Editorial
Break spending cap
for faculty salaries
During Iris "State of tIn* Stair" address in Kugene
earlier this month. Cov. Noil Cioldsc hnridt once again
brought University faculty salaries to the political fore
front .
ilis proposal to break the spending limit and ap
propriate $t>0 million to upgrade salaries at the state's
eight colleges and universities has already ignited a
powder keg which will probably detonate during this
year's primary and general elections.
The controversy centers around the spending limit,
which keeps lawmakers from appropriating all of the
state's revenues In limes of recession, the limit keeps
the state from deficit spending. Hut when the economy
is in a boom period such as now huge surpluses
result
For the ttiHri session. Oregon had $240 million it
couldn't spend. By the time legislators meet again in
. that surplus could be as much as $501) million.
By law. legislators can break the spending limit by
voting for every item they want to fund with surplus
revenue. And every time they do, it results in a major
political fight
The governor's plan, which would be "above and
beyond" the regular higher education budget, is sure
to !m* a major topic during the elections. Not only does
it bring faculty salaries into the campaign, but another
issue that has been a thorn in the Democratic adminis
tration's side: the spending cap.
I.ast session, the Legislature tried to replace the
spending limit. The Democrats were able to push
through the Senate a bill which would change how the
limit was calculated, but it stalled in the House There,
the Republicans were able to pull enough support from
the Democratic: caucus and delay a vote on the spend
ing cap untd 1 ‘HI 1
lawmakers need to break the spending limit and
appropriate! the money for faculty salaries. It's a t risis
situation If Oregon State System of Higher Kducation
professors do not get a raise, they'll start to leave Los
mg lac ult\ would be detrimental to the one thing the1
I 'diversity c annul alford to lose its credibility
Backers of the spending limit say it's not a good
idea to spend surplus revenue, bee ause you never
know when it might not bo there. (Generally, the sur
plus is seem as a "rainy day" fund; to !>e used in only
emergence situations Well, the condition of facult\
salaries is one of those emergent les
The surplus could be used to fix a lot of the state's
ills It's ludicrous to watch Oregon's higher education
tall apart just because of political antics It's time law
makers actually backed up words with actions, and
better yet, money.
I'M IM ACCOUNT/AlG. \
THE PRESIDENT SAiD
ME'ST’RED 0F5EE/N6
HE DEFICIT RAVAGE I
v THE NATIOM. 7
'Taking AIM' was great, thanks are due
Il was ,i short month Today is already
llir last day ot "Taking AIM the bin AIDS
Information Month program sponsored In
several I'niversits student and administra
tion groups to edm ate us about the dangers
and dangerous misi om ept ions sur
rounding acquired immune deliuencx svn
drotne
Something that was said often during
laking MM but worth repealing here is
ill.it AIDS is pro|e< led to he the number one
kiHer nt ( ollege siudents bv I 'I'l! 1 here w as
< learlv a need to edm ate students as to the
dimensions of the tragcd\ tliev are about to
lac e
I hat need was met in grand fashion
laking AIM was to om minds a great
sin ( ess The events and symposiums during
the month were interesting and prnvm alive,
and deseived to be better attended than tliev
regrettably were Ihe Art \ AIDS show in
the 1 Ml' was espei i.dlv Iasi mating
Something we espei iallv .tpprei iated
was that event organizers and speakers nov
el seemed to lose track ol the very human
side ol AIDS They never got caught up in
the hysteria ol numbers that first panicked
the general public when AIDS was new In
stead, speakers managed to capture what it
tccls like to suffer from AIDS, what it feels
like to lose ,i friend with AIDS, and what it
feels like to live in a six ietv that is not kind
to people living with AIDS Cultural and ai
tistu expressions were used to relate mes
sages about AIDS that were as powerful as
the ai ademic lei lures ami disi ussions.
I he "Taking AIM" month got olf to a
great, hold start and ended on a good note
too The \Sl ’() W inter Symposium to wrap
up AIM last weekend was simple e\i ellent
Tonight, the final event on urs with a panel
and discussion on \IDS 1 ffV issues tor men
tal health personnel at Fugene Clinic 1 1(C
\\ illamette St from 7 to li p.m
A lug round of thanks is deserved In
those student and l ’niversit) groups spon
soring "Taking AIM" Student Activities
Resource (Jffice Cultural Forum. ASCOKx
ecutive Office C fax and i.eshian Alliance
Catalyst films 1 Diversity Health Centci
I All ( raft Center. Co-Safe. Office of
Multic ultural Affairs. Oflice of the I’resi
dent, foreign Student Organization and the
Cniversit\ AIDS Fducation Task force in as
mic net ion with the Community AIDS Consor
tium You people did ail excellent job
Letters.
Only solution
In Caroline lowers and
katln Yonkers letters (ODE
|an 1*J). .is well as Hon Walk
er's coininentarv (ODE. |an
J4|. the unfortunate circum
statue ol an unplanned prog
nant v is addressed To each ol
the writers abortion is the only
solution None ol them i.onsid
er adoption a viable choice
Why?
Sim e the Koe vs Wade dei I
sum in 10" I, _’h million chil
ilren have been aborted Only 1
perienl to I percent ol those
ahortions were performed altei
cases ot rape, incest, birth do
lei Is or threat to the Ido of the
mother There are better
i holi es available postpone
moot ol gratification until one
is ready for the responsibility ol
parenthood use ot the virtual
plethora ot hulh i ontrol avail
able or adoption
( ontiary to Planned Parent
hood s assertions legalized
abortion has not made every
i 111111 a wanted child ()n the
contrary, studies have shown
that i hild abuse is more tie
quent among mothers who pro
vinush li.nl an aliortion
The (tregon I’ro l.ife (ioali
lion's petition would proliilut
.ihortion ot i oilvenieili e Abor
lion would still lie permitted in
i .im's ot rapu, incest. or w hen
the mother's Ide is in jeopards
Picture .1 young woman, sin
gle and pregnant, the result of
an aft.111 with a married man
Though she was now pregnant,
she made a 1 hoii e to give her
bain an opportunity to grow up
in a I.mills desiring .1 1 litld I
am thankful that this woman
made a responsible choice
Win ? I am that 1 liild
( hris Kelso
History
United Nations
We have entered an era ot
globalization where nations are
looking outward lor i oopera
• ion it was on time liven
though some nations are lag
ging behind, the international
community lias come to realize
the 1 uteri onnei ted ness m the
world, espei ially related to en
vminmrnl.il problems but also
in regard to ei onumit s and pul
lilt s
International problems need
international solutions, leading
more and more nations to took
to the United Nations for an
swers.
Hut looking at the UN svs
tom. I find more i|uestions than
answers What alxiut funding'
The UN's annual budget is
about one-third ol that whit h
the world spends on defense
every day
With the little funding avail
able, it's ama/mg how mut h
the l N has at i omplisheti
However, other problems I am
com ernetl with, limiting the
UN's effectiveness, are issues
ot national sovereigntv the
veto power of the Hig five. I at k
ol bintlmg international law
anil enforcement anil a court
svslem being able to tr\ indi
vidtials
So. it the UN shall be able to
tlo all of that whit h is now e\
pet ted ol it. the problems men
tinned above must be faced
Ibis is what we in a newl\
started organization. Students
lor Uniletl Nations attempt to
do, and it you .ire interested in
hearing more about what our
plans are. please look tor us in
the Kt als section, or call
144-7532
Par Ingvar ilaukeland
International Studies
Appropriate
Hob Weigel's opening line to
his letter "Used to be" (O/Jf.'.
|an 2(i) was very appropriate.
It read, "once again, a remind
er " Vet. his letter was a re
minder It reminded us of a
ty pit a I point of view which
aits to preserve and perpetuate
the verv attitudes and mvths
which are detrimental to both
women and men
Fortunately. his argument
tails apart on examination of
the hasii premises on which it
relies His tirst assumption is
that women are naive, at the
w him ol men and the law able
to abstain from sex onh from
"tear of consei|uences " and
unaware ot the medical issues
assoi iated w ith almrtion
lie asserts that before abor
lions were legal, women
"feared the consequences and
thus did not pul their bodies
out for use by anyone and ev
eryone with the right niampu
lations." He also believes licit
legalizing abortions has caused
women to "believe that they
can allow their bodies to be
misused
His second assumption is
that men. on the other hand,
are the rational, undei eiveable.
callous males who care only
about sex Apparently. tlie\
will get it at any cost "Men
who really want to manipulate
women are pro-abortion."
l inallv. he believes that so
i ial a< tion follows laws blind
h In this i ase, women's ai
lions are appropriated into the
law set down Indore them Hut
aren't laws based on the ver\
transgression of them/ Where
would the law be without the
i riminal'
Weigel's letter was merely a
reminder and a re presentation
ot the stereotypes we must
avoid
Laurie King
Kugene