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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (June 7, 1982)
emerald platform Gray neo-right “The Berkeley of the Northwest” — that's how this University was once described. But, with the trend toward conservativism, this University bears a striking resemblance to Bob Jones University — or for that matter — Oregon State. This conservative swing spells trouble for this and other universities, not only among students, but in the temper and type of education offered by universities nationwide The neo-right censors have become more organized and active protesting literature they deem unfit reading. University and public libraries are ostensibly under seige from these neo-right moralists. The study of literature and literature itself may be irreparably damaged Certain groups have been invading curriculum and seeking to legislate what can and cannot be taught. The ridiculous attempt by groups to have a law passed in some states that the theory of evolution be taught only in conjunc tion with the teaching of “scientific creationism” is but a single example. The teaching of sex education is under attack by or ganizations that consider it both immoral and beyond the scope of the educational institution. And yet they propose no viable alternative to this much needed instruction. Even the concept of developing human potential is being condemned by these neo-right factions. A ilorhi r/%wr>olinn otntnmnnt uiOC ioci iaH tho ' ' .. —— -- ~ J - Moral Majority, expressing their point of view that human beings are not capable of self-development. The Moral Majority have called “student-development professionals" amoral secular humanists who are destroying the traditional family and moral values upon which this nation was founded In disputing the constitutionally legislated separation of church and state, the neo-right organizations maintain universitites are “tensed" against faith. Nothing could be further from truth Universitites are neither “tensed” for, nor “tensed" against faith. It is impor tant for universities to establish an environment that en courages the interchange of ideas, respects differences of opinion and taste, and enhances the opportunity for students' self-discovery. Changes in attitudes and environments can be directly attributed to the invasion of neo-right groups onto campuses across the country. There is a reduced tolerance for the rights of homosex ual, libertarian, and politically-left individuals and groups to organize and receive recognition on campuses. There is a significant increase in the level of fundamen talist religious activity and destructive cult recruitment on campuses. This activity is often accompanied by an increase in religious proselytizing and reduced tolerance for other’s beliefs. There is an increasing tendency of groups like the Moral Majority to advocate wide application of “moral" judgements to provide universal answers to questions. And there has been a reduced emphasis on affirmative action, reduced levels of higher-education financing and student financial assistance, and more blatant manifesta tions of Pres Reagan’s administration conservatism — such as a reduction in human services The dogmatic narrow intellectual view of the neo-right represents a profound threat to the free attainment of information and ideas so imperative to education. The environment of a university ideally should an arena for the examination of many points of view. This examination of diverse view points prepares students to make responsible and rational choices in their lives. Otherwise, the society becomes a mass of gray faces, experiencing gray emotions, speaking in monotones the gray dictums the neo-right says is the whole gray truth. Letters not printed The Emerald regrets that due to the volume of letters received this term not all will be printed. Those letters not printed Spring term will be printed in summer editions of the Emerald when space allows 'iwwmt —W STATE HWKTMSNT WOULD NEVER WAVE ALLOWED Hi* ENTRY TO THE US.! letters Harassment It concerns me that at the University in the 1980’s we have a need tor a taskforce to deal with problems of racial harass ment. I will be first to agree we need laws and statutes, task forces, and whatever else will help us “insure" against racial harassment But it concerns me nonetheless that this institution whose students took a leading role in the civil rights movement in the 1960's is still dealing with the same issues, only this time the administration is taking its turn at the lead We should have been able to assume we had learned more from the 1960's. I expect we understand pro tection against racial harass ment doesn't come from a task force or from a set of laws and statutes Rather, we realize such protection comes from in dividual attitudes and actions towards that end much more than it ever could from the other It is appalling that this univer sity has a math professor who used racially slanderous statements to explain story problems in a calculus class This incident, as well as other violations of racial harassment causes me to applaud all the more the administration's at tempt to protect against such acts on this campus These violations should motivate us to categorize such behavior as nothing less than ignorant and criminal. Racial harassment will proba bly never completely subside, nor will one individual ever do much to change our path towards that end. Until we see that we are all part of the same team and that we must adopt a respect and way of acting towards one another that re fleets that, and that protection from racial harassment is best ensured by changes in the atti tudes and behaviors of in dividuals. we can not expect that Pres Olum's taskforce will be of great success We may very will be able to predict, on the other hand, that twenty years from now in the year 2,000 we will be ushering in yet more taskforces, statutes and laws proclaiming protection from racial harassment along with a new century. Debi Lance Propaganda The authors of “Vicious Propaganda” and "Twentieth Century" (Letters June 4), al though they undoubtedly would consider themselves to be "so phisticated, open-minded, intel lectuals,” do, in fact, hold a world view — commonly held on this campus — that simply will not tolerate anything (even reality) which clashes with their deeply-cherished views. For example, when the grim pictures of the victims of Hiro shima are shown on campus students applaud: “Powerfull” "Truth" "Reality" And they are right Furthermore, when peace ac tivists seek to de-mythologize the "glories of war" by present ing graphic images of beheaded and disemboweled bodies the accolades ring forth: "Right on" "Damn straight" "Truth” And they too are right. But try to present the grim realities of abortion — the bodies of the unborn brutally dismembered by vacuum abor tions or burned alive by saline injections — and listen to the reactions: “Fabrications" “Lies" "Vicious propaganda." There seems to be a double standard operating here. And there is However, the problem is not the so-called propaganda That is reality Rather the prob lem lies in the eye of the beholder To prove my point I would like to quote from a bygone chapter in the illustrious history of the ‘‘enlightened twentieth century." ‘‘Just imagine that these events were to become known to the enemy And were being exploited by them. In all probability, such propaganda would be ineffective simply because those hearing and reading it would not be prepared to believe it.” (The Reichkommisar for the Ostland to the Reichminister for oc cupied territories — June 18, 1943). Tom Visoky Graduate, Journalism Loss of Green It is our belief that the students at the University are about to lose a very valuable professor in Dr Barbara Green Green is one of the few profes sors who devotes as much time to her students as she does to her research. She is also one of the few professors who facili tates class discussion such that contemporary controversial is sues can be discussed and debated We do not know on what grounds the University deemed Dr. Tillery a better professor, but we do know that the students at the University may be losing one of the few teachers who puts students first. It is our belief that it would be in the best interest of all involved if the University would print the reasons why it hired Tillery over Green. Suresh Narayan, Don Anderson Marketing ■----staff- - ----—m The Oregon Doily Emerald In published Monday through Friday except during final* weak end vacation* by the Oregon Dally Emerald Publishing Co. 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