daily'Emerald
Vol 83, No 45
Eugene, Oregon 97403
Thursday, November 5, 1981
ROTC control rests in faculty’s hands
By ANN PORTAL
Of Dm Emarald
This article is the second of
two parts discussing the
University's ROTC program.
The Reserve Officer's
Training Corp doesn't drill on
campus anymore In return, the
University community rarely
grills ROTC faculty or students
Lt Col Steve Wolfgram says
his experiences since coming to
Eugene this vear haven't borne
out what he was told about
University students Although
his uniform draws some glances
when he goes to class, students
rarely comment, he says
"I think there’s a difference
between being accepted and
being embraced." he says
However, the recent
controversy over the
Environmental Law Clinic and
University neutrality reminded
students once again of ROTC —
a campus program since 1947
The neutrality issue questions
the on-campus location of the
Pacific Northwest Resource
Center — a major environmental
law clinic supporter The
agency should not be located
on campus because positions
adopted by the center
compromise the University’s
neutrality, University Pres Paul
Olum says
Some law students recently
countered that ROTC's
presence on campus has
compromised University
neutrality for 34 years
But Olum says ROTC — an
academic program — can't be
compared to the PNRC — a
public agency functioning
within an academic program
"I think it's not right to claim
7 think there's a
difference
between being
accepted and
being embraced.'
Photo by Mark Pynes
Steve Wolfgram
the same issue’s involved,”
Olum says
"One has to do with Universi
ty neutrality on public policy
issues The other has to do with
the appropriateness of an
academic program.”
In addition, the University
faculty retains control over the
program and its curriculum,
Olum says The faculty
approved the program, and any
changes must come from the
faculty, he says
"ROTC — whatever else you
might think about it — is an
academic program within the
University," Olum says
"I wouldn't touch that myself
any more than I'd touch the
Environmental Law Clinic.”
Provost Richard Hill agrees
with Olum that ROTC is
controlled by the faculty, and
that questions of neutrality
should be directed to the faculty
assembly
Hill does say he's concerned
that some of the ROTC
curriculum is controlled by the
U S Army rather than the
University But that is a matter
for the faculty to discuss — not
the administration, he says.
At least one faculty member
would like to do something
about the University's ROTC
program
Biology Prof Bayard
McConnaughey has asked the
faculty assembly 12 times in the
past 14 years to abolish the
ROTC program, and he says he
expects to do so again this
February
McConnaughey says ROTC is
an inappropriate academic
program that violates University
neutrality far more than the
Photo by David Corey
Paul Olum
‘ROTC
whatever else you
might think about
it — is an
academic
program within
the University. ’
PNRC because "the outside
control is much more overt."
Allowing the Army to teach
the University s military science
program is like asking the
Catholic Church to teach
religious studies,
McConnaughey says, adding
that the University should study
the military, not train it
Kicking ROTC off campus
would have only a symbolic
impact on the U S. military
system, McConnaughey says.
But he says he thinks it’s
important to accomplish things
on a local level
Wolfgram says he
understands students’ con
cerns about ROTC's neu
trality He points out ROTC
is not a policy-making
program" and that the Universi
ty is allowed to reject any or all
ROTC faculty members
recommended by the Army.
However, the University can
chose only officers referred by
the Army.
University students are
different from students at, for
example, Oregon State
University, Wolfgram says. OSU
has a combined Air Force, Army
and Marine ROTC enrollment
this year nearly eight times that
of the University
University students perceive
discipline in a different way and
are more concerned about
personal freedom, he says
“This place is a marketplace
of ideas and opportunities,’’
Wolfgram says
"I don’t say my idea is the
best It's not for everyone,
certainly ”
<=harges
negotiations,
By PHIL LEMMAN
Of the Emerald
Many issues used by Arab
nations to criticize Israel have
been blown out of proportion
as an excuse not to enter
peace negotiations, an Israeli
diplomat said Wednesday
Meron Gordon, vice-consul
at the Israeli consulate in San
Francisco, said the question of
establishing a Palestinian
state in the Middle East is a
good example
“If by some miracle the
Palestinian question is solved
tomorrow, many of the Arab
states will find another reason
not to negotiate with Israel,”
Gordon said
Gordon, speaking to about
50 people in the EMU Forum
Room, said Jordan was
intended to be the Palestinian
state in the Middle East by the
British when they ended their
occupation after World War II
He said Jordan's population
was and is mainly Palestinian
Arabs and it was not until
Israel took control of the land
from Arab nations in the 1967
war that the issue was brought
up.
Israel's relationship with
South Africa has been twisted
by some nations, Gordon said
Israel ranks 28th among the
countries that trade with South
Africa, providing less than 1
percent of the volume of trade,
he said
However, at a recent United
Nations session Israel
received more than its share of
criticism
“During this session not one
delegate asked one of the
preceding 27 nations what is
going on with your relations
with South Africa?’ The
question came directly to
number 28, to Israel,” Gordon
said
"We get the core of the
blame for upholding
oppressive governments,”
Gordon said "I think we
should put it in some kind of a
perspective before we say
those things ”
Gordon acknowledged that
many problems face any
peace negotiations
"We have to overcome a
very, very difficult
psychological barrier on both
sides You deal with a problem
in which you, personally —
serving in an army of one of
the parties — participate in
-wars and shoot at people
"And suddenly you have to
go to those same people and
tell them okay, I don't hate you
anymore, let's be friends.’ It
isn't easy.”
Photo by Bob Baker
Meron Gordon