Editorial
Unfair IFC reduces
Commentator funds
In a fit of generosity, the Incidental Fee Committee
decided Wednesday to only cut the Oregon Commentator’s
budget by 25 percent from the current level.
The Commentator received about $6300 this year. Next
year it will get about $4700. Why the decrease?
Has the Commentator published often enough this year?
Yes. Has it accomplished its purpose of providing commen
tary on public issues from a conservative perspective? Yes.
Does it serve a substantial portion of the student body?
That question is harder to answer, but it prints 3000 copies
and they get picked up and read. We believe that its service
to the student body as the only regular conservative publica
tion on campus is beyond question.
Why then did the IFC choose, by a 3-2 vote, to substan
tially reduce funding for the Commentator?
Because certain campus illiberals can't stand its
politics. Some of these non-progressives are IFC members.
Others have griped enough to convince IFC members to
squash a publication they hate.
We applaud the courage of IFC member Cindi Kim. who
doesn’t like the Commentator one bit. for her vote to con
tinue the current funding level. We also applaud member
Adam Apalategui for saying that despite its problems, the
Commentator “has a place on this campus.”
We agree, and wish the iconoclastic Commentator well
in its fourth year of lively service to the University.
New fears about literacy
affect schools and society
A recent test shows that illiteracy among U.S. adults is
much higher than previously estimated. The test, ad
ministered by the Census Bureau, shows alarming levels of
basic reading incompetence across a wide spectrum of the
population.
Citizens who cannot read and write cannot fully par
ticipate in their society. The need for basic skills must not
get lost in the rush to boost high-tech training.
The University offers user-supported remedial classes
for students who are deficient in reading and writing. The
very existence of such a program speaks to a problem the
University should not have to face.
Each level of the educational bureaucracy points the
finger lower on the academic ladder, until the illiteracy pro
blem is laid at the feet of (choose one or more) parents,
television, teacher salaries and workloads, student motiva
ion. high tech emphasis and so on.
The problem belongs to everyone.
Oregon has established tougher standards for admission
to State System schools. Wherever the burden for training in
basic literacy belongs, it does not belong in Universities.
Universities are places for people who already have
basic skills. People who do not have them do not belong
here.
Adaptation to the needs of students from educationally
disadvantaged backgrounds is fine up to a point. However,
if the University accepts ill-prepared students. less pressure
will be brought on secondary schools to produce well
prepared students, and the cycle of substandard literacy will
continue.
The University should couple its remedial programs
with vigorous insistence to secondary schools that they pro
vide the basic linguistic skills necessary for survival in
society.
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Letters
Same problem
This is regarding a letter I
wrote stressing a format change
for the University's, radio sta
tion, KWAX. I was very pleased
to receive responses, the goal I
had when I wrote it.
But all of the responses to my
letter were in strong rebuttal to
my proposition. I obviously did
not expect this strong opposi
tion. But later I found in speak
ing with many people that a lot
of students do not even know
that KWAX exists, and if they
did they certainly had never
listened to it.
This is unfortunate for a col
lege radio station. Although
most of the rebuttals did have
good arguments, the problem
still remains: the majority of
this school has no use for a
radio station that plays classical
music. Sure. I like classical
music. But my concern is that a
college radio station should be
an integral part of the
University.
With the format change I
mentioned earlier, many more
students would start listening to
KWAX. With an increase in au
dience the station would
become a much better com
munication outlet for students.
Public service announcements
and news - about the college
> would finally get the attention
they need.
Perhaps voting for a format
• .change would be a good idea on
the part of the ASUO. Then we
could see what the majority of
the student body feels l believe
' that a change would benefit this
university immensely. Those in
agreement should voice their
opinions! The student body
would be pleased with a
change.
Robert Duffy
Student
Total sham
Chris Green's divestment
Commentary (GDIs. May 1)
displays liberals' customary ig
norahce of the way capitalism
works. This may come as a
shock to Chris, but DIVKST
V MENT IS A TOTAL SHAM!
It does nothing to influence
the South African government,
nor to help the South African
blacks. The total sum of what
divestment "accomplishes" is
the transfer of stock from one
greedy capitalist owner to
another. That's all. nothing
mere. It is at best a moral
gesture, and a weak one.
Indeed, since large
businesses are rarely sold for
cash but instead for Interest
bearing notes, with profits low
and interest rates high, divest
ment is no self-sacrificing state
ment of solidarity but is indeed
good business.
The only "divestment" that
will help South African blacks
is if the workers "divest" the
mining corporations of the
endless mineral wealth of South
Africa Whereas now this
tremendous wealth serves only
to fatten the bellies of the cor
porate bandits plundering
South Africa, a socialist govern
ment could nationalize the
mines and use. the tremendous
profits to build industry, in
frastructure. hospitals and
schools for the South African
people. :
That’s the only "divestment"
I’m in favor of. Imleed. I'm ap
palled that our student money is
being wasted on this ridiculous
nine-year divestment lawsuit
Kather than squandering any
.niore money. I have a sugges
tion turn it over to Angola (in
vaded and currently being ter
rorised by South Africa). Its
Cuban allies, and SWAPO (in
South Africa's colony.
Namibia). These groups aren't
making useless moral gestures,
they're actually fighting
apartheid
Clenn Sacks
English
Social deviants
"It's sad in a way that we
have to have Cay Pride Week"
(ODE. May 5). Yeah, it is sad
that these social deviants are
allowed to express their
jierverted views openly on our
campus. Why these criminals of
nature are allowed to exist, let
alone express their beliefs, is
beyond my imagination.
Where does Mr. Harding find
signs of acceptance of these fags
and dvkes on our campus' I
can't even find any signs that
they should be allowed to exist,
for they stray from every
cultural and moral law of naturn
and society.
"All types of people am gay
and lesbian." Bullshit Only in
secure. s»m.tally inept persons
would find pleasure rolling
around in laid with a meml>er of
• heir own sex.
"We want to tell gays and les
bians, 'Yes. you have a reason
to la; proud." " What possible
reason could you find to be pro
ud for being a gay or a lesbian'
Co crawl hack under your rocks.
|nn Niedermeyer
Beta Theta Pi
si_u t llltti
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