editorial
The fee committee
should think twice
Once again the 1984-85 Incidental Fee Committee is em
broiled in controversy. Several IFC members — Bob Mead,
Lori Lieberman, Mary Kay Menard and Lloyd Athearn — are
pushing for the removal of Ryne Jackson from the commit
tee. Jackson, a second-year law student, was Kevin Lewis’s
vice presidential running mate in the recent ASUO
Presidential Election. Supporters of the move to oust
Jackson are upset with what they consider her lack of atten
dance at recent meetings, her alleged inability to maintain
office hours and her lack of preparation for IFC budget
meetings. Athearn argues that the group’s attempt to oust
Jackson is “based on principles.” He believes that Jackson
has neglected her duties. But Jackson discounts the charges
as “vindictive and politically motivated.”
During the past year, the IFC has been ridden with inter
nal tension. Committee meetings have often been heated,
with Mead, Lieberman, Menard, Athearn and Adam
Apalategui forming a majority coalition, and Darris Rowell
and Jackson often voting in the minority. Throughout this
period, the majority coalition has consistently held Jackson
and her opinions in low regard. The final straw may have
come when Jackson ran for office in the recent election. The
Lewis-Jackson ticket ran against the victorious Pinckney
Dreeszen ticket, which was supported by the Students for a
Progressive Agenda. Both Menard and Apalategui are active
SPA members.
While supporters of the Jackson ouster may claim their ac
tion is motivated by principle, it is clear that Jackson has
never had many friends on the IFC. The past three weeks
have been tough ones for Jackson. She was involved in a hot
ly contested political campaign that monopolized a great
deal of her energy. At the same time she has had to prepare
for her law school final exams, which are scheduled for next
week. Committee members should have greater empathy for
Jackson’s plight.
Throughout the IFC budget process, ASUO program
directors told Emerald reporters that Jackson was well
prepared in arguing their cause. She put in long hours dur
ing the winter budget process and was consistently present
at committee proceedings.
Jackson’s removal from the IFC is an unreasonable
penalty for the charges her opponents have made. Most IFC
members have missed meetings during the year. And no IFC
member has maintained all of his or her scheduled office
hours. Rather than pushing for her dismissal, Jackson’s op
ponents should consider a less severe method of censure.
With less than a month left in their term, the IFC should
avoid juvenile, vindictive politics.
President's Contra policy
is old-time Yankee bullying
The U.S. House of Representatives should be applauded
for their rejection of President Ronald Reagan’s proposed
$14 million aid package to Nicaragua’s right-wing rebels.
The Democratic majority in the House voted on four occa
sions Tuesday and Wednesday to defeat the Reagan plan.
Reagan has advocated the overthrow of the Sandinista
government in Managua, since his inauguration in 1981.
Through the development of his anti-Sandinista policy, the
president has forced Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega to
look elsewhere for financial and military support. As a result
he has turned to the Soviet Union. Ortega’s dependence on
Russia is not the result of some Communist-conspiracy, in
stead it is the product of Nicaragua’s struggle for survival.
The Ortega regime has its shortcomings. It has suspend
ed many freedoms that we in the United States associate
with a free society. But, while Reagan points to this as proof
that Ortega and the Sandinistas have forfeited their right to
rule that country, Reagan continues to support other govern
ments that have committed similar civil-liberty violations.
As is the case with most of his policies, the president
does not understand the effects of his Nicaraguan program.
Through his advocacy of an anti-Sandinista policy, he has
unnecessarily exacerbated America’s relationship with
Nicaragua. He has taken a relationship that had the potential
for a peaceful co-existence and turned it into the traditional
U.S.-Latin American “Big Stick’’ relationship. By rejecting
Reagan’s aid package, the House has sent a positive message
to Ortega and the world community.
Page 2A
letters
A big event
We would like to call the at
tention of the University com
munity to a presentation about
an issue of utmost importance
to the people of Eugene, as well
as the rest of the world
Thursday.
David Brower, founder of the
Friends of the Earth, will give a
presentation on the plight of our
global, tropical rain forests.
The continual destruction of
tropical rain forests will be the
most critical threat to continued
existence of huumankind, sans
nuclear war.
Scientists are quite certain
this ecological crisis will come
to a head within 10 years.
With the occurrence of
species extinction in tropical
rainforests, stability of our
global ecosystems is
jeopardized.
Genetic stability of all species
is directly dependent upon the
stability of the species they rely
upon. Thus, continued produc
tion of everything form the food
we grow, to the medicines we
derive are dependent upon
ecological balance to protect
them from drought, disease,
genetic collapse and extinction.
Over half of all plant and
animal species are present in
tropical rainforests. Thus,
stability of ecosystems
thousands of miles from us is
critical for our survival.
While we hear much about
potential species extinction
such as the Snail Darter, we do
not hear that we lose over five
plant species every day in the
Amazon rainforests alone.
The rate of extinction in the
rainforests continues to grow
exponentially.
Some of our tropical rain
forests have already been vir
tually destroyed, most are over
50 percent eliminated.
We sincerely hope students,
faculty and concerned citizens
attend this event and become
involved in what will be one of
the most critical public issues in
our lifetine.
Douglas P. Norlen
Survival Center
Don’t deny it
If Scott Elliot wished to
enlighten us on the Middle
Ages with his article, “The
Dark Ages” (ODE, April 11), he
should have addressed the
Black Plague, which wiped out
half of Europe's population.
The AIDS epidemic and the
Plague have much in common.
Mr. Elliot tells us that
homosexual sex doesn’t cause
AIDS. Yet, who could deny that
the peculiar sex habits of most
homosexuals are responsible for
the epidemic? Very few non
homosexuals have an average of
several dozen sex partners per
year.
Face reality, if homosexuals
or any other segment of society
goes out and participates in un
sanitary “sex" (golden
showers, fisting, etc.), and then
shares all their germs with
dozens of partners, they provide
the perfect host population for
these microbes and “mutated
virus".
Their bodies become
biological incubators for old
and new forms of disease to
flourish and spread.
Europe’s demise by the
Plague was enhanced by un
sanitary living conditions that
allowed rats (and their fleas) to
multiply and spread the
disease.
True, fleas didn’t create the
Plague — they just spread the
bacteria.
Homosexuals didn’t create
AIDS — but their sex habits are
keeping the virus supplied with
hosts, and infected homosex
uals are rapidly spreading the
disease.
Dan Goulet
Eugene
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,
signed 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 or style. Letters to the editor should
be turned into the Emerald office. Suite 300, EMU.
Oregon doily
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Thursday, April 25, 1985