Editorial
Daily Emerald
ROTC: change or
risk elimination
It is good to see il happening I'uiv<*rs11\ adimnis
Imtors ami students around the nation an- speaking out
against ilm disc riminatory policies of campus RO M
progiants ami it seems to lie having some eltec t
Anti-ROTO sentiment is growing ami this spring
has sunn tlic eruption of riots, sit-ins and fat ullv votes
to have RUTt programs removed from a number of
university campuses
W hile all tins is happening, the Pentagon is decid
ing how to reduce the number of students involved in
the KOTO program because of federal military spend
ing i uts Initialh the Pentagon contemplated eliminat
ing up to 100 of its tun ROT( programs but now offi
i nils am considering asking students who don't plan
on joining lit*' militate altei llie\ graduate to drop mil
of the program
W hile all this is line and well, it does not begin to
address the problem ol discrimination in the program
Not only does the Reserve Offic er Training ( cups e\
e lude ga\s and lesbians from enrolling in its programs,
but the t S Department of Defense, whic h updates
the KOTO program demanded that students must repa\
then KOTO scholarships after they disc lose they are
not lieleiosexu.il fortunately the KOTO reversed its
policy ami decided not to require repayments from
three former students wI10 admitted they were gav
Il is more Ih.tu time the t V military begin to ac
< ept reality and start letting ,i!l Americans into the mil
itary servit.e. I'he military is supposed to protei t Amer
ican i iti/.eus so why can't all i itizens join the military !1
Then* are already main gays and lesbians enlisted tn
the military and enrolled in R()T(g they just can't ad
mit it for tear of being kicked out
Pressure is being applied from many diflerent seg
ments of the national university community. In April.
Mnssai husetts Institute of Technology Provost |ohn
Deutch sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Richard
t '.hene\ warning that it KOTC does not change its
antigay polii ies. many universities will withdraw from
the program Deiitch's letter earned nationwide recog
nition and support
Many universities, like ours, have strong affirma
tive action programs and anti discrimination policies
I he K() I t! rule prohibiting acceptance ot gays and Ies
biaiis violates these polii ies and students are demand
ing that then universities enforce anti-discrimination
I ndicies
It is time that we joined in the efforts In last
month's elections students passed an anti-discrimina
tion ballot measure The University needs to look at
K() li polii es and demand that Rt)T< I either < liauge its
polii \ or lea\e the campus II the I hnversity wants to
develop a strong allirmative ai lion polii \ it will have
to apply these standards to all programs on i a lupus,
ini hiding the Rt)T(
RZUXTANT PUR AWnNr.
Ai:
v LL , H
JCDS
_vXJYjL
LIKE
J
i I
University Day — a deserving cause
Students, administration and stall have
.in opportunity to help the i amptis ami help
themselves Thursday during l Diversity l>.i\
I'niversity li.n participants util repaint
light standards, power wash grimy or moss
{ meted benches and walkways. spruce up
(lower beds plant trees and i leat the I’m
\ eisit\ grounds of litter. Hut .1 bright, shiny
campus is not the main goal of the students
mganiziug Thursday s ai tivities.
Kather. organizers hope th.it .ill the
painting planting and povvei washing will
unite ,i campus that sometimes seems frag
mented into disparate, isolated groups
It gist might work l'Diversity Day 01
g.inizers ale not raising money for anyone or
am tiling; thev’ie not trying to call attention
to anv controversial cause They're simply
trying to break down some of the walls that
separate dilterent groups at the 1'niversitv
and 1 lean up the campus in the process
lost about every student group ac.adem
ii department and administrative office can
throw its support behind those ideals with
out tear of 1 ntit ism or political retribution
Admittedly mil student body is much
more diverse today than it yy.is earliei this
century when a fairly homogeneous band of
yylnte upper-middle i lass students worked
togethei once a year to lav sidewalks and in
stall plumbing in campus buildings Hut
that doesn't mean that for one day. despite
our differences the various groups on cam
pus can t join forces behind .1 common
cause
ihe greeks have already shown their
wholehearted support of University l)a\ bv
ini hiding it on then schedule of (’.reek Week
events Main other student groups, academ
ii departments and administrative offices
have also pledged to take part Thursday
That's not to sav participation is re
served tor members of distinct groups. II you
are an average I’niversitv student, trudging
vour wav to campus each dav muddling
tluough your classes and observing the
sometimes peitv campus controversies with
dispassionate detai liment Universitv I lav
w .nits you too
That s the whole point ol Universitv Day
anyway once you ( ber k in and pic k up
your paintbrush or your power washer,
you're not University president or a member
ol the greek system or MK( !hA or ()S1’IK( 1 or
UA1.A you're a part ol the Universitv com
muriitv
Universitv Dav is a worthy idea; we
hope w e sue ( eed
Letters
Metamorphosis
Springfield resident tdenda
Si ott s letter [Ihr Kri^isti'r
l in,ml Max 10) promoting
'\.11ioit.iI l‘i.1 vim 1 tux estuii
lislied bv (longress in 1 .
( bums pulls show ‘i.’ pm t-iil nt
Ami'ru ails beliex e in (aid
( lirrstian i:»m itii prompts her
tu ask w lifthfr the other It per
lent work lor local media oi
our«;iIv lihrary
Sue h mythic ruminations lire
my atheist batteries Scott max
lie assured no 1 nlightenment
understanding has piers ed the
Bibliiui darkness that holds
sxx ax x\ ith her inunii ipal li
brarx direi tor and stall
lliiee years ot effort to lin
[tress upon Springfield s library
direi tor his occupational re
Spring! If Id lllll ,11 \ l (lllet I Kill
!i\ assuring ,i f.nr represent,!
tion nl .itIn-ist argument rrlut
nil; ttu-ist i laims prodlli i'il nut*
legitimate atheist book 1 lur
don Stein's. An Aiit/io/ogi at
Alht'ism .i/ii/ K’lifiii/i.i/isin
In’fthaiifiht l'int.i\ .uni The
Hiuiuinist .iic llic onk atheist
Iu-1 imlii .11s Main religions 11
ill's ,iiul magazines .in' ,i\.nl
.ililf
\k letters expounding .ithe
isl reasoning .mil experience
gener.ilk fin it "pro con" cur
respondent e Inmi rendeis
lews Muslims .mil llimlus
have not registered concern,
hut ( hi isti.ms inv .triable in
form me I am the ohjei t nl their
p ravers
(Christians shouhl lather read
a bonk or magazine an\ honk
nr niaga/ine other than the Hi
hie and religious tracts offers
prosper I for enlightenment
! he courageous, willing tu
Inc e thi* reality of their evploi
tntion should rend t ieorge
Smith s Al/irism I'lle c use
u.gat/is/ god. a hunk guaranteed
to shed light into the dark <:o
i oon ot teai. ignurani e super
st it ion and myth in w hii h the
ists enmesh themselves Such
reading (an help them meta
morphnse trnm what the Pope
calls a "religious dup.i into a
beautifully iridescent rational
hutterflv Amen
Bert Tryba
Kugene
Good job
I would like to lake this tilin'
to sa\ something positive about
a job widl done I encourage
other students to try it some
liltlc. as all I read is negative
letters
I w .mt lu i ommend Spurts
Kditui I i.» i, Sumnt'i ,uui his
st.ilt for his job with tin- Oregon
Ihuh Finer,ild Sunintir has tak
t*n a lot ol time out of his own
lift* to help make tin* paper
what it is toda\ We will sorely
miss Sumner next year, and
hopefully . wet an make an ade
ipiate repl.it ement l lianks for
all the good work
kc\ in (lory
l eisure studies
Thanks, Hurwit
At a recent FatnIt\ Senate
meeting. Art History Professor
leltrev 11lll'W It spoke out nil In1
half nt tlin American Studitis
program In the tin e * if .in ml
ministration that is obvioush
committed to eradii ating tIn
AM S department. it was both a
courageous and i ommendable
action
As one ut mam American
Studies majors. I would like to
thank Huru it and let him know
that we students greatly appro
ciate his support. Together, we
will not let the Amerii an Stud
ies program die. nor let an un
i om erned administration in
\ alldate our f ield ol study
|obi (loo per
Amerii an studies
_.Letters Policy_
I otters tn the i»< 111*>r must be limited to no more than
' ill words legible, signed and the identification of
the writer must be verified when the letter is submit