EDITORIAL
Passage of 20-08
starts dark chapter
What now. Springfield? What's going to happen
now?
On Tuesday. Springfield voters approved Measure
20-08. which amends the city's charter to prohibit the
local government from "promoting, encouraging or fa
cilitating homosexuality.”
The Oregon Citizens Alliance, which sponsored
the measure, claims it was created to keep gays and les
bians from receiving "special rights." In an exit poll
conducted by the Rugistor-GuarH. three-quarters of the
measure's supporters said they voted for it for that very
reason.
Whatever. Now the question remains, what does
Measure 20-08 actually mean?
The language is so ambiguous, so chock full of
loopholes, it can be interpreted in any number of ways.
Is letting a gay or lesbian couple live within the Spring
field city limits "facilitating" homosexuality? Is renting
a lecture hall to a speaker — who just happens to be
gay — "encouraging" homosexuality? Will the city
government arrest lesbians walking down the street.
Homing nunes. Because
they art; "promoting" ho
mosexuality?
Come on, OCA. What
do you really want to hap
pen?
The measure wasn’t
about family values, reli
gious preferences or spe
cial rights; it was about
politics. It wits about one
group trying to impose its
will on another. In one fell
swoop, the OCA has man
aged to demote Spring
field’s gays and lesbians to
the level of second-class
citizen.
Welcome, one and ull,
to the land of intolerance.
The measure
wasn’t about
family values,
religious
preferences or
special rights; It
was about
politics. It was
about one group
trying to Impose
Its will on
another.
As University students, we mock Corvallis, call it
"Cowvallis" and make fun of its agricultural back
ground Well, Corvallis voters also had an CX'A meas
ure on the ballot. They saw if for what it was — a na
ked. blunt attempt at political control, and they defeat
ed it 8.048 to 4.486.
Try to laugh now, Lune County.
The above scenarios might not happen, but the law
was passed, so they could. To those who passed the
measure: Is this what you wanted? Wore you that fired
up to ostracize, stigmatize and damn? Maybe you
weren't, but that's the land mine you've bequeathed
upon Springfield. The potential for oppression is enor
mous.
By condemning what they don’t understand.
Springfield voters have taken their city back to the
darker chapters of world history. The parallels are
there and Tuesday's vote indicates just how far (not
much) the human race has progressed.
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COMMENTARY
UMASP overlooks Asian Americans
By Clarence Sptgner
and Jon Motohiro
When is a racial minority
nol a racial minority?
No' Being a white South
African is nol the answer. The
correct answer is when that ra
c t a I minority is an
Astnn/Paclfic American student
on the col logo campus.
Ironically, the University
prominently displays pictures
of Asian/Pacific American stu
dents in brochures ostensibly to
illustrate a commitment to stu
dent diversity. Yet when it
comes to eligibility for some
minority scholarships.
Asian/Pacific American stu
dents are not considered as a
matter of policy.
Asian/Pucific American stu
dents represent families victim
ized by the same (sometimes
worse) insidious racism and
discrimination endured by Af
rican American, Lati
no/Hispanic American, and Na
tive American students who
rightfully deserve to compete
for thoso scholarships. Yet
Asian/Pucific American stu
dents are excluded from certain
scholarship eligibility solely
because of their race.
Ilm Oregon State System of
Higher lulu cut I on. by excluding
Asian/Pacific American stu
dents from its Underrepresent
ed Minority Achievement
Scholarship Program, evidently
rationalized that by doing so.
the enrollment of blacks, Luti
no/Hispanics und Native Amer
ican students will lx; brought to
the same level us Asian/Paciftc
American students
As explicit in UMASP's title,
wo feel the rationale and meth
odology behind •'underrepre
sented'' is inappropriate In that
it conversely asserts
"overrepresentation" and cre
ates u "glass celling ” Thus,
why are Asinn/Pacific Ameri
can students, with a recognized
hislory of racial discrimination
against them, being used us the
"representative" yardstick?
OSSMIi’s decision lo exclude
Asion/Pucific Americans from
IJMASP (see their Feb. 28, 1992
newsletter. The Board Bulletin)
can most likely be traced lo the
ridiculous myth of the “model
minority," popularized by the
media in shows such as GO
Min it t os and the Mac
Neil/Lehrer News Hour. The
New Republic even referred to
them as "America's Super Mi
nority."
Such limited informational
features attributed the modest
success of hard-working Asian
Americans to their commitment
to education, parental sacrifices
and entrepreneurial spirit. But
such characteristics describe
virtually all racial and ethnic
minority groups who make up
the American cultural mosaic.
interestingly, spring 1991
enrollment statistics indicated
Asiun/Pacific American stu
dents made up around 5.7 per
cent of undergruduate enroll
ment. Is such a percentage the
“glass ceiling" for IJMASP stu
dents mentioned earlier? Given
the monochromatic complex
ion of the University campus,
we strongly endorse bluck, Lali
no/Hispunic and Native Ameri
can enrollment be raised and
raised separately. And since
quotas are illegal (Bakke vs. Ko
gonts of tho University of Cali
fornia, 1978), minority student
enrollment should not stop at
curtain percentage points.
Moreovor, Asian/Pacific
American student enrollment
should not be used as a criteria
if such is the case, as we be
lieve It is. Moreover, it is not
fair that Asian/Paclfic Ameri
can students be blocked from
access lo any minority student
scholarships us a matter of in
The myth of the
model minority
ignores the
enormous diversity
within AsiatVPacific
Americans.
stilutional policy.
Finally, reports of success in
the "American Dream” attribut
ed to Asian Americans are ex
aggerated. For every story of
success, there are many other
Asian/Pacific Americans
locked out of the social main
stream. The myth of the model
minority ignores the enormous
diversity within Asian/Pacific
Americans; from generations of
American-born to recent immi
grants; from thosu in the corpo
rate boardrooms to urban street
gangs.
Tito more thun 30 different
languages within the
Asian/Pacific American subcul
tures are fust as distinct. But
still, policy makers, perhaps Ig
norant of the range of diversity
within the Asian/Pacific Amer
ican experience, creatu and
then excuse programs that dis
criminate ugainsl this minority
group.
Wo respectfully request that
Indore the Bush Administration
totally wipes out tha program.
OSSHK allows Asian/Pacific
American students die opportu
nity to al least compete in
UMASP. After all. that is the
American way.
Clarence Splgner is a profes
sor at the University, und Jon
Molohiro Is a student senator.
COMMENTARY POLICY
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