EDITORIAL Police wasting time with Cops in Shops To what extent should police pursue lawbreakers if a law doesn’t make much sense? That’s the question police have to answer before fully implementing the "Cops in Shops” program. "Cops in Shops” is designed to deter minors from pur chasing alcohol. Police officers and Oregon liquor agents will bo randomly placed in any of 130 participating stores in the Eugene area. Posing as store clerks, the cops will be responsible for curbing underage alcohol pur chases. which would presumably lead to loss underage drinking. A few agents will also survey the parking lots to make sure no alcohol transactions occur between minors and adults. If ihe purpose of the program is to uphold the law. it will probably he quite successful. Minors frequently try to purchase beer at local grocery stores, and clerks are often too non chalant to care Cops will now have a new and more convenient way to bust law breakers. Are minors really too immature to drink alcohol? No. Some may not handle their liquor well, but neither do many 40-year-old drinkers. However, if I ho main pur|>OSo is really to curb underage drinking, the program should give up right now. For years, minors have found ways to skirt the system. Adult friends sometimes buy the alcohol, or a minor c an find a party where alcohol is served. By the time a per son reaches the age of IB. he or she will usually have several friends over the age of 21, few of whom object to buying alcohol for a minor. Saying all minors are drinking doesn't necessarily make it right. However, by keeping the drinking age at 21, lawmakers aren't bestowing realistic expei tations on today's youth. People can drive at 16 and vote at IB. yet they aren't supposed to drink until they are 21. In other words, minors can risk their own life daily behind the wheel of a car, or they can punch a ballot to change the direction of the < ountry, but they can't order wine at a restaurant or have a beer at a bar. Are minors really too immature to drink alcohol? No. Some may not handlo their liquor well, but neither do many 40-year-old drinkers. At the very least, an 18-yoar old has been around long enough to be trusted. Some people argue that lowering the drinking age would mean more dangerous streets because of drunk drivers. But lost we forget, a team of University of Michi gan researchers surveyed 15,500 high school seniors in 1091. Eighty-eight percent had used alcohol in the past. If minors want to drink, they do. If people accept that the law is useless and isn’t entire ly fair, police then have to decide how diligently they should onforco an unjust law. If they want to prove a point with "Cops and Shops,” they’ll probably succeed in deterring a few minors. However, if they realize how pointless the law is. they should junk the program Oregon Doily PO t>0* J'*r« tl>Glh£ QWECOh Th« O#yon D*>y Fmiwatd •* putv-yxsd darfy AAcvxtay through Friday during me school yea» a'*d Tu*»day «h Mamo«al Urxjn and n a men■>(** o* the AaaooaMti P»«M Th© Eme«aid *s private property The unlewrfui 'amove or use ot paper* » protecutaCtfo Emerald by uk» News Ediloi Editori*i Editor Graphics Editor Entertainment Editor Editor Pal Maach Jake tier J f reelance Editor Maitm I isher Editorial Editor Jett Pas/ay Sport* Editor f ieya Norn Supplement* Editor Night Editor Chestei Assn Mope NaaMon live/5 Janssen Dave Chaioonneev Caiiey Anderson Associate Editors: Tammy Haley SluMnt Governn'fnrAclirilies Osralyn Tiappe Com/tiuofy CoSeee Pot*g. Mgher f dUcahorvAdmevsiraaon New* Stall Scon Andre. Chester Allen Malt Band* JuStm Brown Sarah CJaik Meg Dodotph. Amy Deveniion Jen l ■’■tor Amanda Farm*. Anthony tomty, Teresa Huntsmge. t.sa Maun Hebecca Msrntt. Steve Mims. 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HI PUT ON A ROCK CONCERT ■T'Sj"iT3?rP Commitment In my five years at the Uni versity. 1 have had the pleasure of working with the Office of Multicultural Affairs and with Marshall Sauced.! When I first come to the Uni versity in the fall of 1988. Sauced# was in charge of the Underrepresented Minority Ai hievement S. holarship Pro gram provided by this state for minority students such as myself. His professionalism and sincerity ns a caring individual are unmati fled hv anyone else i have worked with at the t 'Diver sity. both student and adminis tration His appointment by the Uni versity as director of the OMA after three years as ai ting direc tor was based on his proven track record as someone who does a good job and actually gets something done Sam eda is such a great asset to this institution of higher edu cation. and I am proud and thankful to see him where he is today John Patton Journalism Building blocks Like many faculty and stu dent leaders on this campus. 1 received a letter from Tom Givon of Linguistics He wrote adamantly of his opposition to the proposed revision of the Race, Gender. Non-European requirement. In his letter. Givon asks, "Why teach only about racism in this country?" The new requirement does not solely deal with racism in the United States, quite the opposite It enables students to learn a more diverse spectrum of issues. One of two courses will deal specifically with race issues in the United States, and the other will be a broader exploration of gender or race issues in a domestic or international plat form. How can we study inter national race conflict without first understanding race conflict in our own Iwckyards? Our university believes varied requirements are essential for the development of well-round ed students. No one honestly believes that writing courses will make every student Pulitzer Prize winners, but they will learn basic writing skills. Thu Rare. Gender. Non-Euro pean requirement is equally incapable of solving all the race problems of the world and make us all "love one another." but we will take from these courses Imsic human skills The require ment is not the final answer — on the contrary, it is a solid building block I urge those with voting power to vote for this proposal and those without power to attend the University Assembly. April 7 at 3:30 p m in 150 Columbia to show sup port. Dick Lee English No choice Gordon Melby seems to have the misunderstanding that being gay is a choice. There is no evi dence that supports this There is evidence that no "environ mental" factors (e g dominant mother, submissive father) play any role And there is an increasing amount of evidence suggesting biological causes (pre-natal hormonal variances). A trip to the library would quickly convince you of this. Gay people are a part of this society According to the Janus Report (available at the book store). -4 percent of the U S pop ulation consider themselves exclusively homosexual, anoth er 5 percent consider them selves bisexual and, finally, another ll percent have occa sional same-sex encounters This adds up to a large part of society. The only request this part of society has is to not lie discriminated against because of sexual orientation, I do not want to impose my morality on anyone. Gay mar riages have to l>e up to the indi vidual church or religion How ever. I can find no logical reason to discriminate monetarily between married couples and two people (gay or straight) who have been living together for an extender! amount of time. Espe cially with the divorce rate in the United States ( losing in on the 50 percent mark. Finally. 1 don't think a lack of Melhy’s type of morality is going to destroy any society. As examples, consider the differ ences in teen-age pregnancy rates and the growing spread of HIV m Europe and the United States Bjorn Pettersen CIS For candidates It seems to me there is little interest in the upcoming ASIJO election — a low turnout of slu dentwrunning for office and an anticipated low turnout of vot ers I believe student govern ment, especially the ASUO Executive, have more of an impact on our brief student lives than most people think. I write in support of Eric Bowen and Diana Collins Puente for ASUO President and Vice President These two qual ity achievers have the experi ence and positive style to make the ASUO organized and influ ential. I've worked with Bowen in the state Legislature, and he has an approachable, caring person ality and a desire to get things done Bowen and Collins Puente have made a great commitment to students this vear as ASUO Coordinators As the ASUO Executive, they would maintain their high lever of responsibility and leadership. For community, equity and unity on this campus, vote for Bowen and Collins Puente Jo«y Lyons Philosophy/Political Science CORRECTION In the April 5 issue of the Emerald, a letter by Marshall Sauceda titled "Pass race requirement" should have said. "We increasingly oper ate on a global economy that requires a worldwide per spective rather than one focusing primarily on the United States." The Emerald regrets the error.