EDITORIAL
Harassment code
not specific enough
Recent changes made to the University's student
conduct code are designed to protect people at the Uni
versity from unwanted sexual attention.
Although it is obvious that all people on campus
have the right to go about their business without the
fear of being sexually intimidated or harassed, the defi
nition of what is considered harassment is not so obvi
ous.
The new provisions in the conduct code state that
unwanted sexual behavior is, among other things, be
havior that "a reasonable person would know was un
wanted and would cause emotional distress.”
This provision is too vague and ambiguous to he
enforced fairly. The new additions to the conduct code
are a step in the right direction, but they need to be
more specific. There are many varying definitions of
what is and is not reasonable.
Proof of this can be found by reading the letters
section in back issues of the Emerald, One letter on the
topic of sexual harassment inspired a large number of
responses, all with varying opinions about what ha
rassment consisted of.
The decision about what is reasonable will be
made on a case-by-case basis by one or two people.
The policy concerning what is reasonable seems to be.
"we can’t define it. but we’ll know it when we see it."
This attitude toward enforcement has the potential to
be inconsistent, and therefore unfair.
Some questions arise. When personnel changes oc
cur in the conduct code office, will the definition and
enforcement of what is reasonable change? Will the
definition of "reasonable” be applied differently to
people from different cultures?
There are many students at the University from
countries other than the United States. Many of these
students have been reared in cultures with values dif
ferent than those of this country. To be fair to all peo
ple at the University, the code should spell out what
kind of touching, verbal abuse or conduct of a sexual
nature will not be tolerated before enforcement begins.
When the University does add more specific lan
guage to the code, enforcement should consist of edu
cating offenders, rather than just removing them from
the University. This would be a sincere way of fighting
the problem of sexual harassment, instead of just hid
ing from it.
WHAT ARE WE FIGHTING
FOR IN THE PERSIAN gulf?
LET ME BRING IT DCWN TO
THE LEVEL CF THE AVERAGE
AMERICAN... JOBS !
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Stay away from garbage import business
Oregon state officials are going to let
other states dump garbage at refuse sites for
$2.25 a ton. besides being a bad idea, it's
selling garbage space for next to nothing.
Other states, such as Georgia, import
garbage for up to $20 a ton. So even if Ore
gon has to sell landfill space, at least it
should charge a reasonable amount
If the state is going into the garbage
dump business, it should charge more than
$2.25 a ton. Oregon can't be making money
on this deal, although it should. A fee of
$1,000 a ton is more reasonable. !f other
states find the price too high they can take
their waste somewhere else.
State officials claim the low cost is due
to minimal administrative costs. Hut if Ore
gon is going to sell landfill areas, let's make
it worthwhile.
Oregon's economy cannot be so bail that
we are willing to become a dumping ground
tor other states, someone will have to moni
tor the garbage and make sure we are not be
ing slipped toxic wastes by mistake. Oregon
cannot even find a place to dump Trojan’s
nuclear waste.
Are we going to charge extra for nun-re
cyclable garbage? This is hardly the busi
ness for a state that put a measure on the bal
lot calling for businesses to pay more atten
tion to recycling.
It is ironic that Oregon is going to prosti
tute itself for a meager $2.25 a ton of garbage
after defeating Measure (i. Even though
Measure (i did not pass, that does not give
state officials the OK to import garbage.
The state would be better off paying Ida
ho or Montana to take its garbage. Hut those
states apparently are not in the garbage im
port business.
Oregon should stay out of the garbage
import business as well.
LETTERS
Mish-mosh
On Sunday Nov 11, Hob
Mould played al the KMIJ. I
payed $*) lo see him and to
mosh slam pogo. Most of the
time people who wished to do
this were able lo. except when
a few self-righteous security
personnel tried to control the
"pit." These select few men
tried to prevent people from
jumping, mushing and having
fun. When people dove off the
stage they were dragged away
from the show and warned they
would lie thrown out. This is a
blatant fascist attempt to keep
people from having fun at
"punk" or "alternative" con
certs for which they have
payed
As I payed to see Mould, and
not have security control my
actions. I am pissed off. The pit
belongs to those who want to
mosh. not mar ho-rambo
wannabe bouncers. The pit is
people having fun. feeding off
each other's energy and giving
back to the band. Not blatant
violent acts People who are
violent are taken care of by peo
ple in the pit
Those who do not wish to be
"disrupted" in their viewing of
the concert should stay away
from the pit. Avoid it and you
will not In- disturbed.
If security would have not
been trying to control the indi
viduals. and the pit. nothing
would have happened After
all. they are there to protect
property, not us Security
should get out of the pit, and
only come in when a fight or
property destruction happens,
which is rare. It is time to re
claim (lie pit The pit is ours.
Greg Zobel
Eugene
Crime stopper
I want to notify the citizens
of Oregon that a grave injustice
has occurred. An attack has
been made on our freedom to
protest — our freedom to stand
up and say. "NO MORE."
1-ast spring an environmen
talist named Greg Miller got fed
up with the struggle to save the
Pacific Northwest's remaining
ancient forests. He stood
watching as the big trees con
tinued falling and ecosystems
continued dying
He'd written his congress
man. he'd signed petitions,
he'd marched in protests
and still the mindless destruc
tion continued.
He decided as a last-ditch ef
fort to call upon the age-old
tactic of non-violent civil dis
obedicnce He locked himself
to logging equipment in Hit an
cient forest to call attention to
the situation and to show peo
ple how serious it is.
lie and the three others who
participated were arrested and
held in jail for four days Miller
is a 19-year-old college student
with a job and no previous
criminal record. At his recent
trial he slated that he commit
ted his "crime” to stop a far
more hideous crime.
Ilis defense was denied
Miller was sentenced to an un
precedented If) days in jail,
$1,800 restitution and fines,
and four years probation.
Ilis sentence is an outrage
and an obvious attempt to stifle
acts of political protest. Miller
is not the first (or unfortunately
the last) person in the United
States to be jailed for his politi
cal beliefs.
I encourage all activists to
join in protesting this attack.
For more information contact
me at 45-t Willamette St. -2 18
Kebekah l.edwith
Eugene
Pagan rights
Yes. I meant to spell the title
"K-i-g-h-t-s" not "K-i-t-e-s."
I'm writing in response to Car
rie Dennett’s article, "'Witch
goddess stresses ties to na
ture " (O/Jfc’, Nov. it)
As I write. I put certain
words in quotations in order to
subtly express a sarcastic atti
tude toward the concepts that I
have put in quotes. I can ex
press my disagreement with a
group and general lack of belief
that it even actually exists by
writing, for example, “the mor
al majority" says ... whatever.
By putting the group’s name in
quotes, an otherwise simple
statement of fact now reflects
my attitude toward the group.
The practice of putting a per
son's title or other acts in quo
tation marks does not belong in
a factual article. By putting the
term "Witch-goddess" in
quotes the reader is reminded
that the writer does not believe
that Starhawk (the woman
about whom the article was
written) is what she professes
to be.
I have another criticism
about the title. The one sign
that 1 saw advertising the event
used the term Witch-Priestess,
which is a "title" that most pa
gans would understand, unlike
the term “Witch-goddess"
which I seriously doubt most
pagans would use to describe
themselves. ... It would be like
a Catholic priest calling himself
a "Priest-god.” Hut. maybe
Starhawk does use this "title."
If people aren't going to start
putting all other religious "ti
tles" (like nun. priest, rabbi,
etc.) in quotations and spelling
god and Christian with small
letters, then please atop putting
the words witch and priestess
in quotes, and spelling the
words goddess and pagan with
small letters. It's disrespectful
and discriminatory.
Cat Hecate
Eugene
Cheapest evil
A point of information on the
"should we drink Pepsi be
cause Coke is in South Africa”
debate.
Pepsi was among the first
companies to do business in
both the Soviet Union and Chi
na — two countries with dread
ful human rights records.
While the Soviet Union has im
proved recently, who can forget
the students who lost their
lives at Tiannamen Square?
With the passage of Measure
5. the University needs to go
with the lesser (cheapest) of the
two evils.
Megan Lewis
History