Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 30, 1985)
Editorial IFC probe reveals sordid coffee scam Watch out. The Incidental Fee Committee in its in defatigable search for fiscal waste, has ferreted out yet another torrential abuse of funds. The discovery that the EMU staff gets coffee and tea, not at half of the retail value, not at a third of the retail value, but absolutely free, sent shock waves throughout the campus community Friday. James Randall, the IFC chairman, used his precise mathematical abilities and investigative techniques to evaluate the magnitude of this scandalous waste. By multiplying the retail cost of a cup of coffee, which he estimated to be 55 cents per cup, and estimating the number of people who guzzle the IFC’s •'liquidated'’ funds to be 30 people, and by assuming each person drinks two cups a day, five days a week, every week of the year, he came up with a grand total of $8,580, or rounded off, a staggering $9,000 per year. He graciously clarified that it was a "ballpark" figure. "Nine thousand is just a guess,” he said. Of course, employees probably don't drink coffee or tea during the four breaks between terms when the EMU is clos ed, and certainly less of the beverage is consumed during summer term when the EMU has restricted hours and fewer eiiipioyctjs. And, well, of course the estimates were based on a sup posed retail value of the coffee. Duane Partain. the EMU food service director, said that the actual cost of providing coffee for employees is about $630 per year. And incidental ly, he said that even based on the retail value, the total would be $1,920. And perhaps it should be mentioned that the average price of a cup of coffee in the EMU is 48 cents and that if employees had to pay for coffee they probably wouldn’t drink as much. Randall was close to the amount of people that take advantage of the benefit, though. A greedy herd of 51 employees are eligible for the handout, but not all of them drink coffee or tea. ,, But not to detract from the IPC’s noble effort driven by the committee’s skillful and conscientious leader. The cof fee isn’t funded by incidental fees (the food service makes money and contributes the profits to other EMU programs), but as Randall pointed out, students pay for it indirectly. We appreciate Randall’s ability to expand his authority. Just because he is the chairman of the Incidental Fee Committee doesn't mean he should limit his professional activities to the administration of incidental fees. And Randall is no slave to status quo. Most employers provide coffee for their employees and consider improved employee attitudes and performance a result of money well spent. But Randall remains undaunted. He perceptively pointed out that students don’t get free coffee, which is un doubtedly directly related to whether or not employees should get free coffee. And how did EMU Director Adell McMillan respond to Randall’s charges? Her sole defense to the IFC’s piercing at tack was that allowing the staff to consume free coffee raises employee morale and allows the staff to interact with the students. Sure. The old coffee-achiever defense. And even though the EMU is efficiently run by helpful and friendly employees, Randall reminded us that the EMU staff is in credibly overpaid. Some of those people actually make enough to pay taxes on their income. We encourage the IFC to continue its hard-hitting in vestigations. For example, rumors have it that Panhellenic refuses to reuse paperclips. Why, that could add up to $5,000 per year. And, incredulous as it sounds, widely cir culated gossip suggests that the Commentator insists on leaving three-inch margins on all of its office memos a disgraceful waste of paper. Oregon Daily Emerald The Oregon Daily Emerald la published Monday through Friday except during exam week and vacations by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co., at the University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 97403 The Emerald operates independently ot the University with offices on the third floor of the Erb Memorial Union and is a member of the Associated Press The Emerald is private property. The unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable by law General Staff Advertising Director Production Manager Classified Advertising Assistant to the Publisher Advertising Sales: David Wood Susan Thelen Russell Steele Vince Adams Jean Ownbey Sales Manager, John Boiler Intern, Michael Gray, Robin Joannides, Carlos Lamadrid, Marcia Leonard, Shawn leuthold, Julie Lewis, Catherine Lilja Intern, Brett Pickmai, Anne-Marie Vranizan - Intern, Laura Willoughby Production: Vince Adams, Kelly Alexandre, Shu-Shlng Chen, Ellen Cross, Judy Dieringer, Stormi Dykes, Manuel Flores, Steve Gibbons, Rob Hare, Jim Marks, Rous Mar tin, Mary May, Mary McGonigal, Rob Miles Angie Muniz, Kara Oberst, Charla Parker, Ken Parrott Jennifer Peter son, Geoff Rainville, Michele Ross, Alyson Simmons, Peg Sotonika, Gregory Tipps, Colleen Tremaine, Steven Wall Page 2A tanor Managing Editor News Editor Editorial Page Editor Editorial Page Assistant Sports Editor Photo Editor Graphics Editor Friday Edition Editor Sidelines Editor Night Editor t/unc tfiiiyps'i Diana Elliott Jolayne Houtz Michelle Brence Matthew Dodson Robert Collias Karen Stallwood Ross Martin Sheila Landry Allan Lazo Jolayne Houtz Associate Editors Higher Education Community General Assignment Administration Student Government Student Activities Gary Jimenez Scott MeFetridge Linda Hahn Kirsten Bolin Mary Lichtenwalner Julie Freeman Reporters Sean Axmaker, Dan Coran, Karen Engel, Frale de Guzman, Deborah Janes, Kim Kaady, Andrew Lamar, Robert Oakes. Barbara Shaw, B.J. Thomsen Photographers Kamila Al-Najjar, Shu-Shlng Chen, Steve Gibbons. Rob Hare, Jim Marks, Ross Martin, Steven Wall News and Editorial 6*8-5511 Display Advertising and Business 686-3712 Classified Advertising 686 4343 Production 686-4381 Circulation .680-551,1 Geneva Fashions \ Oust LOV£ 6osn.lK<»rimr %SSS£Srt SOU WAVS ON, MlK SOSIMVK! Tm*&, toNKo Gosh, i mux SoPWHED/ . I ■■ . ....—"■■ Save services To campus activists and others interested: It is a good thing to show solidarity in sup port against apartheid. That is an archaic system which should be abolished. However, on the home front, have you heard, or done anything, about the Gramm Redtnun Amendment? In short, this is a federal budget balanc ing act. While our federal budget could use balancing, another way needs to be found. Half the budget, represented by military contracts, social securi ty, payment on the debt, etc., will be left alone. The remain ing half is our social and sup port services. The people who can least afford to be cut from the budget are special educa tion. vocational rehabilitation, maternal and child health and social services, work-study and other college financial aid, etc. Do you realize at the state level, without federal incen tives, P.L. 94-142. the Educa tion For All Children Act. is just ink on paper? Do you unders tand the implications of cuts in these and other areas? Do you care? If you do. and would like to write to the conferees in the House of Representatives and Senate, feel free to contact me. The time is short and letters must be sent. If we don't do something, there will be nobody left to speak for those who may not be able to speak for themselves. Debi Place Student and Parent CKinnan 1 Coffeegate Adell has the Mr*. Folger’s Blues. Flashed on the front page of the Emerald was another abuse of 1FC funds. Hits time it’s $9,000 worth of coffee for 35 years. Yes. fellow students, this is a rip-off by the administrative unit of the EMU. Will we as students allow Coffeegate to continue? Adell, the students of the U of O want no more of your Java Jive. If you find nothing wrong with the staff of the EMU get ting coffee during their breaks and lunches, then you will not mind students getting free cof fee during their breaks and lun ches. Well Adell. if you mind students getting their liquid caf feine for free, then a fair com promise to end abuse of power is by having the price of yearly coffee consumption by your employees taken out of your salary. Yes, fellow students, lets dock Adell’s salary to cover the cost of her employees, and the cream and sugar they use as well. To cover a history of cof fee abuse condoned by Adell, lets garnish her wages until the funds that have been skimmed by Adell’s cronies during this coffeegate conspiracy put the IFC back into the black. 1 espresso horror in the thought that the student body will allow itself to take two lumps and not stir up any trou ble for the half and half bunch headed by the EMU administration. Blake Louis Sliter Political Science Quite a gouging This letter concerns the ‘‘cof fee scam” (ODE, Oct. 24) cover story. It really warms my heart and renews my faith in student government to see that James Randall is doing such a scrupulous Job in overseeing the uses to which our incidental fees are put. So EMU staffers are getting free coffee and ripping students off to the tune of $9,000 a year, are they? Well, let’s see...$9,000 divided by roughly 15,000 students comes to (GASP) 60 cents per student, per year. Quite a gouging, isn't it? Can’t you just see the people who are don® in by the ex cessive coats of college educa tion. attributing their woes to that crushing 20-cent per term burden. Meanwhile.. the "highly paid” EMU staffers are chuckling over this egregious scam as they drive off in their Porsches Mark Davis Graduate Student, Biology One-sidedness What is it with you people? If adults wish to pollute their minds with fantasies of warriors and flying- machines, that's their„prerogative. 1 don’t like tomatoes. In fact. I'm mildly allergic to them. My problem with tomatoes doesn't give me the right to run around town tipping over produce carts. If others wish to eat tomatoes, it’s OK. If people wish to watch "Rambo." it’s OK. I'm reasonable enough to concede that what other people do with their time is none of my business. When a movie is brought to campu:, it is often a function of popular demand. I'm afraid the "one person, one-vote” system is a reality you'll have to learn to live with. You over-zealous, save-the world types characteristically exhibit a one-sidedness that af fords you all of the choices while the rest of us remain vic tims of your "better” judgment. I shudder to think of the irrita tion and inconvenience we might suffer if you could clearly express yourselves. As it is. you’re little more than an irksome distraction. Alex Gardner Biology Letters Policy The Emerald will attempt to print all letters containing fair comment or. topics of interest to the University community. tetters 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. let ters to the editor should be turn ed Into the Kmerald office, Suite 300, EMU. Wednesday, October 36, 1985
