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.
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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
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