Editorial
Maternity vital to
University, society
Maternity leave benefits for employees at the University
are good, and the University is actually one of the better en
vironments for an expecting working woman. However, the
University should develop a comprehensive maternity leave
policy that includes:
— Eight weeks of paid leave for parents who are having
or adopting a baby:
— Up to 10 additional weeks of unpaid leave to allow
the parent to care for the infant:
— Existing options of "borrowing’’ sick-leave time or
applying accrued vacation time to the maternity leave;
— A guarantee of being able to return to their job or a
comparable job. with the option of coming back part-time
before returning to full-time.
These measures are similar to those found in industry;
for example, they closely match the maternity leave policy
of Lotus Development, a leading edge software firm.
Such a policy would benefit University employees who
feel crushed between economic need and the desire to have
children. Many women rely on their income to support
themselves and their families, and simply cannot afford to
take six fo eight weeks off. which is the length of recupera
tion after childbirth that many doctors recommend.
The decision to have children is a healthy one. and a
woman's workplace should not inhibit her desire to be a
mother. Likewise, men should be able to participate in the
early rearing of their children, which is healthy for both the
child and the father.
An immediate objection is the cost of such a policy: tor
every dollar spent supporting an employee on maternity
leave, one dollar less can be spent on classes. Thus, the
benefits that the University provides to its employees direct
ly affect the benefits the University can provide to its
students.
However, the University must act also as an employer,
not just as a teacher, and clearly the burden of this policy
would be easier on the University than on the parents.
The burden is similar to that faced by employers who
have employees who leave for two weeks every summer to
participate in the National Guard.
The other critical aspect of the policy is the time a
parent can spend with a newborn, providing the infant with
a sense of tieloiiging that will stay with the child for the rest
of his life.
This is termed "bonding" by psychologists, referring to
the special bond that occurs between parent and infant.
With the proposed policy, a parent can spend up to 4
months with the infant, providing it with the special atten
tion that will shape the child's early development. The
length of this period would depend on the parent, who can
use sick leave or vacation time to pay for this time.
The effect would 1m; to allow a parent to spent this time
without committing career suicide.
With 52 million women currently working outside the
home, 80 percent of whom are likely to have children during
their working lives, the question of maternity leave and
benefits is vital to society, and it is one that is being worked
out hesitantly now.
Women have become a vital part of the work force:
America cannot afford to squander the skills they bring to
the job market. At the same time, parental concerns are cen
tral to society, and good child rearing is essential to the
growth and development of tomorrow's citizens.
The University should investigate ways to establish and
take a strong stand with its employees and assert the impor
tance of new parents and the time they spend with their
children.
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Letters
Pro DeFazio
Bruce long supports tht? (Con
tras. who torture Nicaraguan
peasants and community
workers (see Amnesty Interna
tional or America's Watch
reports, or talk to Eugene-area
Witness for Peace delegates
who've been then?)
This policy shames America.
Peter DeFazio understands
the challenge and opportunities
for IJ.S. policy in Central
America. He opposes contra
aid He knows who and what
the contras art*
If ever there was a choice on a
crucial issue of our time, it's
before us in the 4th District con
gressional election.
Call 683-3950 and volunteer a
few hours with the DeFazio
campaign if you're a person
who cares about this.
Dan Goldrich
DeFazio supporter
Crucifiction
It was too nice of a day to think
of the war
the sun too warm, the sky too
blue
her eyes brown, like her skin
her hair black, like a night with
no moon
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Ross Nils Tjolmn Michael Wilhelm X Kang Xie
she had coins from the city, not
quite a woman
to teach others to read and write
herself a poet, she often came to
this place
to sit hy this mountain stream,
not far from the village
and try to capture the words
that flowed from her heart
in this very special place she
would come to find the words
to speak of her land, her people,
herself
Maria, named after the holy
mother
she fondles a crucifix hanging
from a delicate chain
and gazes into a cool mountain
stream, wondering
if perhaps the ancient ones in
habit this place
she does not hear the soldiers
she does not have time to get to
her M-lfi
the rape is vicious and brutal, as
rape always is
and when they are through with
her. one of the soldiers
drives a bayonet deep into her
left breast, a bayonet
made in the USA, and the faces
of the soldiers
begin to look like you or me.
too million in aid
for the freedom fighters of
Nicaragua, the Contras
by a cool mountain stream, hid
den by the most beautiful
flowers
who quietly whisper the secrets
of the ancient ones to each other
there lies a silver crucifix, and a
broken chain.
Ron Phillips
Vietnam vet
Sell grain
I don't know why some peo
ple have been critical of grain
sales to the Soviet Union. We
have massive surpluses of food
going to waste and the Soviets
have a need for grain Why not
build up relations between our
two countries through such
trade?
Sure, we're subsidizing these
grain sales, but our government
also spends millions of dollars
each day to store surplus food.
Eventually much of it will
either rot away (and have to lie
dumped) or merely destroyed
before it wastes away. Wouldn’t
it be better to let the people of
the USSR have it than to let it go
to waste?
Also, these food surpluses are
hurting our farmers. We don't
have a domestic population big
enough to keep up with grow
ing food surpluses and many
Third World nations are now
producing food surpluses too —
so they don't want to buy our
grain anymore. So our farmers
are being seriously hurt.
Let's continue selling grain to
the Soviets. If it helps our
farmers, puts food on the plates
of people instead of going to
waste, and helps build relations
with the USSR, then what's
wrong with that? Anyway, do
ing good for all people is what
Christ urged us to do.
TereasaMcNew
Elmira
Government
It wasn't until I got involved
with the citizens’ effort against
the Air Force GWEN tower for
Eugene that 1 came to fully ap
preciate the merits of represen
tative government.
Key to that effort was the con
tacting of two Oregon elected
officials. Sen. Mark Hatfield
and Kep. l-es AuCoin. Their
follow-through is what enabled
the citizens' group to defeat
what had been an arbitrary ac
tion of big government.
So if, as a student, you have
not registered to vote this fall,
do so. Your vote can make a
difference.
If you agree with the NO
GWEN philosophy, you can go
an important step further in the
40th District congressional race:
vote for Peter DeFazio, who has
pledged to fight the policies of
the Keagan administration
which take us ever closer to
nuclear war.
George Beres
Speakers Bureau