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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 1981)
opinion_ Questions remain in latest rape on campus The lackadaisical University physical plant and housing department probably could have prevented the latest campus rape. Lisa Chase, the resident assistant of Walton Adams dormitory, says the physical plant failed to respond to her requests, eight times since Sep tember, to fix the window latch on a second-floor room. Police believe a man climbed through the window early Saturday morning and raped the occupant. The latch was fixed Saturday. The physical plant's lock-the-barn-door after-the-cow-gets-loose mentality is unforgiva ble. We agree with Chase: "I hope to God someone sues their butts off.” And if her story is correct, the physical plant is no less responsible than the housing department, which should have continued leaning on the physical plant until the window was fixed. Housing department officials have offered a rather measly defense of themselves and the physical plant, claiming records show the window was fixed Sept. 29. That point has been disputed by Chase and other residents of the dorm, along with David Clarke, chair of the Carson and Earl Halls president’s council. Clarke bluntly says the rape occured because of an “incompetent and negligent housing department.” But even if the window was fixed in Sep tember, nobody denies it was broken Saturday morning, and Chase is adamant in her claim that the physical plant delayed more than a reasonable amount of time in repairing the broken latch. “The physical plant is famous for not doing what they’re supposed to do,” she says. If housing department officials are correct — if the latch was fixed in September — then the questions are “how long was the window broken prior to Saturday morning’s crime?” and “how many requests to fix the window did the physical plant ignore?” So far, the evidence indicates the physical plant and housing department will have to do most of the answering. If, on the other hand, the claim made by Clarke and Chase that the window remained broken until Saturday is correct, both depart ments are probably negligent and responsible for the third campus rape in five months. In addition, there will be serious questions about the work order in housing department records that maintains the job was completed in September. Chase’s story implies that record is incorrect — either by accident or design. Police Sgt. Rick Allison said Tuesday that because they are so small, it is easy to make dormitory rooms safe. His words are gaining a tragic irony. Fishbowl smoke I am truly delighted that the nasty traffic-flow problem in the Fishbowl has been cleared up. When I want something to eat these days I can get in and out of there in about half the time it used to take. This means I only inhale about half as much cigarette smoke. The conclusion I have come to in recent days is that $167,000 was spend on remodeling the Fishbowl for the sole benefit of those I will call primary and secondary smokers; in other words, those who actually do the smoking and those who are willing to sit in the same poorly ventilated room with the smokers and inhale their exhaust fumes. How about some consideration for the true non-smoker? Common sense sug gests that even if the Fishbowl had a designated non-smoking area, which it does not, the smoking section would have to be postioned along a wall with open windows and/or beneath efficient exhaust fans Otherwise, the act of de signating a non-smoking area would be sheer tokenism Cigarette smoke does not stay on one side of an imaginary line just because some wishful thinker places a sign on a post. While the new and improved Fishbowl is being made accessible to hand icapped people, why not make it ac cessible to non-smokers, too? A concern for the environment could start right here in front of our very eyes and under our very noses if you get my drift I've been told I can keep my lungs for another six or seven decades if I take good care of them. I must admit the idea appeals to me. Yvonne Vowels Senior, Asian religious studies Little-fellow reply At the invitation of Jean Lorraine in her letter of Jan. 12 entitled “Feminists Will Win”, I’d like to do a little “cringing, whining, and carping ” It's true that the things I value in women are “big tits, a tight ass, and bubble-headed giggles”. However, I don’t drink until I barf; I don’t paw myself on campus; and I do value intelligence in a woman occasionally. I hope that I still qualify as one of her “little fellows” so that my whining is justified. Miss Lorraine defined the word, Feminist, by listing the things a Feminist finds boring and repulsive. This was to clear up the fog that supposedly bothers us “little fellows.” It seems instead that she merely reinforced the stereo-type of a Feminist as a “frustrated female in heat." As an example, I cite her descrip tion of typical male/female roles as dis gusting. Clearly, social roles are not so important to anyone (male or female) who is secure and confident in their own self-worth. Also I do not find passive women to be necessarily unfeminist as suggested by her definition. I feel that passiveness can be a virtue in any per son; even a Feminist. In fact, I would like to propose my own “foggy” definition of a Feminist as one who believes that the personal value and importance of someone is independent of sex. Admit tedly this definition is simplistic but at least it avoids all of the negative exag gerations that seem to flow from frus trated minds. Furthermore, I find Miss Lorraine's attitudes and definitions damaging to her own supposed cause. By using bubble headed cliches and ranting and raving about irrelevant personal pet peeves, one can only draw ranks and solidify closed minds. If one seriously wishes that social values be changed, he or she should concentrate on winning allies rather than declaring enemies. What does the statement, “Feminists will win” mean anyway? It seems to imply that someone must lose something. I cer tainly hope that its not big tits and tight asses. In conclusion, I’d like to say that I'm seriously in favor of equality of the sexes and I just wish the same thing were true of more Feminists. Bob Johnson Graduate student, physics Dormscam? Perhaps it's something we can call DORMSCAM, but no matter what we call it, it's a coverup. In the Tuesday's Emer ald article “Police request 'lock-in' at University dorms” by Bill Manny, the news is very informative, and gives ex cellent suggestions concerning rape and theft prevention, however it fails to report the whole story, or rather...the real story. The Emerald’s editors must have cut the part of the story that tells just why the rapist was able to gain entry so easily into the Adams coed’s room. The article im plies that the window was left unlatched. This is a false implication. Sources within the Housing Dept., who asked not to be identified for fear of losing their jobs, have revealed that the latch on the woman’s window was not unlatched, but altogether missing, and had been since September. The missing latch was reported four or five times throughout fall term by the resident assistant, but only in vain. How ever, the morning following the rape the missing latch was replaced. But now it’s too late — a woman has been raped due to an incompetent and negligent Hous ing Dept. There have also been reports by residents in Walton Hall that some exter ior doors don’t close tight enough to lock. Others have said gaps between doors and jambs are wide enough for an amateur to ’’card.” Still others complain of pest and rodent problems (also common to Carson and Earl Halls). I requested to be President of my hall to do my part to improve residence hall life, and I will not stand for another rape or assault or infection due to pests caused by negligence. I encourage residents to contact their parents concerning the matter, and ask them to write to the Housing Dept, pro testing the lack of decent safety in the halls. My apologies to Dan Williams, Dick Romm and Larry Spencer of the Housing Dept., but somebody had to tell. David Clarke Chairman, president’s council of Carson and Earl Halls fetters policy The Emerald will accept and try to print all letters containing fair comment on ideas and topics or interest to the University community Letters must be typewritten, using 65-character margins and should be triple spaced Letters must be signed, the author's field of study (or faculty status) noted and should include address and phone number where possible
