W • m • W
editorial
Questions remain on
research-park plan
Throughout the 1970s, Oregon, and Eugene in par
ticular, developed a reputation for being anti-business. Late
Gov. Tom McCall publicly stated his opposition to new
businesses locating in the state, while the state Legislature
developed one of the most stringent land-use programs in
the country.
But with the statewide unemployment rate hovering
around 10 percent. Oregonians have attempted to earnestly
develop the state's industrial sector.
The proposed Riverfront Research Park, which is a joint
effort by the University, the city of Eugene and local
businesses, is one example of this effort.
Proponents of the park, which would be located on land
adjacent to the Willamette River, argue that the facility will
pump thousands of dollars into the Oregon economy, while
creating hundreds of new jobs. They also say it will enhance
the University’s reputation as a leading national research
facility.
This all may be true, but Eugeneans must strive to main
tain control over the project.
In other towns, projects of this size have traditionally
raised community excitement to such new heights that com
munity leaders have bent over backwards to ensure the pro
ject’s success. City councils conduct uninspired hearings,
land-use bodies waive many of their rules, and it all happens
so fast that potential opponents are given little time to
organize.
We hope that the Eugene City Council and Mayor Brian
Obie will consider all of the park’s ramifications before they
give it their full support. There are many questions to be
considered.
What type of research will be conducted at the facility?
Will it be classified or de-classified? Will the scientists at the
facility conduct military research?
The Unive»3ity. which will lease to park developers
about 80 percent of the facility’s land, must place a stipula
tion in the lease outlawing any classified research.
A university should not be a branch office for the
Department of Defense. We are not in the business of
developing weapons. Similarly, no University land should
be used for such research.
We hope that University President Paul Olum will fight
for this stipulation in any lease, because once the land is
leased out, we will have very little control over that land.
We must also ask: Who will have ultimate control for
ensuring the community’s safety in case of a major accident
at the park? Will the park increase pollution levels in the
Willamette River? If yes, then what will be the nature of the
pollutants?
Eugene must attract new businesses. Anyone who has
recently looked for work in Eugene knows this to be true.
When people are unemployed the tax base shrinks and
the community cannot provide adequate services. But this
does not mean that we should prostitute ourselves to any
new business that offers to locate in our community. In
stead, we must carefully examine the pluses and the
minuses offered by any new business.
It is our hope that through a sincere effort on the part of
all the actors in the park’s development, Eugeneans will be
allowed to examine the pluses and the minuses of the pro
posed research park. Until this happens no one should make
a final decision on the park’s fate.
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letters
Clarification
During this year 1 have been
very pleased with the reporting
of Mary Lichtenwalner on the
Incidental Fee Committee and
ASUO in general. However. 1 do
not feel that Tuesday’s (ODE.
June 5) article on the Davis ad
rninistrat ion accurately
reflected my opinions of that
administration, and specifically
the performance of John
Drees7.0n with regards to the
Athletic Department budget.
While 1 agree that the ASUO
Executive did not communicate
as effectively with the IPC as I
would have liked; the IFC did
not communicate with the
ASUO Executive as effectively
as | would have liked either.
Furthermore, it was rot
John's unpreparedness that was
a problem, but rather the lFC:s
unwillingness to explore the
Athletic Department’s budget in
great detail. I do think the ex
ecutive's lack of presence at
many of the meetings hindered
the process, but 1 also think it iff*
important to present the whole
picture in this case.
Lastly, when asked about the
accomplishments of the ASUO
Executive, 1 was comparing the
Davis administration to the Hot
chkiss administration which
is « difficult measure for any ad
ministration to measure up to
because of the overwhelming
accomplishments of the Hot
chkiss administration.
1 hope this clears up the
situation.
Adam Apaiategui
Incidental Fee Committee
emerald
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Tragic date
As the Soviet •' Invasion of
Afghanistan enters Its sixth
year. It would be appropriate to
remember another, earlier vic
tim of Soviet aggression.
This )urie 14 marks the 44th
anniversay of the Baltic
Holocaust, the most tragic event
ill the history of the Estonian. -
Latvian and Lithuanian people
On this date, in 1941. the Soviet
-Union began mass e*termina
tion and deportation of inno
cent men, women and children
from these three previously in
dependent nations..
During. the night of )une
13-14. Soviet secret police went
from house to house and. ar
rested entire families, herding
them into railroad cattle'cars
bound for Soviet slave labor
damps in Siberia. In Latvia
alone, -almost' 16,000 people
disappeared in one night. In the
ensuing months, nearly 600.000
Baltic citizens — 10 percent of
the Estonian. Latvian and
Lithuanian ° populations " were
eliminated.
Oblivious to international
law, the Soviets brutally,
supressed the Latvian people
and annexed this once free and
independent nation to the
Soviet Union. To this day, the
United States has never
recognized this -illegal
occupation.
■ The tragedy of this event is
compounded by the fact that its
perpetrators have never been
brought to justice, and their
crimes continue to oppress the
people of these Soviet-occupied
countries even today.
Elita Hill
General Science/Psychology
Chances are
The Emerald begins its argu
ment (ODE, May 24), against
the recent Senate vote to renew
domestic production of
chemical weapons with the
following misleading assertion.
"Since the late 1920s, a vast
majority of the world's coun
tries have refrained from either
the production or the use of
chemical weapons." What the
Emerald dutifully neglects to
tell us is that Soviet Union is
now the world's leading pro
ducer and user of chemical
weapons.
In the May 9 Register-Guard ^ •
syndicated columnists Rowland
Evans and Robert. Novak
reviewed a "presidential com
mission's report.on the extent of.
Moscow's chemical war -
plans..." along with other fin-’,
dings on this subject published,
in a new book, "Soviet Military
Supremacy."
..Apparently, the Soviets have
"14 chemical weapon produc
tion facilities 'operating at fuU
capacity' (arid eight biologicaP .
warfare, plants). The United
States has none of either “ Also, •
in’ addition to using chemical
.weapons against Afghan guer
.rillas. the Soviets, may have-'
"conducted lethal chemical and
.biologicaj tests against men and •
women tied to stakes in target ’
M '
areas
Now .for a few questions,: '
Why. after watching the United^
States observe a 15-year ...
moratorium in,,this area,'do the
Soviets continue producing
these dastardly weapons? Fur- f ‘
thermore. why do the Soviets ^
who solemnly avow their abhor
rence for chemical weapons
drop them on hapless Afghan.
peasants?.
Could it be that Soviet war-^
mongers are contemplating
first-use of chemical weapons in
a European war, and therefore
are hoping that the United
States will continue to renounce
the most effective, deterrent to
such usage — the ability to
retaliate in kind?
Tom Visoky
Journalism
Bad impression
My sporadic reading of the
letters to the editor of the
Emerald gives me the frightful
impression of having been
transplanted to a backwater col
lege town in the Bible Belt.
What is Eugene and the
University coming to if
religious zealots and right-wing
extremists dominate the public
arena? I am very concerned
about the negative impression
created by this bigotry on the
thousands of students and
guests in our community from
around the world.
Hans Tschersich
Eugene