From
Herblock
to Oliphant
with Roy
Paul Nelson
see Page 6
Oregon doily
emera
Thursday, October 11, 1984
Eugene, Oregon
Volume 86, Number 30
Gandhi follower promotes nonviolence
By Costas Christ
Of the Emerald
Many people in the United States have heard about
nonviolence, but few people really understand what it
means, says Dr. Anima Bose of India. According to
Bose, nonviolence is more than just refusing to kill
another person, it is a way of life.
Like many people in her country, Bose was first ex
posed to the philosophy of nonviolence when Mohan
das Gandhi was alive and leading the struggle for In
dian independence.
Bose was on campus Wednesday night to present a
lecture sponsored by the EMU Cultural Forum on non
violence and social change.
“My mother was a highly educated woman, and
we were very aware and concerned about what Gandhi
was doing,” she says.
During the peak of the Indian independence move
ment, Bose attended several Gandhi speeches. Hearing
Gandhi speak, and studying his teachings had a great
impact on Bose’s life.
“There was nothing nobler than to listen to his
words and to follow his path. For me he was the great
leader,” she says.
Bose feels that many people, especially in the
West, misunderstand Gandhi’s teaching of non
violence. She says it is not some kind of “goody
goody,” passive movement.
“Gandhi taught us that nonviolence is an active
struggle to create positive social change. It involves
great dedication and tremendous persistence,” she
says.
According to Bose, it is most important that people
understand that nonviolence is a philosophy based
upon inner strength. It was inner strength that enabled
Gandhi, a small man weighing less than 100 pounds, to
successfully challenge the British Empire.
“Gandhi expected that nonviolence would be
transformed into society most successfully by women,”
she says. “He felt that women had more inner strength
than men. Women were always in the vanguard during
the independence struggle. It is inner strength, not
muscle and brawn, that makes nonviolence successful
in the struggle for social change,” Bose says.
During her lectures, Bose mentions that she is fre
quently referred to as an idealist. She responds by tell
ing her audiences that the philisophy of nonviolence
recognizes that society is made up of good and evil.
“Our aim is not to pretend that we can rid the
world of evil. Rather, through a lifestyle of non
violence, we believe
that we can lessen
the evil and
strengthen the
good,” Bose says.
To those who
doubt the effec
tiveness of non
violence she points
to the history of In
dia’s independence
struggle.
“Gandhi show
ed the world that
the principles of
nonviolence could
be put to use to end
a cruel system of
colonial rule and
oppression in India.
This is not just
idealism, it is a
historical fact,” she
says.
"Let compassion and nonviolence be the basis of
your struggle for justice, and like the British Empire in
India, even the strongest opponent will eventually give
in,” she says.
Motor scooter madness afrlicts University students
By Chris Hazen
Of the Emerald
The air blows in your ears,
the ground blurs beneath your
feet, your motor quietly purrs as
you putter around the city. This
is life on a motor scooter, and
it's catching on in Eugene.
The University has witnessed
a noticeable influx of motor
scooter riders this year, says
says freshman Rhoda Hopkins.
"Now they seem like the ‘in
thing' to have.”
Local Honda and Yamaha
dealers say they.are
"swamped” with scooter
buyers and prospective buyers.
Honda offers a variety of
scooter models, ranging from
the lightweight and moped-like
Passport to the sleek and power
Photo* by Julie Bigg*
Motor scooters have become a popular way of getting around
campus. Owners say scooters are inexpensive transportation,
and a Jot of fun. Local dealers are having a hard time keeping up
with orders.
R.D. Tanner, director of campus
security.
“When I came here last year,
no one had (motor scooters),”
ful Elite.
Yamaha also sells a line of
motor scooters in several engine
sizes and models, says Wayne
Howard of Howard’s, a local
motor scooter dealership.
Yamaha, Honda and other
Japanese manufacturers offer
lighter, less expensive scooters
than their European com
petitors, and are dominating the
Eugene market, Howard says.
Nine months ago a major
European motor scooter
manufacturer, Vespa, ended its
American import line as a result
of sales drops.
“They’re not going to con
tinue over here because they
can’t compete with the Japanese
in price,” Howard says. “The
Japanese (scooters) are cheap.”
The mopeds made popular a
few years ago by European com
panies such as Sachs and Puch
also are no longer produced,
says Gene Thiessen of Honda of
Eugene.
A moped differs from a
scooter in engine design, size
and speed. Moped engines start
by pedaling, while scooters
have a kick starter. In addition,
mopeds are generally smaller
and travel at much slower
speeds than motor scooters.
But moped or scooter,
Japanese or European,
something is bringing a surge of
two-wheeled, motorized
vehicles to the streets of
Eugene.
Sophmore Greg Bunnell
bought his two-week-old Aero
80 as a cheap source of transpor
tation. Bunnell says his scooter
saves him a two-mile walk from
his home to campus. He adds
that gas and insurance
payments for a scooter are much
more affordable than for a car.
“You have to pay a whole lot
of insurance for a car as a person
my age and my sex,” he says.
Bunnell says he was a little
surprised at the abundance of
scooters on campus this year.
“There are too many of them.”
When junior Jane Wahlstrom
bought her Honda Spree three
weeks ago, she says she also ac
quired an efficient, affordable
mode of transportation. Gas
costs for her scooter are only
about a penny per mile, she
says.
Senior Scott Sevin became
the owner of a Honda Express a
year ago.
“I was working at the time
and I needed transportation,”
Sevin says. “I didn’t want to
spend more than one whole
paycheck on transportation.”
Though the Japanese scooters
are more affordable, and are
leading local sales, European
Vespas still roam the city
streets.
Junior Gabriel Morgan says
she owns a 1973 Vespa 150
Super “because 1 had wanted
one for a long time, and because
scooters are cool. They can go
in little places where cars can’t
go. They’re fast, they’re fuel ef
ficient and insurance is cheap.”
Morgan says her Vespa is “a
work of art.”
Sean Westlake, a South
Eugene High School student,
says he owns a Vespa because
they’re “classy, not classless —
(like) Hondas or Aeros or
whatever. Besides, they’re gas
efficient and they go the perfect
speed in the city.”
“Unfortunately, it is not the
best kind of vehicle to have in
Oregon,” says Naomi Mendez,
a senior at South Eugene High
School.
“Rain is a big disadvantage,”
Sevin says. “When it starts rain
ing you can’t go fast enough'to
get out of it, so you’re talking
about getting pretty wet during
a downpour.”
“It’s cold and it’s wet, but it’s
still kind of fun,” Morgan says
about riding her scooter in the
rain. “I’m happy I got it.”
See related story Page 12