Unusual minor explores peace
jThe interdisciplinary peace stud
ies minor raises awareness of al
ternatives to violence and ways to
improve the world
By Lisa MiHegan
Enteraid Associate Editor
Sometimes there are benefits to tint hav trig a lot
of money
At le.ist that's what they say in the University
pence studies program, which gets so little money
that it's staffed largely by volunteers
"One nice thing about having oniv >! non a
year) is you know they're not going at you
oil," said Rob Gould. .1 sometimes graduate teai Iv
ing fellow with the program
When .1 group of professors.'students' and stall
first began dis< usstng the possibility of i reatmg a
peace studies minor Iwck in the early l*WU)s. they
knew they couldn't ask lor much money because1
the University was already encountering budget
difficulties
Out of fu.tr thiii Iho program vsoultln t be up
proved ,it oil. the group decided to ask tor .is huh'
money as possible
Because the University's monuv situation'
hasn't improved that mut h situ e V'iH7 when the
program vs,is iinallv instilcitod, the eight member
peace studies steering ( onnnittee is still stafied by
professors who volunteer their time
"It s kind of a labor of love for most people,
said Cheyney Kvan. co-chairman of the peare
studies steering committee
Although most committee professors are
strongly committed to the program, many have
difficulty finding time to spend on the minor.
Kvan said
“Poople don't have time," Kvan said it vse
had more time we'd be able to do more for the
program It's hard to sustain people’s energy and
commitment for a long period of time when
they're volunteers "
An interdisr iplinary minor, the University
peace studies program offers no specific peace
studies courses Instead students take c lasses in
departments including philosophy, political s< i
once, international studies and even telecom
mu mi ations and film
('.nurses have titles such as "Intro to World
Value Systems' (international studies), ' War in
the Modern World" (history) and Systems of
War and I’eai e" (sociology )
According to the program's brochure, the mi
nor addresses the conditions which constitute
tlie alternative to violence, and how to promote
them, and the strategies for ac hieving peace in its
various forms
Gould said the peac e studies program is good
for students who want to improve the world
"A lot of students at the University are in pre
wealth studies," he said ''They want to make a
lot of money On the other hand, there s a lot of
people (Interested in peace studies) who ( limn lo
highereducation to sis> how they mn contribute
to life on this planet
I'he minor is available to all t'nhersjty under
graduates and has no admission requirements
(amid said mans peat e studies minors have ma
jtirs in philosophy Kngllsh and the arts
Some of the highlights of the program are the
classes taught each year by the visiting Savage
St holer
haeh year, a professor from a different par! of
the world tomes to the f'nlversttv for ii term to
teach ( lasses jn pe.ee and international affairs
fins year s scholar was Japanese professor
Yoshiioi/u .Sakamoto.' who 'as as at the l 'mv ersity
fall term
Senior Kent Hill said he was attrai fed to the
peat e studies minor because lie s always tried lo
tlialletige the status quo A work study student
with the program Hill said his'interest n peace,
studies art■■re.a'sed alter the Persian litil! War last
v ear
A lot of students at the
University are in pre-wealth
studies....On the other hand,
there’s a lot of people who
come to higher education to
see how they can contribute
to life on this planet.
Rob Gould
peace studies Gif
"I had all these feelings and I needed to feel
them out," he said
He particularly enjoyed a lelet ommunu atlons
and film (lass tilled History ol Non-Violence
and 1‘eai e Mating He said the ( lass taught him
among other things, about how much more dlffi
cult it is for people to i ommunu ale than to light
Although Hill said it wasn't the primary reason
he became invoiced in the pern e studies program,
he thinks the minor will he useful in his post col
lege plans to work in peai e groups
Senior Anthony Weersing came to the peace
studies minor more by accident After awhile. In
realized he had taken many of the classes needed
for the minor so he de< ided to apply for one
Weersing said he enjoyed pea< e studies 1 lasses
bemuse they give students a feeling of empower
merit or a desire to i ontribute to i hange
He believes Ills pea( e studies minor will be
useful m his career plans of working with giving
te< hnical support to Third World c outlines
For the future peace studies program planners
are talking about developing some sort of Joint
hai helor's degree program with Portland State
I diversity or ()regon State I 'niversity
Such a plan would (omhine tin strengths ol
existing state programs without using a lot more
money. Kvan said
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Group seeks legal use
of marijuana for the sick
SALI.M ; AI ’! The .mil
drug fervor lliii! s sweeping the
country is denying mi k prop!*
<1 t hom r to use marijuana to
ease thrir suffering, savs d
group that’*, seeking changes in
statu tlrug lays s
'When people seek pain re
Hrf. thrv arr givul) rhutoru
altout tht? evils of drugs " Laird
Punk ol Williams said Monday
"We cannot allow this travesty
to go on any longer
l unk made the comment as
hai kers of a measure to logiili/e
use of marijuana for medical
purposes announced they've
started collecting petition sig
natures in hopes of lore mg a
statewide vote on the issue
A group (ailing itself the
Partnership for a Responsible
Drug Policy said marijuana of
lers therapeutn benefits for
people who suffer from glaum
ma and from the effei ts of
chemotherapy
The group s measure would
allow physicians to presi ribe
marijuana !t> their patients
Must dot:'iifs ire aw are I
marijuana's therapeutic bene
tils n 'r e. 11in g ■ : k p < > n i ■ .
Funk vud, but thin, are scan I
to sa\ anything about if hi
cause marijuana lias [cec nine si,
polite alls unpopular
Kosanna t Trighton exit utive
direc tor of Citizens l or a Drug
Free Oregon, said the proposed
ballot measure is pist another
attempt to legalize marijuana
"The main thing tiiat we
want citizens to know is what it
will do not what people say it
will do Creighton said What
it will do is legalize the cultiv
ation and possession of man
juana in Oregon It s just a
hoax
Supporters 'will have to
round up at least (>7,000 valid
signatures In iulv 1 to place the
measure on the November bal
lot They said they've already
gotten about 1,000 of those sig
natures
U of 0 Access Committee presents
BOBCAT
GOLDTHWAIT
IN PERSON AT
UO MAC COURT
FRIDAY, APRIL 10th
at 8 p.m.
Tickets on sale
Ticketmaster & EMU Main Desk. $10*
I UO Students and $15* General
j Public. For more info: ASUO 346-3724
‘Plus $2.00 handling fee.