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 TH£ PUBLIC SUPPORTS CUNTOH'S PLAKI POLLS REVEAL. so i Guess we’ll BE SKIPPING THE 'OMi IN TUB WH/TE Mouse.' piece . W£ UtoN'T 8£ Dom& 7H£ * PuBoC Ot/TlSAGf OVER M£W FAXES’ Sib^£NT. ___ WC'LL NAvf 7b FcR - University Theatre Second Season Presents