Opening assemblies
Sunday and Monday the University will open doors and
philosophies and hold two days of all-campus festivities to
mark "Higher Ed Week."
University of Oregon Day at the Eugene Performing Arts
Center is labeled as "an Open House for the Community."
The ceremony appears to be a gesture of town and gown
solidarity: We support your Center please support our
University.
The presentations on Sunday are meant to show off the
University’s skills in music, dance and theater. A series of
lectures by economic and physics professors will unite the
academic and "real world."
The Emerald understands the need for such public
relations for the University. It applauds the cooperation of the
Hult Performing Arts Center and the city of Eugene, in
encouraging the use of the facility to bring Eugeneans,
students and even Springfielders together.
The Open House also gives poor University students a
chance to see the inside of the Center whether or not they
can afford a concert ticket. University students can ride free
to the Center on Lane Transit District buses Buses will run
from the corner of 15th and Kincaid to and from the Center
every 15 minutes from 11:30 a m. to 11 45 p.m
Closer to home, Monday afternoon the University will
initiate a "new tradition" known as a convocation. The "Fall
Convocation” aspires to unite the University peoples under
one idea for one day. Someone in the hierarchy (Dean Robert
Berdahl of the college of arts and sciences) decided that
students and faculty are united here by more than physical
presence.
The theme of the convocation this year is "Science and
Culture.” This is in keeping with the emphasis of the Univer
sity these days to unite high technology and liberal arts.
The 12 seminars offered Monday encourage the melding
of these two aspects of civilization. The convocation begins
with an address by Stanford University president Donald
Kennedy on the impact of science on the humanities and
culture.
Just like a high school assembly, students will be freed
from classes Monday afternoon. Instead of marching off
early to football practice or a beer at Rennie’s consider
attending the convocation. It is a rare opportunity to step out
of the rigour of "requirements" and take a look at recent
developments in science and their effects on humanity
WfN6 TOR REAGAN
letters
Hippy haven
I have been living in Eugene
for four months While it is a vast
improvement over San Francis
co, one thing really aggravates
me: Eugene is a haven of new
hippyism I could go on about
the neo-hippies' mellowness
and tolerance in the face of
bullshit or their bias against
those not "hip-' enough. But
what bothers me most is their
shallow eclecticism.
Neo-hippies will build native
American sweat-lodges, and
computers and stereos; they will
combine Christian mystical
practices and yoga; they will
practice witchcraft and support
space travel; they will be Crowl
eyites and self-proclaimed
shamans — without even think
ing about the contradictions
Certainty, contradictions in
practice are unavoidable for
anyone who wants to escape
the constraints of this society
while still depending on it for
survival. But the neo-hippies
choose to deny the contradic
tions.
Animism paganism, and
witchcraft, Christianity, eastern
philosophy, Crowleyism and
modern science are inherently
contradictory and mutually
exclusive world views Activities
based on these world views
become meaningless when
separated from their source
They become mere ritual rather
than a way of life By combining
activities based on contradic
tory world views, neo-hippies
debase these activities
My own world view is animis
tic My survival in this society
often forces me into contradic
tions, but I recognize and agon
Talmudic history (i.e. Jewish
history sanctions barbarism so
naturally JewsJsraelis practice
barbarism). If this letter wasn't
so repulsively anti-semitic, I
might find it humourous After
ail, who would have thought that
members of the Muslim
Students Association spend
their spare time studying
Talmud?
It's unfortunate that my semi
tic brothers have so little
understanding and apprecia
tion of what they're studying
Perhaps if they would show
more interest in talking with
Jews instead of battling them,
they would learn their lessons
better
Yeshlyah Gelrod
Law
No choice
TKic i i
your turn
“black experience”
Let me enlighten you to the
"Black Experience" here on
campus How does it feel to walk
into a classroom and be the only
person like you? To miss a class
and have everyone know you
are absent Or attend a blues
testival where over 70 percent
of the bands are white, along
with 70 percent of the audience
How many Anglos have really
felt the blues? lived the blues?
Do you know what it is like to
share a dorm room with som
eone who knows nothing about
who you are, or where you come
from or attend a "dance' and
hear music Fred Astaire
couldn't even learn how to
dance to?
With as many radio stations
as there are, you can only hear
the music you're accustomed to
for tour hours a week How
would it feel to have no one or
nothing to relate to, to identify
with? This is where the Black
Student Union comes in
We try to fill a void in a cul
turally stagnant environment
We aspire to create an
atmosphere instrumental to
providing autonomy and un
conditional positive regard for
black students while simultan
eously reducing any social
isolation they could easily feel
But we also aim at broadening
the general understanding of
the University and to perpetuate
the many aspects of black cul
ture We do this by sponsoring
forums on issues which affect
black people As Malcom X said
during the commemoration of
one of the greatest men in
American history, Dr Martin
Luther King, "You can’t
understand what's happening
in Missisippi if you don't know
what's going on in the congo."
by
James Britt
Jam** Britt I* president of tha
Black Student Union. BSU I*
located In Suite 14 EMU.
Oregon daily _ _
emerald
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Darlene Gore
Sally Oljar
Victoria Koch
Jean Ownhy
ize over these contradictions
The neo-hippies deny the
contradictions, accept everyth
ing and so destroy the meaning
of everything
David DeVries
Eugene
Distasteful
After being absent from the
University community for two
years, I had hoped that the level
of political debate dealing with
the Middle East had risen from
its simplistic, finger-pointing
level Mr Essa Musa's distaste
ful letter of Sept 30 has quickly
dashed my hopes
In fact Mr Musa has taken the
argument to new levels of
absurdity Not only does Mr
Musa subject us to the
predictable drivel of picturing
Israelis as inhuman, murderous
beasts, but he has the audacity
to back up his argument by giv
ing us a quick lesson In
I
editorials published in the Sept
29 issue of the Emerald,
regarding Senator Jesse Helms'
abortion- and prayer-related
legislation.
Years ago, the U S. Supreme
Court issued rulings on these
subjects, creating federal
standards, so Helms had no
choice but to address these is
sues through the federal
legislature But the only reason
why Helms legislation became
such an inconvenience is that
Packwood, Weicker and other
such senators refused to allow
the Senate to vote on the
proposals, insisting on con
ducting long and wasteful
filibusters
Whether I am for or against
Helms' legislation is immaterial
right now. but, it the Senate
engaged in a prolonged and
inconvenient debacle. Helms'
was not to blame
Thomas Kariar, Jr.
Fnahman
1
letters policy
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containing fair comment on issues, ideas and topics of
interest to the University community
The letters mutt be limited to 250 words, signed and
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The Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter for
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