-.-Oregon Daily_
Emerald
_Inside_
■ ('lass offerings to expand, Page :t
■ Groups’ funds frozen, Page 4
■ Rape under investigation, Page 7
■ Police beat. Page 8
Wrdiifsd.n Srptrmbt’r _’7
1 t*H‘»
Kiigriir. ( )n,i*on
Vnlumi' '11 Numhri .’ii
Grassy rider
R<nn returned to the l 'nivt‘rsit\ campus Tuesday but John Anthnnx shll made Ins rounds < nt
tiiifi I he greens Overcast skies are expected In i nut nine toilax
Photo by Mark Ylen
Book banning attempts usually fail
but state is second in tries
By Hon Walker
Emerald Assoi iale Editor
( Censorship attempts oi t ur mure liecpiriitly in ()re
gull 111.in in am stall' i'M ept ('.iIitornia ai cording In a
recent study but the statistics may shed false light
on the actual attitudes ot (Jregonians
During Manned Hook Week Sept I to local li
hrarians and c ivil libertarians will advex ate freedom ot
speech <ind the protection of c.ontroversial literary
works
Todav's instanc es ot censorship are more subtle
than burning st.ic ks of paperbacks or telt tip marker
editing, but books on sc hnol and state library shelves
continue to be sc rutini/.ed and challenged by those
disagreeing with the books' contents.
According to a report List month from the anti
censorship group PAW (People for the American
Way). Oregon ranked No i nationwide in the numlier
of cases of attempts to restru t materials from sc bools
or sc huol libraries
Oregon had 1H such cases during the 1988-H9
school year, and only (California had more, the report
said Reading material under fire included the book
l Inderstunding AIDS and Rolling Stout• magazine
However, the large number of reported attempts
may be a result of more efficient reporting of c ases, not
excessively prudish attitudes of state citizens
"rhi' (PAW) report reflects better data collection
It's not that Oregon is a more conservative state." said
Mary Cinaane, coordinator of the Oregon Intellectual
freedom (Clearinghouse, an Oregon State Library de
partment
The (Clearinghouse was established in May 1987
specifically to monitor c hallenges ot books and library
materials and to provide assistance to libraries receiv
ing c hallenges Oregon is one ot only a levs states with
sue h <i servic e
l TntiI other states collect information in the same
way. Cinaane said, it is too early to compare Oregon to
other states using Clearinghouse statistic s
The second annual report of the (Clearinghouse,
released Sept 22. reports challenges against 14 library
books, ns well as one art exhibit, in Oregon's public
and school libraries between July 1. 19HH and June CM).
1989.
In most of the cases, a committee reviewed objec
,Vi9«3
t.raphit b\ IihIiI IVlrtMin
lions, .iml the materials in question staved on the
shelves
However, while The IV'o/rwn's b.iuivclopedui ul
Mvths •mil Set rets, hv Barbara (i Walker, was being
reviewed after a North Bend parent conijdained about
its contents, it was lemporarih removed from the shelf
of the North Bend High School media (enter
The basis for the complaint was that "the things
discussed in this book are of no benefit to anyone." ai
( ording to the (ilearinghouse report
North Bend High School librarian Ann Magill said
that the book is back into circulation, and that the
book is indeed of benefit to those who need that infer
(nation
"I support freedom of inquiry, but also the right of
citizens to object." Magill said "The person that oh
jet ts to |a book) ( ertainlv doesn't have to use it I think
high school students are capable of making good
( hoices about w hat they re\ lew and see
The lames Baldwin book II Heule Street Could
I,ilk w.is removed from a St Paul high si bool 11brarv
after objections to profanits and anli-Clliristian pas
sages The Clearinghouse report also included dial
lenges ot books from (lie Portland area. Koscburg and
l.ebanon. among other areas
Oregon is one of only a few stales with an a( live
clearinghouse of this sort, said David Fidanquc of the
lo( al American (livil Liberties 1 'nion chapter
Turn to Censorship, Page 10
Enrollment limits
appear on target
Bs ( liris Bmiru'tt
I mt'r.ild \ssik i.ilc I ilitor
Ihi' t im ersitv ilut'i tor ol admissions annoum or I
Tiifsrlav unrullnn'nt lupin's .in' "rii>ht mi latjol Im
thr si huol s two vein plan to limit lire student popula
I Kill
"The numbers
,i|)|ie,n In be re,itl\
light mi where we
hnpetl lhe\ woulfl
be tm hill. s.Hil
lull Hill h .111 ill Is
sinus 1111et Ini
Hei ,illse nl
budget i niislr.iinls
ilie I nnersiiv li.ul
In IIU|)lemeilt .1 se
lei I ive admissions
process tin the fust
lime m the si bool s
liistoi \ to 1111111 I be
number nl ini mil
mg Ireslim.in .mil
tr.insler slmlenls
Iim Km h
I lie I 'IIITersilv 's projet li'il enrollment is pl.lt I'd ,it
IH.IIOO students tin (.ill trim whit ll Is ill teyyei siti
drills III.Ill l.tsl l.ill lliu li said
l lir ulltniiilt' goal is tn roll li.ii k ihr enrollment
h'Vtd to 17,t)(IH students l>y tile lull ol lddt). lie said
last fall, the University enrolled 111 ell. which
was 1 (Hit) more students Ilian the slate had allot ated
funds to serve The result was a < rowtled campus and
a lat k of adequate resourt es
"The i rilit al term is going to he the tail of lUUU
Hut h salt I "That's w dial we're aiming lor
"One hundred or 200 over (the quota) doesn't
spell disastei " he said "If we're at I tt, ">00 (this term),
it means we have to continue very severe restrictions
fur wintei spring and even Hummer (terms)
Huth said the University will not know how se
vere future restrii lions will he until tin off it nil tall en
rollmenl total, whit h will tie tallied during tile fourth
week of classes Is known
"The projet lion I did hasetl on the activities
through the lust two tla\s ol the Mat Uourt regislra
lion plot ess suggest that we would he w itlim 1(1 oi lit
01 the at t tin I numher we had planned tin Hut h said
In addition to implementing a selective minus
sums program the I adversity raised its minimum re
quirements to a I 0 gr.ule point average tor freshman
applit ants and a 2 0 (d’A for transfer students
Minimum requirements lor transfer students to lie
considered lor admission next tall will rise again to a
2 2'i (IfA lor residents anti a 2 "ill UFA lor non-rest
dents m order to limit enrollment even further. Huth
said
Meeting the minimum requirements, however, no
longer guarantees admission. Hut h salt)
Met uuse of the higher standards Hut h salt! the
mean UFA of this fall s freshman t lass is substantially
higher than in previous years
"The effet t we see this fall, indeed, is a very well
prepared t lass." Hut h said
"The preparation we yy ill see in the t timing years
yvill he even stronger as more and more students come
to the realization that its not good enough just to study
for the first three years of high st hool." he said
Hitch said no new roll hacks were planned for fu
ture freshman t lasses, and that the level of freshman
admissions yvill slay at t.TiOD
Moreover. Hut h said the University should not ex
perient e the same strain of t lassroom spat e lift ause ol
the ilet rease in enrollment anti the availahilitv of nerx
rt linns
Ihe selective admissions process is expected to
stay m place iievond the Itvo year period ol roll hacks
in enrollment to ensure the student population doesn't
swell over the University's budgeted resources, Hut h
saitl
"We re going to continue to he concerned that
students who t tune to us are well prepared to meet the
challenge Huth said "We do not want to send out
the message that you have to be prepared in Hd or dll
and not in dl or <12 "