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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 30, 1990)
.Editorial Groups should tape endorsement process So election is without controversy Something will always come along to put .1 little zest into the proi ess t stiii11 v its measured in degrees of mud slinging and back -stabbing This veai s A SI '() primary and general election has had its share of heated debate though it didn't even approach the slime level of hist year Mostly, the con troversy revolved around the endorsement process and what was and what might have been said Specifically, the (deck Kndoisement Committee was charged with asking “inappropriate" questions during the ASI C) executive and Incidental l ee Com mittee endorsement hearings While it is impossible to prove vv hat was at tually said the preponderance of the evident e indicate the C.KC and its members wen- in the wrong Fine [ hat s over, and now the only thing left is to debate whether the controversy over the (1F( selet turn process swayed the elm tion one wav or the other Chat too. is impossible to tell F.very student group has the light to endorse candi dates tor ANl'O elections An endorsement is to sup port. in writing, someone who best tits youi pi* tore <d the ideal candidate; someone who shares the same be n.a. , .... ,1.. Kndorsemeuts an: an important part ot tin* election procedure (.’acidulates and tickets spend hours in front ol various "endorsement boards' trying to prove their worth. Kndorsemonts add character to the election and provide a wav to get more students involved in the process. The CKC controversy indie ales a problem in the wa\ endorsemrmts are decided. The general public lias no wav of knowing how .1 particular group reached its decision on who or what to endorse Only after the process is complete do voters get an inkling ot what an endorsement committee is thinking That has to change Kndorsement hearings need to he taped and become part of the public record. To some extent, this is already done. Some groups keep minutes of their meetings Hut taping the whole thing would be more accurate, and give the public .1 chance to see how a group came about its dor ision Now we re not talking about taping the executive session, where the endorsement committee convenes and hammers out who its going to bat k That would be an unnecessary infringement on the group's privacy But taping the candidate interviews would not be The best way to avoid a controversy is to make sure it can’t happen. If the tlKti. and other student groups who endorse ASUO candidates, will tape their en dorsements beginning next year, hopefully something like this year's controversy u ill not repeat ilselt (liven that, the Dragon Daily h'nierahl vc ill take the first step l-'or next year's ASI’O election, and even election after that, the Emoraltl will tape the candidate interviews and allow any student or group access to that tape one e the endorsement process is over \\e urge even group 1 onsidering endorsing < andi dates to take similar measures Only hv making every thing upfront and in the open ran we keep controver sies similar to this year’s horn ever happening again \nd that will onlv help the elections, not hurt them The more educ ated the voting ptihlii the better All in all il was a good election kirk Bailee and Shelia Slit kel come into the A SI () executive office with knowledge and enthusiasm lor the job The lit i out.mis a good mix, previous experiein e and flesh new insight with representatives from a variety ot groups on i ainpus 1 Icings worked out well _letters Policy The Emerald will attempt to print all letters contain ing comments on topics of interest to the University community. Comments must tie factually accurate and refrain from personal attacks on the character of others. Letters to the editor must lie limited to no more than 250 words. legible, signed and the identification of the writer must 1m- verified when the letter is submit ted. The Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter for length or style NO, NO.. FIRST YOU'LL WAVE TO BACK IT UP TO THE PUMP.. 5 Letters— Consider this Hex idealists rvmuht'i!' vmi i iin i flange ill'1 wot Id \ci‘il proot •' < Mi«m k out the liver logged forests ox erfloxx ing toxii landfills. at ul rain, polluted art and water sup plies We have already i hanged the world Who’s responsible? I am and so are you 1 m\ tie you to list vour iiit leddile personal power to change the world lot the better You i .in do that by buying bulk goods with a minimum ot pat kagillg. and in ret volatile t ontainers Then actually ret \ t le them It s easy and you'll save money, too Irx buying unhleai bed paper no dioxins to poison our water and or gamialh grown vegetables which are bettei lor you and the earth (Consider walking, biking, or taking the bus instead of tiny mg whith releases poisonous i erbon monoxide that makes ai id rain and destroys our for ests anil ozone layer It you must drive take some friends along and try to avoid using your car's A < ys hit h releases harmful fluoroi arbons 1-nvironrnentalism is not only tor people yyho wear Hirkenstoi ks and tie dyes and it isn't something you only need to be i out erned about one Karthday a year It's tor anyone yylro depends on our planet for survival, and the time to make the change is nov\ Our failure to do so t (institutes suit ide Hrather Goodwin Pre-journalism Take a step Two wars ago minontv fat: ulty memliers. students of color and far ulty were very aware of the condition of non whites, women and non Kuropeans in the 1' S and at the University joint'd together to propose the new ract1. gender and noti-Ku ropean American general stud ies requirement Our tarn11\ agreed with the notion that our students need tti he exposed to the emerging other other than white, other than malr and other than Kurn pran-Americ an <it some point m their lives, it only to obtain a small understanding of i ulturul understanding and ap prei lation that is consistent w ith .1 liberal edut ation I fullv agree with this dev el oprnent While I am still skepti i al of some of the proposed ionises. 1 am fully behind such a move as it will strengthen our student Ixidv \s Kenneth Liberman e\ plained "Students of color want to he understood by their i l.issinates; thev want to redui e the number ol enquiring stares addressed to them in the P1.C elevator and improve intercub lural communu ation " foreign students want to improve the quality of their interaition with American students And Amer ii an students i an benefit from this inter.ii turn as well We really need to educate our students to the tremendous differences in the world Ore gon students are not racist, .is Liberman says Instead, they are "ethnocentric.." With tfit* newly emerging global econo my of cooperation, ethma en trism will only hinder prosper ous relations The University should take its role m educating students more seriously This is definite ly a step in the right direi turn Michael (Uilson Student Register Students must register now if we are to make a difference in the Nut lear Free Zone issue. This is a prime opportunity for us to at t locally and have a na tional and global impact Kugene is a leader in the Nu clear Free Zone movement; the outcome of this election will have national and international significance The student vote t an change tilt- course of the election. Precinct 213. the Uni versity campus, is key in the NFZ vote Almost all students on cam pus are eligible to vote Sur prisingly. most are not properly registered: and many do not even realize it Because of re stn< live stall' laws, it Vim moved, the Post (Mtii e lias no tified tlie Elections Office and vour registration lias linen i an eeled Students are espei ia 11 \ vulnerable to these restri< live law s Don't be a vie tun Register tod. iv It you are unsure of your reg istralion status, register again Registration forms abound on campus Remember, vou live in Eugene and are subject to Eu gene laws You should not he e\i hided from the polite al pro i ess \Ye can make our votes count lot a 11 \ and globally Diane Sepii h Eugene Smelly I'm surprised that the Oregon l)<iil\ Emerald < (insiders this year's ASI'O elei lions "clean " Perhaps they didn't read their April 20 issue where they accuse the ldeck Kndorse ment C.ummittee of irresponsi bility. H\ using hearsay evi deni e gathered by a reporter who didn't attend the event in question, the Emerald laum hod a scathing attack on llreeks in general 1'his occurred on the final day of voting, and can he seen .is a direct attempt by the Enter aid to sway the election in fa vor of the candidates they en dorsed. Kthicaliv, it smells like the Emerald has been playing in the mud for too long The Emerald didn't even print (>Kt- chairman Tim Ross' comments at an April 20 press conference, where he refuted the Emerald's ( barges. Hut sev oral representatives from the Emerald attended the press conference, perhaps to clear their conscience. The Emerald's actions smell even more like censorship In the Soviet Union of the past, when a thousand people saw a IJFO. the press told them they didn't Perhaps that attitude has permeated tin* office of our campus daily. Patrick Perkins Student Monday. Anril 110. 1000