EDITORIAL
Multicultural center
not truly necessary
If two students can collect 850 signatures by today,
University students will be given the opportunity to vote
on a proposed multicultural center April 27 and 28.
If approved, student fees would increase $2.45 per
term and generate $109,025 for the center, which would
be adjacent to the Footnotes office on the lower level of
the EMU.
Aside from the fart that asking students for more mon
ey those days may bo considered admissible ovidonce of
insanity, a more basic question arises — is a multicul
tural center needed? The answer is yes. And no.
Yes. a central, visible location that provides students
with exposure to cultures othor than their own can only
be considered a positive move. But no. another isolated
room in the dungeons of the EMU is neither the way nor
the placo to do it.
One of the greatest complaints made by minority stu
dents is their sense of isolation on this campus. And it’s
true, an incredibly overwhelming percentage of the stu
dent body is white.
Unfort unatoly, some stu
dent leaders would
respond to this dilemma by
retreating into the shad
ows. rather than bringing
the issues of minority stu
dents to the forefront.
One of the reasons
minority students feel iso
lated is because they tend
Another Isolated
room In the
dungeons of the
EMU Is neither
the way nor the
piece to do it.
to cluster within the contmos ot tne various stuneni
unions, and thus their various cultures also remain in
isolation.
A multicultural center will serve only to further iso
late students from each other. The center’s sponsors
want a place where minority students can meet com
fortably There are already a number of places, both in
the EMU and throughout the campus, where studonts
of any ethnicity can congregate.
If students pushing this idea don’t want a place where
students of all colors can go. of which there are already
many in place, what they aro really aftor is a minority
student bunker. The center can do nothing to further
mullioulturalism. It can only increase isolationism.
Student unions absorb thousands of dollars in student
fees every year. Certainly they can find a way to use that
money to make their cultures accessible to students in
general. All it takes is a little initiative and a genuine
desire to foster true multiculturalism. Spending more
than SIOO.OOO to provide a redundant service is ridicu
lous.
It's not as if they're short of funds. It’s simply a matter
of how they choose to spend them. Instead of spending
money on calorod parties, karaoke sing-alongs or renting
ballrooms at the Eugene Hilton, they could spend the
money here on campus and create a true multicultural
center that would encompass the entire University, not
just the bowels of the EMU.
Emerald
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LETTERS
Real men
I'm responding lo Scott Bish
op's latter [ODE. April 6) attack
ing "foul-minded Christians"
for promoting a billboard titled
"Real Men Don't Use Pom."
Bishop asks. "How do you
use pom?" He answers his muni
tion twice in the next three
paragraphs, making his letter
irrelevant
It's clear that the billboard is
intended to make people think
in formidable terms regarding
pornography. Obviously it con
centrates on a deeper level than
the physical “manipulation" oi
one's "generative organs." as the
confused Bishop writes
That level starts in the minds
of men who “use" pornography.
The damage only in-gins there
Think about the destruction
done in our society that clearly
can lie linked to pornography
We’re talking about men. so
consider the ill-respect toward
women as a result of a demean
ing centerfold.
Weigh the facts. There have
been steady increases of rape
and sexual harassment cases in
the United States Pornography
is another ingredient in promot
ing this trend
I'm happy the billboard exists
because "real men" don't belit
tle women, they don't harass
women, and they certainly don't
rape women
As for Bishop s question —
through his graphic details, it
sounds like he already knows
how to use porn
Casey Nicholson
Alumni Foundation
It’s not art
I would like to address
Stephen Frost's letter to the edi
tor (ODE. April 7) titled "Play
boy art." Frost asserts. The pic
tures are displayed as art. 1 beg
to differ.
As a young woman. 1 am
absolutely disgusted with such
“art forms" as Playboy. Maga
zines as such are not art; they
exploit, degrade and dehuman
ize women in the highest form.
Frost claims "that the human
body is a beautiful thing and the
revealing' of it is not harmful
unless shown purely as a sex
object (e g. unnecessary poses)."
The only thing magazines like
Playboy do is show women as
sex objects just because they
exist, regardless of the poses the
women have.
I would like to see Frost's
resoonse UDon opening a Plav
boy magazine and finding his
mother, sister or girlfriend in all
her glory. I'm willing to bet that
his views and ideas of "art"
would quickly change.
Robyn K. Hagg
Pre-Journalism
Good job
The staff of Oregon Student
Lobby would like to thank the
delegation of students from the
University who attended OSl.'s
Oregon Lobby Day March 3 in
Salem. We would also like to
thank the faculty and adminis
tration who were supportive in
the students' efforts
The lobby day was extremely
successful — at least 500 stu
dents from around the state
were there to oppose tuition
increases, program cuts and
enrollment reductions in the
State System of Higher Educa
tion and to encourage legislators
to work for replacement revenue
in the wake of 1990's Ballot
Measure 5. University students
were a vital part of the rally and
lobbying activities that took
place.
We would also like to thank
all the students who wrote let
ters opposing the cuts in pro
grams and enrollment and
opposing the tuition increases.
These letters in support of a
strong higher education system
for Oregon are crucial to our
efforts. The personal visit seg
ment of the lobby day was espe
cially successful. Students met
with lawmakers in more than
140 separate meetings
We encourage all students to
continue to write their legisla
tors. The Oregon Legislature
will have the final word on
funding the state system. The
legislature could still act to put
a replacement revenue plan
before Oregon voters this year,
before the program cuts and
tuition increases take effect.
There are also other events
students can attend: The Heart
of Oregon Coalition Lobby Day
May 14. and the State Board of
Higher Education meeting in
Monmouth April 23.
Robert Nosse
Ed Dennis
Oregon Student Lobby
Astounding
Stephanie Sisson astounded
me yet again [ODE. April 5). I
must wonder if Sisson doesn't
think, or if she suffered some
sort of tragic accident as a child
that caused irreparable brain
damage.
First she managed to upset me
with a comment that was insult
ing to jews and Judaism. I
would like to remind her that
the Jewish holy hooks are also
considered holy in Christianity,
and that Jesus was a Jew. But
that is irrelevant; she should not
be ridiculing the scriptures of
any religion.
Then 1 wonder what planet
she is on. Does she honestly
believe that society sees it as hip
to be queer? Her reality is seen
through a strange lavender
shade.
The core of her diatribe is
against homosexuals. Of course
she does not hate or fear homo
sexuals. she has no cause to. But
homosexuals have much to hate
and fear in her type of discus
sion. I resent ami wholly reject
any statement that asserts that
homosexuality and bisexuality
are any less valid or "right” than
heterosexuality.
With overpopulation as it is,
in fact, perhaps laws should he
enforced to punish heterosexu
ality and its reproductive conse
quences I don’t care if homo
sexuality is biological or chosen,
I refuse to subscribe to the Indie!
that heterosexuality is a "better
choice."
The only hope that Sisson tan
offer me is that she and others of
her intolerant, ignorant and big
oted views would just shut up.
Heidi Bowman
Comparative Literature
Offends Jews
1 respect Stephanie Sisson's
right to be a Christian and live
a life according to the Now Tes
tament. This is her choice, and
hey. this is America.
But being a Christian does not
give her the right to make fun of.
or put down, any other religion
or spiritual path. As a lew. I am
extremely offended by Sisson's
references to the Old Testament
and the laws that were "given to
the Jews."
Anyone who read her column
can surely feel the anti-semitic
undertones (or overtones) in her
blatant mockery of the Jewish
faith. One should not need to
put down someone else's faith
in order to reaffirm his or her
own.
If Sisson does not want to be
called a "KKKristian," then
maybe she should stop acting
like one. Think about it.
Voh anna Klnberg
Co-director
Jewish Student Union