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.