Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012, February 14, 1992, Page 2, Image 2

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    EDITORIAL
All is not good
at the University
A recent study on the experience of black Oregon!
an*, highlights u problem the entire University, as well
as huger,c and state community, should be aware of:
Main black students and faculty members on Oregon
i ait:puses feel isolated, frustrated and alienated
The Nos ember study , led by t huirman of the state
('.om miss ion on lilac k Adairs. Robot t Phillips, ini luded
nearly 200 interviews conducted at five state cam
puses
Among hiis findings. Phillips found black Univer
sity faculty members frustrate*! vsitb their double time
load of mentorship and instructional duties due to
their small numbers The professors also felt they were
viewed as having lower-qualitv intellect, making it
harder tor them to get research grants
Black University students said they felt out of
plat e and alone, primarily bet attse there are so few
itlat k students, not many classes on the black expon
ent c, and leys black faculty members
Blue k athletes at the University foil they were val
ued more lor their athletic ability than anything else.
This issue titles not stop y\dh the black communi
ty. it involves everyone no holds burred I he fact
that people here, at this University, in this town. have
such feelings is .something vse all need to be assart- of
and concerm-d about
The numbers are startling Black students at the
University have a 2(>‘I percent graduation rate, com
pared to the 45.£ percent
graduation rale for white
students lil.uk athletes
fare little better they
giaduah a! .i H).8 percent
rule, t outpaced to 44.2
pen i'ii! of white athletes
()bv unisly, something
systemic, something in the
University, is (iesper.itelv
wrong
This study has done
the entire community the
favor of bringing to light
ah issue most of the "mu
jorit y " rai e otherwise mav
not have known about.
Noys -:;'s tone to u< I
This study has
done the entire
community the
favor of bringing
to light an issue
most of the
‘majority1 race
otherwise may
not have known
about. Now it’s
time to act.
The report offer-, recommendations to remedy the
situation at the University, including a >tudv of the
athletii department to find out "why the til.uk male
graduation rate in revenue-generating sports is so low";
offering incentives tor hiring more minority faculty
members and finding new ways for students to voice
concerns regarding bigotry, hatred and racism.
Unfortunately, the problem isn't that simple. To
hire and recruit qualified black professors will cost
money It would be money vsell spent, but the Uriiver
sit\ would have to pay the incoming professors what
they are worth In that lies the problem. The University
faculty, in general, is woefully underpaid Long-time
professors would not take kindly to incoming faculty
getting substantially more money than they do.
Instant resentment, and no closer to solving the
problem
As long as the Oregon State System of Higher lain
cation continues to underpay professors, the I 'niversity
and other collegiate institutions in the state will be in a
quandary Hiring qualified professors of any kind —
is nigh impossible it the p.tv is bad.
Hut while the money situation might be. tor the
moment, unsolvable. the other suggestions by the re
port need to be discussed.
finding new ways lor students to air their views is
a good step Nothing is ever lost by talking things out.
While some would debate the degree to which they ex
ist on this campus, no one could argue against the fact
that bigotry, racism and hatred are still present. More
outlets in w hir h students, faculty and others have the
opportunity to discuss their differences are desperately
needed.
Uhunge is not a one-way street Creating a substan
tial shift in people’s society bred views requires work
from both sides Only through companionship, mutual
tr us! and i ooperation can anything he accomplished.
SDl. THiNK Of IT
A tMC^NifiCENT CONCtPT
A SHIELD /AiSPACE.
TO PROTECT US PftOfA
ALLTNOSE INCOhMMG
nuclear missiles.
AN UNBROKEN SA//ELD,
the RESULT op the greatest
TECV^N°LOG/CAL GENIUS OP MAN.
■5
K
RIGHT UP TUB^E WHERE
THE OZONE USED td be
\rl
LETTERS
Even worse
(J/one depletion7 S,1IJ to SUV.
I am nm surprisis! Perhaps H
:;i.1 \ in d; I lit u It in think of
W ! i! It W : i I hr i I hr Will llr!
you |4t.1 sjj [jus yet or not. w h.it
!: Jr will h . ;kr .it Hit n .m i! I \
ieveis. v ou may well ash Why
ditin I we tin something'
W r ' l s ’ Wiiat iif the corpora
(lolls in tiir 1‘170's. vvlirn the
danger w-.s (its! exposed7
i Ji.it s right !*f't
! . .Ill ftt .1 arltt It * I rr.itbir
ones hat k ItlUt lar I'he year 1
was IkiUI
Hut it is more larteaching
Si. in tins Wiiat of • ! planes in
tii' 'ills anil 'litis Wtial of coal
burning at t!ir turn of the ( en
ters ■’ I'his damage Isas at t uttut
l.itrij ovrr possibly near a t en
ters
M..yl* it IS too Jail Not lor
tin t.' S oil MO \\ r havr the fe
snort rs to ColUurl. hut not
without the growing pains, til
. outs. Out what ol all the third
w or Itl t on Mini's'
I would not Wish to hr the
mil' lo Sri! them Sorrs. you
t all 1 have your i-tli ';.;s I know
i: will kill .Ml pert rnl of your
population anti shutdown your
hospitals and vour government,
he! that's the wav it is It isn't
as simple as "do or don't " I'his
is only the beginning Ihc
t'venls lii iiiiiiii'. the conse
quent t s they will he much
w . s ' than simple malignant
Ski: ii'NU)l)'i
Patrick Kelley
Biology
Then why?
::i response to Ihr Mike 1-rcr
m.m lolumn ihr I nu-mhi pub
lished in thr I'nt) n i'dilion
I dl) Ilol f lit? I peop le tlllVl'
gone lo great lengths to hunt
down unit divulge personal in
lonn.ilion jboul ioSonju VV.il
sun freeman says that Mime of
tin- information released was ir
relevant I realize Watson was
not running for president. or a
scat on the Supreme Court, but
whv do you fed stealing or try
ing to obtain a lake II) would
not have any eflei I on her abili
ty as v u e president7
it Hill' and Willson i It the
troll trouble unir.il was mi ir
r< ii win!, lism whv didn't they
in.ski- ii known before lilt' elci -
I is si i .111(1 If! thr sludfllls make
I lit* * r choice I'm not saying
W si,>n lias tu In .i (iod abid
i:., law I.,1 (It ,ii '.hoiking. v it
gimil example of j>f rim lion."
Im-i .nisi' tin* majority of us arc
not
As ASUO vice presidenl
lhough. she should have se!
... ami stirl of example Freeman
is nght. Wr exist In Fugene.
Oregon and liugene. Oregon,
unit So On this small cam
pus that t Liims to he so au epl
rig and diverse and welt omlitg,
particularly of those of different
thnicaties iieltels and hack
grounds can't we find some
otie who is w-orthi ol being a
leader, and not someone who
made some dumb mistake7
Nfaybt Watson was a "victim
id her past, her inexperience
and her bullishness, but she
should not try tu amend her
mistakes by "serving in the
ASt'l) and growing .is a per
son as f reeman slates, but by
admitting to those mistakes and
trvmg to correct them That's
flow vou grow as a person
Robert Goyette
Student
Blind
It in good to nit JoSonja Wat
son Ii.in good lnends to support
her m difficult limes, but it in
unfortunate she and her sup
porters arc blind to her situa
tion
in bet pri'NN i onlerence. she
admonishes 'those tli.it would
pl.iy in the mud rather than fo
cus attention to valid is>ues' "
tODt:. I'cb 5) The valid ' is
sues an- the only things rule
van! here, and her politics are
the most important issue, not
race ot criminal activities
I he fact is that she stole from
the student body, and these
facts were used only as a vehi
cle, much like the spotted owl
is used as a vehicle by the radi
cal environmentalist movement
to eliminate the timber indus
try I his tool helped expose the
hvpoc risy of our liberal leaders
this eliminating one ol then:
from elected olfii e
It is time our leaders c aim
li.ii k to realllv ami moru hro.iii
l\ represented their eonslitu
nits, no mailer how lew people
\ oted lor them
Andrew Schrenk
Chemistry
Experiments
I would like to respond to
Mike freeman's column (GUI
I eh (>) written in defense of
our ASUO vice president
JoSonja Watson
In your column vou make
several excuses for w hy the stu
dent body should overlook
Watson's mistakes ranging from
saving her mistakes were small
(they were not) to we have .ill
made similar foolish immature
mistakes
We have all made mistakes,
to he sure, we have not applied
for fake 11) cards! We have not
shoplifted The recall ellort is
onlv a small example ol how
the public feels about its polili
clans
Our government was de
signed to consist of the vers
best representatives of a given
community On the national
si eno. Americans are tired of
being represented fry people
who are not living up to that
standard
Mere at me i niversit) " ■
son's p.isi behavior has indicat
ed (hat she is not the best repre
sensitive of our community
The l>est representatives of our
community make sure they are
not overpaid, do not take ad
vantage of their position to re
ceive extra payment.
This is unfortunately not
how politicians function, but it
is how they should function
Watson should be allowed to
experiment within the student
government, experiment with
excellence with maturity and
with honesty. Her recall was
not race-based, it was a result f
a larger problem a general lark
of excellent e within the ASUO
Luke Pingel
Psychology