-Editorial
McMorran House a
waste of money
Perhaps University President Paul Olum knew
what he was doing when he chose his own living quar
ters.
When Myles Brand takes the helm of University
president at the end of June, he and his family will re
side in the McMorran House — a three-story hillside
home near Hendricks Park worth an estimated
$300,000.
And the University has already approved $100,000
in repairs and improvements for the stately, yet appar
ently decrepit, residence.
University Provost Norman Wessells, the home’s
most recent tenant, can attest to the bathrooms’ need
For some work, and the inability to c lose windows due
to warped frames.
But immediate renovation plans for McMorran
House include a new roof, a thorough cleaning, new'
interior paint, new furniture, new kitchen appliances,
new dining room drapes, the installation of a security
system, lawn repairs and other modifications.
The current list of renovations is only a partial one
of what eventually will be needed. University Vice
President for Administration Dan Williams said it will
take several years to bring the house up to minimum
standards.
This is tin* home Wessells believes is a "treasure”
worth preserving? This is the home local real estate
agent Ruby Brocket! recently referred to as a "jewel"?
No. What this is, is a monumental waste of money.
More than one-third of what the house is worth is
needed to bring the house up to working order. The
renovation money is coining from the University** de
ferred renovation fund — money specified by the state
hoard of higher education for use in the upkeep of state
facilities.
Wouldn't this money be better spent in the upkeep
of Deady or Villard Halls? After all, these buildings
have been considered for inclusion in a federal list of
"endangered" buildings.
Wouldn't this money lie better spent to increase
the lighting on the University's campus?
Brand is getting a hefty salary. $100,000 a year, a
$l3.000-a-ycar expense account, the McMorran House
and other perks. Is it completely unheard of that the
Brand family not undertake some of the remodeling re
sponsibilities themselves? Is it necessary that the
Brands acquire new’ furniture, kitchen appliances and
other such accessories? Are they not bringing anything
with them?
Hertainly the money could be better spent else
where.
POREIGM
POUCI
initiatives
Salary increases shouldn't be gender based
Six years ago, the Slate Board of Higher
Education established a policy that the
state’s colleges and universities were to
study their salary structures and determine
if inequities exist. If inequities were found,
they were to be addressed.
Indeed, inequities were found, they have
been addressed, and the result is that pay
equity policies adopted by higher education
officials have made a difference for female
faculty members.
The study of higher education salaries,
completed at the direction of the 1987 Legis
lature, found many idiosyncrasies. Among
them is that the state should have a policy
that promotion in rank should always reflect
a salary increase.
This is one of the recommendations to
be given to the House Education Committee.
Others include continuing to emphasize
merit pay increases as opposed to across-the
board increases, and withholding across-the
board salary increases to faculty members
lacking in satisfactory performance.
The study also found that female faculty
members in state colleges and universities
earn less than their male counterparts — a
gap that is narrowing. The salary gap also
had more to do with the fact that women
make up a higher proportion of the lower
faculty ranks on campuses. This has, howev
er. changed in the last 10 years.
From bottom to top, faculty are ranked
as instructors, assistant professors, associate
professors and full professors. Women make
up 48 percent of the instructors, 39 percent
of the assistant professors, 21 percent of the
associate professors and 9 percent of the full
professors. Ten years ago, 44 percent of the
instructors were women, 2fi percent were as
sistant professors, 13 percent were associate
professors and 7 percent were full profes
sors.
Now that higher education officials are
aware of the discrepancies, and the study
has been done, concrete steps can be taken
to assure equal pay for equal work. Higher
education officials will meet with legislators
today to recommend ways to further narrow
the salary gender gap. Legislators should lis
ten, approve the plans, and close the gap
completely.
Letters.
Offensive ad
To the editor:
1 found the photograph in the
advertisement for Club Arena
(DDK. May 12) to lie very offen
sive The advertisement, which
shows .1 man who is obviously
naked being restrained by three
(male?) hands, is endorsing
violence and pornography
Would the Emerald consider
printing a woman in a similar
position? I think not This pho
tograph is inappropriate tor a
university newspaper
Mamie Baxter
Khetoric and communication
Nasty artifact
The kinds of strategies that
individuals and groups agree
and act upon, whether by voir -
ing a clear i onsensus or In sav
ing nothing .it all, are reveal
ing Issues come and go. but
how people behave remains lie
hind like a nasty artifact
What the recent student elec
tions. as testimony to one level
ol civilization, left behind are
death threats, physical assault,
vicious propaganda, rumors of
unlikely guests in even more
unlikely places, and of course,
righteous indignation, outright
lies and flat denial
When measured against the
sort of issues that students
must really face on a day-to-day
Iwsis, it seems incredible that
time and energy (and apparent
ly a lot of both) went into plan
ning and carrying out these
strategies. Even more insulting
is that these tactics are not only
stupidly homophobic and sex
ist. they are cruel and coward
ly.
These actions can in no way
hi1 justified as the necessary re
sults of the political process,
and it is disturbing to read the
attempts to pass them off as
such Rather, they are a specific
form of terrorism a fact that
may he too harsh for many to
grasp and symptomatic of an
extremely unhealthy political
process
What does silence in this
case imply apathy, fear, con
fusion, complicity? Hardly a
platform that any candidate
would run openly on. yet one
we are stuc k with, a timely re
minder of the brutal reality be
hind all the "kinder, gentler"
rhetoric.
Barbara I.. Turrill
Anthropology/ethnic studies
Statement
To the editor:
Regarding the editorial on
vandalism (ODE. May 9).
please explain to us what your
"proper forums" ant for lesbi
ans and gays? A class in the
regular curriculum? The Emer
ald? A sorority or fraternity
meeting? Have you taken a lav
ender look at the safe channels
for gays and lesbians on this
campus?
Besides, graffiti is a political
statement, not a discussion fo
rum. There are people on this
campus who would like to be
lieve that we don't exist. They
can no longer ignore this fact;
after all, would you write graf
fiti regarding gay rights?
Although it may not be sanc
tioned by the Gay and Lesbian
Alliance, we applaud the brave
crusaders who let this campus
know we exist.
We don't think the Universi
ty community can got more dis
tanted from lesbian and gay is
sues. Are you or any other
groups on campus doing more
than supporting gay rights?
Perhaps you are planning a ral
ly for the rights of gays? Were
you even at our rally, holding a
sign or a hand, making a
speech? Where is your sup
port? What is your support?
As to the stated hypocrisy of
not signing one's name to graf
fiti. where was your byline?
Teresa Reeves
1.aural Sharp
and 16 co-signers
Eugene
Staid affair
I..A. Times reporter David
Shaw’s May 10 lecture on
"Honesty and Arrogance" con
tained little honesty and an
abundance of arrogance. Shaw
was introduced as a hard-hit
ting critic of the media, but the
soft message of his canned
speech was that reporters
shouldn't, and usually don’t,
lie.
The only thing hard-hitting
about this Kuhl Lecture was a
question posed by an audience
member. He noted that Shaw
had spoken only about the hon
esty of reporters and said noth
ing about the honesty of the
media establishment, which is
owned by big business {includ
ing major defense contractors).
Why, he asked, hasn't our
“free," "honest." "responsi
ble" press (all words Shaw
used to describe the press of to
day) jumped on the story about
millions of U.S. tax dollars be
ing used to subsidize civilian
torture in El Salvador? Here
Shaw exposed the height of his
own arrogance by dismissing
the question as propaganda.
Earlier, Shaw revealed the
depths of his dishonesty when
he pronounced today's press as
"three times more responsible"
than the press of yesteryear.
Hut what can we expect of a
"media critic" who draws a
paycheck from a bastion of the
mainstream press?
The Ruhl Lecture series is a
staid affair that shouldn't be
taken too seriously. I suppose.
Bill Lynch
Research assistant