EDITORIAL
‘Sex’ sells;
library not buying
University students' right to have Sex in the library
has been unjustly abridged.
A University librarian made the decision not to
buy Sex, but did so arbitrarily and with no real exper
tise in the subject matter — photography.
If you haven't figured it out by now. the subject
here is Madonna's book Sox. and the issue is whether it
should be purchased by the- Knight Library.
When the library makes a purchase decision, it first
seeks the advice of experts in the subject area. If the
book is about economics, University professors of eco
nomics are asked to evaluate its merit; if it's about
rocks, geology professors take a gander, and so on
In the case of .Sex. the appropriate experts would
have been photographers and experts in popular cul
ture. Hut no expert was ever consulted.
Rather. Assistant Librarian Cheryl Kern-Simircnko
saw the book on display in a bookstore in Palo Alto.
Calif., thumbed through it and decided it lucked artis
tic merit.
Good enough for government work.
Kern-Simircnko said the photography was "pedes
trian. at la st." The question is not whether Madonna s
l>ook has artistic merit — that's for the exports, who
were not consulted, to decide. (The Emerald contact**!
several University photographers and art faculty, but
none had seen the book and could not comment.)
The question is: How many other books have been
kept oft library shelves because one person didn't like
them?
University Librarian George Shipman was not in
formed of the decision until contacted by the Emerald
Shipman said. "Madonna represents something of our
era that people want to study ... but we don't see the
need to purchase the book, apparently."
Apparently.
.S'f.’v i.s a spiral-bound book and. if purchased by the
library, would need to be rebound. Kern-Simirenko
said the quality of the photos doesn’t justify tin; expen
diture of getting the book bound. And just exactly how
much i.s that expense? Well. Kern-Simirenko doesn't
actually know, but she's sure it would fie too much.
The book itself costs between $;tr> and $50, de
pending where you look. Considering the number of
books in the library that have never even been opened,
much less checked out. spending perhaps $100 on a
book people will open seems to be a good investment.
Tin- library carries other sexually explicit material,
most notably Playboy magazine and books by the late,
and still controversial. photographer Robert
Mapplethorpe (all of which are checked out or miss
ing). and the IMC carries a video titled Radical Sex
Styles, so the issue of library-sponsored censorship
doesn't seem to exist.
Kern-Simirenko justified her lone review by {mint
ing out there have been no specific requests for the
book, and therefore a formal review was not required.
However, at an institution of supposedly higher ed
ucation. the main library should not need to wait for
requests to purchase books but rather should be- aware
of the needs and wants of the University community.
Oregon Daily
Emerald
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The truth
livery man is not .1 potential
rapist. Trying to protect the
safely of the individual, wheth
er it lie .1 woman or a man. is a
truly noble cause However, all
such efforts are fruitless unless
they are based on one thing
the truth
Kerry Pasche
Eugene
Doctor trouble
I am writing on Im-IkiII of a
follow student corn erntng her
deplorable treatment at the Stu
dent Health Center A lew
weeks ago. she was strut k on
the head by a bottle thrown
across the room at a party
She awoke the next morning
diz.zv -11111 nauseous, with blur
ry vision and -1 headat he A
friend, realizing this woman
hail a com ussion. brought her
to the health t enter in case any
treatment besides rest was net
essary
The dot lor, informed of the
symptoms anil their cause,
asked the student when her last
period hud been, insinuating
her dizziness and nausea were
caused by an unknown preg
nancy. He then proceeded to
question the student in an in
terrogating fashion, suggesting
her problem was caused by
coke, pot or simply too much
beer He brought up the possi
bility of her symptoms lining
psychosomatic, suggesting if
she disagreed, they could pro
ceed to Sacred Heart for $700
worth of examinations
This kind of treatment is an
outrage Had the doctor known
the symptoms only, his ques
tions may have been legitimate
However, the doctor's ques
tions and attitude were both in
sensitive and demeaning The
student left feeling victimized
— angry at the doctor's treat
ment. angry at the health center
for employing such a doctor
and angry with herself for put
ting up with such disrespect.
She is not alone. I have hoard
of other students receiving si
milar treatment, and I urge all
who have to step forward. A
systematic approach of disre
spect should not bo tolerated.
Aaron Sllvarman
Undeclared
Prevent
Every 23 minutes a person in
the United States dies as a re
sult of an alcohol-related accl
clout Last yt'iir, morn than 75
percent of all traffic crashes on
New Yoar’s Eve/Dny wore alco
hol related This is n prevent
able t v
Together we cun make a dif
ference Take* the pledge to not
drink and drive! during the holi
days lining .1 student tnvsell. i
know belter titan to ask you to
give money, 1 only ask for your
support
Please taker a minute to sign a
pledge card and drop it in a
collection box at one of the fol
lowing locations Hamilton or
Carson dining halls, near the
KMli fishbowl, bv tite indoor
librars entrance and in Oregon
Hall lor each pledge made, a
red rihhon will he added to a
tree near the Hull ('enter
Drinking responsibly could
save you a lot of money (DUlls
are very expensive) and time
(holidays should Is- spent with
family, not in jail). Most impor
tantly. it could save lives And
it doesn’t cost you a dime
Please sign a pledge card today
Anna Maria Dick
Projact Eugena
Tragic lesson
We are all members of the
same human family and thus
deserving of the same measure
of dignity and respect in
cluding the two people whose
bodies now lay in the Klamath
Hull physiology lab and the
young woman who apparently
committed suicide Monday.
Nov 16. Perhaps she had lost
all sense of connection to the
human funilly and with that all
sense of purpose
The two people decided to
give the gift of their own bodies
to students they could never
know, probably with the hope
thut human welfare might be
advunced. They had names, al
though their names are not
known to us. They loved. They
were loved. And they are pro
foundly deserving of dignity
and respect.
I hope the instructors and
students in the physiology lab
— if the Emerald story was ac
curate — will accord the bodies
entrusted them with the pro
found dignity and reverence
they deserve. To do less de
bases the gift these two fellow
human beings have given, and
to make one life cheap is the
start of devaluing all life.
In my vtow, our campus
newspaper has participated in a
terrible cheapening of human
lifu. I felt an assault upon my
own humanity, and ! was dimp
ly saddened at the gross disre
gard for thi' dignity of three hu
man beings that was demon
strated by the placement of the
articles, the tone of the stories
and the photographs shown in
the Nov 17 Emerald
I hope there is something to
hi learned from this tragedy as
well.
Brent Mallinckrodt
Associate Professor
Counseling Psychology
Cry wolf again
Humans are once again try
ing to play God in one of the
last remaining wild plains in
the United States The Alaska
Department of fish and Game
on Nov 17 decided to resume a
barbaric and illogical practice
of shooting hundreds of Alas
kan gray wolves in order to up
set the predator-prey balance in
favor of moose and caribou.
The plan is a five-year pro
gram designed to eradicate
wolves in u 43,000-squarc-mile
area between Anchorage and
Fairbanks.
Many biologists have deemed
this proposal a "very dumb
mistake." Dr Gordon Haber, a
wildlife expert on wolves said,
"The decision is bud biology ull
around, almost Insulting from a
scientific standpoint." Other bi
ologists have pointed to histori
cal disasters, such as in Yellow
stone. where these very same
misguided "management” tac
tics have destroyed entire eco
systems.
The premise of this program
appears grossly illogical be
cause intact ecosystem relation
ships are what keep herds
healthy, not artificial interven
tion schemes.
Anyone who ever plans to
travel to Alaska has the right to
see and hear a wolf in the wild;
it is an unimaginably wonder
ful experience, one that has
touched my soul The 7,000 re
maining wolves in Alaska are
fleeting symbols of our lost
wildness. Killing these animals
so mercilessly would be a trage
dy und a crime.
People who wish to express
themselves about this issue
should writo, call or FAX the
governor of Aluska, Walter
Hickol, (907) 465-3500 (ask for
the governor), FAX: (907)
463-3454, or write to. P.O. Box
A. Juneau, AK 99811
Andrew Fischer
Environmental Studies