Editorial
Animal lab research
needs strict controls
In the past feu years. animal rights have become a
lint political topic around tin; country, but perhaps it is
mm hero more controversial than at the University
In ldtiti. a group < .tiling itsell the Animal Libera
tion Front broke into two science laboratories. de
sinned equipment and released many lab animals The
event seized national headlines and forced animal
rights into the political arena
That hreek-in. along with the Martha case last year
.md the science bu'lding protest in October, has deeply
divided the Uimec-iily into two camps: animal rights
activists vs medical researchers. Attempts by school
officials to re«:on< ile the two sides has thus far proved
ineffective
The issue has one e again resurfaced with recent
news that l)r Richard Marrocco. a University psychol
ogy professor, will be using monkeys in an upcoming
scientific experiment. A colony of macaque monkeys
will be used for cognitive neurosr ien< e research.
Local animal rights people, including members of
Students fur the Kthical Treatment of Animals, are pro
testing tin; research program Marrocco, they claim,
has a bad track record” when it comes to animal re
search. And after the Martha debacle, they don't want
monkeys to be used in animal research
The University's Institutional Animal Clare and Use
Committee is supposed to oversee animal experiments.
Motli sums sen the i/\i.! i, necoming .1 namegrounu tor
primate researi It
Animal rights is one of fhostt political issues, like
so many today, that will never be fully resolved. There
will never be total agreement between both sides, but
there are ways of satisfying both sides, if not totally, at
least partially.
Medical research is an important part of science,
and animals still play a large part in that research. Im
portant discoveries and breakthroughs in human
health sciences cun be attributed to animal research. It
cures for cancer, leukemia. AIDS, and other diseases
.ire found, they will most likely be discovered because
of invasive animal research
However, that does not mean researchers have
carle blanche to do whatever animal expt "intents they
want There are limits to that kind of research W hen
ever possible, othet scientific techniques should be
tried Only when there is no other war should animals
be used.
Wishful thinking, perhaps But possible Sut h a
program would need a strong lAtTKl, which would se
riously study every facet of an animal-use experiment.
Strict guidelines, meeting both scientists' and animal
rights activists' approval, must be set. It the IACUC
feels those rules have been broken, it should have the
right to close the experiments Researchers should be
forced to submit regular reports to the committee. Sur
prise inspections are a must.
Child care plan is risky but also innovative
The idea is ,i gamble. maiim bet anse no
mir in tin’ ii.itKin li.is tin'll it But tli.it rt'.isun
alone shouldn't deter thr plan
I ..me ( i ui111\ .uni thr federal government
have real lied a tentative agreement on a
i hi Id care plan which mat he the first sin h
joint venture in the nation
I'lie (ount\ and two federal agencies,
the t S f orest Service and the l' S (ieneral
Servii.es Agem \ would go in together to
pa\ lor and operate a child < are fat ility ill
the dow ntou n area for theii employees
I’lidei the agreement, expected to he ti
nali/ed later this month the county would
pax for the buildings and then remodeling
i osts The federal agent tes would then lease
the buildings for a 10wear period and would
also pay tor i hild t are equipment, utilities.
mainteiiaiH e and janitorial t osts
Ail attractive aspect ol the plan is that
the (ISA and the forest Sen k e would reim
burse the i ount\ for halt the t ost of remodel
ing and for the interest on the original in
vestment Also the cuunU is expected to get
hath all of its initial investment after la
vears from rent money and revenues from
the ( enter
The location ol the tenter is another
plus Because of the proxunitx of main
cnuntv and federal oftices to the child tare
sitr, m.mv county and federal employees
will hr able to stop bv to see their kids dur
ing lunch breaks.
I’hr plan is not without a lew detractors,
however Lane (lountv (lommissinner Steve
(Ionian hia voted against the plan, saving
the ( (innt\ shouldn't spend the money now
be( ause ot fears ot a less healthy econoim in
the future lie also feels the counts could
tail* severe liability it a child is hurt .it the
( enter
These concerns should not hinder the
go-ahead tor the (enter Any business ven
ture is going to base risk involved When
has the (its's economs been so stable and
promising that all investments are a sure
thing?
As far as potential injury to the children,
there is always that chance; anyone with a
child is aware of that Hut as long as the la
( ilits is operated professionally and with the
( hildren as top priority , the injury factor
should he minimal We also assume the cen
ter will he insured against sm h injury
The plan is still in early development
stages, and a lot of details have to he worked
out such as the amount of rent the federal
agencies v\ i 11 agree to pay Hut so far. the
idea seems quite viable, and it should he
beneficial to .ill involved
Letters
Boycott support
In support of tlic Ixiyi oil
against Iho pun huso ol i om
nii'iu i a 11 \ grow u grapes I ml
ilross this letter to I diversity
President \ly los Hi.mil tlio
food son ii o personnel und
tlioso who linvo \ot to take n
stniul oil this issuo
I ho postu iilos being1 usod on
tlioso grapes mo deadly 1 arm
workers fiuvo diod w ithin hours
of winking 111 In-Ids thnt have
hoon sprayoil I niimvorkors
children fiuvo hoon horn w ith
soi oio hi it h defer ts sui h ns
missing limfis mid uioiit.il linn
tut ions i nut or r.itos hay o in
i reused in tlioso communities
which surround tlioso grape
tiolds duo to postu ido seepage
and i oiisoquont water poison
ing
I’ostii ido i omp.inios are
aware of the health hazards i re
ulod In these i homii als and yet
still tiso thorn Uo * annul rely
on their "good faith to stop
the use of those deadly i henii
i als in the 'near future
l*age
()nl\ In hitting them where
it hulls then pm kethooks
u ill lliev listen and iIim tinlinue
the pest it ide use whit h results
in the linnet ess.il \ milt I hit lull
ailtl death o! huge numbers nl
people
President lhaiul and lellou
rneintiers ot tnir t nmmuiut\ I
nine von to support this box
toll Support the health and
well being ot not ouh the
aforementioned people hut
i onset pie lit 1 \ ot ever\ person
in this i ountiA
The i ondoning ot monet.uA
train on the death ol others It.is
to end All of us In not taking
a stand on the detrimental use
ot inorganii pesticides, are tin
ttinseioush supporting and
i untributing to the genot itle of
innot ent people
Don't trait lot someone else
to take tare of this |>roblem for
Mill lell these tompanies not
th.it enough is enough!
\ iiginia Miller
Spanish
Dialogue
In response lo l)i Kit hard
MmroiCIl's Statement 11)1)1
I i'll 141 "ll ’ s Ioci b,ul there
isn l siiMu* inidtlli’ ground Its
1(111 ll.lll llll’ll’ l ,111 I lie .1 ll l.l
login- betyyeen .iiiiiii,ll rights
people mill lilt inn>ii it .11 re
soon hers
I must mtei lh.it. .is mi mu
iii.il rights .n ti\ 1st I have tried
desper.itel y tu est.ihlish th.it
dialogue with little |gr,lilted,
some) help Iroill the hiomedii.il
rest-,in hers
1 h.i\ e lii’Cli in to ilisi uss the
bash phdosopln as well as i in
rent l ontlii ts vy ith I )i Aanm
\ovik with biology graduate
student Iteidie lit ink (lorinei
meinbei ol (aialition tin Alii
Dials and Animal Kesearehl
and ! have tried to i tilliv.ile
dialogue yyith Institutional Am
mal ( are and I'se Immmiltee
student representative lisa
( 'ulavetta
I loyy ey ei I am disi in etmg
that this gap Is yyidening not
Hamm ing lust two yveeks ago.
I rei eived .1 i iill from (ialavetla
(om r again the student repre
sentative) saying she could no
longer disr uss l.\( I I mailers
u if li me
(.'outran to the I'mcmhl arte
i le she did not say she
(ouldn't talk to animal rights
people, she just said she
i ouldn't talk to me I ma\ he ail
animal rights person." hut I
.mi also a student and a Kugene
( iti/.en.
So I teel we have made more
attempts at constructive ilia
logue than "the other side " |
rei.all .1 partii 11 lar ( i .\\K
member railing us bain kill
ns. and Mania i o seems to la*
spending <i Ini uf Ills tree time
m Washington I) t. slamming
People tor the I llm al Treat
ment of Animals instead of
seeking out dialogue
1 am open to talk u ith am
one 11s long as it's i onstrui live
and as long as indorlrination is
not the motivation
(ill Ireidberg
(io-dirertor
Students for the Kthir al
Treatment of Animals
-Letters Policy_
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ing comments on topics of interest to the University
community. Comments must be factually accurate
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Letters to the editor must be limited to no more than
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