I
Impetus provided
It's so simple, it might insult the intelligence of the
average college student
You walk up to the table You fill out the form. There are
some tough questions, like: Name? Address? Political party
affiliation? — things like that Then you stick a stamp on it and
drop it in the mailbox. Ta da! You're a registered voter
All this week our pals in student government will be
working hard to get students to complete the above And
folks, they're not doing it for their health
In the past, student turnout at the polls has been
atrocious Even during important elections such as the one
coming up Nov. 2, the percentage of student voters could be
counted comfortably on one hand
Student volunteers will be pleading with passersby to
stop at tables in the EMU, outside the University Bookstore
and in the dorms They know that the decisions made during
the coming elections will have a crucial impact on higher
education. They want to make damn sure that students have
a say in those decisions.
Take a minute to register. Within two weeks, Lane
County will mail you a little green card that tells you where to
vote Then comes the important part
Students have a vested interest in voting, believe it or
not. Issues such as the nuclear arms freeze, the property tax
limitation and the election of our next governor could easily
be decided by as few as 10,000 votes or less There are
approximately 50,000 students in Oregon’s state system of
higher education Less than 5,000 usually vote.
Funny things happen when a large number of students
make it to the polls Politicians start spending a little more
time on campus finding out what students are thinking, and
where they want the state's money spent. Student lobbyists
find themselves with something they’ve always wanted —
influence Legislators begin to legislate with student inter
ests — and votes — in mind. Suddenly, we exist
This week, the ASUO will provide the pens, the forms
and the impetus In November, why don’t we provide the
votes?
opinion
1
letters
Obsequity
The taxpayers of Eugene had
their faces rubbed in dirt twice
in one week First, in a surprise
move, the City Council, in per
haps the swiftest action in its
history, changed the name of
the Eugene Performing Arts
Center. Then the Eugene
Register Guard, a newspaper
that calls itself "a citizen of the
community,” betrayed that
community by defending the
Council's action, (Editorial,
Sept 29).
1
cort fernald
sidelong glances
There is no progression without
contraries
William Blake
I have long held the particular
notion that contradictions make
a person infinitely more inter
esting rather than wishy-washy
Contradictions magnify the
complexitites of a person's
character Without the dispar
ate, conflicting — and yes, even
hypocritical faces of a person s
character the robotic mentality
— singlemindedness — domin
ates
I have cultivated my own var
ied and sordid contradictions
and now find much comfort and
amusement when people give
that distinctly American "Huh?"
when I contradict myself
Contradiction can be viewed
as growth instead of confusion
— at least I like to think so It
should come as no conundrum
that the world is not black and
white Often the distinctions are
foggy and we grope blindly
r
through the gray What your
fingers contact in the obscure
light should be grasped and
held — and discarded when
something else is revealed
Strange as it may be, my life
has become cluttered with
"things.” At times I have been
plagued always by a virgule It's
an inexorable pattern to my ex
istence I have never been one
"thing" so much as one
'"things” simultaneously
I have been a writer/jour
nalist, a lover/friend, a man/
boy, and so on A virgule is a
piece of punctuation — another
of those odd inky marks in the
English language that con
founds readers and writers
alike A virgule separates alter
natives, such as and/or It
separates successive divisions
as well.
It seems so much better to
couch my contradictions with a
punctuation mark I am honest
to a fault, yet guilty of the in
sidious practice of pretense on
ly because of its practicality So
be it — I am an honest/liar
Politically, I have held to my
virgulean contradictions for a
very long time I am a rational
anarchist — I enjoy throwing a
brick through the dark glass and
letting the searing light burn in
This nonsensical society
causes wounds that need to be
cauterized
Contradictions are more than
expedient They are more than
just quirks of character that
make one more interesting
Contradictions illustrate the
ability of the human personality
to change and adapt They pre
sent choices which indicate
some sort of advancement —
and it matters not whether it is
progressive or regressive, only
that it is not static Cultivate your
contradictions Those beliefs
you hold near and dear today
you will contradict tomorrow
and eventualy shed for greater
contradictions in the future
1
Oregon daily _ m
emerald
The Oregon Daily Emerald is published Monday through
Friday, except during exam week and vacations, by the Oregon
Daily Emerald Publishing Co at the University of Oregon.
Eugene, OR, 97403
The Emerald operates independently ol the University with
offices on the third floor of the Erb Memorial Union and is a
member of the Associated Press
News and Editorial 6I6-5S11
Display Advertising and Business 555-3712
Classified Advertising SS5-4343
Production 655 4381
Circulation 536-5911
Editor
Harry Esteve
Page 2
Managing Editor
News Editor
Assistant News Editor
Editorial Page Editor
Photo Editor
Sports Editor
Associate Sports Editor
Entertainment Editor
Nigtit Editor
Associate Editors
Higher Education
Departments and Schools
Student Government
restores
Politics
Community
General Staff
Advertising Manager
Classified Advertising
Production Manager
Controller
John Healy
Merian Green
Cort Fernald
Joan Nyland
Boh Baker
Mike Riplmgar
Paul Da.uer
Jonathan Siegle
Cort Fernald
Dabble Howiett
Sandy Johnstone
Pic hard Burr
Sean Meyers
Mlchaie Matassa
David Brown
Darlene Gore
Sally CHfAr
Victoria Koch
Jean Ownbey
In an editorial of Oct 1, the
Guard as much as admitted that
the Council's methods were less
than honorable Its editorial of
Sept 29 mistakenly asserted
that the meeting at which the
Council had put a price tag on
naming the Center had been
well publicized. It had not
Without the inconvenient pre
sence of opponents, the Coun
cil was able to offer the Center's
name to the highest bidder The
Council had acted dishonora
bly; yet, the Guard upheld the
Council's action Whence the
rewards of obsequity?
When the voters of Eugene
were asked to commit 18.5 mil
lion tax dollars to the Center,
nothing was said about naming
it for a major benefactor In
deed, most of those who voted
for the Center must have been
confident that it would receive a
name much like the one first
given it It was after the citizens
of Eugene had signed over their
money for years into the future,
that the council elected by
those citizens decided "it would
be proper” to name the Center
for a major donor, (Guard, Sept
29)
Bringing up the naming or
Autzen Stadium (Guard, Sept
27), is an irrelevant rationaliza
tion That "facility” was not paid
for with tax monies; nor was it
voted on by Eugene taxpayers
The Guard, in its editorial of
Sept 29, tells of facilities in
Toronto and Baltimore "named
for people who have big bucks
Are there not similar centers
named for the cities in which
they are located? Is the Guard
guilty of selective researching?
And what if the day comes
when the City, supported by the
Guard, has to go back to the
people for additional funding for
the Center? What then?
While the citizens of Eugene
are grateful to those who gave
sums large enough to be
classed as major donors, the
giving by these benefactors
does not hurt them as much as
property taxes hurt the "minor”
donors Those with the "big
bucks" should heed the precept
of Jesus "When you give alms,
sound no trumpet before you "
(Matt 6:2)
G|ve the name of the center
back to those who contracted
the biggest commitment the
citizens of Eugene
Quldo Paiandri
Library
Controversy
I am tired of dull letters to the
editor, so I am throwing down a
challenge to everyone out there
who feels the same way. I hope
someone will start some raging
controversies, so the letters to
the editor are interesting to
read Let’s make them all one
paragraph, so we can read more
of them. Here are a few
possibilities: all Christians are
nitwits, bring back Al Haig, let's
censor the Emerald, owning a
car is immoral, and marriage is
for the birds Surely someone
can do better than this
Mary Flinders
Half a salute
The student editor of the
University newspaper wrote an
article condemning the appear
ance of the city of Springfield
It was a "ripping” article, said
the president of the Chamber of
Commerce
The mayor is now apprehen
sive as to "what the University is
all about," Weyerhauser may
cut off their generous grants
No one said he was wrong,
just that he shouldn't offend
certain people The editor,
Harry Esteve is entitled to half of
a salute
The other half is due him in
three years when he publishes
in the real world an article that
makes the mayor, the Chamber
of Commerce or some big cor
poration mad
When he is successful in do
ing that while working for a
media that cannot offend those
advertisers who wish to contin
ue ripping off the public or those
public relations persons or
those slick city fathers — all at a
time that he is restricted to the
traditional targets politicians
and movie stars — and still
makes those big shot snobs
mad, then he will know, as I have
known for many years, "What
the University is truly all about."
It is all about free speech with
out tear
The University is where I
learned to be obnoxious, many
years ago A half of a salute to
you, Harry, I'll look for your
name in three years it I'm still
around, but please don't talk
that way about Klamath Falls —
we've got class
Sam McKeen
Klamath Falls
Monday, October 11,1982