opinion_
Olum's handling of PNRC shows savvy
Who says politicking doesn't pay-off7
University Pres Paul Olum, who "waffled on
the Pacific Northwest Resource Center
controversy, and — to extend a metaphor —
emerged from the sticky situation unbattered and
smelling as sweet as maple sugar
Olum, in effect, took no initiative to make a
decision regarding the PNRC on-campus No
decision was the smartest thing Olum could've
done, in light of the covert political and business
influences involved That's political savvy He
shifted the final decision concerning the fate of
PNRC onto the National Wildlife Federation They,
predictably, opted to consolidate the University
PNRC with a regional office in Portland
Now Olum can shrug and say to law students.
“Shucks they want to move off-campus
what can I do?"
What has Olum done9 He neither backed nor
attacked the PNRC situation directly The only
aspect of the PNRC issue Olum addressed was
that of University programs being — ideally —
“neutral "
That position has been criticized by many
involved in the controversy All that was neutral
was Olum's leadership
The motives behind Olum's indecisiveness
remain unclear Who — or what — influenced his
apparent indecision9
At the outset of the PNRC debacle documents
from a State Board of Higher Education hearing
indicated powerful business (timber and cattle)
interests were demanding the University sever all
ties with PNRC's Environmental Law Clinic
Olum replied with his vaunted “neutrality”
posture
letters
Protest not amusing
So. Mike Cross, member of Young Americans for
Freedom found Wednesday's Die-In" at the EMU
amusing " Well I'm young. I'm American and I enjoy
freedom and I find nothing amusing about a protest
against a very real and serious threat to our most basic
freedom our right to live
He must have found the Hiroshima and Nagasaki
display in the EMU lobby a real knee-slapper Most of
the people I saw at the display and Die-In' were awed
and dismayed by the distructive power we, as a race
have created
But I seriously doubt he'll be laughing if and when
he, and I. and 250 million of our fellow humans are killed
or greviously injured in a nuclear war Cross would do
well to remember as would our national leaders, that
war especially nuclear war does not respect party
lines
Thomas Birland
Sophomore, political science
Greeks aren’t to blame
The yearly controversy concerning the relative
merits of Greeks as opposed to non-Greeks has once
again reared its ugly head on the editorial page of the
Emerald While all you seeming victims of paranoia run
about like chickens with their heads cut off in your
endeavor to prove one side or the other better through
the power of the pen I have decided to review the whole
question from a rational historical perspective Let us
examine the facts
First who was responsible for all those dirty ugly
nuclear weapons7 Was it a Greek7 No. it was Albert
Einstein a German' And who caused World War II7 A
Greek? No. another German Hitler' And once again,
who was it that started World War I7 A Greek7 No way it
was the Kaiser another damned German!
Let us examine the flip side of the coin Who have
been famous figures of Greek history7 Look back we
have Aristotle Plato and Pericles, a fine group of men if
ever I saw one
The lesson seems obvious to anyone with half a
brain It is the Germans and not the Greeks we should
be worried about So I say why don't you people just lay
off those poor Greeks after all they've never bombed
the Acropolis like the Germans did in World War II
There are probably only two or three Greeks on this
whole campus and no doubt they have their own
problems to worry about
Later, state Rep Margie Hendrickson, D
Eugene, brought to light memos from the House
ways and means committee clearly showing poli
tical pressure on Olum to remove PNRC
Oium persevered with his neutrality ma
neuver, and seemed to be deliberating the PNRC
question
At this point Olum adopted the "concerned
University president" attitude and met with
University law students It was a clever show — but
his intentional lack of decisiveness prevailed
Olum left the actual decision to the NWF In the
meantime he dragged his feet, hemmed and
hawed and stalled the media His lack of deci
siveness sent a clear message to NWF officials
that the decision was theirs Is it any surprise the
NWF chose to move off a campus where its status
with the administration was uncertain7
Olum has yet to act as University president
and take a firm stand regarding PNRC The NWF
decision to move PNRC to a regional office in
Portland has made any stand by Olum moot
The PNRC situation, as • handled” by Olum,
makes the Emerald wonder how Olum will ' han
dle” any similar situation in the future This
University requires vigorous leadership, not busi
ness and political wrangling The schools and
departments need leadership that will not flinch
when the programs important to education —
whether "neutral” or not — are attacked by out
side special interests
The expediency of the political climate, test
ing the winds from Salem, is no way to run a
university
Olum managed to escape the villain's guise in
the PNRC controversy by indecisiveness But he is
not unscathed All in all it was a fascinating display
of milquetoast leadership slowly souring
lwm i
'HELLO,LEONID? NGTHcRtS NCNccDTCRcPlY. THAT WAS JUST A WARNING SHOT TO KEEP At Mb HAPPT1'
I hope that this rational historical view of the
situation will lay this silly argument once and for all to
rest and that we may return to the kind of intellegent
dignified correspondence which this page deserves
Phillip Seder
Ph.D., history, ethnic studies
Pessimistic attitude
Could Oregon grow in population yet remain a
producer of agricultural goods and provide the scenic
beauty we all enjoy7 We could but no-growthers claim
we re overcrowded and we should stop raising families
Not only is their attitude overly pessimistic — it's
downright stupid'
Oregon s population is 2 5 million and our land
area consists of 96,981 square miles Let s compare
Oregon with a country nearly identical in land mass to
illustrate the absurdity of the prophets of doom West
Germany has managed quite well industrially and
agriculturally with a plot of land smaller than Oregon
West Germany s total area is 95,914 square miles with a
population of 63 million
Population pessimists contend much of our land
isn't usuable because it’s barren
But look at what the Mormons accomplished in
Utah a century ago That area was harsh desert and
they made it productive Fortunately they had ambition
— not rigid land-use laws designed to concentrate
populations
Anyway face facts, my friends this country s
population will expand even if Americans altogether
stop having children With foreign immigration at
current levels this country will be filled up with those
now arriving from other countries and their posterity
Your genetic extinction won't accomplish a thing
Ed Crockett
Abbie Lane, Eugene
The draft & the bomb
Did anyone get the chance to attend the sympo
sium entitled "Your Rights in Regard to the Draft"7 I
stood alone before the locked door of Room 110 EMU at
12 30 Tuesday — no symposium no explanation My
disappointment was brief because I was equally anx
ious to listen in on another symposium scheduled for
the same hour elsewhere in the EMU The topic After
the Bomb has Dropped Medical Effects and Civil
Defense Plans Considering it a reasonable substitute,
I decided that what one of them couldn't reveal about
my defenselessness against military strategists, the
other was sure to illustrate Perhaps it was of little
difference that I went to the Bomb ' symposium
instead of the 'Draft' symposium One of them might
have told me I would wear a uniform and carry a gun
within this decade The other told me my skin will burn,
my tumors will grow and I will die just as miserably
wearing a uniform or not1
Jordan Greenbaum
English
YAF inevitabilities
For those of us alive in the world today there are
certain inevitabilities we can look forward to such as
death and taxes Another, which members of the
campus can look forward to is at least one rambling
diatribe a year from Jerry Peyton For those who are
new here Peyton is a self-righteous, self-appointed
advocate for the working class who spends his spare
time acting as chairman of the University chapter of
Young Americans for Freedom
In his Nov 5 letter to the Emerald, Peyton accused
me of spreading lies and innuendoes" about YAF
because I had previously published a tune taken from
their songbook Well, I wouldn't want to do anything to
harm YAF as their position and philosophy is weak
enough as it is However, I'm fully prepared to
document the existence of the YAF song for anyone
who's interested Furthermore, if I'm truly guilty of
spreading lies about YAF then why hasn't Peyton filed a
libel suit against me9 The answer is that having revealed
some embarrassing truth about his group for which
th^re is no other explanation he can only respond with
frantic and hateful rhetoric
David Isenberg
Senior, international studies