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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 30, 1963)
Bad Poll Worse Than No Poll Legislature Sboulil Disregard Oregonian Poll The mechanics of the democratic system makes a legislator responsive to his con stituency. No doubt the motives of the Ore gon electorate, which defeated the legisla tive tax program, will be foremost in the lawmakers minds when they convene in Salem for a special session next week. When it comes to the allocation of values and de velopment of priorities in the budget cut ting process the legislators will be seeking data which will give them an index of the people’s will. Unfortunately they will be likely to turn to the Portland Oregonian’s recent mail-in tax opinion poll. In this era of new developments in mass communications research it is extremely surprising that an important regional news paper of the Oregonian’s stature would uti lize such primitive research methods. In Tuesday’s Emerald a featured interview with a University professor, who is a quali fied expert in the newspaper opinion poll field, emphasized that the tax poll ballot can’t be considered an accurate sampling of public opinion. Prof. Galen Rarick of the School of Journalism maintains that the poll is biased because of the self selection of the respondents. In addition the poll questions were ambiguous, poorly worded and susceptible to many variables which could distort the accuracy of the final data. Communications research expert Mar garet Parten, writing in a public opinion journal, described the method of sampling used by The Oregonian as a throwback to an early period in empirical research. She said, “often polls of this early period were conducted by persons quite innocent of the principle of scientific control. The ballot was simply printed in the newspaper, with instructions for the reader to fill it out and mail it in. People who did not have a news paper or send in their ballot could not vote; hence an accidentally biased poll would be probable. Furthermore, people could buy many copies of the paper, fill in the ballots that favored their view and thus intention ally distort the picture of public opinion.’’ Results of the Oregonian poll indicated that Oregonians want higher education budgets at the top of a list of immediate reductions in the state’s total biennial bud get. In the past Oregon voters have been favorable to higher education requests on numerous bonding elections. If that atti tude has changed, the legislators should know about it, but their information should come from a valid sampling of public opin ion. We propose that an outside research firm be hired to sample the Oregon elector ate. The Oregonian poll should not be treat ed as a valid assessment of public opinion. We are hopeful that the legislators will dis regard it when they make a priority list for budgetary reevaluation. A Time for Action Now that the parliamentary hassle over the proposed amendments to the ASUO constitution has been clarified the ASUO Senate should settle down and concentrate on issues and programs of importance to students. To begin with a Senate parliamen tarian, preferably an objective outsider should be provided for. It would be ex tremely unfortunate if the Senate wasted another week of fall term arguing over a matter of parliamentary procedure. Since the proposed amendments were not ap proved by the required majority in the Senate and will not appear on the ballot, this provides the Senate with plenty of time to submit a complete new constitution to replace the present chaotic, outdated struc ture. When this job is done the Senate ought to look beyond the horizons of its own pro cedures and show some concern for the problems that students may be facing in the near future. We’ve seen little expres sion of concern by student leaders in re gard to the tuition increases which may come winter term. A spokesman for the chancellor’s office made it clear that the Department of Higher Education welcomes student support. There should have been student senators present at the State Board of Higher Education meeting in Portland Monday and Tuesday, but the only students there were Emerald reporters. A special session of the Legislature convenes in Sal em next week, yet there has been no stu dent organization set up to lobby there. The students only role would be to provide an effective informational service to legis lators, but this certainly cannot be done in the last few days prior to the session. Some one informed us the other day that the ASUO Senate, like higher education, Gov ernor Rockefeller, America and a few other things is “at the crossroads.” We hope it gets across the road and into the pasture of reality where there are issues of great con cern to the students it represents. NS A Delegate Jerry Rust -iiiii^iiiuiiiuuiujiiiiiiuiiiuuuiiinujiiJiiuiujiiiiiiiM NSA Offers Positive Programs, Issues for University Students Editor’s Note: This is the second of two col umns on the National Student Association by NSA Co-ordinator Jerry Rust. The University stu dent body affiliated with the national organization last spring. By JERRY RUST NSA Co-ordinator Is the National Student Association a valid program? What are its functions? I believe there are three distinct areas in which NSA takes effect: on campus, nationally and interna tionally. When representatives from 400 schools meet for a month during the summer they do more than issue policy declarations about the “Cun ningham Amendment” and “Portuguese Domin ion in Africa.” Out of this meeting came a stim ulus, a stimulus for new ideas and new programs. Many of these ideas and programs have already been incorporated into student government at the University. Programs on civil rights, migrant labor, Indian reservations and an open forum are cases in point. Information Files Available The stimulation does not end at the Congress however. Student government information ser vice files at the national office are available for use to any school in the United States. These files are used to learn about a program another school has in which we may be interested. In the nation, NSA is responsive in such areas as civil rights, migrant labor and the welfare of American deaf students to name recent nation al projects. Many of these programs are financed by benevolent foundations such as the Ford Foun dation. NSA believes there is not limit to which students can involve themselves in these and simi lar areas. On an international level NSA is the counter part of the Communist International Union of Students (IUS). NSA is the free-world student unions leader. NSA officers travelled abroad to (Continued on page 3) Herblock nil •'‘f*’' -iS? CvM-i f^-er x a. <_<j ck T*m ** jNorr “We Didn’t Agree To Stop Testing You” Letters To the Editor On Budget Control Emerald Editor: Students at the University pour over $700,000 yearly into the Dept, of Student Union and Educational Activities The only portion of this money that the student body has control over is the ASUO budget for $6,600. The greatest portion of the money is used for SU adminis tration and services, which the students are more than happy to let Mr Ellingson handle But there are some programs which are the immediate concern of the students, such as the SU Board, IEC, Peace Corps, and the Programs budget. These items are budgeted at around $65,000, and this money is spent without any direct student con trol. Take, for instance, the SU Board (composed of appointed students) which is allotted $34, 000 of student fees. One sub heading under the SU Board is entitled “Personnel.” Personnel includes such items as an awards banquet worth $550, an orientation dinner at $125, joint lunch meetings at $250, retreats (not Academic) at $440 I will not say that the members of the board do not merit these fringe benefits, but 1 think that we students should have the right to question them, and the power, through our Senate, to bring them under review. The Senate, if given this responsibility, would ex ercise a more powerful voice in the kind of student programs we have. TOM BATES Sophomore in Philosophy * * * Athletic Subsidation Emerald Editor: Mr. Lindstrom, Director of Fiscal Affairs, has made the important point that “the Orc gana is subsidized from students’ fees to the extent of the man agement services of the admin istrative staff of the Student Union.” From this point of view it would appear that probably every activity of the University is supported to some extent by subsidies of one kind or an other. I wonder if Mr. Lind strom could tell us the approx imate amount of the subsidy to the Atheltic Department from regular University funds? To put it more simply, if the Ath letic Department were actually self-supporting and paid the Business Office for “management services”, maintenance, facili ties, utilities, etc., what would this amount come to, roughly, per year? ALEC KEITH Graduate in Biology Coupons Misleading Emerald Editor: Though I think the Campus Coupon Book has good advan tages, I do think that its adver tised value of $45 is somewhat misleading How. then, can one obtain the advertised $45 Value? Simple, by making a $20130 purchase at Hart Larsen's store. Let me clarify this point Us ing the 10% discount coupon offered by Hart Larsen’s, one purchasing $201 30 worth of sportswear saves himself $20 13. This saving added to the cash coupon value of $24 87 makes the book worth $45 It is this which I think is misleading. That is, the use of a $20 13 discount from a $201 30 purchase as a basis for calcu lating the book’s value at $45. How many students will, or can, purchase $20130 worth of sportswear to get the advertised value of $45 from their book? Thus, I propose that the cre ators of the book qualify its value by advertising its worth as up to $45, or a $45 value with a $201.30 purchase at Hart Larsen’s. MIKE APR A Senior in Economics 405 Collier llall * • • On Student Courts Emerald Editor: In Friday’s Emerald there was a statement taken from an interview with a resident of Stafford Hall. The person has stated that the reporter got the wrong story about the judge be ing involved in the deliberation of the sentence. The statement said our student tribunal was a “farce” and "that six men in his hall,” of which he was (Continued on pane 3) OREGON DAILY EMERALD The Oregon Daily Emerald ia published twice in September and five iliyi a week during the academic year, except during ex* animation and tuMiiaa period* by the Stu dent Publication* Board of the University of Oregon. Entered an aerond cla*a matter at the post office, Eugene, Oregon. Subscrip tion rates |5 per year; %2 per term. Opinions expressed on the editorial paga are those of (be Emerald and do not pre tend to represent the opinion of the ASUO or the Univcntity. EVERETTE DENNIS, Editor LARKY WII.I.lAMS, Business Manager JANET GOE'IZE, Managing Editor JIM SPEER, Advertising Manager RON COWAN, Newt Editor DOUG RAGEN. Editorial Page Editor CATHY NEVILLE, Academic Affairs Editor DICK RICHARDSON, Associate Editor JIM FKAKE, Assistant Managing Editor RAY MAST, Sports Editor JOE HKKGEK, AsMistant Newa Editor GEORGE HIGH AM. Photo Editor CHUCK BEGGS, PHYLLIS ELVING, STEVE GREEN, Associate News Editors Editorial Uourd : Everette Dennis, Ron Cow an, Janet Goetxe, Doug Kagen, Dick Richard son, Dave Sands, Jerry Utti, Ray Mast, Pam Pashkowski, Cathy Neville, Pat Holt, Sirneou Crowther, Doug Combs, Joe Unger, Jim Erake.
