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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 30, 1978)
Letters A simple request As one of the peaceful majority of dorm residents fed up with sub-human behavior, I would like to address two different groups of dorm residents. First I want to speak to the people who dump ashtrays in the halls, blast stereos from windows, pull bathroom stalls from ceilings, drop used toilet paper on the bathroom floors (yes, really), break windows and lights, steal filters from drains, cut telephone cords, shred phone books, leave trays on cafeteria ta bles and scatter food everywhere, steal from other residents' rooms and clothes dryers, and likewise multilate the dorms. Although you have always been the first to complain about the food, the staff and other students, you feel privileged to turn our dorms into pig stys. force us to live in them and even pay for your damages. You seem to think that your destructiveness is funny or that it doesn’t even matter. But why should anyone have to dean up after you? With your attitude I'm surprised that you ever learned to wipe yourselves; it’s only a slight extension of your character. You must have a lot of selfish ness or hostility to care so little about our feelings and our right to ive in deoent dorms. Perhaps you are unable to even understand my opinion. I ask only that you move from the dorms into your own homes so that you can vandalize to your hearts’ content, hurting no one but yourselves. I aim my second plea to those intimidated dorm students who try to rationalize other people's de structiveness by such excuses as “he was drunk," “he has a lot of energy," or “he didn’t premeditate it or anything, it was just an im pulse,” as if this makes it right. Why are you rationalizing their behavior? If you’re afraid of of fending them just remember that they don’t care if they demolish your residence or cost you money. I adjure you to allow yourselves a little indignation and stop deceiv ing yourselves by numbing your r sense ot right and wrong. Lyneil Chase Junior, Journalism and Ester Hamermesz Graduate, Architecture Israel not racist The letter I write today is di rected to the May 8th letter of one Sioux Thompson who has, as have so many other Arab students lately, directed his persuasive ef forts to the alleged "Zionist ra cism” of the State of Israel. Since I, as these writers, am also sensi tive to the issue of racism, I be lieve that a complete evaluation of the issue can only be fairly made when one remembers to consider the plight of the Jew in Arab na tions where they have resided since the institution of the Dias pora 2,000 years ago. Saudi Arabia allows no Jews, ft goes as far as excluding Jewish employees of American com panies and American Jewish military personnel. Libya and Algeria have tong since eliminated their Jewish populations. Most of the Jews of Eygpt fled that country due to fear and coercion. The for merly large Jewish populations of Syria and Iraq have been reduced to a handful of ghettoized and brutalized people, severely re stricted in their daily lives; hos tages who are not allowed to emigrate. Jewish life in Yemen no longer exists. The story of the Kurds in Iraq and the non Moslems of the Sudan are equally unpleasant. Yet, in their recent demonstration at this University, Arab students ironically proc laimed, “Jews Yes, Zionists No, Racists must Go!!” Zionism, the Jewish movement to return to the ancestral home, is the antithesis of racism in that it is a reaction to it. Zionism will exist as long as racist attitudes prevail in the minds of men toward the Jew. The State of Israel, where Jews can live freely, is thus a necessary reality. Paranoia? Yes, but justification is found in review of every genera tion since the Babylonian captiv ity. Furthermore, the “Oriental” Jews of Israel, those who the wri ter in question refers to as Letters Letters “second-class citizens” in their own society are primarily Jews who have been driven out of the aforementioned nations and have been welcomed into Israel. They are among the strongest Zionist supporters of the State of Israel for they have come to the realization that their only hope for a fair and judicious life lies in the future of the Israeli State. Unfortunately, the sudden influx of the Oriental Jews into Israeli cnriatv has rreated a class an tagonism; however, this is a sociological phenomena which will occur in any culture made up of a mixture of people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Unlike the chasm which separates Blacks and Whites in America, Israel is slowly but surely effecting an al leviation of the problem. Intermar riage between Jews of the Euro pean and Oriental extraction is on the increase, thus a blending of the two cultures is inevitable and equality is foreseeable. Hegaraiess, nowever, ot the re lief of class differentiation within Israeli society, this point remains: as long as such “racist” discrimi nation exists in nations around the world toward the weary Jew, there will always exist that need for, and thus the continued realization of, the Israeli State as a haven for the persecuted descendents of the ancient sovereigns of the land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. David Berne Sophomore, History _—opinion — SUAB: an exciting year ahead Submitted by Gary McMahon, SUAB Chair* person, 1978-1979, Mike Lockwood, ASUO Execu tive Coordinator, Cathy Teamen, SUAB Chair person, 1977-1978 SUAB is moving. The Student University Affairs Board has been a part of the ASUO since 1974. This spring, however, two constitutional amendments were passed by voters in the ASUO elections, both of which will greatly increase the potential of the Rep resentative branch of our student government. The first of these amendments liberated the position of Vice President for State and University Affairs to the sole responsibility of State Affairs. This shifted the weight of University Affairs Strictly to the Board, eliminating much needless ambiguity. The second amendment rearranged the 18 con stituencies of the Board to 17 constituencies and 1 chairperson, allowing the chairperson to focus on the smooth and continuous administration of the Board. In addition, the 11 newly elected members have a feverish enthusiasm similar to the new ASUO Execu tive. This contagion of enthusiasm and drive means a iot in any government, and it means even more in student government where it's so rare. One of the areas in which SUAB expects to expand is in the initiation of legislation before the University Senate and General Assembly. Because of the po tential important issues students can bring before these bodies, this becomes an important goal, in spite of the fact that very little legislation has been sponsored by SUAB in recent years. Another area in which SUAB expects to expand is that of student involvement. This will be accomplished in several ways: increased student activity in University Faculty and Departmental committees, organization and ac tive participation in academic student unions, and active solicitation of often neglected student grievances. The key to an effective and responsive Student University Affairs Board is student involvement. The 18 members on the board will be easily accessible through the maintaining of at least 5 posted office hours each week. These will be held in their respec tive departments, the Information and Grievance Center, and in Suite 4, in the EMU. Because it is unfeasible for the SUAB representatives to contact each person in their departments, it is up to you to take the time to find out who your representative is and when and where you can talk to them. SUAB is ready to take a more active role in University affairs, but the only way they can accomplish this is through constant student feed-back. The 1978 Board members are: Harold McLean.Law Anamaria Bell .Journalism and Speech John Koford.Business and Economics Open.Business and Economics Jess Barton .Education and CSPA Mitzi Primak .Education and CSPA Open .P.E., Recreation, Health, and Dance Robert Wah .. Biology, Chemistry, and Pre-Health Sciences Open.General Science, Physics, Math, and Computer Science Open .Architecture Salena Baker. .Fine and Applied Arts, Art History, and Art Edu cation Mike Haddock.Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology Kevin Pope.Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology Jim Pasero .Political Science, His tory, and Geography Elray Stewart Cook .Music Carrie Winegar .English, Languages, Geology, Philosophy, General Humanities, Linguistics, and General Arts and Letters Josh Smith.Undeclared Gary McMahon .Chairperson The open positions will need to be filled in the Fall ASUO election, so if you are looking for an in teresting and informative way to spend the next two years, you should seriously consider running for the position representing your major. Expect an exciting and productive year! 1 £MU.e,THEUl jo to wssjas uho ueac wsep hp HUPS A pav: SWFfu06 J&66&, TRJIT]U6 (KGr . Ott* w IDfc^P up tm Mf=. in
