opinion
Increased activity
The University's campaign to entice undergraduates is
showing definite results, especially the radio advertising that
lists six different degree programs and their stature accor
ding to national rankings.
"Activity” — the bureaucratic name given to such things
as admissions applications and requests for information — is
up 13 percent in the admissions office, according to
administrators.
That's good news for the University. It's not only good PR
work and a boon to enrollment, but it gives some high pro
file credit to top-notch, nationally ranked programs in Energy
Conscious Architecture, ranked first; Art Education,
ranked second; Eluman Development and Performance,
fifth; journalism, seventh; the College of Education, 13th;
and Marketing, 20th.
An alternative view
It seems that students are getting what they asked for, an
alternative view.
In the last two issues, The Commentator, that bastion of
campus "enlightenment," has given the University a unique
analysis of student elections where a 1,715-790 defeat is a vic
tory and a 1,331-1,218 victory is a defeat.
letters
Disgusting
I remember sitting at the
breakfast table thumbing
through the Emerald like a loyal
student attempting to keep in
touch with campus politics. The
reporting in the Emerald was
usually disgusting, but I knew
the comic strip "Oliver" was
somewhere near the end of the
publication.
The Emerald was lucky to have
a winner of the Region 10
(Western U.S.) Society of Profes
sional Journalist, Mark of Ex
cellence contest in 1983 on their
staff. John Gorman, the outstan
ding cartoonist who wrote
"Oliver" was the recipient of
this award. However, I, like
many of my neighbors, have
noticed "Oliver” 's disap
perance from his usual place
next to "Bloom County". This
displeases us.
I was left to wonder if
"Oliver"'s constant girl chasing
offended the moral conscience
of the student editor. If this is
true, I'm sure Gorman is just as
well off not making my
breakfast stroll - through this
cheap newspaper more en
joyable or even tolerable.
Paul Matthews
economics
Biased
The recent article entitled
"Roommates beware" is among
the most flagrant examples of
biased, yellow journalism (in
keeping with the fine tradition
maintained by the Emerald staff)
that I have recently come
across. To begin with, only one
side of the story is presented. As
a result, the reader is subject to
Jacquie Steiner's slanted
perspective. In fact, the
“parasitic” third roommate was
able to prove his case in court
by providing canceled checks
and receipts as evidence that he
did, indeed, fulfill his obliga
tions to each of his roommates.
Next time, please make a
stonger effort to present both
sides of the story.
Hal Zweben
junior, English
Graph error
The recently painted graph
along 13th Avenue has received
much attention over the past
few weeks. This graph, which
allegedly represents the federal
budget outlays for fiscal year
1985, is misleading, inaccurate,
and inappropriate.
A most serious error is, simply
stated, incorrect figures. The
graph depicts military spending
as comprising almost two-thirds
of the total budget ($431 billion
out of a $f>87 billion budget); in
fact, 1985 budget proposals sub
mitted to Congress allot less
than one-third of federal expen
ditures to the Pentagon ($305
billion out of $925.5 billion). The
distorted figures are partially
due to the inclusion of the na
tional debt interest payments
under the category of military
spending. The faulty logic of
those who constructed the
graph dictates that our immense
national debt is entirely war
related, an absurd suggestion.
In reference to Ross West's let
ter: "This graph was, as they say,
just the facts ma'am"; actually,
sir, they clearly are not.
Ironically, in the year of
Orwell, groups such as CALC
and SNuFF that continually ac
cuse the government of
"doublespeak" and half-truths
must themselves resort to
deceit and "Big Brother" tactics
of chicanery to promote their
ideological claims. The complex
issue of military spending
merits honesty and integrity as
cornerstones to debate.
Without these primary prin
ciples, discussion of the issue
inevitably deteriorates into a
stalemate, with nothing
accomplished.
Michael Schaeffer
freshman, classics
Paul Maslen
freshman, business
Making breakin'
Pres. Ronald Reagan, do you
realize what power you have?
Do you realize that you can
make or break humanity? That
you have become responsible
for every living thing on this
planet? Has it come to your con
sciousness that what breathes
fresh air; what smiles and
laughs in joy of friendship and
love; what soars with the help of
the west wind; whatever exists
in its uniqueness of design on
Oregon daily
emerald
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Emerald Publishing Co at the University ol Oregon Eugene OR
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member of the Associated Press
General Staff
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this earth can be erradicated
with the push of a button?
It should be obvious, that with
the current coarse of action we
are sure to be reduced to cave
dwellers once again. We have
come so far — from the Iron
Age, the Egyptians, Greeks,
Romans, to the Reformation, the
Industrial Revolution, and the
Information Revolution — and
yet we have done so little to
preserve all that we have ac
complished. just think of the
loss, to have demolished all
human successes and
achievements that have accrued
from the beginning of time.
Each one of us has a gun held
to our heads. Vet why haven't
we actively addressed this pro
blem and sought solution as it
stares us in the face. This pro
blem demands that we must no
longer seek a balance of power,
but a balance of sanity. Life and
existence itself must be our
focus: not our differences of
opinion and ideology. It is re
quired of us to learn to accept
our differences and work with
them not die with them. So Mr.
President, let's act on the pro
blem by developing trust
through constructive com
munication to save our future,
and the future for generations
to come.
Dave Bryant
Simpleton
Dear Dave Zauner, with all
due respect, you are a
simpleton. Your awareness of
nuclear arms statistics and abili
ty to make calculations from
them is touching but your
shallow reflections upon them
shows your political immaturity.
Does it actually take so much
more analysis to realize world
events may not be what they ap
pear? Did it ever occur to you
that a large portion of the real
world picture may be hidden
from les citoyens? You say
"Reagan's 'bargain-chip'
diplomacy has obviously con
tinually failed.’ But did it ever
occur to you that there may be a
completely different reality
beyond the obvious? Did it ever
occur to you that reactions of
fear and distrust for the presi
dent (such as yours) may actual
ly serve the interests of Soviet
officials?
Zauner, no one wants nuclear
arms. But I propose the road to
their eradication is more twisted
and confusing than either of us
would like to believe. You must
fight nuclear arms in your own
way, I in mine, and the presi
dent in his. But I must say that
the president has a little more
inside information that we do.
Let us all support him.
Paul Parks
senior, journalism
Justice
I noted with pleasure and
amusement that the IFC chose
to uphold Mary Hotchkiss' veto
of funds for the Commentator.
The Commentator developed a
personal vendetta against
Hothckiss this past year for dar
ing to suggest that the sign in
the EMU should be changed
and for taking other stands
which ruffled its political
feathers. That vendetta
culminated in their April Fool's
Day issue in which (under the
guise of being "witty") they in
sulted and humiliated Hotchkiss
in the ugliest ways imaginable.
It was a new low.
Therefore, I think it's a ge
nuine case of poetic justice that,
as her final act in office, Hotch
kiss was able to derprive the
Commentator of student fun
ding for next year.
I'm also glad that Julie Davis
felt that funding the Commen
tator would "damage people's
notions of what the right to vote
means." That's a good
beginning.
It would be great if we had a
publication on campus in which
all kinds of "alternative" views
could be expressed, but that
certainly wasn't what the Com
mentator was doing. Rather
than giving us fresh perspec
tives, it tended, much more
often, to give us journalism at its
biased, petty, vindictive worst,
and I think the overwhelming
vote against funding for next
year reflected the feeling among
students that the Commentator
was in no way representing
their interests.
Carol Imani
English
Wednesday, May 30;, 1984