Letters
Non-ratification
At the faculty meeting of May 5, most
students were so disappointed at the
failure of the motion to “ratify” the
People’s Peace Treaty that they left the
meeting. It is unfortunate that the vote
against “ratification” was apparently
taken as a vote against the proposals and
hopes contained in the People’s Peace
Treaty; but that could hardly be the case,
since the faculty had just voted in favor of
the resolution calling for withdrawal by
the end of the year.
The motion to “ratify” failed, in my
opinion, because it presented faculty
members with an unreal world—a world in
which sincere people keep good faith, in
which national ambition is subjugated
under the people’s needs, in which in
ternational accord, harmony, and
government of, by, and for the people are
realities. In short, the motion to “ratify”
asked me to take a sentimental journey
into the world of noble dreams and
naivete; but I have long since left that
world, and I cannot return.
When Jesus died on the cross, as
Albert Schweitzer pointed out three
quarters of a century ago, his dreams of
the coming of the Kingdom of God and its
righteousness died with him. We should
not now, after 200 years, be trying to
revive those dreams. Withdrawal of
American military presence from Indo
china I can appeal for, and I can also hope
for world peace and harmony; but I must
also constantly remind myself that those
two possibilities belong to two different
worlds.
Jack T. Sanders
Associate Prof, Religious Studies
About Travis
“I am not non-violent, either by nature
or by ideology,” Tim Travis said in the
Emerald, May 12. Then, by pointing out
the political psychology and effect of
violence, proceeded to offer an excellent
argument for non-violence.
If he will extend the same logic to all
efforts toward long-term, humane goals,
e.g., individual freedom, world peace, or
equal opportunity in the economic system,
the abstract of his argument will be a
realistic, non-violent ideology—militant,
but non-violent.
His final paragraph implies the goal of
a social or political situation in the United
States that is better than, “the mess that
we have on our hands at the present time. ”
He continues, “when enough people get
turned on to the world we live in then we
might be able to get out from underneath
‘i—by any means necessary.” But when
that many people get turned on to the mess
we have on our hands, the most successful
path to our goal will be non-violent.
Along with ms message to those who
plan their own demonstrations, Travis’
article is a call for self-control by people
who accept the popular call to non-violent
demonstration, but are suddenly violent
when under emotional pressure.
Bruce Hickman
Journalism. 1970
Congratulations
Congratulations are in order to Major
James McDaniel for his letters to the
Emerald, his speech to the Eugene
Ministerial Association, and his recent
Emerald column recapitulating that
speech. As a public spokesman in favor of
the policy of this country in Southeast
Asia, he stands alone on this campus, or
nearly so. This is not an easy position for
any man, nor was it one the Major was
compelled to take so openly. That he has
done so and continues to do so is greatly to
his credit.
As it happens, I personally disagree
with the views expressed by Major Mc
Daniel, as does in all likelihood a majority
of the University community, and even
(according to some much publicized
recent polls) a majority of the nation at
large. My purpose here, however, is not
to contribute one more sortie in the verbal
war the Major has brought upon himself.
This note is prompted, rather, by my in
creasing concern over the treatment
accorded any who would dare openly to
express unpopular opinions on an
merican campus. It has, for example,
been several years since an informed and
responsible advocate for U.S. foreign
policy was able to speak without in
terference at this University, and if
current trends continue it may be years
more before it will again be safe to do so.
The parallel with the situation prevaililing
in the early Fifties is too marked to be
passed over lightly, though admittedly it is
less striking to one who during the Army
McCarthy hearings was just learning to
walk.
In any case, this state of affairs is
much too dangerous to be allowed to
flourish indefinitely. One may hope that
the end of the Vietnam War will bring a
resurgence of tolerance and intellectual
freedom in American universities, though
I have my doubts on this score. In the
meantime, however. Major McDanile is
providing an important service to this
community by his courageous expression
of an unpopular view, and in so doing has,
no doubt unintentionally, given us a very
good reason—perhaps the only reason—for
voting to keep R.O.T.C. at the University
of Oregon. „
Paul Horwitz
Research Associate
Institute of Theoretical Science
Better publicity
Last Thursday evening the University
Chorale, Chamber Singers and Musicians
gave a sterling performance in the School
of Music Auditorium. Professors Saltzman
and Wilson, demonstrating their expertise
at conducting, drew on exceptional talent
which made for a fine evening of musical
appreciation. However, it was disap
pointing to me—and to the performers
also, no doubt—that the audience,
although enthusiastic, was such a small
one (less than 100 I would estimate).
I should like to request that the
Emerald continue to give publicity to such
quality musical events here in our own
midst. In addition, I would like to request
that greater in-depth coverage be given to
reviews of such musical performances in
the Emerald’s “Review of the Arts”
section which appears periodically. It is
my feeling that the Emecald can provide a
great service to the academic community
by helping to keep these musical concerts
in the foreground of our consciousness.
Alan Stephenson
Visiting Ass’t. Prof.,
Dept, of Religious Studies
Need for maps
Because of the interest of prospective
travelers in maps and for the interests of
various university departments in urban
studies the map room bulletin board has in
recent weeks been featuring European
city maps, old, recent and the unusual.
Many of these map sheets are those
donated to us by travellers of past seasons.
As campus community members plan
to bicycle, trian, fly or walk beyond Lane
County this summer we would like to help
them plan in advance—with maps. We
would also like to be remembered next fall
by donation of the summer’s personal map
collection, or, before that with donation of
any maps no longer useful in that closet,
file or attic.
Edward P. Thatcher
Map Librarian
Drop-out
Please apply your boldest “Drop-out”
stamp in the appropriate blanks (for of
ficial use only) on my records and strew
bureaucratic tacks in your paths in the
event that I should come courting your
favor again. Perhaps someday soon your
isolation and lack of function will be
complete and we can deal with you as with
our vestigial appendix and operate if the
health of the organism is threatened.
At present, you absorb resources and
energies maintaining and adding to your
vested interests, and use the euphemism
“higher education” in you public relations
campaign to forestall public outrage. In
fact, you have joined your corporate
relatives by dealing with acknowledged
problems and public demands with public
relations assaults rather than analysis and
proposed solutions possible because you
have unsystematically driven out, in
timidated or otherwise alienated those
people with the vision and resources to at
least recognize the shortcomings of our
society and the human experiment in
general.
You have peopled the positions of
power with functional Babbits, who play
the bureaucratic game expertly, but have
litter personal criteria for setting effective
policy or the flexibility to adjust policy to
the needs of present or future, since your
halls hand heavy with intoxicating odors
from the past.
Today’s college education might have
been barely adequate for the early part of
the century, but universities now can’t
come up with a workable equation for what
L
• It will take one billion dollars to restart the SST program.”
—Boeing Corporation
education is or should be, let alone provide
such an opportunity. Instead of taking a
step out of the morass, you have served the
loudest and wealthiest, and have totally
lost the initiative to determine your own
destiny.
Well, destiny, like charity, begins at
home and we must absorb our
disillusionment with the university, get
our houses in order and our heads
together. Possibly the negative example
set by the universities and “intellectual”
communities in general will provide the
education that was only obstructed by the
mythologies propagated at our institutions
of learning.
Someday, if we survive and learn how
to function as well as our capacities in
dicate we can, you can remove your non
heads from the polluted clouds and
discover what the world and the human
experience is all about.
Charles Gregory
ex-CSPA
A need for pictures
When real issues that need to be
resolved are ignored and petty issues such
as the ID card receive so much attention
the motives of those protesting should be
examined. The ID card is a functional and
valuable piece of identification. Who
should pay for the card is a valid question.
California has pictures on its drivers
license and by both Calif, and Oregon law
Uie license must be presented to any law
officer at his request. There is also a law
requiring all males 18 or over to carry a
draft card. “The law requires you to notify
you local board in writing within 10 days
after it occurs, (1) of every change in you
address, physical condition and oc
cupational (including student), marital,
family, dependency, and military status,
and (2) of any other fact which might
change your classification.”
There are already papers that must be
carried that can be checked to see if they
are in “order.” It is ludicrous to think that
if the ID card did not exist that the FBI
could not just as easily obtain all the in
formation they wanted. With credit card
fraud, forged or stolen checks etc. there is
a definite need for a means of positive ID
for everyone, including non-studetns.
The irony of the situation is that those
protesting the pictures are the first to
jump in front of a TV camera or news
photographer. Pictures on drivers license
have not stopped protests in California nor
have OLCC cards in Oregon. Unless in
dividuals are willing to commit them
selves and come forward to be identified
their sincerity can be questioned. The FBI
knows who they are, so why try to hide
from the fact that you are trying to im
prove our country by the only apparent
means. Do we really believe the police
would not recognize Joe Schoenfeld if he
didn't have his ID with him?
Jim Lapping
Jr. CSPA
Student court
Experienced in such matters, I would
like to say a few things about Student
Court:
Whenever the court finds it has no
evidence against a student, the prosecutor
always says something about how
“childish, immature, spoiled” the student
is. These words set off a time mechanism
in the jury’s head and the student is
suspended. (And anyway, the jurors have
been sitting there for a long time; they’ve
got to do something exciting.) I’d like to
know how throwing one out of school
makes one more mature. (Maybe there
ought to be a Search course in Maturity?
Maybe Mr. Chez, who is still in his first
childhood, repeating things that he hears
VP Agnew say, would like to enroll?)
Kangaroo court acts as a hand
slapping device: when the law is broken
every night by the use of drugs, alcohol,
etc., and then some girls are suspended for
being ‘childish’, then I say Student Court is
as two-faced, as ineffective as unfair, as
blind, as ‘immature’ as anything could
possibly be.
Jeff Perrone
Freshman