Editorial
Married couple rule
should not continue
The Amazon Policy Board will meet Tuesday to con
sider recommending elimination of the married couple
priority in access to certain University housing.
The married couple priority has no rational relationship
to the University’s educational mission, and should be
eliminated. This will not adversely affect anyone with
children, because parents with children are automatically
eligible for priority.
The University is in the housing business only because
housing is deemed a necessary part of its educational mis
sion. The present policy expresses a value judgment that
marriage is better than other human relationships func
tionally identical to marriage. The policy does nothing else.
In determining access to University housing, the
University should consider factors related to access to
education. Consider parenthood. Consider financial need.
Consider course load or student loan obligations. Consider
any factor with demonstrable bearing on student need for
housing.
Marriage is not such a factor. Is there a rational distinc
tion related to the University’s educational mission that can
be made between married couples and unmarried and gay
couples? Assuming all other variables are the same. e.g.
years together, no children, income, there is no difference.
Marriage is a legal status, no more, no less. By itself it
bears no relationship to need for access to University manag
ed housing.
An unmarried couple together five years has no educa
tionally related needs that differ from a couple married five
years. Educationally related needs are the only ones the
University should consider.
Societal institutions change over time. Marriage is a
popular and satisfying option through which many people
organize their lives. It is not the only way. It is not, in 1986,
even the only socially acceptable way. .
Gay men and lesbians cannot marry, and many
heterosexual couples choose not to. These couples
nonetheless have the same loving, caring, happy, angry,
changing, growing partnerships as married couples. The
University should recognize this fact.
The University now has a policy that rewards marriage
and discounts non-marriage. This policy is irrational,
senselessly discriminatory and unrelated to the University’s
educational mission. Change it to truly serve student needs.
A new policy that treats couples alike raises the
possibility of occasional access by people not committed to
each other, but just wanting to get into University housing.
The same is true under the current policy.
The University is faced with a choice between imperfect
options. The present policy is imperfect and irrationally
discriminatory against non-married couples. A policy
treating couples alike might also be imperfect, but it would
not be inherently discriminatory.
We realize the complexity of revamping the housing
policy. The University’s housing staff should begin at
square one and consider the modern role of student housing.
A new policy should be drafted to reflect this role.
We urge the Amazon Policy Board to recommend the
elimination of the married student priority. We further sug
gest that the housing staff begin drafting a new policy that
considers and ranks criteria genuinely related to the housing
needs of all student couples and parents.
r
Letters
For women only
In response to Darrel
Rothauge's letter "no protec
tion," we would like to make it -
clear that rape is indeed a
violent act. However, this is no
reason to limit protection from
it. Why should anyone expose
themselves to an opportunity
where they could be abused?
The idea that some women
driving or riding this van could
somehow initiate an act of sex
ual conduct is an absurd and
uneducated statement. This van
is driven by women for women,
because we as a whole are fin
ding ways in which to minimize
the acts of rape, as well as sex
ual harassment and abuse. /’
Neither one of us is a lesbian,
however, this does not detract
from the fact that we found your
comments about them
distasteful and preposterous.
No lesbian is a man trapped in a
woman's body. Perhaps you'
should give some real thought
to that statement. You are in ef
fect-saying it is actually men
who are the danger to all the
"innocent Women.” There are
very few women who would
rape another woman in the
manner such as men do. ’ .
In creating project safe-ride.
Oregon Daily
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the objective for alt women is to
provide protection and create
an atmosphere of trust for one
another. This crucial element of
trust is not easily placed in the
hands uf menby most women in "
today's society.
If you so feel a need to be pro
tected. why not create a shuttle
van service of your own instead
of attempting to destroy an ob
viousjy good and worthy
project? • - •
Stacey B. Atwell .
Bonnie A. Bates
Marriage best
The last thing the University
(or society in general) should do
is encourage homosexuality.
Benefits reserved for married
couples should never be
granted to homosexuals living
together, nor should laws be
changed to allow same-sex
marriages.
Even from a purely biological
perspective homosexuality is a
maladaptive behavior-which is
counterproductive to any socie
ty. Besides medical problems,
the practice;, certainly does
nothing . to perpetrate the
spec ies, and any society which
encourages such behaviors will
eventually perish,-That's why
successful societies, such as
western civilization, have tradi
tionally encouraged heterosex
ual marriages sp as fo have
stable and .responsible . en
vironments for /.families to he
raised. This enables .the people
and culture to survive genera
tion after generation.
Two or more guys living
together, and having homosex
ual relations have never been
regarded as families. Their
behavior makes no real con
tribution to the survival of a
people and if a large percentage
of a particular people engaged
in such lifestyles the people
would soon die out.
last’s not give homosexual
relations any more legitimiza
tion than already exists. The
heterosexual family unit is the
backbone of all successful
sociali«s on earth. Our country
has a stake both in preserving
and encouraging the traditional
family unit as well as discourag
ing maladaptive and counter
evolutionary forms of behavior.
Michael (xoss
, Political Science/Hi story
No Philistine
The comments of Professor
• Robert Hurwitz (Emerald, April
4) about KVVAX announcer
Mike l.ee are of interest. The
professor takes Mr. l<oe for a
rather brazen Philistine loosed
upon the formal world of
classical music. Professor Hur
witz builds his case based on an
^interview in the .ODE that ran
March? 7.'
I know there ,s no (Hsputlng
taste. But it only seems fair that
before one darkens another's
name that he owes the victim a
just hearing. I've had occasion
to listen to Mr. lee on KWAX
While the professor's letter sug
gests some Oj Indifferently
spinning platters. Sex Pistols or
Scriabin, it's just a needle in
'd‘groove, mon; my experience
is otherwise. Mr. Urn's style is
unobtrusive and hardly
inappropriate.
Professor Hurwitz is entirely
correct that there is form to
''classical” music. A Mozart
piano sonata, for example, can
not really bo appreciated until
one learns that there are defined
parts that fit together according
to a pattern. Time and effort are
required in order to learn what
to listen for. The professor
might want to criticize Mr. Lee
for lasing unlnfornwd, at least
based on the interview publish
ed. But as a KWAX announcer,
Urn's style is scarcely too infor
mal. Mr. Lee's program
deserves an audit, a listening to.
before a judgment is made bas
ed on obviously edited
comments!
Eric Press
GTF
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