opinion_
Closing one college saves entire system
A suggestion in the Oct. 20 Oregon Journal by
staff writer Diane Carmen that retiring Chancellor
of the state System of Higher Education Roy
Lieuallen ought to do his successor — and the
state system — a favor by closing one school, is
not to be easily dismissed. The closing of one
school is one of a dwindling options left to the
state board to ensure for the continued financial
solvency of the entire state system
This is the time, while the Legislature is
demanding another four percent cut, to shrink the
state system to a size more realistic with the
economic conditions of the state
Lieuallen may suffer a wave of criticism for
making such an unpopular move — but the future
will prove it a necessary decision If Lieuallen
decides to eliminate one school from Oregon's
eight state colleges, it will strengthen the remain
ing schools
Critics doubtless will say Lieuallen is sacrific
ing readily-available education, even though the
concept of availability is not the major issue
The concept of availability is coupled with a
determination to promote regional access to
higher education Many of the state colleges were
converted from Normal Schools solely to accom
modate a specific region
The Oregon Journal opinion tacitly advocated
the closing of one state school, although it didn't
venture which.
The Emerald agrees that one state school
should be closed — if only for the good of the
whole system
In lieu of this admittedly drastic action, the
State Board should eliminate entire programs
from the system and sell off some land-holdings
Those land-holdings run in the millions of dollars
throughout the system
All the state schools are teetering on the brink
of financial exigency Portland State University,
looking ahead, declared exigency last month
Throughout the system highly qualified faculty
and staff are being layed-off Many administrative
positions that require dynamic leadership are
being filled by less qualified — and lower paid —
people If those positions are being filled at all
This is certainly a case of all the schools
suffering because the system is not fat, just too big
for the economic realities There are stronger
schools and weaker schools as a result of the
budget being spread so thin. University Pres Pau
Olum termed this as the creating of ‘‘mediocre’
institutions His judgement is correct. Anytime s
strong institution is stripped to bolster a weak one
the entire system suffers
The duplication of curriculum programs a
many schools hasn’t been resolved even thougt
the state system has been under extreme scrutiny
This duplication is again the result of the Norma
schools being converted to colleges When this
conversion took place there was general prolifer
ation of programs throughout the system, regard
less of existing programs at other institutions.
Duplication exists, as an example, in teache
education. The University, Eastern Oregon State
Oregon State, and Southern Oregon State Colleg*
all have elementary and secondary teache
education programs This is twice the number o
programs needed
Schools such as SOSC and EOSC have little
in their curriculum to validate them as essential to
the system Neither school has little more to offer
than their location Is locale reason enough to
keep EOSC and SOSC as financial liabilities?
Estimated enrollment figures for the current term
indicate a loss at either of these schools
Wouldn't it save the state system more money
to close SOSC or EOSC?
The problem is not keeping the state system
functioning at its present size — the problem is to
take the necessary measures to keep the system
at a size equitable to the state budget
Lieuallen has a number of options before his
retirement He can do what is the most painful, but
what is best for the state system as a whole Or he
can continue to cut a little here and a little there,
' bleeding the entire system
- Something has to give — one diseased limb
f can kill the entire tree despite all the careful
pruning of the other limbs
etters
'WHAT ISBWTCIWK.SENO*?'
Greek excess
As Alan Wright stated in the Oct 22
Emerald, the Greek system has both
advantages and drawbacks This
statement cannot be intelligently denied
Through various articles, letters, and
classified ads redundantly printed in the
Emerald, the Greeks have convinced
many that they truly enjoy their system
Great!
However, all this has recently been
taken to excess In particular Wright s
description of Greek society as a
"microcosm” of American society is
exceedingly putrid in its connotations.
The mainstream of our society is adverse
to petty rules and rituals which impinge
upon personal freedom of action This is
not to say Americans are adverse to
uniting into groups as a means of ad
vancing common interests But there is a
fundamental difference between the
Sierra Club and the Elks The Greek
system does not in any way represent
American society in miniature Rather its
structure and organization place it in a
class of ideologically uniform, socially
biased, and ritualistic organizations such
as the Masons or Elks.
So Greeks, enjoy your system and its
benefits — but cut the bullshit! We have
been insulted enough be lofty analogies,
Pan-Hellenic Councils (Socrates would
surely roll in his grave), and other such
absurdities Your true identity will always
shine forth from the intellectually stunted
D,
A
classifieds your members submit — with
out fail — to every edition of this paper
John Grove
Junior, economics/history
Frat life
Fraternity life must be a great learning
experience I mean, really, wild beer
brawls, beautiful women, brotherly love,
and best of all — that good old school
spirit I think it would be great to live with
45 guys Just think of all the friends you
could make And the ladies, all you need
to do is attend weekly or bi-weekly
■functions" and PRESTO — you get laid
every night It’s no wonder the Greek
system produces a gut reaction for many
students
Mr Hallquist states that “It’s easier to
criticize than go through rush " Well, I've
gone through rush and I’m also criticiz
ing Rush week involves more bullshit
phony politics than most rushies ever
conceive Fraternity members claim that
you must pick the house with guys who
you could live with How on earth can a
freshman make such a decision in haste?
Well, if he’s got bucks, or if he’s an
outstanding athlete, it's no problem at
all. The members will manage to recruit
the cream of the crop Once you pledge a
house you probably will become part of
the Greek system for the rest of your life
Don’t get me wrong Not all frat boys
are insecure, selfish, and big-headed
It's just that they get wrapped up in a
unique living style which seems to con
trol their behavior and formulate their
values Looking beyond these stereo
types, there're plenty of "good guys"
who live in frat houses I guess it's just
not my trip1
Jim Lake
Junior, telecommunications & film
Support
The postponement of FBI recruiting on
campus due to failure to comply with
affirmative action policies regarding
homosexuals is applauded by the
University Gay Peoples’ Alliance We
also wish to express our sincere sense of
support and gratitude to the law school
for taking the stand it did
The FBI conception that homosexuals
are more vulnerable to compromise
because of their sexuality is self-fulfilling
Any homosexual who is "out" has no
fear of blackmail, as blackmail is ineffec
tive when the knowledge is common and
not embarrassing If a homosexual did
not have to fear loss of employment at
being exposed, an outside party seeking
to blackmail the individual with the threat
of exposure would have far less pressure
to apply. It is an illusion that homosex
uals are any less emotionally stable or
able to cope under pressure, and it is
erroneous to assume they would func
tion any less efficiently
The law school's pursuit of fhe matter
is admirable Dean Bell's inquiry and
subsequent postponement of the
recruitment until the FBI presents a suit
able reply shows a dedication to the
overall principles of affirmative action
and deserves support and praise It is
extremely important that American
society move forward in combating dis
crimination in the form of racial, sexual,
or any other kind of discrimination The
law school's actions do this
Unless the FBI changes its blatantly
discriminatory policy, it should not be
allowed to recruit on campus at all The
University owes this to its students, gay
or straight
Gay Peoples’ Alliance
letters policy
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