Letters
Grade the teachers
“In most jobs, if a man does not do what
he is paid to do, he is considered a failure.
In teaching, when that happens, the
student is considered a failure.” —The Soft
Revolution, by Neil Postman and Charles
Weingartner. Dell Publishing, (1971).
For a long time I have been rather
puzzled at the fact that nearly all faculty
members go without being evaluated by
any effective means. In my opinion, this
has two rather bad consequences. First,
teachers who are ineffective, continue to
teach year after year. No steps are taken
to improve the quality of the learning. And
second, students have no idea of the type of
instructor that will be teaching the course.
It appears that teachers are hired for how
much they know, and not for how ef
fectively they can express it.
Why not have an evaluation sheet which
students could use to appraise the ef
fectiveness of the teaching staff for that
course. And then publish that appraisal of
the instructors, by the students, for the
students, on a university-wide basis.
This seems fair for several reasons:
First, by the time students are in college,
they are pretty good judges of teachers.
After all, they have spent a good portion of
their lives in school. Second, it seems no
less fair for three-hundred students to give
one instructor a grade, than for one in
structor to give three-hundred students a
grade. Also, with so many opinions, a’
possibility of personal grudge would be
eliminated. And third, it might be a
learning experience. Teachers might be a
little more careful about presenting ideas
if they knew they were being graded too!
The faculty might be a little reluctant to
have themselves exposed to the public like
this, but it appears to be no less fair than it
is for the students, who have to try to get
their jobs by the grades given to them at
the University.
The students are the University!
Michael Tinnesand
Jr. Biology
Withdraw the British
I was dismayed and shocked by the
performance of the British troops in
Londonderry last week. At least four of the
thirteen civilians were killed by shooting
at their backs; all of those injured were
shot on the ground; and no weapons were
found on the scene.
Furthermore, none of the British
troops was injured by bullet in spite of the
fact that more than thirty civilians, whom
they said were snipers, were shot. If there
has any justice ever existed in Northern
Ireland, the British troops who fired the
shots must be prosecuted of homicide with
malice aforethought.
The Westminister government
deliberately created Religious dif
ferentiation as a cause of troubles in
Northern Ireland. There has been a
historic conflict between the British in
vaders and the Irish patriots dated back to
1169 when King Henry II of England
conquered Ireland. For centuries, the
British invaders have supressed the Irish
home-rule movement by forces. The Irish
people of all Religious denominations in
the name of God had fought bravely in the
Easter Rebellion, 1916. The Protestants
and Catholics of Northern Ireland have
long considered themselves as Irish and
different denominations under the same
God should not put the Boarder in
existence. They have realized the fact that
as long as they mix politics with Religion;
or hate one another; or find it impossible
to work amicably together, they can
hardly claim to be any sort of Christians.
Sir Roger Casement, an Ulster Protestant,
a former British Consul, has become a
founder and a member of the Irish
Volunteers (later known as IRA) and an
ardent rebel against British occupation of
Ireland.
After centuries of resistance against the
British occupation, the Republic of
Ireland, first proclaimed by Patrick
Pearse on Easter Monday of 1916, finally
accepted by the English Republic of
Ireland Act of 1949 as a foreign country
More relevant here is that the minority
self-government of Rhodesia was granted
in 1923 almost on request without a shot.
This is because the earlier settlers of
Rhodesia were mostly English. The
position was (and still has been after
Smith’s ‘Unilateral Declaration of In
dependence’) that a white supremacy
ruled several times its number of native
Africans. The Irish in Northern Ireland
have yet to confront internment without
trial, being shot indiscriminately, and
worst of all—ruled by foreigners. The
Westminister should realize that it is time
to end the traditional abhorrence between
the English and the Irish, and therefore
should withdraw from the British colony of
Northern Ireland.
Berry Hsu
Editor’s note: Parts of the following two
campaign letters were inadvertently
transposed inWednesday's and Thursday’s
Emerald. In the interest of fair play, these
two letters are being printed correctly in
today’s paper.
Marsh
In this year of financial crisis the
students need experienced representation
more than ever. The first thing the
Senators will have to do after the election
is to vote on almost one-million dollars
worth of funding. In my year on the Fiscal
Committee I have learned a great deal and
am presently applying it in the Fiscal
Hearings. However, if I am not re-elected I
won’t be able to carry these points of our
discussion to the Senate floor to a vote.
No give-away is my policy in regards to
the financial matters of the Senate. Any
candidate who advocates increases to
much of any extent on any programs is not
being realistic. This year has got to be the
year of responsible cutting. The programs
that warrant student fee support should be
student-centered and involve a benefit to
many students. The best programs will
have proven their worth. Promises were
made by the programs when they came to
see the committee last year and if they
were not lived up to and the service was
not offered then they should not receive
their requested allocation.
Most students don’t have much interest
in their student government. Your Senate
allocates your money, why sit back and
see it go. Get into the election process. If
you have any questions call me at 345-0970.
By just reading these letter’s to the Editor
you’ve started but now finish by reading
the Voter’s Guide and the ballot slogans.
Please think and vote responsibly.
Re-elect responsibility on the Fiscal
Committee, I won’t spend all your coin.
MIKE MARSH
Candidate for Senator-at-Large
Position no. 5
FEINERMAN
Control of the allocation of incidental
fees should permit the Senate to closely
supervise and direct its funded
organizations. However, this has not
always been the case. The Senate must
gain a tighter control over the institutional
outlays of University funds, benefiting the
Student as opposed to the institution. Yet,
this is not possible until the Senate allows
itself to run smoothly, with scrutiny, and
without political circus rings.
Parliamentary games and factional
disputes have bogged down the Senate and
prevented it from functioning as a viable
body. We need a strong Senate that doesn’t
submerge its goals. Once the Senate has
gained control over its own internal dif
ficulties, it can look to the University in
stead of being lost in ASUO conflicts.
As a Senator, I would strongly support
the Day Care Center, SEARCH, the
Outdoor Program, Club Sports, the
Emerald and all programs which
realistically benefit the Students of this
University. Although in five months of
operation, OSPIRG hasn’t achieved the
force mo6t of us envisioned last year, it
certainly is a program deserving of
student support. However, its uniqueness
warrants it a funding mechanism outside
of the incidental fee process.
I support a restoration of balance to
control of student government On a
campus where undergraduates are an
overwhelming majority, we should wield a
reasonable share of ASUO power. I’m
willing to put time and effort into being a
productive, responsible and accountable
Senator. If you have any questions, please
call me at 342-8533. (between 3 p.m. and 11
p.m.)
NEAL FEINERMAN
Candidate for ASUO Senate
Off-Campus no. 18
Sexism
I have noticed that your stand on sexism
is, to say the least, hypocritical. While you
sit patting yourselves on the back over the
"liberality” of your “MS” stance, your
content often, oppresses women. I refer
particularly to the blatantly exploitative
advertisement on page six, Feb. 17 issue.
As a man, I find this repugnant, and I can
not imagine how a self-respecting female
Emerald staffer would allow this to go into
print.
Also, Steven Smith’s ‘‘A Chick In The
Joplin Mold” is definitely belittling to
women. A woman is not a “chick” to be
played with by a fellow “sitting there a
way past (his) third beer, feeling pretty
horny anyways.”
More than half this campus’ population
is female, and they deserve a little more
real respect and less lip service from the
Emerald. In fact, In thinking about its own
sexism, the Emerald can show itself more
respect as well.
Marc Lifsher
Journalism
Politics
There seems to be some confusion as to
the political affiliations of OSPIRG in both
the “real world” and in ASUO politics. I
would like to clarify the issue simply.
OSPIRG is not a partisan political
organization. OSPIRG supports no par
ticular candidates for either ASUO office,
nor for City, County, State, or Federal
office. This is not to say that OSPIRG is not
a political organization. The difference is
clear. OSPIRG will attempt to work within
the existing governmental system, with
the state and federal agencies, with the
city and county commissions. But OSPIRG
won’t endorse particular candidates or
parties.
When I lend my name for endorsement
of a particular candidate, in the case of
David Novick, or former Senator Eugene
McCarthy, it is not backed by the Oregon
Student Public Interest Research Group.
This is no more complicated than an ASUO
executive attempting to endorse a can
didate in the name of the entire University
of Oregon student body. I hope this
clarifies my outlook on the problem of any
political endorsements I might make.
Peter Glazer
OSPIRG State Secretary
Two sides
Thank you for printing “The Vietnam
peace plan: two views’* (Emerald, 2-14-72,
p. 9). It is always refreshing to know that
there are two sides to every question.
Liberal intellectuals should never have to
confront the horrible possibility that “A”
cannot be both “A” and “not-A.”
Gary Jenks states: “Upon the disclosure
of his secret efforts of the past thirty
months to end the Vietnam confrontation,
President Nixon, in effect had dealt an
embarrassing moment to his critics ami
colleagues who have without relent ac
cused him of not establishing an un
conditional date for the total withdrawal of
United States troops from Indochina."
Then in column three we find thane words,
“The conditions that President Nixon has
placed upon his proposal . . And in the
paragraph above we learn that one of
those “conditions” “demands a return of
prisoners of war."
Poor ignorant slob that I am, the idea of
an “unconditional” proposal with “con
ditions” simply blows my mind.
What about the p.o.w. “condition?”
Article 118 of the Geneva Conventions on
the Care and Treatment of Prisoners
states: "Prisoners of war shall be released
and repatriated without delay after the
cessation of active hostilities.” The North
Vietnamese may be crazy but they are not
stupid. After being gulled by both the
French and the U.S. they are not about to
trade p.o.w.’s for Nixon promises. That
would be stupid. Either Nixon knows that
he has given the North Vietnamese a
proposal they cannot accept or he is
stupid.
But if he knows, then the “un-conditional
date” turns out to be no date at all. Just
another incident in “his secret efforts of
the past thirty months” at deliberate
deception. "An embarrassing moment to
his critics,” indeed! Such crap! Are you in
political science, Jenks; or is it political
mythology?
Harold Bock
Graduate, Education
Sexist
This letter is in regard to an ad which I
saw and was angered by in the Tuesday
Emerald. The ad was information about
the opening of the “Gentlemen’s Retreat”
I believe that this ad was sexist in nature,
and degraded women to the highest
degree. I do realize that the Emerald has
the right to print whatever it wants, and
I’ll be the first to defend that right.
However, I think you should be aware that
this ad reduces women into mere sex
objects. Up until now, 1 believed that the
Emerald was one of the finest college
newspapers in the country. Why ruin it?
Charlie Silberman
Freshman, Psychology
Fire
It seems a shame to have to agree with
Fire Marshall Wick about the situation at
Mac Court, and his request for no more
concerts, but do we really have any
choice?
There could be two alternatives: We can
disregard Wick's proposal, let the smokers
continue to break the rules and let them
take the blame for any fire and deaths that
result. But then again, not all of them
would escape the flames, smoke and
stampeding crowd that would result from
their selfishness. Then who could we
blame? The fire marshall? As a second
alternative we can continue to plead with
the inconsiderate few who insist on
pleasing only themselves, and how much
will that help?
We can’t help but look in awe at the
selfishness (or is it ignorance?) of those
people who have to be told over and over
again like little children, that what they
are doing is a “no-no.”
Robin Van Metre
Janet Epley
Toni Twigger
PRO human
Intelligently self-defensive Oregon youth
will effectively require of U.N.,
WORLDLAW: (informally stated) “If you
desire to keep on living in this particular
Planet Earth, you must first simply will to
be 100 per cent loyal to MAN’S BEST in
terest, a PROhuman; or you have to die.
Obviously biologically infallible as being
MAN’s strongest self-defense in the
struggle for existence (Darwinese; better
called war for life). This is just as cer
tainly our manifest destiny as that Bell
knew he’d done, Edison electric lite . . .
same reason: long years research. No only
LAW students are invited to accept this
one wisest wisdom and live by it, that we
sooner eliminate arms manufacturing,
thus saving a trillion dollars every five
years; but it is the gentlemen of the LAW
that sometimes sloganize: “Earthwide
Rule of LAW.’’ You just read how, and
easily how. There’s no other way to reach
your maximum potential than by willing to
be 100 per cent loyal to the best interest of
homo sapiens (and allied species), a
PROhuman. (The alternative? To be
antihuman, anti your own human self,
abnormal. Neutrality is impossible in the
war for life.) Interesting?
PROhaman Williams
(court-ordered legal name)
U.O. grad student 1934-‘35, et seq.
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