>-editorial-—
A hurrah for the
State Board
When Thami Mhlambiso, the African National Con
gress representative to the United Nations, approached
the podium in the EMU Ballroom Friday to testify in favor of
divestment of State System of Higher Education invest
ments in South Africa-supporting corporations, he was
about to deliver what was one of the most powerful and
beautiful calls for human dignity and justice we have ever
heard.
Mhlambiso and other well-reasoned testifyers swayed
the opinion of the board, resulting in an astonishing 8-3
vote in favor of divestiture, the first time a state system of
higher education has approved such a proposal. The
board reversed a recommendation from its finance com
mittee, and two members of that committee changed their
votes after hearing the testimony in the EMU.
Some of that testimony, primarily that given by some
members of the Revolutionary Student Brigade, was de
rogatory and accusational towards the board members.
Some criticized the members themselves, as if they not
only invested in companies doing business in South Africa,
but had formed that government in the first place. The
RSB, which has worked for student referendums against
the stock ownership, came very close to destroying its own
cause. Fortunately for all those who oppose apartheid, the
board was able to rise above the RSB rhetoric; they
didn’t allow the magnificent testimony of many people to
get mired and buried in the bad testinony of a few.
The board’s decision is a cause for celebration. The
board has made a decisive social comment against the
despicable policy of apartheid. In total, it was a small step,
but it was the boldest and largest step available to the
board. By their vote, the members of the board have added
a strong voice to the rising cry against racism. They have
proven that the principles taught in the institutions they
support need not be discarded after graduation; that
policies such as apartheid can’t be ignored.
Letters
More to BRING
I am writing in response to an
article of Oct. 26 that concerned
recycling. In a passing reference
to the seven year recycling effort
of B.R.I.N.G. (Begin Recycling in
Neighborhood Groups), your re
porter quotes Alice Soderwall as
describing our operation as
mainly dealing with crushed glass.
I would like to correct this image of
BRING, and clarify our ongoing
resource recovery program.
BRING has put major emphasis
on reuse of glass and metal con
tainers. In the 9 month period be
tween Oct. 1, 1976 and June 30,
1977 BRING sold over 17,500
containers to the public for reuse.
BRING is a major supplier of glass
containers for three local juice
companies, home canners,
wine-makers, and many small
businesses. For many people
BRING is a convenient and inex
pensive source of jars for preserv
ing their foods, craft projects, and
gift ideas.
Reuse of containers benefits
our county several ways. Do
nated materials are kept and
reused within the county, particu
larly in the Eugene-Springfield
area. The reuse of jars also saves
large amounts of energy by by
passing crushing and hauling of
crushed glass. It is not necessary
to produce as many new jars, and
the tremendous amount of land
filled garbage is reduced.
BRING has recently begun a
drive to recover used motor oil for
recycling. At this time about 50 per
cent of the 12 million gallons of oil
generated in Oregon annually are
not being recycled. Of this total, 33
per cent is dumped on lots, 11 per
cent down storm sewers, and the
rest disposed of in the gargage. All
of this oil can be re-refined as fuel
or lubricating oil. In this time of
energy shortages it is particularly
wasteful, as well as dangerous, to
discard oil so casually. Used oil
can be taken to many gas sta
tions, to the recycling area of the
ijienwooa ooiia vvasie denier,
and to the BRING Warehouse
near Seavey Loop Rd. It can also
be brought to any BRINGmobile in
a dosed container.
BRING endorses and promotes
reuse of containers and materials.
Our motto can be summed up as.
“Buy wisely, reuse, then recyde.”
Elise Fischer
BRING recycling
For child care
Our accessibility to higher
education is often less-than-open.
Physical and financial barriers
exist to discourage, and some
times prevent, persons from at
tending institutions of higher edu
cation.
Student-parents face the spe
cial problem of finding healthy, af
fordable day care. Currently, the
State (through the Children’s Ser
vices Division) subsidizes day
care for needy students in two
year programs. Unfortunately,
graduate students and those in
four-year programs are ineligible
for this type of financial aid.
Earlier this year, the Oregon
Student Lobby, ASUO and do
zens of outraged parents lobbied
for a legislative remedy. But the
Oregon Legislature failed to pro
vide a remedy, and we are back
where we started.
But wait! Congressional House
Bill 7200 could, if passed, provide
up to $2 million additional federal
child care funds to Oregon. This
bill has passed the U S. House
and out of the Senate Finance
Committee. HB 7200 should go to
the Senate floor for a vote in
January.
Even if HB 7200 passes, there
is no guarantee that any funds will
be made available to those needy
students who now receive no day
care aid. To achieve this end, it will
take careful lobbying of the State
Emergency Board and the
Children’s Services Division.
The first step is letters to your
--opinion
On Zionism and the PLO
Submitted by
Les Frye
Pre-graduate, Psychology
The recent overt reaction during this past week's
Lebanese-lsraeli border clash mainly by Israel may
be considered to be a part of the existing racist form
of Zionism within the present Israeli government. An
air strike was launched by Israeli forces against a
small Palestinian outbreak along the Lebanese bor
der which spread into peaceful settlements within
Lebanon, where many deaths were reported and
many casualities were incurred.
These settlements were unaware that any fight
ing had even been in progress along the border.
Those who did ight on the border, the Palestinians,
began the fighting in their struggle against this
government s homeland within Palestine. This
struggle of the Palestinians as a people is to be
recognized as a people whose potential homeland
has been denied and is presently being denied.
The present Israeli leaders are potentially in
volved in their own power plays with the world,
namely Moshe Dayan, and show up to be group of
people who are in government with power at their
disposal who grew up surrounded by war; namely
WWII. WWII was a time when Hitler’s anti-Semitism
was the delusional wave throughout Europe even
before the founding of the state of Israel.
Because these leaders did grow up in war, they
have learned war, and the basic racist Zionist form of
Semitism is the reverse of what Hitler wanted to
instigate. Such a racist Zionism does torment various
peoples, namely the Palestinians, as that was
Hitier’s delusional force. Such men as Moshe
Dayan, who are brought up in war and surrounded by
rumors of war and terrorism, do over react, as in last
week’s clash.
Such men should not be in government. Such
men deserve to be scorned by all true people of the
whole world. May Zionism, a form of racism, be
scorned by all true people of the world also. Such
should be the consequence for Israel as a whole,
until there are men who grow up in peace and can
lead and practice peace for Israel as well as for the
betterment of the rest of the world. But such has yet
to happen. Israel presently condones the racist prac
tices of South Africa because of the Zionistic at
titudes many Israeli Jews hold. For this reason, the
present Israeli Zionistic government should not be
condoned nor praised.
T ne Palestinians, who have a composite of Arab
beliefs, share in the same basic beliefs and cultural
foundation which once orginated from the basic
Jewish beliefs and culture. A this time, they are not
going to tolerate a government whose practice is to
take away their own human rights for freedom in a
land where they have decendents. like the Israeli
decendents, once originated
A new wave of protest by all who acknowledge this
racism within the Israeli government must come
about Only through efforts of peaceful men and
through the existence of a new Israeli government
whose basic practice is non-Ziomstic can eventual
peace be recognized by all within the Middle East. It
is this racist Ziomstic form of behavior which the
Israeli government has repeatedly demonstrated
throughout the years which must die out of existence
for the betterment of world concerns.
Next to Israel's Zionistic attitude and position,
there do exist efforts for a peaceful coexistence
within the Middle East. But due to the recent years of
terrorism within the land of Israel by the so called
PLO activists, Israel's government sees and acknow
ledges the PLO as a threat to the security of many
peaceful Jews who are within Israel. Therefore, Is
rael desires no doing with the present PLO at the
Geneva conference. Israel's government realizes
that the past efforts of the PLO have not transpired to
any peaceful intent or any peaceful coexistence with
Israel.
Remember when Arafat first appeared in the
U N. in the fall of 1973 and said: "In one hand I hold a
gun, in the other I hold an olive branch." What actual
movements have transpired in a peaceful manner by
him for coexistence between Palestinians and Jews
in Israel? He has repeatedly demonstrated a terrons
tic philosophy toward Israel and also has consistently
denounced the right of Israel to exist at all!
Such practices are to be scorned. To let an
organization such as the PLO get a foothold in Israel
based upon an antecedent event of terronsm would
be the antecedent for a reign of terrorism throughout
the Middle East. Israel, having recognized this pos
sibility, has set in motion an end to such a means: No
PLO present at the conference in Geneva. There are
other ways to represent the Palestinians, who are in
favor of peaceful coexistence and homeland within
Israel favorable to the perspective of eventual peace.
Israel has recently begun to provide and secure
strategic settlements in the West Bank. And as I see
it, the West Bank has been an area of non-settlement
and anybody has the right to squat on the West Bank.
Israel has proceeded to do so and in the best interest
of the many concerned about peaceful coexistence
within the Middle East. May the Middle East peace
conference at Geneva be to the ultimate and abso
lute answer and settlement for relatively permanent
peace throughout the Middle East.
senators for favorable votes on
HB 7200. You can write Senator
Bob Packwood at: 1317 Senate
Office Bldg., Washington, D.C.
20510 or Senator Mark Hatfield at:
463 Senate Office Bldg.,
Washington, D C.D C. 20510
Interested and concerned per
sons can contact the ASUO,
(telephone 686-3724), for more in
formation about the day care
issue. Kell Osborn
ASUO Vice-President,
State & University Affairs
On Simeral
This is in regard to economics
teacher and professor Margaret
Simeral. It appears that her emp
loyment under Oregon's eouca
tional system has become ques
tionable. Logically this is how the
matter stands: in order to gain te
nure, that is, the right to guaran
teed employment, a professor
must teach and produce enough
documentation each year to
satisfy the Oregon board of higher
education. Keep in mind that for
an M S. degree, a Ph.D. or both,
the student must submit some
thing called a dissertation.
Anyway, Simeral must produce
at least one documented research
paper each year. It appears that
this research should be done in
direct relation with the student
body. That is, her research should
constitute an analysis of us.
Ah, but there is a catch. Of
course she could research some
thing else that had nothing to do
with the student body’s future, but
considering time and her teaching
ability I can hardly conceive of this
being possible. The question
posed to the board is not one of
having the research ready for pub
lication, but rather one of whether
or not the contents of her
documentation is beneficial to the
University. After all, is it not our
parents or our employment that
pays our tuition here?
There are instances where in
order to keep an occupation, you
must do heavy manual labour and
be careful with your choice of
words. So the next time you are
filling out a card for employment
and the question "previous occu
pation” stands out, be sure to print
very neatly and clearly STU
DENT. Please support Simeral in
her struggle to stop contradictions
from entering this University's in
tellectual sphere.
Adam Abrams
Freshman, undeclared