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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 15, 1990)
EDITORIAL Task-force findings onlv the first steD A 113-page report released by a University task force on Friday reaffirms the homophobic problem on campus. The survey revealed that a majority of the Universi ty's gays and lesbians feel unsafe, with many experi encing harassment and threats. The Uay and lesbian Alliance has done a remark able job with the resources it has. However, official recognition of the problems by the administration should la; accompanied by dollars and resources. Tbe l 'diversity administration needs to establish an official gay and lesbian office to handle their con cerns. It should hr? lor all University members — stu dents, faculty and staff. The University can incorporate its policies prohib iting discrimination against people of color and wom en into its anti-discrimination policies against gays and lesbians. Being a liberal arts university does not make the University liberal. The University has had an anti-sex ual orientation discrimination policy since 1971. but rules and regulations are worthless without stringent enforcement. Severe penalties should be instituted for those found harassing gays and lesbians. Civil rights belong to gays and lesbians, too. Non discrimination policies in favor of gays and lesbians need to be included in every affirmative action clause of every University policy. The University needs to include sexual orientation as part of its cultural diversity requirements. Although we salute those instructors who already do this, more workshops or special classes are required. While it's hard enough to be a college student, it is an even greater struggle for the many gays and lesbians who are still afraid to come out of the closet. The University, and schools in general, need to fo cus on social concepts as well as academics. Getting along with others is a prerequisite for any career in life. Too few students never learn that skill. We live on a planet that is becoming smaller and smaller. The University is a miniature replica of the real world. We either live together or die together. The University appears ready to confront the seri ousness of gay-bashing. But a report is only a first step. IT S A thousand Pams OF LIGHT, SIR.. Be proud of Oregon reps for NEA vote Opponents of censorship have chalked up another victory. This week’s vote by the House to rebuff conservatives’ demands for strict anti-obscenity curbs on the National Kndowment for the Arts is a sign that Con gress is learning to respect the average American's belief in freedom of expression. In the past, representatives have bowed to the conservatives' claims that Americans were sick of obscenity and what they called the moral decay of the nation. Representa tives were fearing a political thrashing for opposing this conservative-created ’’grass roots” movement. Hut now these representa tives have begun to respect and give credit to the citizens' understanding of the First Amendment's basic philosophy — we can tolerate the views and opinions of those with whom we may not agree. The compromise passed by the House would put the decision of whether some thing is or is not obscene in the hands of the courts. Artists will not face any penalties from the NEA. unless their work is deemed obscene after going through a trial. Conservative forces had wanted to deny funding to artists who would not sign a statement saying they would not create any obscene art. Conservatives also wanted funding denied and penalties placed on any artist who portrayed sexually explicit con duct. sexually exploited children, attacked religion, defiled the American flag or in cluded an actual human embryo or fetus in their art. If conservatives had succeeded, any work containing any of the above elements would have been banned without considera tion of artistic merit - one of the guidelines the courts use for judging obscenity. Oregonians should be proud of their rep resentatives for supporting the bipartisan compromise. Democrats Les AuCoin, Peter DeFazio and Ron Wyden were joined by Re publican Denny Smith in voting for the leg islation. Republican Bob Smith was the only Oregon member of the House who sided with the conservative censors. LETTERS Tax breaks You have a groat opportunity in November to help all of us even here in Florida. Vote "yes" to give tax credits for tuition payments to private schools, parochial schools or for home schooling Where I live in Florida, the school drop-out rate is 50 per cent' Something is definitely wrong with a system that can not graduate mom than half of its students. Please help us to change that system. You can show the way to our lawmakers, politicians and educators. Your "yes" vote is a vote for lower taxes In this county the two private schools charge an annual tuition of $1,900. The public school costs $6,500 an nually per child, and that does not include bonds for new buildings! If Oregon shows a resound ing desire for responsibility in education, the rest of the Unit ed States will sit up and listen, too. Please. Oregon, start the ball rolling |ulie Maglio Brooksville. Fla. Responsibility Gary Braun writes in a letter [ODE. Sept 27) that, "in Min nesota during the time there has b«H>n a parental consent law in effect, teen births have in creased dramatically and so have deaths of those seeking il legal abortions." 1 challenge Braun to produce documenta tion for his assertions. Between 1080 (the last full year before the parental notifi cation law went into effect) and 1084 (the last year that statis tics were made available by the Minnesota Department of Health), abortions among teen agers under 18 dropped from 2.327 in 1080 to 1,305 in 1084 — a decrease of 41 percent. Births among the same age group decreased by 19 percent, and the total number of preg nancies among teens decreased by 30 percent. The reality behind these sta tistics (which represent indi vidual human lives, in all their complexity) appears obvious in Minnesota, as in many other states with similar laws, paren tal involvement in the abortion decision has been accompanied by fewer abortions, fewer iiirths to teenagers and fewer teen pregnant ies over all There is every reason to expect the same result in Oregon. In reply to those who so ve hemently oppose a parental no tification or consent require ment. I point out that these par ents have legal, financial and moral responsibility for their minor children. To deny them an opportunity to advise and support their daughters in such an emotionally traumatic situa tion is to violate a fundamental right of parents to be involved in decisions that affect their children's well being, as well as to remove a crucial protec tion from the children them selves. William Moore History Free press I am thoroughly disgusted and disheartened by the recent firing of Jean Ownbey. the Ore fion Daily Emerald's assistant to the publisher (a k a.. Board of Directors) and controller. As an erstwhile Emerald em ployee. I was proud of the pa per's status as an independent, student-run publication: and 1 was proud of Ownbey’s con stant struggle with the board and the journalism school to maintain this independence. Ownbey's determination, however, now places the free dom of our student press in jeopardy. Because a portion of our student fees pays for our subscription to the Emerald. I think anyone who reads the pa per should be willing to fight this petty play of corporate power and control. I believe the board should be restructured to include more students who understand the significance of a free student press. Apparently, the current representatives failed to consid er the grave consequences like ly to result from the firing of Ownbey. Moreover, I believe the bylaws should change so more than four warm bodies constitute a quorum 1 would have never had the opportunity to work for an in ternational publishing compa ny last year if I had not had pri or experience — which I gained at the Emerald. I would like to think that any student, regard less of college major, could ac quire the same invaluable expe rience. But if the Emerald be comes a toy of the board and the journalism school, this hope could be dashed. I will fight for a free student press. Will you? Paula A. Green English LETTERS POLICY The Oregon Daily Emerald will attempt to print all letters containing comments on topics of interest to the University community. Comments must be factually accurate and refrain from personal attacks on the char acter of others.
