Editorial City leaders should be paid for their job University student and Eugene mayoral candidate Sean Smith has pointed out an interesting problem during his campaign for office. Currently, the job of mayor is volunteer work. There is an expense account for meals and trips to conventions, but the mayor doesn't get paid a salary for the considerable work involved. Nor do any of the eight city councilors. His contention, and that of Nina Lovinger, president of the South University Neighborhood Association, is that the lack of salary means that only the well-off with outside business interests can afford the sacrifice to run for office. “We don’t have democratic representation here,'' Lovinger said. The responsibilities of mayor and city councilor require about 20-30 hours in office time. That commitment hurts any chance of earning enough to survive on another job. It also creates a part-time approach to the office. If a public of ficial must spend part of his or her day earning money, that makes him or her less accessible during the day to the constituents. A study available through the Eugene City Manager’s office entitled "Measures of Excellence” also points out that Eugene lags behind other West Coast cities of similar size in paying public officials. For example, Boise. Idaho, and Hayward. Calif., both offer salaries to their mayors and councilors. Some smaller communities do as well, such as Bellevue. Wash.. Santa Barbara, and Santa Monica, Calif. The salary bandied about by Smith, Lovinger and others is $12,000 a year for the mayor and councilors. That figure is not unreasonable. Bud Clark, mayor of Portland, a city five times as populous as Eugene, earns more than $65,000 a year. The proposed salary is about the same as that of a state legislator. ...» The mayor and councilors are responsiuie iur a budget in excess of 150 million dollars. Their combined salary of $96,000 would be one-fifteenth of one percent of that budget. With so much responsibility, they clearly deserve payment for their services. Conduct recommendations would benefit the students The Student Conduct Committee deserves plaudits for its recommendation to change conduct code articles regar ding discrimination and academic dishonesty. The commit tee acted on these matters on Monday. If their changes pass the University and Student Senates, as they should, then discrimination on the basis of race, gender, color, disability, national origin, sexual orien tation, age, marital status, veteran status or religion would become an offense subject to the jurisdiction of the Univer sity's disciplinary code. One wonders why this was never spelled out before in the conduct code, but in this case it is “better late than never." The change in the procedure for faculty members filing cases of academic cheating would also be a blessing for students. Currently, faculty members must file cases no later than two weeks after grades come out, often catching students during their winter or summer breaks. If the SCC’s recommendation passes, then the filing would have to occur no later than two weeks after a faculty and student conference. m 1 wm ME ON 9J& „ ■UJSDW! \usrat TDVtlt mm , SELT 10£S I Letters More on KWAX Exactly who is running KWAX, the University station? The ODE reported earlier this term that 10-12 University students work at KWAX each quarter. When one takes into consideration that KWAX is a University station. 10-12 students a term is pathetic. KALX. the University of Califor nia at Berkeley radio station where 1 have worked as a volunteer, regularly has 40-50 students working for the station and helping to run it. The problem is made worse when one sees that the Univer sity is also being outdone by a local high school. KRVM (91.9 FM) offers high school students live air time to play records and read the news, two things not offered to University students at KWAX. KRVM also broadcasts Sheldon High School basketball games while KALX does Cal football, basketball and baseball games. I was fortunate to have the op portunity to call a football game for KALX; ironically enough, it was when Cal played the Ducks last fall. It really upsets me to think of all the students, myself includ ed, who are being robbed of valuable experience. Journalism majors could be getting the ex perience of writing news to be Oregon Daily Emerald P.O. Box JI5(, Kugmr, Ortgaa 974(3 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 The Emerald operates independently of 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 Qanaral Staff Advertising Director Susan Thelen Production Manager Michele Ross Classified Manager Kelli Mason Assistant to the Publisher Jean Ownbey Advertising Sales: Rick Marlz/Sales Manager James Betzer. Teri Boring, David Cheonis, Mike Clark, Tom Leech. Catherine Ulja. Laura McKinney, Joann Nelson. Julie Paul, Vicki Reed. Barbara Rogers. Scott Thorkildson, Kathy Smith - Classified News and Editorial 686-5511 Display Advertising and Businass 686-3712 Classified Advertising 686-4343 Letter Perfect Graphics 686-5511 Production 686-4381 Circulation 686-5511 Editor Stanley Nelson Managing Editor Scott Maben News Editor Carolyn Lamberson Editorial Editors Steven Hoenlsch/Thomas Prowell Sports Editor Aaron Knox Photo Editor Shu-Shlng Chen Graphic Design Editor Lorraine Rath Special Issues Editor Kelly Kortekaas Entertainment/Sports Segment Editor Angela Muniz Night Editor Andrew LaMar Associate Editors Community Andrew LaMar Higher Education/Administration Michael Drummond Student Government/Activities Kelvin Wee Reporters: Christopher Blair, Betsy Clayton, Paula Green, Frale de Guzman, Craig Harris, Gary Henley. Will Holbert, Bryan Houston, Jeff Morgan. Ingrid Petersen. Cami Swanson Photographers: Sherlyn Bjorkgren, Chrlstophe Chabaudie. Jeremy Choo, Andy Cripe, Nikki Dadaian. Bill Haines, Maia Hlghsmith. Rachel Kirby, Bobble Lo, Jim Marks. Jim Mason, Gregor Okorn, Andre Ranieri, David Shaw, Ted Shepler, Trevor Solander, Philip Thorne Production: Sandra Daller / Ad Coordinator Kelly Alexandre. Ronwin Nicole Ashton, Virginia Baniaga, Alice Cannon, Laura Carhart, Eva Cohen, Ellen Cross. Stephanie Drynan. Dolores Ferraro, Lisa Haggerty, Stephanie Holland, Eliot Knight. Jung Lee. Bobbie Lo, Jim Marks. Ross Martin, James Mason, Angela Muniz, Ted Shepler, Ingrid White, Kelly Williams, X Kang Xie read on the air and business ma jors could help out with the financial duties of the station. But, none of this is to be since KWAX receives all of its news from outside sources and only allows a few "select’’ students to gain valuable experience at the station. Given these problems, it’s time for the students and pro fessors of the University to organize and make a change. Simon Thaler Telecommunications and film Positions 1 oppose the Riverfront Research Park site, and not the idea of a research park. The area should be preserved for recrea tional use only. I realize the University and the city of Eugene are separate entities. When I spoke of the parking situation on campus. I meant I would do my best to work with University officials to alleviate this situation. Overzealous meter maids are not the answer. I do not support any industry that manufactures nuclear weapons or parts for nuclear weapons or reactors. 1 see nothing wrong with hav ing a businessman as mayor, just as long as the person is paid and does the job on a full-time basis. At this point the mayor and the city council are not paid for doing their jobs. It is time for a fundamental change in the ci ty government of Eugene; it is time for the mayor and the city council to be paid for doing their jobs. This way, anyone will have the opportunity to govern, not just the wealthy. The $12,000 figure I cited is a salary. Currently, those who can afford to be in a city office, file for candidacy. Those who cannot afford it. do not. 1 believe this creates a domina tion of power for the wealthy, and an elite city government. Letters Policy The Emerald will attempt to print all letters containing comments on topics of in terest to the University com munity. We live in the second largest city in Oregon, and we should set a better example for the rest of the state. As Frank Zappa once wrote, don’t forget to register to vote! Sean £. Smith Telecommunications and Film Greek praise There are changes going on in the Greek community that are not represented by the problems that Beta Theta Pi fraternity is currently having. ! first noticed the changes when I was the Incidental Fee Committee representative to the Interfraternity Council last year. What I found was individuals who were working hard and diligently to improve the Greek system, and these changes were ones of substance and not fluff. Among the changes was the im plementation of Impact Train ing to deal with the problem of alcohol abuse by some of the houses. It is true that there are pro blems within the Greek system, but these problems are not be ing ignored. The implementa tion of the Tribunal Prosecutors that monitor house activities is another example of positive im provement started by the Greeks. Even the Betas have tried to solve their own problems. It is no secret that troublemakers within the fraternity were recently removed. For this forceful action the Betas should be commended. Even though 1 am not a Greek, my dealings with them in the past have proved to me that they serve a very important function at the University. Among the values that they teach their members are: cooperation bet ween members, service through their community volunteer work and a feeling of belonging to something important that they instill in all new members. The Greeks are working diligently to solve their own problems, and for that, there should be praise and not ridicule. Ron Munion Former IFC member