opinion
Humanistic studies
remain imperative
The initial smattering of people turned to a swell, eventually
becoming a large crowd at yesterday's convocation ceremonies.
It must have been gratifying for the educators there to look out
upon the Memorial Quadrangle and see such a large turnout.
The University's Brass Choir started the ceremonies with
"Onward Oregon." Perhaps it was the gravity of the event, but
no one stood, even though everyone stands when "Onward
Oregon" is played in Autzen Stadium.
This fall convocation was conducted with much the same
pomp and circumstance associated with a spring graduation.
Standard bearers preceded the faculty processional up the aisle.
Each yellow and green standard bore the emblem of a respective
school or college at the University: Architecture and Allied Arts,
Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Education, Human
Development and Performance, Honors College, Journalism,
Law and Music. The bearers placed the standards behind the
podium.
Why such emphasis on the standards? Because, as if by an
uncanny hand some standards were toppled by the wind, evok
ing a powerful symbolism.
On the podium were a distinguished group including
Robert Berdahl, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences,
University President Paul Olum, ASUO President Mary Hot
chkiss, Chancellor Bud Davis and the speaker Peter Pouncey,
dean of Columbia University.
Pouncey, the keynote speaker, spoke on "Humanistic Im
peratives in a Technological Society." Pouncey's deft handling
of the topic was both encouraging and thought-provoking. As a
speaker Pouncey was highly literate, erudite, informative, while,
if possible (and indeed it is) was entertaining.
The gist of Pouncey's speech, if we can distill the hour-long
speech and still retain its essence, was the lack of confidence
among humanists in this age of technology. Especially important
to the students at this University is the question of whether they
can afford to pursue an education in the humanities when the
more lucrative, but perhaps not as promising, direction is in a
scientific education.
Pouncey's call was for the humanities to cease deferring to
the sciences, to gain more confidence in its essential worth. This
is something that bears repeating again and again at every in
stitution dedicated to liberal arts. There will always be a place for
the humanities — there must be or the quality of the human life
will pale.
As Pouncey cited a passage from Dickens' "Hard Times"
describing Coketown (his metaphor for Manchester, England),
the wind stirred a few standards to fall. Later on, when he
remarked on Descarte, the standard for Human Development
and Performance also succumbed to the breeze.
In the end, as Pouncey wrapped up his speech, the wind
struck the final irony, permitting the only standards to remain
standing as Journalism, Architecture and Allied Arts and Music.
Humanities center
enhances University
Monday was a red letter day for humanities at the University
along with the well-attended convocation, a $300,000 grant to
the University from the National Endowment for the Humanities
was announced by Pres. Paul Olum.
The grant is intended for a three-year project to improve the
teacning of humanities at the University. Olum stressed the em
phasis of the project will be on the arts of interpretation, im
aginative rethinking of past thought, writing and discussion.
All of these areas have been neglected in recent years with
the accent on high-technology studies. Not that high-technology
studies are any more or any less important than the humanities.
The project is expected to benefit a substantial number,
about 10 percent, of University undergraduates. This is the first
step according to administrators of the development of a Center
for the Humanities at the University.
This grant, and the establishment of the Center for the
Humanities, will enhance the excellence of an already excellent
program at the University.
gtnmtH muc *******
MMU
■t&n ONLY MY RJNNN6 SHOES.'
letters
Inspiration
It is a tribute to the human spirit
that someone is able to endure
four years of liberal-rational
humanistic university existence
and still be sensible enough to
check under the bed each night
for Commies.
Thank you, Richard Burr, you
are an inspiration.
I have firsthand experience of
how evil those OSPIRC pinkos
are, having, as Off-Campus Hous
ing director, to distribute that
Renter's Handbook; and thereby
depriving countless landlords of
their God-given right to squeeze
every last penny, legality aside,
out of student tenants.
Steeped in 16th century
puritanical thought as you and I
are, we both recognize the
necessity of making money above
all other pursuits. That's all James
Watt wants to do for American
business, and those OSPIRG
creeps, in preventing his carving
up of the environment, are
downright unAmerican. (You'll
have to explain to me, Burr, how
Watt, also feeding at the public
trough making political decisions
for business is different from
OSPIRG doing the same for the
public...but I'm sure there is a
difference.)
I'm also impressed by your ac
curacy in predicting Communist
soldiers right in our streets ar
resting us Americans, lust
because they haven't made any
significant territorial gains in 30
years and because they're mired
in Afghanistan and Poland; and
because they're nearly morally
and economically bankrupt; and
because Pres. Ronald Reagan is
spending $1,000 a year per
American building another 10,000
nuclear weapons doesn't mean
we have to drop our guard. Bad
news, though, Burr. That $250 a
year that each of us will owe as in
terest on the national debt that
Reagan is accumulating.. .you
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lean Owntsey
and your Dad will have to pay my
share, since I don't make enough
money to pay taxes.
But you know, even though the
chances of the obliteration of all
life on earth is probably 100 times
more likely, given all those
weapons, than Russians marching
down Franklin Blvd., you and I will
be vaporized happy. Burr,
because at least those anti-Christ
commies will be dead, too. And
we know that we won't have to
deal with them in heaven, right.
Burr? Because they won't be let in.
Michael Morrow
graduate
Clarify
I would like to clarify and ex
pand on a few point mentioned by
Brandon Shepard in his letter
published Sept. 30.
Last April students had the op
portunity to vote on whether or
not to reinstate OSPIRC's tradi
tional $1 per student per term fun
ding and to amend the ASUO con
stitution giving OSPIRC a two-year
base for that funding. Both
measures passed by a sizable
majority.
OSPIRC used no clever wording
or underhanded political tactics in
gaining student support for the
organization. OSPIRC followed
standard procedure in writing and
passing both ballot measures.
Last spring, OSPIRC took its
budget request of $1 per student
per term to the Incidental Fee
Committee. Members of the IFC
did not feel that they could give
OSPIRC such an allocation
without a student mandate, given
the statewide nature of the
organization and the amount of
the request. The IFC recommend
ed that OSPIRC take its request to
the students via referendum.
OSPIRC did just that.
Former Chairperson of the Con
stitutional Review Committee,
Alan Contreras, worked with
OSPIRC on the wording for the
two measures. The wording was
then approved by the 1982-B3
Constitution Committee. The
measures were put on the ballot
and students approved them.
What is more democratic than
following the procedures laid out
by agents of the ASUO and the
ASUO constitution, itself ratified
by the students?
As for OSPIRC using student
funds to fight a legal battle to
keep itself on campus, the ques
tions, raised do not deal with
whether or not OSPIRG can or will
remain on this campus, but
whether students have the right to
amend their own constitution.
OSPIRC students find it regret
table that we have to spend an in
ordinate amount of our time
defending support that we obtain
ed by following standard pro
cedure.
Every student had an opportuni
ty in April to vote on funding for
OSPIRG. It semms to me that this
is how the democratic process is
supposed to work.
Amy Gredler
OSPIRG state board chairperson
OSPIRG
Friday, the Emerald printed a let
ter from Brandon Shepard
challenging OSPIRG's basis for
financial support. His slam of
OSPIRG implied that the group
used deceitful tactics to sneak a
ballot measure past an otherwise
opposing student body.
OSPIRG is not a new group
around the University, nor is the
benefit of their work hidden in a
closet somewhere on campus. For
13 years, OSPIRG has been
representing students —
Republicans, Democrats, Marxists
and even apoliticos — on issues
that affect us all, issues such as
landlord-student rights, auto in
surance pricing, and telephone
and utility rates. Unless someone
or some group stands up to
challenge unfair consumer and
environmental practices, we are
left only to accept the
consequences.
An important part of OSPIRG's
agenda is representing the needs
and rights of students. But
perhaps even more importantly,
OSPIRG gives students a chance
to get involved. The actions of
OSPIRG are not led by faceless
bureaucrats somewhere else, but
by the fellow students who sit
beside you. Students decide what
to research, what to advocate,
what to challenge as unfair and
unnecessary.
Just as students decide what
OSPIRG should do, students last
spring decided that the group was
worthy of financial support. Over
two-thirds of those who voted
(and any student could vote) said
"yes" to the amendments on the
ballot.
That overwhelming support is
now challenged by a vocal few
who use innuendo and false infor
mation to challenge an important
and worthy student group. That
issue now goes before the ASUO
Constitutional Court.
Regardless of the outcome,
OSPIRG will continue to do an ad
mirable job of protecting the
rights of students in this state.
And they will continue to deserve
the support of the student body.
Mark Smiley
journalism, rhetoric