good side and its bad. And probably unlike some other years, the Emerald Editorship this year has meant working with capable and intelligent friends: Ted Mahar, Phil Cogswell. Dulcy Moran. Everette Dennis, Janet Goetze. Dave Sands. Linda Brown. John Buchner,, and my wife among others. But most importantly, the Emerald Edit orship lets one stand up and be counted. It offers the chance to try to make changes and improvements where you believe they are needed. It is an opportunity to do some thing worthwhile. I hope that some of the things the Emer ald has stood for this year will not be lost to the transiency of students. I hope there will be students who will stand up and be counted for a more equitable code of stu dent conduct, for a Greek system that is more in line with educational objectives of this University, for a student govern ment that is more closely aligned with the classroom, for the rights of students to rep resent themselves wherever possible in the University structure, for the principle that higher education should be allocated on ability, not ability to pay. I leave this unique position, this Emerald Editorship, with neither sadness nor joy, but only with the feeling that there is a great deal left undone. (Ron Bucl) Footnote In leaving office, we of the Emerald would like to offer our special thanks to: John Hulteng, Dean of the School of Journalism and the Journalism faculty and staff for their willingness to help whenever asked. Herb Penny. Director of Information and Jim Shea, Director of Public Relations for their encouragement and willingness to give straightforward information when ever asked. Arthur S. Flemming, University Presi dent; Carl Webb, Publications Board chair can; and A. L. “Si” Ellingson for their support throughout the year. Ken Metzler and Burt Benson for their excellent assistance as directors of Student Publications. Bob Frazier, editorial page writer of the Eugene Register-Guard, and Gregory Wan nier, professor of physics for their help and encouragement. Letters to the Editor , “Tampering” Emerald Editor: I wish to comment both upon your story and editorial con cerning the recent “tampering” action taken by the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Higher Education. Both your editorialized story and editorial imply an argument for an automatic, rubber-stamp government in which the sub committee has had the gaul to refuse to perform its stamping function. A major injunction brought against state governments since World WTar II is their failure to operate responsibly. The subcommittee’s action is a good argument against such an injunction. The subcommittee is performing its function in being concerned with the broader gen eral interests of the state as well as that of the University of Oregon and the other state institutions of higher education, interests which obviously are not always the same. Sugges tions such as that of Rep John Mosser, that “B” budget items for improving education might take priority over some build ing requirements, might never be heard muchless have a possi bility of becoming a reality un der the system you support. Yes, the subcommittee almost “ . . . opened Pandora’s box.” The latter would not be so bad as you would have us believe in that the legislature would be put in a position of being sensi tive to more interests than only those of the several institutions of higher education. Further more, through naivete at best, you simply end up arguing that lobbying should not be removed from the State Board of Higher Education to the Legislature. The priorities-list system is good as such because the State STOWAWAY Letters to the Editor Correction Emerald Editor: I am grateful for the broad coverage given my interview in the Emerald, but I should like to clarify one point that may be misunderstood. 1 do not rec ognize the direct quote. ” I real ly have no idea whether I'm a Catholic poet or not," as being my own It sounds as if I were discounting or evading the com mitment of orthodoxy While I certainly feel that in the deeps of creative art no merely conventional attitude or rational formula ought to sub stitute for, “inspiration", I should hope that anything I wrote would emerge as pro foundly Catholic. The tension between freedom and orthodoxy Hoard should know best what it needs—as any interest group, state or otherwise, should But to assume that the list should go unquestioned and perhaps unchanged is a denial of the concept of representative gov ernment. Lastly, I am not against the University's getting library funds, “ . . . seventh rated on the list”; I am only against the mechanism which you advocate to obtain those funds Peter M. Weil Grad. Asst. Anthropology is central to the situation of the Catholic artist and cannot be evaded. Both element* must he engaged at full stretch. Brother Antoninus OREGON DAII.Y EMERALD Th*.* Oregon Dally Emerald ;* jiuldbtbed •even time* in September and bee day* a week during the acbool year, rtcrfi dur ing examination and vacation pe* ' by the Student Publication* Board <>t the Univcr*ity of Oregon Entered a* **• «d claa* mater at the po«t <Mice. Eugene, Oregon. Subscription rate* $S per )'*f; $2 f»er term. Opinion*. e*pre^*ed on the edit rot page are thote ol The Emerald and do nos [vn* tend .o trpre*eni the opmotn of the ASUO or the University. HON BUEL, Editor MARTY KETBLS, Manager TED MAHAR, Managing Editor EVERETTE DENNIS. New* Edh* PHIL COGSWELL, Kdii'trial Page Editor LARKY WILLIAMS, Advertising Manager JOHN BUCHNER. Spurt* Editor DULCY MORAN. Aatlvtavit Managing Editor RON COW AN, JIM FRAKE, JANET GOETZE. Aotilmi New* Editor* GEORGE HIGH AM, Photo Editor LINDA BROWN, Entertainment Editor CATHY NEVILLE, A**<»ctate New* Editor DICK RICHARDSON. Feature Editor EDITORIAL BOARD: Ron Burl, Phil Cog*well. Ted Mahar Evcrette Dentil*. Dulcy Moran, Lindi Brown Bob Fonyih, Hal ino*. Grant hd|f«fw«*oH, D« ug Ragen Janet Goetre. and Bill lutrhnwrm * HM*PtNESS IS f\ COPsUTlON."
