Letters
Hang together
The GTF-Federation executive
board has voted support for the
Amazon Rent Strike.
As we enter into contract
negotiations with the University,
we need to keep in mind that what
we win at the bargaining table can
be lost on the other end through
higher rents, fees and tuition. We
need to fight on both fronts.
We encourage GTFs to support
the Amazon Cooperative Tenants
in the rent strike. “Hang together
or hang alone.”
Jerry Lembcke (Sec.)
For the GTFF Executive Board
Factual errors
I'm very pleased that the
Emerald did a story on community
economic control. Some errors in
Wednesday’s article by Chris
Norman on my activities and in
terests have embarrassed me and
could have been avoided by the
writer's checking with me for fac
tual errors in his draft.
The Lane Economic Develop
ment Commission is not “assist
ing" me, but is a set of people
working independently in very
creative ways in this area. I am not
“organizing" a Eugene CDC, but
am working with others, including
some LEDC people, to under
stand and apply the idea.
I’m glad Norman dia the article,
however, because I find the idea
of community economic control is
exciting and highly relevant to our
situation, as yet generally uncon
sidered here.
Dan Goldrich
Professor of Political Science
Research benefits
I wish to take issue with the let
ter published in the Monday, May
23 Emerald by my colleague and
friend, Angela Palandri. I am not
familiar with and, therefore, can
not comment on the problems of
her department. Nor would I
support the proposition (which
she quite rightly condemns) that
tenure and promotion be judged
solely on scholarly eminence
(“national visibility ”). Tenure
promotion decisions must always
maintain a flexible balance be
tween scholarship, teaching, and
service — and in this day.and age
a professor ought to be reasona
bly good at all three.
I do, however, disagree with
what I consider to be the
philosophical thrust of her letter
and her perception of reality at the
University. As I see it, at no time
have research and national rec
opinion
ROTC amply
considered
As one who has for many years
been trying to get people to think
seriously about the implications
and impact of the military ap
proach to human problems, the
long range consequences of the
arms race, and of the militarization
of our society, and about the na
ture of the relationship between
the military and the University, I
can hardly object if this faculty
wishes to consider these matters
at greater length than had been
anticipated.
I might observe in passing that
the temporary majority favoring
the semester system was even
smaller than that favoring termina
tion of ROTC, so perhaps that
would be an even more appro
priate subject for reconsideration.
But we may not wish to initiate a
tradition of promptly reconsidering
all issues upon which there is di
vided opinion.
It is my impression that since
early May there has been a
change in the composition of the
group favoring prolongation of the
discussion. It is hard to believe
that in the 12 years in which this
matter has been brought before
this body almost annually, that we
have not considered most of the
important relevant issues bearing
upon it.
One of the striking features of
these discussions has however
been the very low level of input
from those favoring ROTC. I have
seen motions like mine tabled
without discussion, and side
tracked by irrelevant substitute
motions. The last time I brought it
up the opponents of my motion did
not say one single word in explan
ation or defense of their position.
This year, they made a motion at
the outset to limit debate to 15 min
utes on each side, then did not
even use all of their 15 minutes.
You will recall that I opposed this
limitation on the grounds that I
wanted to hear what some of them
had to say.
Professor Bower Aly was the
only opponent of my motion who
showed sufficient respect for us to
take our motion seriously and
treat it as if it were something
worth talking about. While I did not
agree with everything he said, I
am grateful to him and respect him
for this.
Given this long history of non
participation, and even of obstruc
tion, at meetings held for the very
purpose of clarifying and deciding
upon this issue, it seems a little
late for them to come running in
now complaining that we may not
have considered this question
enough.
I am not sure that they would
now be as pleased as they were in
May if we should limit presenta
tions to 15 minutes at this time, but
I would not suggest doing so, be
cause I think we should listen to
what they have to say, now that
they have finally decided to say it.
As the originator of the motion
to be reconsidered I hope I will be
given the privilege, before we
vote, of commenting very briefly
on the issue and on any new direc
tions the discussion may have
taken. I promise not to take more
than five minutes.
Bayard H. McConnaughey
Professor of Bioloigy
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n
ognition been overstressed here;
an excellent case can be made,
indeed, that scholarship is not as
recognized here as on other cam
puses. Any small efforts the ad
ministration may now be making
in that direction will only serve to
redress the balance and put us
belatedly in line with the other
major universities in the country.
Research does not serve
merely to update one's knowledge
and help one to become a better
teacher. It also increases the pres
tige of the University, school, and
department, and contributes to
the fund of human knowledge and
betterment of mankind. Research
is an end in itself and a central
concern of all great universities
everywhere in the world. Indeed,
those institutions that have deem
phasized scholarship on the pre
text of exalting pedagogy (certain
“liberal arts colleges") do not as a
rule offer a better teaching pro
qram: they merely attract an inferior
faculty.
In this dialogue with my friend
Professor Palandri I do not at all
wish to measure teaching against
research as two opposing calls.
On the contrary, my experience
has been that scholarship and
teaching go hand in hand: that dis
tinguished scholars are also good
classroom pedagogues, their in
tellectual enthusiasm pours over
into the lecture or seminar room,
and that exciting teachers are in
terested in having their ideas
known to their peers on a national
and international level. It is true,
there are cases of outstanding
teachers who do not publish, and
these people should be properly
rewarded in their academic
careers. But I have never known
the opposite: and I submit that if
you show me the case of an active
scholar who doesn t like to teach
and does it very badly, I will show
you a drone whose research
proves to be trivial.
William Calin
Department Head
Romance Languages
Status appreciated
I am sorry that in his article on
faculty tenure Tuesday Tom
Wolfe chose to quote only li
brarians who are opposed to using
publishing as one criterion for
promotion and tenure within the
Library and in the University.
True, a loudly vocal group made
up principally of untenured li
brarians is so opposed. An accu
rate picture of the Library's faculty,
however, would have to include a
sizeable number of librarians who
appreciate their status as Univer
sity faculty and who willingly ac
cept full faculty responsibilities,
including research and publish
ing. Some of us, indeed, find re
search exciting and rewarding.
Librarians are fortunate. There
are several types of libraries in
which they may limit their activities
to pure public service if they wish.
Such limitation is not in the nature
of academic librarianship. Our pro
fession is no more static than any
other, and as in any other, its
academic members have the op
portunity to, and should, conduct
the research that contributes to
the growth of the whole field.
Many University of Oregon li
brarians would not accept any less
er challenge.
Jane B. Dumell
Associate Professor — Library
Aot reasonable
I think the Emerald has given an
emphasis to Mr. Olum s talk be
fore the librarians on promotion
and tenure that was not intended I
for one am not happy with the in
terpretation of the publication re
quirement to mean significant ar
ticles in referred journals. The li
brary degree is a professional de
gree, not a research degree And
also the push towards national vis
ibility should be a goal for the few.
not the many. To expect newly
minted librarians appointed as in
structors to meet these require
ments is not reasonable
Richard Heinzkill
Associate Professor
Library
Step toward hope
For the first time a vote of the U
of O. General Faculty recom
mended the termination of the
ROTC contracts with the Depart
ment of Defense. We are currently
enrolled at OSU, a school where
all branches of the military main
tain large and active ROTC units
The potential, and we believe al
ready realized, influence that
ROTC can have on the free
academic atmosphere at a Uni
versity community is alarming.
Why, for instance, can OSU
President Mac Vicar withhold re
search results showing the fallibil
ity of the dairy industries current
efforts at detecting contaminants
in plastic milk containers? In his
words it was to "be sure that the
information gets into the right
hands." This kind of attitude
smacks of the military mind
Even more alarming is the total
lack of student indignation to this
announcement. Military educa
tion' does not encourage a stu
dent to question the decisions of
higher authority. Military educa
tion' does not encourage students
to formulate their own moral code
of behavior. Military education' in
no way furthers the aspirations of
a University as quoted in the OSU
General Bulletin: “to free people's
minds from ignorance, prejudice,
and provincialism and to stimulate
instead a lasting attitude of in
quiry.”
The hope of the world lies not in
military officers who have at
tended a University, but neverthe
less are first and foremost military
officers. Hope lies in people who
are encouraged to think, question
and explore. At OSU hope is di
minishing, we think in large part
due to the widespread influence of
ROTC and the military philosophy
it preaches. The University of
Oregon has taken the first step
toward hope Please, we urge you
to continue
Richard Stahl
Kristan Burkert
Not bourgeois
To Gary Frazier (in reference to
letter of May 25):
Not only do you seem to advo
cate environmental concerns over
those of human freedom, but you
misunderstand the purpose of
the more radical elements on
campus." Your letter implies that
anyone who happens to firmly
agree with some of that certain
group s cases in point, one case
giving support to a foreign black
struggling people, has somehow
led a "bourgeois existence This
fact, you suggest, may prevent
him from more active participa
tion m this cause
Well. Mr Frazier, I vewitnessec
enough struggle of blacks and
other peoples in New York City
ghettoes to know that calling
someone bourgeois haphaz
ardly, and worrying about air pollu
tion when your living conditions
deteriorate your self respect are
both quite foolish
Sally Stein
Junior-General Science
Help investigation
If the members of the HEP pro
gram are sincere in their wish to be
recognized as mature and re
sponsible University students,
they should demonstrate their
sincerity by 1) retracting the false
and malicious statements made
about me in Wednesdays
Emerald, and 2) actively cooperat
ing with University authorities in
their investigation of dormitory
thefts. They know what I mean
Mark Heim
Sophomore — Fine Arts