Editorial Erotic publications difficult to regulate Southland corporation recently announced that 7-11 stores will cease carrying such publications as Playboy, Playgirl and Forum. College bookstores may soon be under similar pressure to cease providing magazines viewed by some as immoral, by others as degrading to women. The University of Oregon Bookstore should resist at tempts to declare non-ohscene publications inappropriate merchandise. Dangers to freedom of expression outweigh subjective determinations of morality or degradation. Obscenity has a specific legal meaning and can only be determined by a court. In Oregon, the Court of Appeals recently said that even the obscenity statute is constitu tionally flawed. Whether a publication is immoral is an inherently sub jective judgment. with as many opinions as there are people. Bookstores, particularly those in college settings, should not become arbiters of morality. Magazines such as Playboy are relatively mild forms of pornography, but undoubtedly contribute to stereotypes of women as pretty playthings for men. This stereotype is prevalent throughout our male-dominated society. The heart of the problem facing those who judge taste is where to draw the lines.. No rational distinction can be drawn between an erotic poster of Natassja Kinski wearing nothing but a snake and a Salvador Dali painting of a nude woman beset by a tiger and a gun. Both depict a woman in a submissive posture. So what? Shall both be banned along with Playboy? Playboy may arouse male ideas of dominance by pictur ing women as helpless babies dressed in spike heels and wisps of silk. Should paintings by Rubens or Titian be bann ed from sale or publication because they, too, portray softly focused recumbent nude women? The appropriate response to tasteless or offensive publications is education, not prohibition. Prohibiting of fensiveness raises an unanswerable question — whose stan dard is applied, and by whom? Should the government be allowed to choose which magazines can be published or distributed? The First Amendment prohibits this. Allowing a class of people to holler "offensive” and cause magazines to be pulled from shelves is almost as bad. Plenty of what is published is offensive — even damaging — to someone. This is a society full of ideas, some good, some bad. Choosing between them is up to the individual. Unless society wants to delegate those choices to the government — or the churches — by abandoning the First Amendment, of fensive magazines must be tolerated. tqual rights :Thu ASUO' shuttle bus for women is a step toward solving the problem of attack-faced by women on campus who must »ra ve.l a Ipne • a ft.® r dark. However, if the shuttle is being . subsidized with mohey-paid by. •ill students a ,‘'t»ora«ii only" service is" inequitable and sexist... \v '■ The heed for-a separate shut tle for women is real;, but a shiit-. lie for men must also be pr<vvid- . ed. els«> the ASUO is using stu- • dent, money-to promote.a- sr*x-• ually discriminatofy^serviee: Hiawatha (Graduate, Music Women’s roles in society interesting for both sexes The University’s annual Women’s Symposium begins Thursday. We encourage women and men from the Univer sity community to attend this four-day series of events featuring women’s creativity. Too often history, literature, the arts and religion are viewed only from a traditional male perspective. Any view point is enhanced by discovering new ways of seeing the world. The Women’s Symposium offers a good opportunity for men and women to better understand themselves and each other. Take the time to attend. Credibility gap 1 was a fan of college sports before most of today's students were born. I remember Ron VanderKelen's comeback in the Rose Bowl, and Bill Bradley’s heroic attempt to beat second ranked Michigan almost single handedly in Madison Square Garden. But more recently, I have become disgusted by the cor ruption of educational values represented by big-time college sports. I have seen institutions of “higher learning" recruit, ac Oregon Daily Emerald The Oregon Daily Emerald is 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 Susan Thelen Russell H. Steele Vince Adams Jean Ownbey Advertising Sales David Wood - Sales Manager, John Boiler, Jessica Cederberg, Michael Gray, Laura Goldstein, Robin Joannides, Carlos Lamadrid, Marcia Leonard, Shawn Leuthold. Catherine Lllja, Shawna Reed, Kathy Stein, Joan Wildermuth. Laura Willoughby Production Vince Adams, Kelly Alexandre, Lynne Casey, Shu-Shing Chen, Ellen Cross, Storm! Dykes, Manuel Flores, Shannon Gaither, Ross Marlin, Mary May, Rob Miles, Angie Muniz, Charla Parker, Ken Parrott, Jennifer Peterson, Geoff Rainville, Michele Ross, Alyson Sim mons, Gregory Tipps Editor Managing Editor News Editor Editorial Page Editor Assistant Editorial Page Editor Sports Editor Photo Editor Friday Edition Editor Sidelines Editor Night Editor Julie Shippen Michelle Brence Jotayne Houtz Alan Contreras Scott Harding Robert Cotlias James Marks Sheila Landry Allan Lazo Michelle Brence Associate Editors Community/Politics Higher Education Student Activities Student Government University Affairs General Assignment Paul Sturtz Andrew LaMar Chris Norred Stan Nelson Kirsten Bolin Mike Rivers Reporters Tony Ahem, Sean Axmaker, Dan Coran, Kim Kaady. Capi Lynn, Amy Moss, Chuck Thompson. BJ. Thomsen Photographers Lynne Casey, Shu Shing Chen, Marla Cor vallis, Steve Gibbons. Derrel Hewitt, Ross Martin. Karen Stallwood, Mike Wilhelm News and Editorial 666-5511 Display Advertising and Business 6M-3712 Classified Advertising 666-4343 Production 666-4361 Circulation 666-5511 Letters cep! and retain (but nut educate) criminals and students whose SAT scores would got them laughed out of any admissions, office if they couldn't run so fast or jump so. high. ' . \ When* I returned to school after a 12-year absence; 1 found myself at a university which cannot afford to pay GTF's. a minimum* starvation wage dr provide' adequate heat in the. basement of .Deady Hall, bqt whi.ch. is raising millions for a domed-.stadium with no legitimate, academic purpose whatsoever ' Many others feel as I do, but also feel powerless to influence events. So when 12 people in Georgia got the chance, they voted an exorbitant damage award to a University of Georgia employee who had boen fired for promoting educational stan dards over a winning football team. And when I got the chance, 1 voted against the Athletic Department’s request for more student money. The Georgia jury and the Oregon students are only a tip of an iceberg. Athletic departments across the country have a big credibility rebuilding job ahead of them. Stan VerNooy GTF, Math Faulty logic For your comments about KWAX. Robert Duffy. I submit the following. Perhaps due to your newness to Eugene, you make several false assumptions. First. you assume students don’t listen to classical music; second, that KWAX must cater to student taste; third, that col lege stations must be an alter native to “conservative" sta tions; and fourth, that by virtue of financial interest you can dic tate station programming. You're wrong. Students do listen to classical music anri not just those attending. the „ oldest, largest • and best' music school-in the west. Some of the very people who-sa'vpr the; sub tle beaiity of rock'n'roll also .listen to other kinds of music. College stations may exist to provide broadcast experience to students but. like all stations, are licensed to serve, the whole community. KWAX best serves lane County by being theon/v classical station. Unlike the bay area, there isn't enough au dience — yet' ~ to- support a ’commercial classical station, although KWAX is the third most popular station among adults (ARB. Fall. 1985). For alternatives like jazz, fusion, punk, rock, pop. talk. etc,, try any of the 15 other stations in the area. As for money. KWAX gets $1.70(1 a year from the ASUO for work-study students. So your precious 113 cent share is specifically for financial aid to students. The remaining $214,000 comes half from state and federal grants and half from local underwriting and donations. The latter half comes to about 50-cents-per-person in Lane County and. by your reckoning. Robert, they out-vote you 443 to one. Rich Reed Romance luinguages ] Letters Policy The Emerald will attempt to print all letters containing fair comment on topics of interest to the IJnivnriiity community. I fitters tc the editor must bo limitod 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 he turn ed into the Kmerald office. Suite :«H). EMli