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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 7, 1978)
opinion ars_ IFC candidates : a strong field There’s more than one election in town this week —14 students are vying for the opportunity to divide $1.5 million in student funds. Facing an unusually bright group of candidates this year, University stu dents have the opportunity to elect a responsible Incidental Fee Committee that can guide ASUO budget policy with sensitivity. Topping that list is Scott Bassett, whom students have already endorsed strongly by placing him first in the Inci dental Fee Committee primary election held last week. Having served on the committee last year, Bassett has demonstrated an ability to deal critically and justly with diverse programs. At the same time he has developed sensible ideas about improving the IFC’s credibility and promoting ASUO programs. It was Bassett who thought of having a computer card at registration to exp lain to each student that $31.50 of the tuition money paid each term supports ASUO programs and expenditures. He also plans to use the athletic tic ket subsidy as a negotiation tool with the athletic department to win more use of Mac Court for cultural activities. That sort of insight into the political power of the IFC will make it a useful arm of student government. If students cast only one vote in the election it should be for Bassett, both as a member and to chair the commit tee. With Bassett at the helm, we think experienced candidates Dusty Rhodes, EMU board chairer, and Janet Eggleston, two-term incumbent, will be able to maneuver the committee through its stickiest budget line — the EMU. We support the IFC’s attempt to exert more student control over a prog ram students fund and think the ex perience of those three members, combined with their determination to have administrative control or not fund administrative salaries, will lead toward achieving that goal. Dusty Rhodes’s expertise of the EMU budget led to the IFC’s closer ex amination and practices that would lead toward better scrutiny over one half of all student fees. Janet Eggleston also has the spirit and determination to work for more student control over the student funded student union. In fact, her ea gemess to fight has earned her a repu tation for insensitivity and bullheaded ness with some programs. We acknowledge those deficiencies (so has she) but expect her two years on the IFC, other committe appoint ments, and desire to ma.e the IFC work, will insure that when Janet Eg gleston speaks, she’s speaking from more than obstinance. Clark Harris, who was added to the list of finalists only by a recount of the ballots from last week’s primary elec tion, also receives our endorsement. Harris comes to the IFC race with polit ical experience on both the Jim Weaver campaign and through working as a volunteer coordinator with the ASUO this summer. He encourages publicity programs to increase student input into the IFC. Harris would also back the Oregon Student Lobby, and feels the Athletic Department should attempt to find other sources of funding, such as increased use of Mac Court for con certs and other events. Janet Schroer thinks the IFC should strictly monitor the EMU budget, that athletic department funding should be reduced, and that affirmative action is a consideration in funding programs. A first-year law student, Schroer has ex perience with academic budgeting and understands the power wielded by the IFC. While we cannot stand as solidly be hind the following four candidates, we think each is worthy of consideration. Debra Ehrman, a second-year law student, thinks the EMU and Athletic Department budgets could be cut, but doesn't yet have a solid working know ledge of the various funded programs and lacks substantive administrative experience. While serving on the bookstore board, Rocky Schatz gained consider able understanding of the budgeting processes for large amounts of money. But he favors unilateral budget cuts, a move we think damages programs un necessarily. Schatz advocates IFC choice of the EMU director and thinks the EMU is funded badly. Mohammed Abdullatif, a linguistics graduate student, stresses the need to trace program expenditures, and thinks that large programs are the most likely places to make cuts if the need arises. We think he would give careful, sensitive consideration to funding. yg rs Opposes IFC candidate It is appropriate that Janet Eggleston, candidate for an Incidental Fee Committee seat, listed in the Oct. 25 Voter’s Guide three examples of the program-funding guidelines that she worked hard in constructing and punctuated each with a question mark. The interface between IFC and student programs in Architecture and Allied Arts in the 1977-78 academic year was Ms. Eggleston, and one could describe the phenome non no more gently than to say that it was questionable. In dealing with those student programs, Ms. Eggleston usurped her position as ‘tag person’ by misrepresenting the sentiment of the IFC to the programs and by acting to generate an new program (an Architecture and Allied Arts Student Union), and she divested herself of her primary responsibility in helping those programs develop realistic budget proposals. The result to-date has been that, with the exception of the publication of Avenu, the most direct return of IFC monies to students in AAA is an entity that is in limbo. In short, I am concerned that she is on the ballot and I urgently recommend that she not be elected. Thank you. Mark Booth fifth year, interior architecture Nelson for IFC Bill Nelson is an excellent candidate for the Incidental Fee Committee. Not only has he already served four months on the present committee, but his ideas merit atten tion. Since there has been so much uproar over the ques tion of proper allocation of fees, Bill Nelson proposes a public hearing, with an open invitation to all students and program directors to attend, on the subject of proper alloca tion of fees. Bill Nelson would also like to see a favorable resolution to the questions being raised about some form of student voice in the operation of the E.M.U. This student voice should be heard in the hiring of administrative per Page 4 greg wesson tabled indefinitely Oregon’s done all it can to make it easy to vote short of having mail-in ballots. Registration goes on until the polls dose at 8 p.m. It’s a system designed to give those living transient lifestyles a chance to have some influ ence over dedsions made about Oregon’s future. Too many waste that opportunity, dismissing politics as a crooked game they want no part of. Bullshit. Politicians are people and as in any group there are going to be assholes. The vote gives a way to get them off the public payroll. Most of us lack the bucks needed to influence an election and the ballot gives us a way to equalize things. We can counteract those spending hundreds of thousands to defeat Ballot Measure 5. Despite the fact the measure is endorsed by most of the state’s news papers, and senior organizations, opponents of the move, which would allow denturists to fit dentures at a considerable savings to the customer, have spent over If the measure passes, Oregon would be the first state to enact such legislation. The dentists understand it would be tough to make a hundred thousand a year if such laws become common, and want to stop the movement here. And dentists aren't the only rich folks worried about today’s election. Pity the stockholders of PGE, the state's largest constructor of power plants like Trojan and the coal-fired plant in Eastern Oregon. Ballot Meas ure 9 would end a system which allows utilities to include new plants in the rate base before the plants are produc ing power. As it is now, the utilities gamble with ratepayer’s dough and if the plant proves profitable, the bucks go to the stockholders. A nice system. Finally consider the rich folks' biggest gift, Ballot Measure 6. If 6 passes the green-chain puller at Interna tional Paper will eventually be paying some of the property taxes of IP's owners. Rich guys like Howard Jarvis have manipulated discontent with taxes to line their pockets. But we can foil that manipulation. Vote. sonel, personel whose salary is already paid out of Inciden tal Fees. In line with this, Bill Nelson would also like to see the E M U. special reserve be returned to the I.F.C, who has the final responsibility for allocation. Finally, everyone who reads this letter must realize the commitment to serve on the I.F.C. The time commitment for the months of January-June can amount to several forty-hour weeks. Bill Nelson has the commitment in time, energy, and attention to students’ interests to be an excellent I.F.C. member. I hope you will vote for BILL NELSON. Stan L. Newcomb sophomore, undeclared letters policy The Emerald will accept and try to print all letters and opinion columns containing fair comment on ideas and topics of concern or interest to the Univer sity community. Letters and opinions will be run on a first-come, first-served basis. Both letters and opin ion columns must be typewritten, using 65 character margins, and should be triple-spaced. Letters and opinions must be signed and the author's field of study (or faculty status) noted.
