opinion
The Fates say 'no dice' on dates
It's an interesting phenomenon. It's happened
too many times to count. Each time I begin to think
about asking a girl out — just when the thought
crosses my mind — panic sets in.
Sitting at home, or walking down the street, the
problem isn't too acute. It's when the fateful mo
ment arrives that disaster strikes.
editor's note
frank shaw
Like the time I met a girl at the EMU Fishbowl. I
went into the deli to get a Coke.
Here was my chance, I thought. I sauntered non
chalantly across the room, stepped up to her table —
and spilled my Coke all over her books.
So much for asking her to a movie.
Or the time I ran into a prospective date while
paying fees after registration. After about 10 minutes
of casual conversation while I tried to work my
courage up, I gave up. Well, I've got to get going, I
said. Maybe we'll run into each other on campus
sometime, she suggested.
Here was my chance, I thought. What did I do? I
took two steps backwards, slipped and fell down a
short flight of stairs.
I crawled off into the sunset.
How about offering to walk a girl to the bus sta
tion, spending half the trip trying to get up enough
nerve to ask her out, stepping in a patch of ice, sen
ding the lugguge one way, me the other and my
pride vanishing.
What do they say about three strikes?
Standing in a bus, holding on to the hand rail and
having a conversation with a girl seated on the aisle.
Just as I got myself psyched, a biker cut in front of
the bus, the driver slammed on his brakes and I went
flying about 10 feet through the air, landed on my
back in the aisle and slid the remainder of the way to
the front of the bus where the trash can stopped my
slide by dumping its contents on me.
I tumbled out at the next stop.
But the most embarassing incident took place at
the Campus Branch of U.S. Bank.
I ran into a girl while waiting in line to cash a
check. We talked casually about the weather,
midterms, as we worked our way slowly through the
line. I got to the teller, cashed my check, turned
around to ask this girl to lunch — and fell over the lit
tle red ropes strung all over the place, knocking over
all the poles.
So much for lunch.
"Dear Abby" would probably recommend
counseling. "Ann Landers" might suggest seeking
help from a member of the clergy. Freud might
blame it on a poor childhood and an unconscious
desire to avoid relationships.
I just think it's the Fates conspiring to keep me
single.
Maybe hypnotism would help, maybe a witch
doctor or a good shrink. Or maybe I'll go through the
rest of my life single. My Saturday nights are for
laundry.
Frank Shaw is the news editor of the Emerald.
letters
Wrong number
A recent national poll by the
New York Times and CBS News
showed that only 29 percent of the
respondents in the national
survey said they have heard
enough to know what will happen
on Jan. 1, 1984, when the AT&T
breakup takes effect. Unfor
tunately, people are learning
through Bell and AT&T advertis
ing, and coming away with some
misconceptions.
AT&T may say they liked things
as they were in the past, but they
also welcome the breakup
because now they come into the
open market with an established
name, great technology, and
massive assets. The settlement
between AT&T and the Justice
Department is anything but
punitive in nature.
In 1934, the federal government
got together with AT&T with the
goal of providing universal, affor
dable telephone service to
everyone in the nation. In order to
reach this admirable goal, AT&T
was allowed to monopolize the
phone industry. Long distance use
was to subsidize local use. in the
past, AT&T contributed 37 cents
for every dollar that a local Bell
possessed. After divestiture, that
37 percent "subsidy” will be gone.
Who will pay?
One idea is to have AT&T
Longlines, MCI, Sprint and other
long distance companies assume
the cost of filling that void of 37
percent. This would force these
companies to each pay a fair share
of the load. Through this charge,
these companies would be paying
r
a fee for the use of local Bell swit
ching equipment. After all, what
good is a long distance phone call
without a local Bell to complete it?
This idea is unsatisfactory to
AT&T Longlines, MCI, Sprint and
the other long distance carriers.
Since this charge would precent a
decrease in long distance rates,
corporate long distance
customers would be upset (cor
porations make up an overwhelm
ing majority of long distance
calls). The long distance carriers
are afraid to upset their long
distance customers, because they
might bypass all phone systems
by building their own private net
work. This would increase costs
for all phone users, and cut the
profits of AT&T Longlines and the
others dramatically.
Therefore, it is easier to force
residential customers to gradually
assume the major burden of the
cost, and charge them for the
ability to make a long distance
call. This is why we are constantly
hearing about inevitable
monumental rate hikes and long
distance access charges.
These rate hikes would be
disasterous for residential users. If
costs rise only 200 percent in the
next decade (a common projec
tion), half of the elderly and very
poor would be without
telephones.
Obviously, a compromise must
be worked out. That compromise
should begin with a stated goal of
universal, affordable telephone
service to everyone. On Dec. 3,
OSPIRG is sponsoring a sym
posium on campus on AT&T
divestiture. Entitled "Phone Ser
vice: A Right or a Privilege?", it will
include legislators, utility and cor
porate spokespersons and
citizens discussing the issue. The
public is essentially invited. In the
meantime, call Bell's divestiture
information number,
1-800-555-5000. Find out as much
as you can about the issue before
Jan. 1, 1984, so you won't be
surprised.
Tedrick Housh
OSPIRG intern
No offense
Rick Bay's suggestion to waive
tuition for athletes on scholar
ships is shoddy, if not offensive.
Presently, the University athletic
department pays for the scholar
ships, but Bay, University athletic
director, is looking to the state
Legislature to pick up the tab by
waiving athletes' tuition. The
waiver would make available to
the athletic department close to $1
million for program im
provements such as higher
coaches salaries, better facilities,
more athletic scholarships and
greater support of minor sports.
All of this upgrading made for the
sake of a competitive sports
program.
Bay cites two reasons to main
tain a big-time athletic depart
ment. One reason being the
publicity and attractiveness a win
ning team brings to the Universi
ty; however, I suspect most
students select a college on the
basis of its academic offerings
rather than its box scores. Bay's
second assertion — that a com
petitive program draws money to
Oregon daily
emerald
The Oregon Daily I mrrald is published Monday through Fri
day except during rum weefc and vac ations, by the Oregon Daily
I merakJ Publishing Co., at the University of Oregon, lugene, OB,
V7401
The Inner aid operates independently erf the University with
offices on the third floor of the Irb Memorial Union and is a
member of the Associated Press
Mews and tddoriai UetS 11
Display Advertising and Business ABA-1712
C Unsifted Advertising ABA-4141
Predurhon ABA414C
f •rrutatmn ABA-ISM
Page 2, Section A
fditor
Managing fditor
Nh1*** fditor
Assistant Nt-w\ fditor
t diurnal Pigp fditor
Photo tditoi
Sports idiioi
s«ldinn fditor
f ntertamment tdilor
Assistant tntertamment fditor
Night fditor
Awxult fdltors
Higher f du< at ion
l tepartment s and Sr hoots
Student Gnvnnmml
f natures
PotilK >
Community
(awrl Stall
Advertising Manager
( lassitied Advertising
Produr Iron Manager
l ontrofler
Debbie Howlett
Sandy lohnstone
trank Shaw
Brenda Thornton
Cort fernald
Dave Kao
Doug levy
lohn Beaty
Angela Allen Morgan
Kim Carlson
Sandy (ohnstone
Doug Nash
Melissa Marlin
lim Moore
loan Herman
Brooks Daren
Mk hele Matassa
Darlene Core
Sally d|ar
Victoria Koth
lean Ownbey
the community — is somewhat
valid; however, I mistrust the $3
million figure Bay claimed was
brought to Eugene by the
Washington-Oregon football
game.
The waiver plan has one more
fault — money, or, more
specifically, a lack of it. Bay says
the state will "simply absorb the
cost." Unfortunately, $1 million is
not simply absorbed; it is passed
on to students and parents
through higher tuition and taxes.
So I suggest Bay bag his plan un
til he can supply good reason and
money to back up his scheme.
Paul Priestman
pre-journalism
Civil rights
The people of the United States
are concerned with the security of
our nation and they care about
the declining state of our
economy. Unfortunately, not
many people are speaking out for
Human Rights for the people of
the world, nor for their own Civil
Rights here in the U.S. Hence
many of our leaders have not sup
ported a strong Civil Rights agen
da, and in fact the present Reagan
administration has even violated
and tread upon Civil Rights and
Liberties!
I believe that the people of the
world are becoming more con
cerned about nuclear, en
vironmental, and Civil Rights
issues; however, we need to speak
out more. We must not
underestimate the power of an in
dividual and the impact that she
or he can make in the political
arena. Our founding fathers set
up this nation as one to be "run
by the people, and for the peo
ple." I think that they would be
shocked to see how much power
f
our executive has received and
how many have abused this
power. If we are all so patriotic,
then why don't we act like it by
not only standing by our govern
ment's side, but by also being
critical of it when it makes a grave
mistake or walks all over our
rights as citizens?
Therefore, we should support
leaders who support Civil Rights
and Liberties. We should ask our
leaders to support Civil Rights.
We cannot afford to tolerate
Reagan's actions, such as the fir
ing of our Civil Rights (CRC)
leaders; his support of “brutal
revolutionary thugs"; the invasion
of Grenada; his medal awarding
secret ceremonies for Human
Rights violators (Helms); and his
long history of paranoid politics.
Reagan's policies aren't strictly
perogative, they are obviously
often imperial. Russia and the
United States' governments are
simply defending their spheres of
influences and interests. Yet
enroute they are stomping on the
Civil Rights of the people who live
in these "spheres."
Military intervention helps in
the short run (i.e. Grenada), but
not in the long run (i.e. Chile). We
must care about other nations' in
terests as well as our own. Politics
is not easy; there are a lot of tough
and controversial issues, but they
must be met immediately. We
cannot go on supporting the
Reagan administrations present
policies.
We must look behind the
Reagan administration's military
"victories" and come to the
realization that he simply wants to
"stick it to the Russians." The man
is paranoid. These are facts that
can't be ignored.
Robert Gerowe
political science, 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, typed, sign
ed and the identification of the writer must be verified when the
letter is turned in. The Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter
for length, style or content.
Comment" is an Emerald opinion feature submitted by
members of the University community. "Comment” columns
must be limited to 500 words and typed.
Letters to the editor and "Comment” columns should be
turned into the Emerald office, Suite 300, EMU.
Friday, November 4, 1983