EDITORIAL
Speculation easy
if offer were official
Rumors have a nasty way of sparking more rumors,
ami before you know it. speculation has run rampant.
University President Myles Brand may or may not be
the victim of a rumor concerning the vacant president’s
job at Michigan State University. He said he has not been
contacted by any representatives from the school and
can’t be considered a candidate.
The campus newspaper, however, reported that Brand
has indeed boon made an official candidate for the posi
tion. The paper apparently has more connections with
in the Presidential Search Committee than MSU itself.
If the Michigan State campus paper is correct, and
Brand is perhaps ovontually offered tno job. what should
he do? Given this opportunity, let’s speculate.
His options would be fairly straightforward: stay in the
figurative purgatory that defines our university, or
escape to the greener pastures of Michigan State. Given
the choices — swimming painstakingly upstream on the
rapids of discontent vs. floating happily along atop a
gentle current — how could he not jump at an alterna
tive to Oregon?
Oregon has 1990’s Ballot Measure 5. This demon has
repeatedly hindered Brand’s ability to be a superior
administrator by making him focus nearly all his efforts
on solving the budget crunch. Given the cutback choic
es he and other administrators must face daily, we
should expect a healthy allowance for Tylenol and hard
liquor among his business expenses.
Had Measure 5 never passed, he could probably have
pushed the University forward with new and dynamic
program enhancements, which he is still trying to do
anyhow. Unfortunately, it seems he must constantly
struggle to simply maintain the status quo.
In comparison. Michigan State is fairly wealthy. Its
programs are already enhanced through contributions. It
has a strong and loyal alumni list (as any school with
more than 40.000 students will), and backs it up with
tradition and prestige that would make any graduate
proud.
Olven our penchant for speculation, would the polit
ical climate at Michigan State be easier for Brand to deal
with? Brand could probably escape those no-win situa
tions he constantly enters with various campus special
interest groups. It is to Brand's credit that he listens to
thoso groups, who ofton make excellent points.
However, as often as these groups are right, there are
those who protest against the administration simply for
being in power, and wouldn’t it be nice for Brand to just
pack it up and ignore It?
Of course. Brand wouldn’t do that. He faces up to
nearly all the criticisms he encounters while explain
ing the University’s perspective. Through this process,
ho has become aware of the complexity of tho Universi
ty's shortcomings, such as the lack of ethnic representa
tion on this campus. And he understands that no prob
lem can bo solved with a quick-fix solution.
All in all. he would be a valuable pickup for Michigan
State, who probably doesn't need him as much as this
university does. Of course, it’s all just speculation.
L
Oregon Daily
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LETTERS
Changes
1 don't see how Stephanie Sis
son lias assumed that the "Bible
answers tough questions" (ODE.
April 5).
Many people nowadays are
giving up on religion, in part
because they can be hard to fol
low the way they were followed
hundreds of years ago. Society
has changed, but holy books like
the Bible lannot. I. for one. hope
that Sisson finds the strength to
abide by all parts of such a book,
including the ban on tattoos
"given to the Jews” in the Old
Testament
Doesn't she think she's being
judgmental when she says "Give
me a break!" If she wants to use
only the New Testament, why
doesn't she just do so and form
yet another denomination of
Christianity or a cult?
People have come to our
country to escape lands where
there was no separation between
Church and State They came
for freedom Nowadays, dis
crimination based on race, eth
nic group or sexual orientation
still exists in this country. Let's
hope it is not the so-called
Christians (many besides the
KKK), who are perpetrating
such evils against humanity.
Imagine how much her own
life would be changed if the
Bible were used as law1, as it has
been before Or did she ever
think about that'
Tim Wtost
French/Japanese
Feeling good
I couldn't feel good about
myself unless I responded to
Stephanie Sisson's column on
homosexuality and the fact that
the Bible teaches that this "cho
sen" behavior is wrong (ODE.
April 5).
I know she means well, but I
doubt that homosexuals on this
campus raised their heads from
their Monday Emeralds and
said, "Oh. so that's it!" Does she
really think it's that simple?
Where she blew her argu
ment. I believe, is in her paren
thetical comment on the Old
Testament's prohibition of tat
toos. She said that she takes the
Bible as her "supreme authori
ty," but she laughs off that par
ticular rule. “Give me a break!"
she said.
Perhaps she disregarded this
rule because many people have
tattoos today, and they seem
pretty harmless. Isn’t this the
same "everyone’s doing it"
mentality that she finds so "dan
gerous"? Can she really be so
selective in following the rules
of her "supreme authority"?
Maybe the tattoo rule seems
arbitrary to her. Perhaps it was
written down in reaction to
some specific crisis long ago but
is irrelevant today. Couldn’t the
homosexuality rules be just the
same? Arbitrary? Outdated?
Think about which rules you
ignore and which ones you
grasp hold of and then think
about whether those reasons
behind the choice are good
enough to justify telling people
that their lifestyle is wrong.
Heather Afton
English
What proof?
Concerning Bjorn Petterson's
letter (ODE, April 5). Seeing as
how Patterson just "proved" to
us that "no environmental fac
tors play any role" in being gay
I wonder if he could lie a little
more specific than. “A trip to
the library would quickly con
vince you of this." I've taken a
few trips to the library on this
subject in the past and nothing
I’ve read quickly, or even slow
ly, convinced me.
I don’t believe that the scien
tific process is quickly con
vinced of anything. So if Petter
son would give me a more
specific reference, such as the
title of a source, the title of an
article ami perhaps the pages
that "prove” his claim, then I
will go and enlighten myself.
Allen James
Pre-journalism
Shop cops
I am writing in response to
the editorial "Police wasting
time with Cops in Shops" (ODE.
April fi).
The editorial addressed the
issue of having police officers in
the stores in order to curb the
purchase of alcohol by minors,
which 1 believe to be a wonder
ful idea.
However, the editorial skews
off in another direction and
talks about lowering the drink
ing age to 18.
In defense of its view, the edi
torial asks us to think about this
question, "Are minors really too
immature to drink alcohol? No."
I say yes. The whole point of
having laws of this nature is to
prevent people (in this case
minors) from harm
And just because "minors
have found ways to skirt the sys
tem." is not a viable excuse for
changing the present law. Is it
not the same to say that drug
dealers find ways to "skirt the
system," therefore wo should
legalize heroin, cocaine, etc.?
And yes. minors will still
drink, but that doesn't make it
right Rapists will still rape, but
that doesn't make rape right.
laws are to protect individual
people and society as a whole.
1'in sorry to see that it seems so
many believe otherwise.
Robyn K. Hagg
Pro-journalism
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