EDITORIAL
ASUO fought battle
for student money
The case of the mysterious S337.000 seems to be rising
out of the fog it had been mired in since the money was
first discovered this summer.
For several months, the ASUO and the administration
have been squabbling about possession of the money.
ASUO and Incidental Fee Committee members claimed
the money was interest oarned on student fees and
should be returned to student control. Administration
officials claimed that little, if any. of the money was from
student fees, but rather belonged to the University.
The administration was set at the end of fall term to
band the money over to the £MU and athletic depart
ment.
Fortunately for students, the ASUO jumped in and
launched its own Independent investigation of the
funds. The administration now has announced that as
much as S2S9.759 of the windfall is indeed interest from
incidental fees.
Students can thank the ASUO for picking up the ball
on this who-dunnit. how-dunnit, why-dunnit budget
mystery. ASUO President Hobby Lee made sure the case
received plenty of publicity, bringing the issue into the
open and ensuring accountability. Launching an inde
pendent investigation also pressured the administration
to be forthcoming about its own findings.
Had tho issue not been diligently pursued by the
ASUO, there likely may have been a much different out
come.
Although the responsibility for fighting for student-fee
money should fall into the hands of tho IFC, the com
mittee has done little if anything to determine and prove
this monev belongs to students.
IFC Chairman Steve Masat told Emerald reporters and
editors that he has sent numerous memorandums to Uni
versity Vice Provost Gerard Mosely concerning tho mon
ey. Masat said ho sent written correspondence because
he prefers a written record.
Masat, however, was unable to produce copies of even
one document sent to Mosley on this issue. Mosely
denies ever receiving correspondence from the IFC
chairman.
Fortunately, the ASUO wasn't complacent to let the
administration make another of its pro- or during-break
announcements that the money was !>oing shelled out as
it saw fit.
Now that it has been established that the money is and
has been students’, the IFC is showing a greater interest
in the windfall s future. It's a little late to jump in the
game, but it is encouraging that tho committee is willing
to play a part.
The question "what has the ASUO ever done for stu
dents" is often unanswerable, until now.
Someono in student government now has students’
interests at heart, and anyone considering running for
ASUO office next year should bear in mind the prece
dent of action the current administration established in
this case.
Oregon Daily
Emerald
Editor
Editorial Editor
Graphic* Editor
Enter tarn menl Editor
The Oregon D*i> 1 "»aid .» published JiUy Monday througn Friday cAn-ng the echooi
year end Tue»day end Thunday during the *ummar by the Oregon Oatly Emetetd
Publishing Co Inc at me Umvernty ol Oregon, E ugene Oregon
The Emerald operate* independently ol the Unrversay erth office* at Suae 300 ot the
Erb Memory Unton and * a member ot the Associated P'ess
the Emerald » private property The unlawful removal or U*e ol paper* * prosecutable
by late
Editor I’al Matach
Jake Berg Freelance Editor Hope Neaison
Martin Fisher Editorial Editor Wrver* Jan**en
Jett Put) Sport* Editor Dave Charbonneau
f 'eya Horn Supplement* Editor Ca»ey Anderson
Might Editor. Pat Matach
Assocrsie Editor*: Tammy Baley Sfudenf Government Act yUtt Dara yn Trappe
Comminty. Coaeen Pon*g ttgher £ ducahonAdmuijhahon
New* Stall Scott Andre Cheater a.-er- Matt Bender. Juflm Brcnen. Sarah Oar* Dy an
Couffe Meg Dedorph. Amy Oevenpon, Amanda Fern* Teresa Muntsmger u*a Kneetei
Ei*a Ma ■ Demean McLean Rebecca Merrill. Sieve Mim* Tiff-m M-.je-e- Tn*ta Noel
Mathew Sc hotter E»en Shaw Mchaei Shm<*er. Enc* Sludenc**. Marion Senior Mchwo
Thompeoh-Aguiar Amy van Tuyt. Todd Wa-am*
Oerter at Manager: Judy Red Production Manager Mchere Item
Advertising Tom Eeech Sharort Va; Sae* Atynager* Shawn Be<v*n. Once Manager
Jwte tio<a Tweaa Isabelle Pn.tp Johnson It. Ch»s Kano". Jmemy Mono- V*n CTByar
Gt&an On. Hwrhaet Tryft. Angw Wrrtdhwm ttr a- V\-r\Pterm
Classified Peggv McGnn Manager Berry logan Sharon Sauve
Distrtbutron: Rebecca Brooat Knit vsr Gordw Anthony Wynn
Business Kathy Carbone. Supervisor Jody Connoiy
Production. Inyd Wrote. Produceon Crxvdmafcv Knshne Granger Dee McGobb Stac,
Mtche«, Jerm.'er RoMnd. Jertrele: Sm-m. Anne Stephenson
346-5511 Drsplsy Advertising 346-3712
346-5512 ctassilied Advertising 346-4343
Newsroom
Business Office
1) EXERCISE FW4MTCS
2) WEtGUT WMCUERS \ V
3)MEMJU FOOO NUTS
q)TV NCWSmCHORMEN 1
NEVIS
LETTERS
Equality
I am writing in response to
Ureg Jin oils l«*tt«• r about Stu
dents of Color Building Bridges
Perhaps hit is ignorant about the
entire picture
First, this University is not
diverse
Set ond. teachers of color are
hard to come by Win ' Because
many drop out of college or
ilon'l make it to college in the
first place
And why is that? Because
right now the idea of equality is
just a word, a meaningless
expression Yes. we ore all horn
equal, but we are not all born
with equal opportunities
Karti things are often expen
sive. The price of equality may
just have to be a period of
inequality Soon the minority
will be the majority, and if the
accepted Americans (white
Americans) don't know where
people of color are coming from,
they will he the ones who are
lost.
If these things are not inte
grated into all of the institu
tions, m the future white Amer
icans will he saying "Why do
you treat me this way?" The
new majority will just say "We
told you so. Now it's happening
to you." Unless of course the
new majority is more under
standing
People reap what they sow. 1
walk on the "color line." 1 don't
stand on either side 1 just want
everyone to be truly equal, tru
ly happy, truly loving and truly
peaceful. If the colors are con
tinually split and ignorant of
each other, then tell me, where
do I stand '
The phrase should lie "equal
ity see no color." Until then, in
most cases, love will see color,
I was born out of the love of two
people who saw past all of this,
and for that I am grateful
Kevin KJ Chang
National Student Exchange
Restaurant tax
Regarding the March H editor
ial on the restaurant tax, all
enlightened Kugene residents
realize the plight of the city.
Most of that plight, however, is
due to the city's policies as
much as the institution of
1‘190's Ballot Measure 5.
A restaurant tax is discrimi
natory. It comport's with n law
hv the i itv to assess each Uni
versity and Lane Community
College student a 5100 line
t>euiuse the t its serves them
The tax. even if collected
under the best c onditions, will
not generate the estimated $4 25
million. If even half of that is
generated it would In? a surprise
What's more, once the machin
ery is instituted, the bureaucra
cy will swallow most of it No
government has been efficient
enough to do otherwise
in the meantime, the restau
rant owners will he footing the
added hook Lee ping and labor
costs that add to the general
food pric es.
The restaurant owners in this
area have another dilemma. The
University is in direct competi
tion for food dollars — but it is
exempt from the tax because it
is a non-profit organization.
Once the 3 percent tax is
instituted, the City Council is
looking to increase it to 5 per
cent — and who knows where
they will stop.
To forestall all of these cuts
and generate new revenues, the
city should institute a 5 percent
additional income tax — 3 per
cent earmarked to education
and 1 percent to the city
It would he an equitable tax.
The collecting machinery is
there, and it is deductible from
federal income tax. A sales tax is
not.
It seems cutting programs and
attempting to pass stupid taxes
is easier than listening to solu
tions. If the academia and the
city gets together and proposes a
tax like this, the passage might
tie guaranteed
Vahan Assadourian
Owner
The mEating Place
Danger Otis
Wherefore art thou objectivi
ty. Otis Scarborough?
On March 11. 1 was given a
ticket for riding my bicycle on
the sidewalk and another for not
having my bike registered No, 1
wasn't weaving in and out of the
sidewalk on 13th Avenue
between Kincaid Street and Uni
versity Street. In fact. I was rid
inj4 from lfith Avenue and Kin
caid Street to the hike racks by
the education building.
This is a wide open area. 1 did
find space a little cramped, but
it wasn't because it was crowd
ed with mass students fleeing
their stuffy, underfunded class
rooms No, quite the opposite. I
was crowded by Scarborough's
vehicle driving in the same
space.
This makes me ask, why is it
all right for a car to drive in n
space where a bicycle cannot?
This appears a bit absurd to me.
Why couldn't he park on Kin
caid and walk to his destina
tion' It wasn't as though he was
unloading supplies, us do his
University Physical Plant coun
terparts.
It's a bit hard for our public
safety to walk anywhere —
they're dressed with enough
worthless gear to harass a stu
dent to the full extent of the law
Two females rode by. The first
was ignored criminally, but she
got a stare from Scarborough
The second was given the stare
and a polite excuse me, but it
was left at that. 1 turned to Scar
borough and said. “You turn a
blind eve to the females?”
Peter Leineweber
English ^
Water policies
Of tho two articles on water •
policies in the Middle Hast in
the Emerald. M Reza Behnam’s
(March 5) was a scholarly one.
and Alon Tal's (March 9) was a
propaganda tract. I have read I)r.
Behnam’s award-winning book
and his articles in publications
such as the Christian Science
Monitor. Me is always thorough
and illuminating.
Some questions: Why didn't
the Environmental Law Confer
ence publish the panel about the
Middle East in its schedule of
events? Why didn't the confer
ence organizer invite a Palestin
ian under Israeli occupation to
provide a different perspective?
Why do we always hear the
Israeli point of view and not
other Middle Eastern views on
this campus? Does the Israeli
lobby influence events on this
campus? Does anyone know?
Esther Harrison
Eugene