Oregon
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EMERALD
Opinions expressed on the editorial page are those of the Emerald and
do not necessarily represent the opinions of the ASUO or the University.
However, the Enierald does present on this page columnists and letter
writers whose opinions reflect those of our diverse readership and not
those of the Emerald Itself.
RON EACHUS, Editor
Associate Editors
John Anderson
Cindy Boydstun
Rick Fitch
f!hrls HoiiPlum
till jonnson
Linda Meierjurgen
Steve Moore
Doug Onvon
Kon sayior
Sally Schippers
D. L. Sonnichsen
Jaqi Thompson
RICH JERNSTEDT
Business Manager
DOUG CRICHTON BARBARA STONE
Advertising Manager National Advertising Manager
University of Oregon, Eugene, Monday, November 25, 1968
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Emerald Editor:
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Correction
Emerald Editor:
Let me correct a few facts
about the grape strike that were
confused by two of Thursday’s
letters concerning the grape
strike.
First, all of the large Califor
nia wine producers and a large
percentage of small producers
have come to terms with
the UFWOC (United Farm
Workers Organizing Commit -
tee). Specifically, they have
agreed to bargain collectively
with the union and have nego
tiated contracts with it that
give the worker a wage of from
Public Education and the Public
“We support the schools with our taxes;
shouldn’t we have a say in how they’re
run?”
That cry is being heard more and more
these days. Whenever student activists be
come a little too active in the eyes of the
public, you hear threats of cutting univer
sity budgets and pleas for more public
control.
The truth is, the public does control to
a great degree state institutions of higher
learning. The State Board of Higher Edu
cation is composed of six Oregon citizens
appointed by the Governor and approved
by the legislature. Each represents a cer
tain region of the state, and all are access
able to the public. Their meetings, too,
are open to the public.
It is this board and the state legislature
which makes the final decisions regarding
the state schools, particularly in fiscal mat
ters. Whatever authority university officials
have to make decisions has been delegated
by the legislature.
State legislators set the limits, which
are often restrictive considering the oper
ating budgets which university presidents
must work with. They make general policy
decisions, and leave refinement and admin
istration of their policies to the individual
universities.
For practical reasons, most decisions af
fecting each university are made by the
institution’s president and staff. But all
these decisions are answerable to the legis
lature, and the legislature, supposedly, is
answerable to the people.
The public, then, holds at least as much
control over education as it does over other
areas in which its tax money is spent. In
fact, the growing trend is to let the experts
take over in many areas, such as law en
forcement and the military. But in edu
cation. it seems everyone is an expert.
And not only does the average taxpayer
have more power over public education,
but he’s more likely to exercise that power.
The annual expenditure of $30 billion on
the Vietnam war is something in which
Oregon taxpayers have almost no voice.
But they can have a definite say in whether
the University should receive its requested
$30 million to operate.
We believe the public would be better
off worrying more about the money our
federal government is spending on war,
and less about how much our state govern
ment is spending on education. It’s a little
tougher to stop a national war machine,
but it may also be necessary for our sur
vival.
And, in considering public education,
one must consider another public: the stu
dents.
Student tuitions amount to nearly $10
million a year. They too are entitled to a
strong voice in the decisions affecting the
University, particularly so since those de
cisions also affect their lives.
Moreover, whatever affects their lives
will produce ramifications in the rest of
society. This University alone granted
2,798 degrees last year, including over
1,000 advanced degrees. State institutions
are producing the backbone of today’s so
ciety: engineers, scientists, doctors, and
teachers. How well these graduates per
form depends on the quality of the insti
tution.
So if the legislature has any plans for
cutting higher education budgets, it would
do well to take this point into considera
tion.
S2.75 to S3.25 per hour year
round.
Second, the UFWOC moved
against the largest table grape
grower, the Guimarra Corp.,
which holds 12,000 acres of
land, in August of 1967. They
have refused to recognize the
union, so the union began its
boycott grape campaign. Since
that time the Guimarra Corpo
ration has flooded the market
with grapes, in violation of the
advertising provisions of the
Food and Drug Administration.
Third, both small family far
mers and field workers are at a
competitive disadvantage vis a
vis the huge agribusiness con
cerns in selling their labor and
their products. In California,
for example, 10 per cent of the
farms employ 80 per cent of
the farm workers. The unioni
zation of these gigantic farming
operations will help the small
farmer by making his voice and
his own labor worth more. In
fact, the National Farmers Or
ganization has raised its voice
in support of UFWOC’s de -
mands for union recognition
and the inclusion of farm work
ers under the National Labor
Relations Act. If the small far
mer is worried about his in
vestment, his best course of ac
tion would thus be to recognize
the farm workers union and
thus protect his product from be
ing boycotted.
Roberta Hanna
Political Science
❖ * *
Grateful
Emerald Editor:
I am grateful to find that I
am good at something. I believe
that some students who are at
tending the University to up
grade their vocabulary should
follow my interview in the Em
erald.
Charles Potterf
2685 Floral Hill Dr.
Both Sides
Emerald Editor:
When I first saw the head
line, “Let’s Hear the Other
Side,” I wondered if I had made
a mistake in uttering some ob
scene words about the Emer
ald.
My curiosity was aroused. Was
the Emerald going to say the
ROTC students were something
other than killers? Were some
of the hippies in our local
high schools going to get hair
cuts? Was the Emerald go
ing to urge eating grapes with
every meal? Was Students for
Determined Stupidity going to
be condemned?
After this surprise I decided
to read the editorial and learn
ed how the student side of the
issues is not allowed to be
heard due to biased journalism.
Was this really appearing in
the Emerald, a paper that has
always championed printing
both sides of the story on every
issue, the paper that seeks out
both sides of every issue? I
take back all the obscenities I
have said about the Emerald. It
is nice to see that someone re
spects unslanted, non - partial,
straight-forward journalism.
Tom Page
Senior, MIT
‘Straight Jacket’
Emerald Editor:
In reference to one point of
Craig E. McKern’s fine article
titled “Updating the Ivy” print
ed in the Emerald on Nov. 20.
For many years I have ad
vised the President of the Uni
versity to eliminate the straight
jacket that the special schedul
ing of finals week provides. As
you may know the University
does not require that a final
examination be given. However,
because of the special schedul
ing of the finals week and the
general attitude developed to
ward the use of the week, this
“out” cannot be fully utilized
to advance learning.
My position has been that the
last week of the term be like
any other week. Those profes
sors or departments desiring to
give special lengthy examina
tions or one examination to a
large number of sections would
make special arrangements for
suitable space in the evening or
during other periods when the
type of space needed is avail
able.
Richard W. Lindhom,
Dean,
Graduate School of
Management and
Business
G - - Knows
Emerald Editor:
Just to express my enormous
gratitude and congratulations to
the Emerald for presenting the
interview with Mr. Potterf. I
hope it will become available
to many people in the commun
ity who would be equally grate
ful for its insights into a critic
of note in Eugene.
G- knows that for us who
may disagree with Mr. Potterf
to b - - - s him and wish him
w - - 1 is a test of our capacity
to 1 - - e, we s - - 1 brothers.
Robert M. Trotter
D - - N, School of Music
P.S. Key to the esoteric vo
cabulary, perhaps acceptable for
publication, perhaps unneces
sary for some: God, bless, well,
love, soul; the last term is un
known to me; I hear it is used
in certain circles freely, as a
potent term, possessed of much
mana.
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Jules Feiffer
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