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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 9, 1981)
opinion Plan land use It is very distressing to read comments like those expressed by Mr. Toedler in his letter of April 1 regarding his perceived constraints created by LCDC. This is a classic example of a myopic and nar row-minded overreaction to a struggling set of state-wide policies and guidelines (not public laws) attempting to develop local land use planning by local citizen groups. If he wants an environment of land development Laissez-Faire, per haps Mr. Toedler should live in environ ments where land use planning has been (and in most cases still is) essentially non-existent (e g. Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, etc.) and development-expansion-profit dom inates the bottom line, at the expense of Future Environmental Impact. My family and I own several pieces of real estate in Oregon, and would stand to realize considerable capital gain from their sale, were it not for land use planning. But to me, giving up these potential wind-fall gains in favor of a largely non-commercialized, livable and well-planned environment, is more than worth the price. Because LCDC is truly undertaking a task of Leviathan Proportion and (as a result), is having its fair share of difficul ties, perhaps the Mr. Toedlers of Oregon should re-direct their efforts toward as sisting this handful of overworked and underpaid planning board members in reaching equitable and reasonable land use planning objectives that will certainly benefit us all in the long haul. Otherwise, it would probably be in everyone’s best interest if the Mr Toedlers would move and relocate in other growth-expansion development areas of the country, where their efforts would be better appreciated Bruce Miller Graduate, health services administration Preventive policy In light of the recent fire in the dorms (no pun intended), I have come to the conclusion that U of O policy is generated in the future and not in the present. It seems that University officials are not interested in preventative action, but in forming new policies after an incident proves that present policy is inefficient. After an incident occurs, committees form to make amendments to present policy. An example is the most recent dorm rape. After this incident occurred, keys were distributed and locks were changed. These types of policies don’t prevent rape, but instead lead to gainful employment for an obviously overworked Locksmith. Fraternity hazing is just another exam ple. After tragedy occurs, committees form and make investigations and even tually cut privileges to the guilty Frater nity. It seems as though the Kappa Sigma Fraternity has gained the spotlight. Any Fraternity member knows that the Kappa Sigs are not in a class by themselves Why doesn’t the University investigate all the fraternities if they want to actually prevent these hazing rituals? It seems that U of O policy can be best put in the words of Jim Haney, U of O basketball coach: "Let’s look to the Future." This implies that we have to look to the future because we obviously aren’t prepared well enough to deal with the present. Drew O’Rouke Sophomore, pre-journalism Take action! I’m not sure of exactly what it takes to get to college students, but I sure wish I did It's not finances; sure you will all bitch and moan next year when your tuition vours jumps to over $400 per term for Oregon residents, but you won’t complain about it until you pay your fees next fall. By that time it will be too late to do anything about it. Then there are those of you who don't care how high tuition goes because your parents are paying for your education. But you will not be immune. Your realization might not come until your senior year when you can’t get in to a class you need to graduate Mommy and Daddy’s money can't buy a space in an overcrowded classroom. Then there are those of you who will not be back next year. Those with the money to do so will surely go elsewhere to where there is at least one desk per student and a library with books printed in the last decade. Far more of you simply won’t be able to go anywhere — your tuition will be higher, your financial aid package will be less and you probably won’t be able to find a job this summer. That makes it tough to go to college. What I am trying to say is: regardless of who you are, you are — and will continue to be — effected by the bugetary crisis the University is experiencing. While the situation is depressing, it is not too late to do something about it. There are four things we all can do to help: 1) Write a letter to your State Representative and let him or her know that you want to see higher education be a bigger priority in the state’s budget. 2) Attend the on-campus rally Friday, April 10 in the EMU from 11:30 to 1:30. The Oregon Senate President, the Speaker of the House and Congressman Jim Weaver will be there to speak and to listen to our concerns about the cost of education If you have a class, convince your instructor that this will be time well spent. Hopefully, faculty members will realize the importance of this matter as it effects them. Afterall, it may be their department that gets the axe next year 3) Take a whole day off and ride an ASUO-sponsored bus to Salem to U of O Day at the Capitol. Show the governor that we care about the future of our education Sign up in the ASUO office for a 50-cent ride on the bus. 4) Take time to share your concerns with others It’s one thing to pay more for better services, but the state is asking more from us while cutting services. It doesn’t take a busi ness major to know that paying more for less is a bad deal The last decade has been an apathetic one on this campus. People have been too concerned with personal matters. Now we have a personal matter that effects us all. Let’s do something about it! Greg Karris Senior, CSPA Squirrel planet? At last someone has dared to publicly speak out against the squirrels! Gordon Brown, surely you know what position you have placed yourself in now that all the squirrels know of your beliefs. For we too have experienced this “squirrel ar rogance” and recognize their incredible capabilities. We, too, have been mocked from above as we innocently walk under trees. We know the fear that at any second one of those “cute” animals could dart out of the bushes and viciously gnaw on our heels. It has even been reported to us that these unruly squirrels may have gone as far as to kidnap the Easter Bunny as one was sighted hoarding a chocolate Easter egg outside the Walton Complex. We appeal to you, the readers of the ODE, to support Gordon and the other members of the Coalition to Stamp Out Squirrel Arrogance and their fight against this atrocious act against socie ty. Remember Planet of the Apes? Do you want a Planet of the Squirrels? Dave Lund Freshman, Computer Science Stacey Brown Freshman, Psychology American ideals In response to James D. Miller’s letter of 4-8, I, for one, would not automatically fight at the call of the U S. government In fact, I might even resist. I am an Amer ican citizen, but don't identify as readily as Mr. Miller with the monolithic fiction of “America right or wrong” or against faceless “commies”. As a citizen of the U S. I believe in the ideals of freedom and self-determination this country was founded upon. As an individual on this planet among billions of other individuals, I recognize their — our — common struggle for survival and for freedom from oppression and exploi tation. I oppose the actions of any government, including the UbbH or ine United States, that infringe upon those rights and oppress millions for the poli tical and economic advantages of a few elite. In countless underdeveloped countries the United States betrays its own ideals for such gains, occasionally with reinforcement from its own military. These are policies no coinscientious cit izen of this planet can endorse. Mr. Miller, I think you have your definitions of cowardice and courage reversed. Courage is examining all the facts of a given situation and action on your individual moral and ethical beliefs. Closing your eyes and relying on mind less name-calling and jingoisms is true cowardice. Geov Leal Parrish Senior, Political Science American Way As an American I would like to com ment on James D. Miller’s letter in the April 8 issue of the Emerald. Military service is not the way to prove one is an American. The American Way is one of individualism, not conforming to the lives and wishes of others. Think, if you will, James Miller, that it was the individualis tic spirit of each and every immigrant to this country that brought the United States its residents They came for dif ferent reasons — to escape persecution, to live a free life — but it was this in dividualistic spirit that gave them the impetus to leave their home countries. We are not here today because our fathers and grandfathers fought in the armed forces. If anything, there would be more of us here today if they hadn’t fought ‘‘so valiantly" in the armed forces, "so valiantly” to defend the honor of this country in Korea and in Vietnam and look what that got us — thousands of corpses. The next time you feel inclined to at tack the individualistic rights and choices of others, James Miller, at least give those who have different views from your own the chance to do as they wish. David Isenberg and many others refuse to undertake military service because they feel what the military is doing is wrong perhaps if you examined the military’s actions you would come to the same conclusion Jay Leisner Junior, marketing
