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.
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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
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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