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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 27, 1982)
I opinion Welcome reader Welcome back readers to a year full of ironies In the midst of the worst recession to hit Oregon since the Depres sion, the city of Eugene and the University has decided to celebrate The celebrations began with the opening of the Hult Center for the Performing Arts They will continue next Sunday with University of Oregon Day at the Eugene Per forming Arts Center (now the Hult Center) The University also will be holding a “Fall Convocation” on campus next Monday afternoon. The hopes of these festivities, besides removing our thoughts momentarily from our joblessness, declining en rollment and overall economic woes, is to unite us as a city and University Officials of the city and University hope to stimulate the arts and academia The Emerald applauds the attempts of these groups to encourage artistic, intellectual and economic expression here However, the editors and staff do not intend to forget the problems of the University and its environs in these tenuous times One way the Emerald hopes to strengthen its opinion page is by instituting a new opinion feature “Your turn" is the name of the column and as its name implies, the Emerald hopes the space will entice University thinkers to take a turn and present their informed opinions in the paper The Emerald is earmarking some of this editorial space for people we think have special points of view or expert opinions on issues concerning the University The editorial board invites any person to submit “Your turn.” Unsolicited columns will be run on the basis of merit Look for “Your turn" this Friday and every Friday “Your turn” will not be changed by the editorial staff The essay should be approximately 500 words in length and typed It should be sent to the editorial page editor, ODE, Suite 300 EMU, University of Oregon, 97403 The last bit of editorial news: This year the Emerald's editorials will reflect the majority opinion of an editorial board The new board will meet weekly to discuss and vote on the editorials for the following week. So, welcome back readers We re looking forward to hearing from you Article elicits anger An article that I wrote for the Emerald's "Fall Orientation Issue" has elicited a great deal more emotion and response than I imagined it would Entitled "Springfield: The other city," the article was a satirical attempt to portray some observations of my own and to describe some typical Eugene stereotypes of our neighboring city. The article was not written with malice toward the good citizens or businesses of Springfield After living in Springfield for more than a year I felt qualified to give some of my impressions of the city But in doing so, I lost sight of my objectivity and the article became a one-sided look at Springfield's bad side The article did not mention the hard-working residents who are proud of their city and who want to see it prosper Nor did I mention the Island Park Professional Center, the Senior Citizens Center and other projects designed to enhance Springfield's livability and its image As a result, the article caused some warranted anger and displeasure My primary consternation is that the article ran as a straight news story and not as a column as it should have This was a mistake and I regret it Despite this particular article's overt one-sidedness, the Emerald will continue to strive for accuracy, fairness and excellence Harry Esteve Oregon daily m _ emerald The Oregon Dally Emerald Is published Monday through Friday, except during exam week and vacations, by the Oregon Dally Emerald Publishing Co at the University of Oregon. Eugene. OR, 97403 The Emerald operates independently of the University with offices on the third floor of the Erb Memorial Union and is a member of the Associated Press News and Editorial SM SStl Display Advertising and Business Mt-3712 Classified Advertising SSS4341 Production SS« 4,1*1 •M-Utt Circulation Editor Managing Editor News Editor Assistant News Editor Editorial Page Editor Photo Editor Sports Editor Associate Sports Editor Entertainment Editor Associate Editors Higher Education Departments and Schools Student Government features Politics Community General Staff Advertising Manager r.lassified Advertising Production Manager Controller Harry E steva John Healy Marian Green Corl Eernald Joan Nyland Bob Baker Mike Blplinger Paul Oanfer Jonathan Siegie Debbta Hewlett Sandy Johnalona Richard Bun Sean Meyers Michelle Mataaaa David Brown Darlene Gore Sally Oitar Victoria Koch Jean Ownby 'the Soft slanting light of autumn, the gentle, mellow air. funny little golored things falling OFF THE TREES SUNDAY AFTERNOON THERE'S NO FOOTBALL. I'M OUTSIDE' AAASGW.'' Springfield reacts to story Perpetuates problem The Economic Audit ot Lane County commissioned for the Lane Economic Foundation revealed a "town-gown" dicho tomy The editorial of Sept 20, "Springfield, the Other City"' certainly perpetuates this prob lem I thought we were all going to work together to improve our economic community, that the University was trying to gather support for its programs and its future in towns all over Oregon It will be difficult with attitudes such as ones expressed in that editorial As a University alumna and former writer for the Emerald, I do defend the editorial freedom required to produce a piece such as the one in question Freedom of the press protects editors by allowing diverse opinions, but nothing can pro tect a writer from being foolish and narrow minded As a final comment, the horse which stands at our west gateway was designed by a University student It has been in disrepair for several years, and this summer volunteers have spent untold hours clean ing. painting, weeding, tilling and preparing a new planting In fact, a group of Springfield teenagers (some of the "edgy" ones?) spent seven hours in the hot sun on a Sunday hacking brush I know; I was with them If the selling and wearing of Birkenstocks is a measure of the worth of a community's inhabi tants, I guess Springfield may fail. Funny, I thought community worth was measured by other standards: pride, support of our hospital, schools and business communities, and the pleasure of small-town life Gall Norris Springfield Sophomoric Your sophomoric and poorly written piece on the city of Springfield in your orientation issue failed to mention one thing: that big white horse was created by a sculpture student from the University in Eugene Cynthia Anderson Springfield Unfortunate Who is Harry Esteve, and why is he saying such nasty things about Springfield'? I am prompted to respond to a "story" in the Emerald s Com munity publication by Mr Esteve about Springfield I find It difficult to express the extent of my shame and embarassment at his openly prejudiced and elitist attitudes, not so much because he has these tendencies, but because he uses the news media to actively promote them When I studied journalism, one of the first points we learned was the responsibility of -- balanced and objective reporting I do not advocate restricting the right of free ex pression, but we must assume that a fundamental purpose of the Emerald's editorial staff is to teach good journalistic stan dards, not condone vicious prattling Mr Esteve attacks Springfield residents with a bigoted fervor reminiscent of the way Nazis used the media to promote the "inferiority” of Jews If I believed Mr Esteve, I could conclude that in addition to their brown smiles, hick town atti tudes and lack of Birkenstocks, Springfield's citizens must also have sloping foreheads, low IQs and eat their young when they run out of foodstamps I would be curious to see his story notes, which I assume in clude interviews with the mayor and other city residents Or did he acquire his facts" after a couple of beers and a quick drive down Main Street? I live and work in Eugene, but for some time I have been ac tively involved in Springfield It is unfortunate that the very cooperation so long sought between these two cities is often undercut by the egregious atti tudes of people like Mr Esteve I hope he senses no personal thrill from having received a journalistic "dueling scar " Because of his poor reporting abilities, to associate what he writes with journalism is too far for even me to stretch Chrlntopher Pryor Springfield 1 letters policy The Emerald will accept and attempt to print all letters containing fair comment on issues, ideas and topics of interest to the University community The letters must be limited to 250 words, signed and the identification of the writer must be verified when the letter is turned in to The Emerald offices, EMU 300 The Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter for length, style or content Publication is dependent upon the space available
