emerald
platform
Sexual harassment rule full of loopholes
The proposed rule prohibiting sexual harass
ment is a dangerous piece of very ambiguous
rhetoric that does little to alleviate the practice or
problem of sexual harassment at the University.
Moreover, the way the proposed rule is worded
almost ensures immunity from punishment for
staff or faculty members accused of sexual har
assment.
The preamble to the rule is a confusive mor
ass that on the surface bears a semblance to
condemnation of sexual harassment.
“Sexual harassment of students, faculty or
staff,” the rule reads, “by other members of the
University community is unacceptable conduct
and will not be tolerated.” Terse and incisive
rhetoric — certainly the rule deserves critical
acknowledgement for understatement.
“The University has no desire to regulate the
private lives of consenting adults . ” The
proposed rule is quite broad on this point
Whether intentional or not, the proposed rule has
the affect of regulating private lives of students,
faculty and staff
Sexual harassment is defined as “any sexual
advance, request for sexual favors and other
verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature
when:
“Submission to such conduct is made either
explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an
individual’s employment or academic experience;
or
"Submission to or rejection of such conduct
by an individual is used as a basis or condition for
employment and/or academic decision affecting
such individual; or
“Such conduct has the purpose or effect of
substanitally interfering with an individual’s work
and/or academic performance or creating and
intimidating, hostile, or offensive working and/
academic environment.”
The proposed rule says that any individual
who has done any of these things “has engaged in
unacceptable behavior.”
The matter of sexual harassment at the
University is serious. And yet, the language con
demning such behavior is not.
The sanctions themselves are too ambiguous
to be effective. Any person believing they have
been subject to sexual harassment may file a
formal complaint with the Director of Affirmative
Action. If after an investigation and a hearing the
faculty (or staff) member “found to have engaged
in sexual harassment may be subject to a written
reprimand to be included in personnel files
and/ to evaluations of less than fully satisfactory
service.”
This proposed sexual harassment rule seems
to protect the faculty and staff members. What
good does it actually do? There appear to be no
real punitive measures in the rule. It does not have
enough impact to dissuade anyone from commit
ting sexual harassment as the redress and re
tribution amounts to but a slap on the wrist.
The question of due process of law is raised
by the proposed rule. An accused has the right to
face their accuser. The confidentiality of the
complaintant in such an instance cannot then be
guaranteed.
There exists the possibility of a retailitory
action by the offender which could jeopardize a
student s academic career The faculty offender,
as a means of revenge for a complaint, might
throw out a student s thesis or dissertation and
destroy more than just their academic effort.
While addressing the very real problem of
, sexual harassment the proposed rule fails to
clearly define that problem, fails to present an
effective counter-measure, fails to guarantee a
complaintant's confidentiality, and fails to reach a
fair and fitting punishment for the offender.
letters
Prison reform
Oregonians will soon vote on
Bond Measure No 3, a request
for $60 million for the expansion
of existing jail and prison facili
ties to alleviate overcrowding.
This figure is deceiving for it is
exclusive of interest rates,
operation costs and inflation.
Construction of new facilities
requires 3 to 4 years According
to Robert Watson, Administra
tor of Corrections, this delay
would increase the cost per
(maximum security) cell from
$65,000 to $161,700 Aside from
the greater cost, any delay
offers little to relieve over
crowding Operating costs are
the most expensive, with the
initial cost of constructing a
medium security facility being
matched every 4 to 5 years To
Oregonians this would mean
$120 million over 10 years and
$960 million over 30 years.
Oregon cannot afford these
enormous sums when there are
daily accounts of budget cuts in
education, community services
and law enforcement
Oregon incarcerates so many
persons it ranks among the
highest third of all states Our
nation detains over 550,000
people behind the walls of 6,980
correctional facilities Few
countries impose harsher sen
tences than the United States,
and only South Africa and Rus
sia imprison more people De
spite these disturbing facts
people of Oregon, of our nation,
do not feel safe; crime flour
ishes and so does the public’s
fear
Voters of New York, Michigan
and Rhode Island opposed
similar bond measures forcing
these states to explore more
immediate and cost efficient
solutions to the dilemma of
overcrowding
Lora Pierce
W. 23rd Eugene 9740S
Religiosity
Through no intention of my
own I have become somewhat
of an expert from the inside
point of view upon religions of
many diverse descriptions I
have investigated both the Mor
mons and the Jehovah's Wit
nesses (the two most rapidly
growing religious groups of
their size). I have known people
in such diverse groups a? the
Muslims, the Moonies, ^ i the
Maranatha people What do
these groups have in common?
A fervent belief in God Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth and
the apocalyptic certainty that
their particular group had an
infallible inside track to this
God
What is “the mystery of God"
that should be fulfilled by his
servants the prophets in the last
days according to Revelation's
10th chapter in the Bible? Here
in this letter I will unfold it to you
as I have been given it as one of
the prophets
Suppose you are asked to
cross a one-foot wide, forty-foot
long plank supported three feet
above the ground Surely you
could do it Now picture the
plank five stories up, and that
you have no expertise in this —
the psychological barriers
would be immense But, if you
could convince yourself that it
were "really" just three feet up,
even though this were false, the
impossible becomes possible
Fools rush in where angels fear
to tread, and with the help of
"God,” who can do all things,
knows all things, is totally wise
and good, etc., one goes on
ward
How can a seeker, such as I,
come to know the truth regard
ing God? Suppose you are with
someone claiming contact with
God (any deity will do) — Jesus,
Pan, Allah, etc ask — does this
deity know my thoughts? Invar
iably. yes Ask this deity, then,
what number I have in mind, and
I will pick a hard to guess
number between 1 up to 1,000
Invariably the supposed deity
will be powerless to pass such a
simple test
But some will quote, "Thou
shall not test God." I say if God
cannot survive such a simple
test of his (or her) powers, how
can we place much confidence
in him (or her)?
But I close by saying that I,
too, believe in God He is with
me when I wake and gives me
courage to rise and face the
obstacles of each day’s impos
sible tasks; he talks with me and
chastens me and gives me mor
al and other advice He is a fig
ment of my imagination, but
without Him I would be lost May
you have the good fortune to
find Him, too
The Prophet
Glmll Foster Khazed
staff
The Oregon Deity Emerald It published
Monday through Friday except during
finals wee* end vacations by the Oregon
DeUy Emerald Publishing Co.
News 686SS11
Advertising/Business 636-3712
Classifieds 336-4343
Production 636-4381
Editor
Sally Hodgkmson
Managing Editor
Gabriel Boebmer
Newt Editor
Harry Eslere
Aaaiatant Newt Editor
John Healy
Photo Editor
Bob Baker
Graphic* Editor
Michael Schafbuch
Editorial Page Editor
Corl Fernald
Sport* Editor
Steve Spatz
Assocleto Sports Editor
Jeff Dickerson
Entertainment Editor
•*r Meyer
■ghl Editor
Gabriel Boehmer
A ttocimlr Editor».
ASUO
Dane Claussen
Community
Marian Green
Deportmenta end Schoola
Debbie Howlett
fMtum
Sandy Johnstone
Higher Education
Ann Portal
Politics / Environment
Ron Hunt
G MMl Staff:
Ad**rt/«/ny Dine to,
Darlene Gore
Clmetined Advertlalng
Sally Ol/ar
Production Manager
Ann Peterson
Controller
Jean Ownbey