editorial
Right move
wrong president
1
At least one university president in this state is concerned
with students’ desire to be able to intelligently choose their clas
ses. Unfortunately this president is Joseph Blumel of Portland
State University and not UO Pres. William Boyd. Monday, Pres.
Blumel approved the release of faculty evaluation information,
explaining, ‘We have a responsibility to the students to provide
that kind of information. They have a real stake in the issue.”
While Boyd hides behind the contention that the faculty does not
approve of such release, Pres. Blumel reasons, “The students’
interest in this kind of information is paramount."
Granted that the faculty is concerned over the release of the
evaluations, has Boyd really made an effort to ascertain the entire
faculty's wishes on this matter? He bases his refusal to grant
access to the evaluations on a December general faculty meet
ing. At this sparsely-attended meeting, only a minority of the total
faculty was present to vote on an ASUO proposal to publish a
course evaluation booklet. The question of student access to
classroom surveys was not even specifically voted upon. Boyd
also received reinforcement from another small, selective body,
the Faculty Advisory Council.
At a Nov. 25 meeting, the State Board of Higher Education
voted to allow the president of each institution to decide the
question of access “upon a finding...that privacy rights...would
not suffer by disclosure...” If Boyd is serious when he says he
wants to respect the faculty's opinion on the issue, he needs to
broaden his base of input. At the very least he should consider
polling the entire faculty as to whether or not they want students to
have access to the classroom surveys that the students filled out.
The ASUO claims that 76 per cent of the faculty would voluntarily
consent to the release of the evaluations. Is Boyd interested in
determining if this is so?
Pres. Blumel’s decision represents the type of concern for
students’ interests that should be reflected on this campus by this
administration. Boyd’s refusal to grant access illustrates his dis
played attitude toward students; they should be seen and not
heard.
Boyd’s position on the question of access may not be entirely
inflexible, however. Following a conference Monday between the
ASUO and the administration, ASUO Pres. Jim Bemau appeared
slightly more optimistic over the future of students gaining access
to the surveys. Bernau was vague on the specific details of the
conference, but he asserted that the meeting produced a “definite
moral victory for the students."
The nature of that victory is not yet clear, but the only victory
that should be acceptable to students is one that insures them an
opportunity to intelligently select their classes on the basis of
published evaluations.
V.
J
Letters—
Grass left'
If some of our
environmentally-aware, friends
of-the-earth type students would
stop walking and riding their bikes
on the grass, there might be some
grass left by the time spring ar
rives.
Glen A. Love
English
Parties contrasted
“Vielen Dank” to reporter Karon
Stirling for her entertaining article
on ‘Kameval’ in Germany in the
February 11 edition of the
Emerald. Your readers might like
to know that in contrast to German
parties over there, our own Fas
chingsfest, Feb. 27, at the Theta
Chi fraternity house would cost
them very little: one dollar, which
includes liquid refreshments (ve
srow sem in se svimmink pool).
Also, it’s not limited to German
students. After all, they celebrate
“Kameval” in Nice (France),
Rome and Florence (Italy), and
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and of
course Mardi Gras in our own New
Orleans. So — everyvon iss in
vitet, and ve promise ve vill
shpeak only Enklish!
Helmut Plant
Associate Professor
German Club adviser
Keeping up
Feb. 9, a near-capacity audi
ence at 177 Lawrence Hall was
treated to a presentation by one of
the English-speaking world’s
most popular and prolific scholars
in Roman history. By failing to an
nounce Michael Grant’s lecture,
the Emerald seriously flubbed in
the performance of its admittedly
humdrum, but nonetheless vital,
task as a campus bulletin board.
However, all is not yet lost. Dur
ing the coming month the Univer
sity will have opportunities to hear
two more classical scholars of like
stature, who have well
established reputations as
crowd-pleasers. On. Feb. 23, we
shall have a return visit by Ernst
Badian, Professor Roman History
at Harvard. And on March 4, there
will be an illustrated talk on the
ancient theater at Athens by
N.G.L. Hammond, Professor
Emeritus of Greek at Bristol and
one of the world’s foremost Greek
historians.
As these dates come up, let’s
hope that the Emerald can keep
up.
C. Bennett Pascal
Professor of Classics
Spys copied
Hooray! Boyd and company
have finally proved to this Univer
sity that they are true blue Ameri
cans. With the grace of god and
their contracted photographers
they will seek out those students
who oppose the policies that Boyd
and company feels are in the in
terest of this University.
HOW TMAT‘»
d,GRAD'*G
©1976
Who says the grading system is inflated? I only missed eight out of ten
on my Medieval Thumbsucking midterm, and all I got was a ‘C’ plus.
-More from Les-\
by LESUE ZAITZ
Horton on way out
District Attorney Pat Horton was caught with his
pants down when the world found out he was
borrowing county money to travel nationwide to
endorse liberalized mahjuana laws.
Though Horton has talked himself blue trying to
ease the embarrassment, the political damage
has been done. He is vulnerable in the upcoming
election.
That use of county money is really only a small
weapon in the arsenal of complaints Horton's op
ponents have against him. Two factions will be
deftly using that arsenal to see that Horton finds
new quarters next year.
A group of Eugene at
torneys, growing in
creasingly unhappy with
Horton s operation of the
office and hsi antics with
county funds, has been
beating the bushes to
find one of their own to
pit against the incum
bent.
The group is impres
sive, representing some
of the most distinguished
local members of the
bar. Among them are Ed
Fadeley, a state senator, Bill Frye, district attor
ney seven years.ago, Charlie Porter, former Con
gressman, and Ken Morrow, one of the most re
spected defense attorneys in the area.
Individually, they make too good a living to step
down to the $31,500-a-year district attorney's
salary.
They have quietly turned to Steve Keutzer, who
spent seven years under three Lane County dis
trict attorneys before quitting in 1973 to go to work
for the state attorney general in Salem.
Keutzer was in line for appointment to the dis
trict attorney slot when John Leahy resigned in
1972. However, Robert Naslund, the top Repub
lican deputy attorney in the office, got the tap from
Republican Gov. Tom McCall.
Keutzer says he’s interested. He never sold his
Eugene home and has been waiting for the right
moment to come back. If he can be assurred of
campaign bucks and help in an organization, he
will probably announce his intentions next week.
In the other corner, police officers have finally
convinced John Charles to run. Charles, assistant
city attorney in Springfield, is popular with Spring
VI__
field officers for his city ordinances protecting of
ficers and outlawing Oriental martial weapons.
Charles, conservative and quiet, was almost
apologetic in announcing his candidacy last
weekend. He is not well-known among Eugene
attorneys but has built a strong campaign organi
zation countywide.
Whether the police associations will officially
jump into the battle will be decided next week. The
Springfield Policeman's Association to a man
backs Charles, but they aren't sure they want to
get the union politically involved
The Eugene Patrolman's Association endorsed
Horton in 1972 but they are having some misgiv
ings about that involvement. Union leadership is
polling membership on that issue As to an en
dorsement there, the choices aren t on the table
yet, but Charles' supporters have been making
overtures.
It's no secret that police officers around the
county are frustrated with the district attorney's
office, particularly the staff turnover. The cops
know the law better than the rookie deputy district
attorneys. "You just get tired of going in there and
being told by some kid you're doing this wrong
and you’ve been doing it that way for 15 years,"
said a deputy sheriff.
The Lane County Bar Association won't make
an endorsement. But the influential members
within (including the group coaxing Keutzer) are
definitely after Horton.
Attorneys, a naturally quiet bunch publicly but
talkative among themselves, don't like Horton's
travels and a luxury car, no matter what the expla
nation. That's just not professional.
And, too, there is a question about Horton's
legal abilities. He lost a lot of points in handling the
prosecution of Norman "Snake" Brooks, leader of
the commune involved in the murder of a sheriff's
detective. Brooks was charged with murder, a
charge which left some local attorneys scratching
their heads. Brooks was convicted of hindering
prosecution.
Horton has decided to seek re-election but has
yet to put together a campaign organization or
worry about formally announcing. Horton, though,
does like the view from his fourth-floor office at the
courthouse.
He will unquestionably start his campaign in the
political hole. Some as yet unknown candidates
may sense that vulnerability and go for the jugu
lar.
It could indeed be a messy race.
J
It is appalling and a disgrace for
the leaders of the academic world
to take part in programs which are
similar to those being used by Un
ited States Intelligence agencies,
that of spying on dissident stu
dents.
What is most appalling is that
the administration has come out
and stated that “the legal value of
the pictures as evidence is very
low..." yet continues conducting a
police-type administration in order
to observe the movements of cer
tain students on this campus. Are
the students of the University and
the faculty obliged to let this sort of
practice continue, let alone sup
port such programs?
While we hail the 100th an
niversary of this University and the
200th anniversary of this nation,
will we also hail the rise of facism
within our country?
Eric Wright
Business, soph.
Friday, February 13, 1976