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