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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 7, 1983)
Ijoan nyland suitable for comment Floundering. To be more precise — mov ing through academia without a foothold. Case study: The student who goes to Academic Advis ing and gets someone to shake their head: “Yes, physics is a good class. Yes, math is a good subject. Yes, it looks like you're fulfilling your clusters.” Where is the advice? Advising requires some ex pertise. It also requires some caring and a willingness to state an opinion. Sometimes it requires a lot of time. Understandably many ad visers, professors, and counselors are not willing to stake their opinion on a stu dent’s academic and voca tional career, but is no advice better? Many professors also do not have the time to counsel handfulls of students through four years at the University. That does not excuse the numerous students who can not find a professor to work with on a senior project or answer questions on their discipline. Where is the professor will ing to say, “Don’t take my class, you need class X more.” Where is the career counselor who helps students market the major they have chosen, instead of suggesting a "business package?” There are some helpful peo ple out there. Many depart ments have a room with train ed peer advisers.Jto. answer graduation and resume questions. Some of the floundering could easily be avoided by training professors in all departments and schools. It is not that difficult to inform them of the basic graduation requirements of the University or their department. Gradua tion requirements may be the primary responsiblity of the students, but wrong advice or no advice often costs a term in school. Departments or schools could simply post graduation and major requirements on their bulletin boards. A graduate student in each department or school could be given an adviser role. Not only would this be nearer expert ad vice it would lesson the load of numerous professors. Deans could also encourage their faculty to give candid ad vice. One assumes a scholar has a “feeling” for the Univer sity ropes, but often that knowledge is lost in not wan ting to discourage students from other classes. The “other” classes make a difference. It matters whether a journalism major takes gram mar instead of physics for their elective credit. It matters whether a history student takes Japanese or guitar lessons It matters that some one is willing to give advice or challenge the course of a student's studies. It can be very frustrating floundering around the Univer sity campus — spending precious time learning who to seek advice from. Many of us are upperclasspersons before we realize that the best advice on classes comes from peers you trust, the best critique on a paper comes from an ac quaintance who can write and the best advice on careers comes from graduates who have found work. 'New,please hold still- this is purely defensive.1' [[letters IFC funding Last Monday, the Emerald reported that increases in the ASUO Executive's budget “have come during a time when enrollment — and therefore the amount of stu dent fees collected — has decreased.” In February, the “ASUO Pro gram Press” stated that “declining enrollment is the reason why many programs have had their budgets cut for two years in a row." If we believe everything we read, things look bleak at best. The suggestion that student fees have decreased, however, is false on two counts: 1) Last year the toal ASUO budget was $2,160,366. Next year the total budget will ex ceed $2,330,000. Simple calculation indicates an 8.5 percent increase in spending in two years — not a decrease. 2) Last year the ASUO spent $44 per student per term to I letters Abusive words While we're on the subject of sexist language, don’t forget along with heman to use shema’am. But that’s just a matter of semantics. The real problem lies in the way our language reflects racial prejudice, words like blackball, whitewash, redneck, and yellow. There is also a bias against older persons: mold, rage, and nature, not to mention phrases that favor people without han dicaps: "both feet on the ground,” "best foot forward,” ’armed," and "eye opener ” I thought we had these pro blems licked when we eliminated words abusive to ethnic minorities, but now I perceive that anybody using genders in his language is a nigger making Pollack jokes. I'm just thankful my first name is still a title of nobility, which can only be rhymed with good words like pearl and girl. Earl Gosnall Eugene Career women I would like to thank the Women's Symposium for pro viding the opportunity for the series of panel discussions on "Women in Careers," the panelists for sharing their ex periences and perspectives with us, and the Emerald for successfully conveying the ex citement of these sessions in its coverage It is unfortunate that a graduate student was cited as the only woman faculty member in the physical sciences at the University. A survey of the chemistry, geology and physics depart ments finds three women on the faculty: Jane Gray (biology/geology), Charlotte Schellman (physical chemistry) and Helen Lang (geology) Margaret Graff graduate, physics Oregon doily gon doily . _ emerald The Oregon Oady Emerald *s puWsshed Monday through Friday encepi during a«am wee* and vacation*, by irta Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co . «t the University ot Oregon. Eugene O* 97403 The Emerald operates independently ot the University wifh offices on the third floor ol the (m Memorial Union and is a member of in* Associated Press SMASH MMMI Editor M»n»gmg Editor New* Editor AuillWt N#*l fditp' Editorial Pag* Editor Photo Editor Sport* Editor A**ooate Sport* Editor Entartarnment Editor Night Editor Aeaocfata Editor* Higher Education Department* and School* Student Government feature* Pottttc* Student ServtceMCommumty Gene*el Start Advert t*mg Manager ctaesrttad Advertising Production Manager Controller Harry Etteve John Meaty Marian Green Con Fernald Joan Nytand Bob Baaer Mine Ripimger Paul Danzer Jonathan Siegta Mika Fbpitnger Sandy Johnstone Frank Shaw Richard Burr Sean Meyer* Michete Matas** Aiota Zak OartanaGore SaNy Ottar Victoria Koch jean Oarnbey fund ASUO programs. Next year the ASUO will collect and spend $56.50 per student per term. That amounts to a 28 percent increase in fees in two years — not a decrease. Meanwhile, enrollment has continued to fall and a majori ty of programs have seen their alloctions cut for the second year running. As a candidate for IFC, I am pledging my support for ex isting programs by seeking limitation to further budget cuts, while asking for the establishment of strict, but equitable funding criteria for all ASUO programs. I also sup port the creation of a task force to evaluate fees, and I strongly urge a one year freeze in the incidental fee. With your vote we can take advantage of an opportunity to put a halt to skyrocketing fees. Eric Stillwell sophomore, political science Public issues What democratically-run, student-funded and directed organization has been representing students on issues of consumer protec tion, the environment, higher education and health care for 12 years? What state wide organiza tion was founded to give students the opportunity to work for the changes they want in their community? What organization did over half of the state s college students sign petitions to fund through fees in 1971? OSPIRG. The Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group has been working since the early 1970s to produce positive public policy changes through research, legislation and com munity organizing. Students vote on the projects and issues to be undertaken, elect the local and state boards of directors, and vote on OSPIRG funding. It is a non-partisan, non-profit corporation with professional staff who give the projects continuity over time and teach students skills in research and advocacy. Over the past year, OSPIRG has experienced a tremendous increase in student volunteers and a phenomenal strengthen ing of the organization’s research and legislation ac tions. OSPIRG has establish ed a consumer hotline on cam pus and is working in the state legislature to form a Citizen’s Utility Board in an effort to minimize utility rates. Com parative surveys on the prices of bicycle and car repairs, bank charges and o p - tometrists’ fees also help students invest their money wisely. When OSPIRG was found ed, students agreed to fund it with fees of $1 per student per term. Because of organiza tional problems in the late 1970s, OSPIRG’s IFC alloca tion was reduced. OSPIRG has grown so much over the past year that it is •time the students vote to reinstate its traditional fun ding. The IFC, along with ASUO President C.J. Balfe, has encouraged OSPtRG to run a referendum in the April general election to allow students to decide on its funding. Students need the represen tation and resources that OSPIRG offers them. To main tain these services students need to show their support for OSPIRG and the work it does by voting YES to reinstate its traditional funding. Annette Boyer senior, journalism letters policy The Emerald will attempt to print all letters containing fair comment on topics of interest to the University community Letters to the editor 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 office The Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter for length, style or content "Your turn" is an Emerald opinion feature submitted by members of the University community Your turns" must be limited to 500 words and typed This editorial column will not be edited by the staff, but selection will be based on appro priateness Letters to the editor and "Your turns" should be turned into the Emerald office. Suite 300 EMU Unsigned editorials appearing in the Emerald are based upon the maiority opinion of the editorial board
