opinion
Elementary cuts;
they’re only logical
We live in a state with one of the best funded elementary
and secondary school systems, with one of the most strin
gent set of requirements for elementary and secondary
teachers and with duplicate programs to obtain these
certificates
Within the Oregon state system of higher education,
prospective elementary school teachers can obtain a cer
tificate here, or at Eastern Oregon State College, Portland
State University, Oregon State University, Southern Oregon
State College and Western Oregon State College They
could also obtain a certificate at Lewis and Clark, Concordia,
Linfield and Pacific Lutheran colleges
We live in a state with overextended and underfunded
higher education, a state that has been plagued with revenue
shortfalls The next shortfall — estimated at $150 million —
probably will come in September
In this period of budget cuts and tacit pressure from the
Legislature to reassess the worth of every program of the
state system, there is no more room for discretionary cuts.
The next step has to be closing departments, schools or even
an entire college The logical cuts are programs that are
duplicated by almost every other institution in the state —
elementary education
This proposal seems all the more realistic in the face of
declining enrollment next year at all the major state institu
tions of higher education and the decline in elementary and
secondary school students which has been occurring over
the last 10 years
This idea obviously has occurred to someone For
instance Pres Gerald Leinwand of Western Oregon State
College is leaving in September over rumors that the Legis
lature wanted his school shut down WOSC has traditionally
been a teacher's college It now has seven departments, all
duplicated within the state system
Perhaps a cost benefit analysis would show closing one
of these certification places is unfeasible Perhaps the baby
boom, predicted to enter school in the 1990's, requires that
all these opportunities for certification remain intact Per
haps not
Is there still a need for teacher training in every corner of
the state?
Selective Service
squeezes students
As the U S Selective Service System puts the squeeze
on the few good men who refused to register for a potential
draft, students — especially poor students — are getting
caught in the middle
Turning one crank of the vise is the Internal Revenue
Service which recently began using tax records to mail
warnings to non-registrants It also has threatened to furnish
their addresses to the draft board
Now university financial aid officers are being asked to
twist the other crank A federal law that would require
financial aid applicants to furnish proof of draft registration
already has passed the Senate and will be debated in
Congress soon
If the law passes, an 18-year-old undergraduate who
comes from a poor family and wants to continue his educa
tion would be punished if — for whatever reason — he objects
to serving in the military Although his chances of being
criminally prosecuted are slim, financial aid ineligibilty would
block him and thousands of non-registrants from getting a
college degree
This represents an about-face from the once-prevalent
attitude that education is more important than armed military
service
Out of school, with no college education, facing the
worst unemployment situation in decades, a young man still
must bear up under increasing pressure to join the military
Navy and Army ads that promise jobs and useful skills are the
most obvious pressure Increasing numbers of full tuition
scholarships offered by ROTC tempt more and more fresh
man into the military because it is the only way they can
finance their education
These are clever games played by the Selective Service
and the military We urge university administrators to join the
growing movement to resist them
I
letters
'MENACHEM sent ME '
Swim safety
As a whitewater boating
enthusiast and a volunteer with
the Lane County Sheriffs
Department Search and Rescue
unit, I was appalled at the
cavalier attitude displayed in the
June 21 Emerald article on
swimming holes
In particular, I am concerned
with your enthusiastically en
dorsing the footbridge rapids
area on the Willamette River for
swimming without informing
your readers of the extreme
hazards that are present there
The river bottom has numer
ous disconformities that can
trap and hold feet and legs The
bottom is littered with bicycles
and other debris that have been
thrown off the bridge Boats and
rafts coming downstream are
often left with little choice but to
run over ‘devil-may-care”
tubers and swimmers whom
they can't see until it’s too late
to maneuver
Many of the boaters using this
section of the river are inexper
ienced and little skilled in con
trolling their craft In addition,
there are often people jumping
and hanging off the bridge and
tether surfing off the river bank
The combination of these
hazards creates a moderately to
extremely dangerous situation
for swimmers, especially those
swimmers inexperienced in
whitewater and ill informed of
the risks
A canoeist drowned in the
footbridge rapids last summer
There have been numerous
near drownings, head and neck
injuries, broken limbs and as
sorted lesser first aid problems
at that site
I don't mean to seem alarmist
or namby pamby about this
matter However, new initiates
to the sport should be aware
that there are inherent dangers
The activity is particularity
hazardous when done without a
life jacket, footwear and proper
technique, (sitting position, feet
downstream)
Death by drowning could put
a serious hitch in anyone’s
summer plans As responsible
journalists, you owe it to your
readers to inform them of the
hazards when you're promoting
a recreational activity or par
ticular site
Please, in the future do a bet
ter job of it.
Bruce Ronning
Eugene
Coupon probe
The July 8th edition of the
Emerald published an article on
page 3 headlined. "ASUO's
connection with coupons
probed ." The article dragged
the name of Windfall Advertis
ing (the publisher of a coupon
book for University students)
over the coals
It contained many erroneous
and damaging statements
wrongly implicating Windfall
Advertising in illegal activity.
The incident mentioned in the
article involved a contract
between a local chiropractic
clinic and Cooperative Services
of Lansing, Mich , (also a sup
posed coupon book publisher)
who used the name of ASUO on
their contracts without ASUO's
knowledge
Cooperative Services also
falsely told advertisers ASUO
was handling distribution of said
coupon books
The article implied that Wind
fall Advertising had a part in this
wrong doing when, in fact, they
did not, as a retraction will state
in the Tuesday, July 13 edition
of the Emerald
However, f’m sure the retrac
tion will not dwell on the incom
petent reporting of the Emerald
staff, especially that of Steve
Hooks, the author of the article
Newspaper articles such as
this that confuse facts give the
print media a bad name, and are
certainly blemishes that ques
tion the integrity of the Emerald,
not legitimate businesses like
Windfall Advertising
Al Grossman
Windfall Advertising
Oregon doily
emerald
Th« Mimiw mMioa of the Oregon Daily Emeiaid m published
Tuesdays snd Thursdays, except during exam week and
vacations, by the Oregon Deity Emerald Publishing Co at the
University of Oregon Eugene Oregon. 97403
The Emerald operates independently of the University with
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member of the Associated Press
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