opinion
Hotchkiss' year
betters ASUO
Quietly, smoothly, at the stroke of midnight May 25, the
mantle of ASUO Executive power worn by outgoing ASUO
Pres. Mary Hotchkiss was handed over to incoming ASUO
Pres. Julie Davis. In other lands and cultures the power to
govern in the name of the people is seized amid explosions,
treachery, broken bodies and bloodshed in the streets.
That is not our way. The ballot is the strongest instru
ment for change in this country.
The transference of power in the ASUO Executive, while
miniscule in comparison to the paroxysms of a national
revolution, is an exercise in democracy, a metaphor for the
ideals upon which our republic was founded and is to this
day guided.
The Hotchkiss Administration was probably the most ac
tive ASUO administration in many years. There have been
better administrations and there have been worse — but few
adminstrations acted as stridently to manifest the aspirations
of students than did the Hotchkiss Administration. Hotchkiss
was keenly aware of the goals of the students and became
their highly visible representative.
As is the case when taking a stand — there were those
with differing ideas. The EMU sign controversy brought out
the foes of Hotchkiss and the Students for a Progressive
Agenda. The criticism was for the most part a respectful
dialogue of diverse opinion. However, there were the
cowards of the night who resorted to spray-paint and slander
to oppose Hotchkiss and the students who sought removal
of the sign.
The Emerald had nothing but admiration for the way Hot
chkiss took a firm stand on the sign issue, in spite of the
slander and harrassing telephone calls. That Hotchkiss didn't
back down or shrink from her stand showed she possessed
more character than any of the slanderers.
The EMU sign controversy was really but a single mo
ment in Hotchkiss' year-long presidency. There were other
moments and better examples of how Hotchkiss was the best
possible representative of the students.
It was Hotchkiss and Don Corson, a law student, who
confronted the State Board of Higher Education asking they
make a serious move to request the Legislative Emergency
Board to appropriate funds necessary to maintain the quality
of all the institutions (not just the University) in the state
system. Anyone with less dedication to the high quality of
education at the University and statewide would have shirk
ed such a confrontation.
When Hotchkiss came into office the ASUO Executive
was not in very good shape. The program budgets were in
confusion. The office was splintered into political factions.
The whole atmosphere was conducive to maintenance of a
long established bureaucracy. Bureaucracy was the last thing
students wanted, nor needed, for the ASUO Executive.
Hotchkiss selected some extremely competent people
who made the ASUO a more efficient office. We think of Hot
chkiss' appointment of Bill Hallmark as ASUO director of
programs and finance. Hallmark has done a remarkable job
with the ASUO budget for programs. Although Hallmark is
only one of many excellent Hotchkiss appointments.
Hotchkiss leaves the ASUO Executive in a thousand per
cent better condition than in years past. Davis takes over the
reins of a well-oiled, cost-effective organization. The value of
such a legacy cannot be measured. If Davis isn't appreciative
of Hotchkiss' efforts (and we're not suggesting she isn't) we
certainly are.
Hotchkiss can depart Suite Four with her head high, pro
ud of her many accomplishments. She has left the ASUO Ex
ecutive in such a good situation that Davis doesn't have to
waste much of her time reorganizing.
P*»2
letters
Underinformed
ASUO Pres. Mary Hotchkiss is
right — many students would
like the Commentator to
become an alternative to the
Emerald, but for some reason,
(by a vote of 1715 to 790), are
clearly unwilling to pay for it.
But the necessary ingredients
for the continued health of our
campus environment are
sometimes overlooked by tran
sient and often underinformed
student voters.
I believe the IFC was using ex
traordinarily good judgement
by offering funds to a com
peting publication. Sometimes
it is necessary for a governmen
tal organ (i.e. the IFC) to protect
the rights of the minority by re
jecting the will of the majority.
In the article May 22 the
Emerald reported that Hot
chkiss believes "the IFC should
not allocate funds to support a
publication with a particular
political viewpoint." As a citizen
of a republic, I am forced to ask
"why not?" Since newspapers
have a profound effect on
public opinion, my fear is that
the absence of competition
makes it impossible for pro
ponents of all competing points
of view to have access to this im
portant communications
medium. The absence of the
Commentator, or any other
competition to the Emerald will
thus seriously inhibit the free
flow of ideas that a healthy cam
pus (and a healthy democracy)
requires.
Mike Slauson
political science
Champions
I'd like to inform the Sports
department at the Emerald that
the lacrosse season at the
University starts in mid-Febrary
not in the third week of May.
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'Ik
'relax,gomrape Sakharov- You are bein6 Provided with qualified medical aid. -
The University men's LaCrosse
Club team start practice each
fall in early October and open
the spring season with the
Oregon Jamboree held in Salem
on the second weekend in
February.
I would like to thank the
Emerald for finally printing
something about the team. Un
fortunately the coverage is long
overdue. The 1984 men's
lacrosse team is one of the
finest if not “the" finest to ever
represent the school. Right now
the team is 6-1 in league play
and 13-4 for the season overall.
But the Ducks played the
Beavers on Saturday in Corvallis
not here at home as reported in
the Emerald. A victory will place
the team on top of the league as
co-champions (with Lewis &
Clark and Washington).
The goal of each team in the
league (PNLA) is to win the title
and represent the Northwest
Colleges at the Western States
tournament at Palo Alto, Califor
nia the following April. Because
of the tie for the title there will
be a playoff involving the three
teams next March to determine
the representative.
The University student body
can look for a strong showing
from the 1985 edition of the
men's LaCrosse Club team.
Club sports are a great oppor
tunity for men and women to
participate in sports here at the
University. I'd like to thank club
sports and Director Sandy
Vaughan in particular for mak
ing the lacrosse team possible
here at University. Also Dan
Jensen has done a fine job as
our team manager and league
representative. We will miss
him on the field and off.
In closing I strongly urge the
Emerald to be more aware of
lacrosse at the University in the
future. There are 20 men on this
campus that are champions and
I hope the student body will
now recognize this fact. We
have a fine team picture if the
Emerald would be interested in
printing it.
Dan Murphy
Sub-liminal
I was glad to see you gave full
front-page coverage to the
powerful topic of satanic
messages in rock'n'roll music. I
have tested this myself and
found the phenomenon occurs
in other media as well. For ex
ample, the lectures of certain
sociology professors from this
campus, when played in
reverse, contain backmasked
messages like "overthrow the
government" and "death to im
perialism." Last week I taped
Pres. Ronald Reagan's press
conference and found that his
response to a question on arms
control played backwards ac
tually contains 45 seconds of a
drone-like chant "nuke
Moscow, nuke Moscow...”
Everybody wants to get into the
act.
Mark Cheatham
international studies
Commando
Dan Goulet, in his recent let
ter, has brought to print incor
rect notions concerning abor
tion, population growth in
various parts of the world, and
the value of non-youth in
America.
Goulet seems to think that a
woman having an abortion does
so with the ease and joy of a per
son blowing her nose. Abortion
is not fun, Goulet, and is often
the unfortunate option for
those with low incomes.
I also see an implicit assump
tion about the connection bet
ween a nation's ability to put up
an effective army and that coun
try's population growth. To the
"Third World" though, a larger
population does not mean in
creasingly more soldiers. It
means increasingly more weak,
hungry people. If this were not
true, then the "Third World"
might not have the problems
which now supposedly threaten
America.
Goulet's implicit equating of a
strong nation directly with a
large youth population is an in
justice to our non-youth. Goulet
has insulted my president. I
stand offended. Muscles only
really deal with symptoms.
Ideas, no matter how old the
thinker, go a lot farther towards
putting one in a position to deal
effectively with the sources of a
problem. I speak here from ex
perience. I have been trained by
the church in conflict resolu
tion, conflict intermediation
and other peace making skills;
and I have successfully interven
ed nonphysically while out
numbered in physically violent
situations as well as having
defused other situations before
they became violent.
In conclusion, a nuclear deter
rent is not the only option for
supplementing our conven
tional forces, Goulet. Dealing
with the roots of problems is
one option and it is an
undeveloped area where any
age can be involved. Would the
phrase "Cognitive Commando"
help?
Mark Waldo
telecommunication, film