LETTERS
Who needs to get paid?
When the University experienced its first round of
Measure 5 cuts, a couple thousand students had to quit
school because they couldn't afford, or were unwilling
to pay. the extra $300. Now. as the state Legislature con
templates another 20 percent tuition increase, the Inci
dental Fee Committee is going mad with next year’s bud
get.
Of the first 19 groups to be reviewed. 14 received
increases, all nicely justified by the Future Bankrobbing
Bureaucrats of America (i.e. IPC members). Now the Ore
gon Commentator has been denied its request for extra
funding. Why? The IFC justifies its actions because the
Commentator doesn't pay its staff, which supposedly
impedes some people's ability to contribute to the jour
nal.
This is madness. Since when must people be paid to
express their opinions? We know from experience that
universities are able to maintain a number of diverse
groups without stipends for volunteers and group mem
bers. At Southern Oregon State College, student senators
and reporters on the school paper receive credits only.
Members of student organizations participate because
they want to. not because they could get a stipend. The
same is true at Arizona State University. The incidental
fees at these schools? About $20 — a far crv from the cur
rent highway robbery administered by the IFC. Paying
"volunteers” for their work is not only a gross contra
diction in terms, it can effectively eliminate many stu
dents from even being able to participate in the educa
tion process by inflating fees and raising the cost of
getting an education at the University.
The Commentator should lie commended for its poli
cies. All other activities on campus, if they have any con
science or sense of fairness to others, should follow the
lead.
Dan Carothers
Physics
Drawing attention
I'd like to draw people's attention to a number of mis
takes or misinterpretations in the Feb. 19 edition of the
luiwrnld concerning the Incidental Fee Committee's
increased budget allocations.
First. Lydia I.erma, not Steve Masai, proposed the
amendment to earmark additional funds to the Student
Insurgent for a multicultural newsletter. Please note tins
amendment passed with no opposition
Second, Masat's involvement with the Student Insur
gent was a one-tirne activity in December 199^ The
instance in which lie did participate in the Insurgent's
activities was for the purpose of observing layout pro
i edures. it is the editor's practice to include the names
of all people who had a hand in creating the newspa
per, including those who simply put glue on a piece 01
paper.
Third, the Insurgent had in fact initially requested a
multicultural newsletter. In the interest of the Universi
ty'* commitment to promoting diversity, the (ward ques
tioned why plans for the newsletter had been cut from
the revised budget; it is this that initiated the amend
ment for additional funds, not special interests as the
article implies
I am quite concerned with the manner in which the
IFC and the Student Insurgent are represented in this
article The article harbors accusing overtones to the
effect of special interests on behalf of IFC members, par
ticularly Masat — ideas that are erroneously-based to
begin with.
Also, the Oregon Commentator was granted a budget
increase (3fl percent), but did not receive the entire
$11,000 it requested.
Natasha Latta
Reporter
Student Insurgent
Room for all in jail
The Feh 18 Emerald, page 4. proclaimed In a head
line: "County jail will turn felons away if levy doesn’t
pass, sheriff says "
The article said "At least 33 criminals would he
turned back into the streets from the Lane County jail
daily if voters turn down a $5 H million per-vuar law
enforcement levy, a county official said this week ’
Section C. page t of the Fob 23 Register-Guard cried
"Two charged with raiding city meters," hut later said
"the men were released under a program designed to Iris
tail space for those charged with more serious crimes
In the same issue, a headline said: "Burglar gets eight
years for violating probation, vet the article said
after serving 279 days, he was released under a system
devised to meet a federal judge's order to reduce jail
overcrowding."
VVliat common purpose do these three examples have?
Voters, on March 9 it’s time to refill the public mamma
ry gland The county jail w ill stay the same size regard
less of whether the three-year tan levy passes Currently
there are eight cells for each inmate Check it out citi
zens. these "reporters" didn't Who was it that staled
something about the bigger the lie the easier the masses
will swallow it?
William Amlin
Creswell
Bible cautions condemners
Sean McGrath [ODE, Feb. 25) directs " people who
think that it is OK to be homosexual ..." to Leviticus
IU. IJ. I na< is a goou iciwu lor a sum. mu utr miuuiuh »
plu«.k that single verso without reading the whole chap
ter of Leviticus 20. Also, he should study the historical
and cultural context of this part of the "holiness code,"
He needs to use his God-given critical faculties when
he does this reading
He'll discover this verse has nothing to do with homo
sexual sexual orientation. It is aimed at those who wor
shiped the pagan god Baal at that time. They were het
erosexuals and believed that liehavior described in this
chapter of Leviticus would benefit the fertility of their
lands and produce abundant crops.
People who read the Bible to find justification for their
biases and prejudices should be careful. The Bible con
tains many condemnations of those who judge and are
self-righteous Remember, reading the Bible, as a Chris
tian, should make us more Christ-like. We shouldn't
become self-satisfied determiners of (mil s truth
Jacob Veldhuisen
Eugene
Pesticides poliute water
With all the recent ouU rv over pestii ides and water
quality. you might !)•• wondering how safe vour own
water is Pestii iiles and other hazardous i heuiit als are
too minute to fa* easily dotei table without careful and
expensive chemical tests
The sIum king thing is that our sewage treatment fai il
ities are only capable of removing 50 percent to 70 j>er
i out of all nitrates and toxic metals, and they remove
almost no pestit ides The good news is Kugene current
ly has one of the ( leanest water sources around
"k ' you say ''Then whv worry?"
The answer is bei ause once pollutants roach the
groundwater thev are virtually impossible lot lean up
These water sourt es art* renewed very slowly, and it may
take centuries to filter out contaminants With some of
these < ontammanls it only takes .1 few parts per million
to cause cant er anil birth defat ts.
There are many ways we can eat h have .in impact
upon our environment Head labels, ask questions and
listen to wluit people are saving The University offers
several courses in environmental studies Around the
community, there are several organizations involved in
the issue, such as TAV1-.H. the -1 11 extension service and
Ai e Hardware — all of which provide some environ
mental alternatives
In addition, people should get involved in our gov
eminent, OSI’IKC is lobbying in Salem on Man h l. It
has a lull before tin* l egislature aimed tliret lly at water
contamination. The lull focuses on the citizens' right to
know about pestii Ufa use; it works to improve i leaniip
programs and help prevent future contamination.
Laurel C. Coberly
Biology
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*CW AB&r LAST HiCHTHS
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- University Theatre
Second Season Presents
<r
Vessel
A comedy by Jon Klein
Join two ex convicts
on a rollicking adventure
as they struggle against
corruption and racial
injustice.
February
24, 25, 26, 27
March
4, 5,6
ARENA THEATER
VUIard Hall
University of Oregon
346*4191
TAX WORKSHOP
for
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AND FACULTY
Preparation of U.S. Tax Returns for Oregon Income Taxes
Wednesday, March 3,1993
7:00 - 9:00 pm
EMU Fir Room
Resource People: Susan Gary, Tax Attorney
Ginny Stark. International Student Adviser
Ennis Wuitc, Certified Public Accountant
Tina Zamora, UO Accounting Graduate
Oregon tax forms, information sheets and instruction booklets will be provided
Participants should bring with them their W-2 forms. December 31 paycheck stubs,
and other documents needed to help them complete their state tax forms.
Sponsered by the Office of International Education and Exchange. Graduate School and GTE federation.
For more information, call 346-3206