EDITORIAL
Seat savers should
stay home Saturday
II may have already happened to you. You wake up
early Saturday morning, check your tickets, fill your
thermos and head to Autzen Stadium to cheer on the
Ducks. By getting an early start you intended to get
some of the finest general admission seating available
— wrong!
Very often large blocks of the best student seats are
saved by one or two people who are involved with
greeks. dorms, or ether social groups. The people who
should be rewarded for their efforts to make it to the
stadium on time end up taking the back-row spots.
Meanwhile, those who slept until noon, but were able
to con some poor wretch Into "reserving" general ad
mission seats, get to sit up front.
What factors allow this kind of unfair situation to
occur? Inconsiderate people, a security force that up
until now has turned its back on the situation, and apa
thy among the people who let it happen to them.
Those people who think they can depend on others
to secure their places for them, should grow up and try
to become responsible members of society. It is exactly
this kind of "me first" and screw the others attitude
that lies at the foundation of our societies big prob
lems. Learning to respect others may cause some sacri
fices. but it's worth while in the tong run.
The blue shirt security forces have allowed these
unofficial reserve seats to become reality by not ad
dressing the problem at all. They do not see it as an is
sue. and. at times, when confronted with a situation
have turned a blind eye.
Stadium policy maintains that those scats are dis
tributed on a first-come-first-serve basis. It is part of
the security force's job to make sure that is the way it
happens. Students should demand action from the sta
dium employees. If there is enough people to make
sure know one tears clown a goal post, why can't they
enforce the seating policy?
It is also tlu> duty of the students who lose out to
tiie "reserved seat holders” to not let it slide. Don't gel
pushed around Behavior like this can only continue if
you let it Start standing up for yourself now. You are
going to need to learn that quality some time in your
life. Why not start a pattern?
Saving one or two seals for your best friend or
roommate is one thing. But whole rows or sections is
another. If you want to sit with your friends, show up
at the same time. Otherwise stay at home and let the
adults watch the game.
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Bush’s popularity declines to lowest level
In a New York Times/CBS News poll
conducted last week. Bush's approval rating
sank to its lowest level since he was elected.
The president's popularity actually in
creased when he was on vacation doing
nothing.
The Berlin Wall came tumbling down
and the stock market was climbing. Though
Bush had nothing to do with these happen
ings. we read his lips and knew what a great
job he was doing.
But as soon as the president began tak
ing an active part in the nation's affairs, his
positive performance rating plummeted.
The popularity of a president is usually
judged on two main criteria — foreign poli
cy and the economy.
Since Iraq invaded Kuwait. Bush has
been in a quandary. He remembered the
swift butt-kicking we gave to Grenada and
Panama. Neither of those countries have the
military capability, nor the oil, that Iraq has.
Bush could not apply his foreign policy
knowledge to Iraq.
Hush claims that oil has nothing to do
with American troops in Saudi Arabia. He
says it's about naked aggression. Wrong — it
has everything to do with oil. And the Unit
ed States' addiction to it.
On the home front. Hush vetoed the
emergency stopgap measure and the govern
ment actually closed down for a weekend.
He wanted to cut medicare and lower the
capital gains tax — hurting the needy and
helping the wealthy.
Even though Congress agreed to emer
gency measures, it wasn't good enough for
Hush. He was determined to show his
might.
He should have cut his vacation short.
No one misses government until it isn't
there. Hush's inability to appear that he even
cared about the country hurt his popularity.
We don't understand Hush’s lips or his
hips. Appearance counts for nothing when
you're close to war and bankruptcy.
LETTERS
Too hung up
I am writ inn in response to
I'.nna M Dole’s letter [Ollb'.
Oct. 16.
I agree that each one of us
should respect another person's
privacy and that men should
not look at her like an object,
but Dole takes the issue to an
extreme.
Then? are many men on cam
pus. like me. who would like to
net to know women (and every
one for that matter) for friend
ship only. Nothing more. Not
every’ man is out there "want
ing your body."
Second, most people, both
men and women, make them
selves look good for not only
themselves, but for others as
well Frankly, most people, in
cluding myself, are flattered to
hear compliments such as.
"You look nice today "
Third, Dole is pretty hung up
about men too close to her or
asking her out on a date
Well, most men on campus
probably don’t even know who
she is That leaves me to ask
one question. How is she to
prevent the few men who are
supposedly "lusting" after her
from doing it again?
If anti when Dolt' wants to
talk with someone ami gives
tlu> opportunity a chance, she
will find that she can be com
fortable with men who want
only friendship. And friends
are those who respect a person
and their privacy
Since I was so confused and
disturbed by Dole's letter, I ills
cussed the issue with a couple
tif female friends of mine. They
believe that a lot of men like
them as friends, not as items in
a "meat market
To any dilemmas that Dole
might have suffered in the past
with a few unkind men. I sym
pathize. Hut no one should
have to put up with Dole's no
tion that all men are out to "get
a little."
Todd Helton
Student
Corrections
I would like to make two
small corrections to the other
wise well-researched and well
written article about family
housing bv Jiffin Arboleda
(ODE. Oct t?)
She quotes me as saving in
an interview "I think it's much
lietter at Amazon it's almost
like Kast Germany." This
would imply that I believe that
Hast Germany was superior to
West Germany, a tenet few peo
ple in the world would hold to
day (1 doubt even our new No
1m*1 Peace Prize laureate would
espouse this view).
What 1 was attempting is to
establish an analogy between
Amazon Housing and its myr
iad of social services, low rents
and community life and the
now defunct socialist state: and
between Hast Campus and its
individual houses at higher
rental rates, and West Ger
many.
1 did not intend or imply any
value judgment about either the
social systems or the housing
areas. In fact I am extremely
grateful to University Housing
for having had the opportunity
in Amazon Housing last year
and presently at Hast Campus
In the following paragraph,
she quotes me us saving that
there is "almost a sense of com
munity" in Hast Campus What
I meant is that there is little
sense (if community in Hast
Campus compared with Ama
zon or Westmoreland, although
I get along very well with all
my neighbors, and there have
been recent endeavors to im
prove community activities in
East Campus.
l.uis Fierro
Student
Symbol abuse
The car in the street symbol
izes far more than alcohol
abuse It symbolizes the chron
ic ambiguity drowning Ameri
can society.
The only indication that this
vehicle "might" have been in
volved with drugs or alcohol
was a police ribbon. A ribbon
that "might” have meant the
car was stolen or involved in
any one of a thousand illegal
activities.
If we an; really concerned
altout the problem of substance
r
it seems we should put a little
more time and effort into our
symbolism.
If we are going to use an ob
ject to make us aware, let's give
it a history with real names and
blown-up glossy photos of real
faces. Why pay someone to
haul in a generic piece of junk?
Could it be that names and
faces would create controversy?
Heaven forbid.
Ambiguity is safe and com
fortable. It might never get any
thing done, but it's a integral
part of American society.
We can set; it from the Su
preme Court of the United
States to the streets of the Uni
versity. Take no stand and
you're my man (person)!
Stan Schweitzer
Speech
i
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