opinion_
Divestiture lawsuit
legally, morally right
The Emerald applauds the ASUO in its efforts to renew the
lawsuit demanding the State Board of Higher Education divest
itself of investments in corporations located in or doing
business with South Africa.
The lawsuit has had only spotty progress since its initial suc
cess in 1978. The divestiture lawsuit is one of those in which the
legalities are in agreement with the morality. Add to this public
support and the inaction on the lawsuit is all but criminal.
South Africa has a longstanding policy of aparthied —
legalized racial segregation. South African blacks, the majority
population, are denied education, employment and participa
tion in the government by the white minority.
The lawsuit has a history of success. In 1977 the State Board
voted to cease its investments in any corporation that conducts
business with, or in, South Africa. The vote showed a clear ma
jority favoring divestiture.
Six months after the State Board voted to divest its in
vestments the attorney general ruled they did not have the
"statutory authority" to make the decison regarding divestment.
The attorney general said the Oregon Investment Council,
whose officer is the State Treasurer possessed the authority over
investments in the state.
The State Treasurer has not made any requests to end in
vestments of state funds to corporations dealing with South
Africa.
It seems a case of the state standing pat by dodging behind a
bulwark of bureaucracy.
However, the ASUO has won two significant judgements in
favor of its case since the attorney general's ruling.
Now the case is mired among the slush of briefs, motions
and other unfinished court business. And those investments
have more than doubled from the $11.75 million in 1977 to $25.4
million in 1982.
The key point in the ASUO lawsuit asks whether the State
Board or the Investment Council controls higher education in
vestments. This point refutes the attorney general's ruling.
The point has been successful in Circuit Court. On two occa
sions the ASUO won a ruling stating the State Board, not the In
vestment Council, controlled the higher education purse
strings.
The last ruling was in 1981. There's been no progress since.
ASUO Pres. Mary Hotchkiss intends to ask the Incidental Fee
Committee to help fund the lawsuit. Hotchkiss calls the
divestiture case "A suit that's half won."
She's right. We urge the IFC to help the ASUO with the
divestiture lawsuit — if not for the legal merits of the case than
for the moral imperative.
Autzen alcohol ban
only for the have nots
The alcohol ban in Autzen Stadium is a farce — at least if
you're inside the cushy confines of the Don Barker Stadium
Club.
The stadium club is a private club, funded by private money.
Donors pay $10,000 each year for two seats. And money doesn't
just talk in the east end zone — it makes up the game and all the
rules.
While students and most spectators are being thoroughly
searched at the gates for bottles of alcohol, the elite of the
stadium club are munching at the catered buffet, drinking beer,
wine and mixed drinks from the bar.
The way they ignore the ban on alcohol sales at University
athletic facilities is the claim the stadium club is a private club.
We wonder about the legality of a private club on property that
is publicly owned.
That not much has been said about the stadium club drink
ing must be owing to the fact that among the corporations
donating $10,000 a year are nearly all the television and radio sta
tions in Eugene and Portland.
When Univesity Pres. Paul Olum reinstituted (after briefly lif
ting) the alcohol ban at University athletic facilities he said
alcohol shouldn't be served in Autzen Stadium, that it isn't a
proper place to buy beer or wine.
We wonder if Olum was speaking while inside the stadium
club. Apparently it's permissible for $10,000 donors to buy beer
or wine, but not for students who pay as much in order to attend
the University.
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Page 2
letters
Quiet, please
Who is responsible for allowing
the marching band to practice on
the field directly behind the
library? Will you please reconsider
and find them a practice field far
ther from the University's main
resource facility? Thank you.
Doug Emmerich
senior, LSS
Insulting
Occasionally an issue of the
Emerald makes me feel like I am
somewhere other than at a place
of education and critical thinking.
I refer to the appearance of the
comic strip 'Oliver" in the Oct. 3
issue. It is insulting both to
women and to male professors.
There is nothing funny about
the objectification of women; the
allusion to grades for sex, and the
allusion to absence of a woman's
intelligence. Making light of sex
ual harassment of students by pro
fessors further legitimizes a pro
blem which has proved
devastating to those involved. The
cartoon illustrates and
perpetuates the myth that women
are responsible for sexual harrass
ment by virtue of their
appearance.
I am disappointed that the
Emerald editors do not carry their
sense of journalistic questioning
into the "lighter" content of the
paper and consider what is or is
not an appropriate portrayal of
women and men.
Annie Vrijmoet
War is... war
It seems that open acts of
military aggression by the Soviet
Union never arouse response
from our usual peace activists.
When the Russians invaded
Afghanistan, waging gas warfare
on the helpless, Soviet intrusion
here was parallel to our
"imperialism" in Vietnam, why
didn't Jane Fonda and Tom
Hayden speak out against this act
of war? Why the double standard?
War is war, whether it is caused by
Communists or free nations.
This summer, Russia massacred
269 American and South Korean
citizens on board an unarmed
passenger airliner. Vet our very
own student government, ob
viously peace-oriented, does not
publicly voice this as a violation of
peace or human rights? Why the
double standard? War is war
whether by downing civilian jet
liners or "covert military aggres
sion” in Central America.
Eugene peace activists, where
are you, now? We need to be told
again the importance of peace. Or
are you all really so engrossed in
Leninist principles that you ignore
wrongdoing by the Reds? A per
son truly devoted to a peaceful
world denounces violence even
by nations of his or her own
political preference. Those that
don't must be catering to the
Soviet cause and not that of
peace.
Randy Shepard
Free speech
I reflect on the story "Sermon
on the EMU Mount" on Oct.5 with
muth sadness and disappoint
ment. To be sure, we have a
separation of church and state in
addition to the right of free
speech. I don't doubt the Maran
tha Christian Center member's
right to speak to the University
community. I only wish there was
some way to ensure that those
who do exercise their right to free
speech do so in a mature, intellec
tual manner
Members of the Marantha
Christian Center didn't analyze
their pro-abortion argument very
well; unfortunately they displayed
photos that were inappropriate
for the point they were trying to
make. It seems to me the ultimate
issue regarding abortion has to do
with one's religious philosophy
regarding the moment in which a
fetus becomes conscious and
thereby a human being. Their
religion obviously argues con
sciousness occurs with concep
tion. Can photos prove the state
of consciousness of this mass?
Words might heip prove their
point, photos cannot.
Since the Marantha members
feel the need to preach to the
University community, I suggest
they first analyze and study the
issue in a mature and intellectual
manner. Superficial arguments
that use photos for proof of an
unobservable state of being will
not find a home in the minds of in
tellectual University students.
Deborah Peterson
Good Copy
I first started reading the
Emerald when Grattan Kerans —
now Speaker of the House — was
editor. It has always been good
fun, if only for that day's
"Doonesbury." For the past two
weeks, it has been good reading,
too. Debbie Howlett's reports
from Central America and Joan
Herman's series on the Unifica
tion Church were especially
literate, balanced and informative.
Keep the good copy coming.
Bill Korns
Sexist
The “Oliver" cartoon in the Oct.
3 Emerald was definitely sexist and
degrading, both to women and to
professors. I am not only appall
ed, I am embarrassed that the
newspaper at this University
which I have chosen to attend has
learned nothing about fairness
and sensitivity, let alone equality,
in the last 10 years.
If this example of cliched bad
taste is the norm for this comic
strip, I can only hope its life span
in your paper is extremely short.
Barbara Keller
architecture
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