Greek alcohol policy
needs reality check
Tho University ami the greok system are working
together to create a tighter alcohol policy for fraternities
and sororities. However, the current proposal before the
Student Conduct Committee will do little to help the
greok system deal with alcohol abuse at its functions.
Tho policy has throe options, the first of which is to
hire a licensed Oregon Liquor Control Commission serv
er to serve alcohol and chock student IDs at functions.
This option assumes merely chocking ID is an effective
method of preventing underage drinkers from gaining
access to alcohol. It does not. Underage drinkers gain
entry into nightclubs and bars every night. Either their
II) is not thoroughly checked, the person checking
doesn't care, or they hove fake ID. That’s tho real world.
The second option would require party goers to bring
their own alcohol. However, this option fails for the
same reasons as the first: Although the II) of those bring
ing alcohol will tie
chocked, a marginally
creative student with
little effort could thwart
the system.
The third option
would allow fraternities
and sororities to submit
a customized proposal
to the greok system two
weeks before a planned
function. Do-it-yourself.
The greek system
and the University
should face reality
and admit that
people under 21 are
going to consume
alcohol
on-tne-iiy ruie mating
is destined to fail. Whoever approves the plans will be
criticized for inconsistency. And when a plan is reject
ed, the function will either have to be postponed or can
celed. ruining everybody’s day.
The fundamental flaw in the entire plan is that it
assumes people between the ages of 18 and 2l are inca
pable of handling alcohol, the same faulty promise upon
which state law is also based.
Simply put. there is no magical transformation that
occur* between 18 and 21. If people are going to abuse
alcohol, the degree to which they do it will not be deter
mined by their ago.
The greek system and the University should face real
ity and admit that people under 21 are going to consume
alcohol. With that basic fact faced up front, the greek
system and the University can thon set out on a cam
paign of education.
Teach students, at all ages, what the effects of alcohol
are and how to use alcohol responsibly. An effort may
also be undertaken to teach students that they can have
an enjoyable time without alcohol. Hard to believe, but
it‘s true.
A University-wide alcohol policy that is based on the
real world will go much farther toward reducing alcohol
abuse than a policy that is little more than action for
action's sake.
Oregon Daily
Emerald
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WORKABU
LETTERS
Poor reasoning
1 am a pro-journalism mu|or
who is i onsislently amazed at
the poor quality of reasoning in
your editorials It is truly a
"gray" area S|m*c ific ally, I refer
to the April 12 editorial about a
multicultural center.
The text repeatedly contains
the terms "they" and "them."
"They" are accused of a multi
tude of questionable acts Who
are "they"7 As a member of the
Upik peoples, am 1 one of
"them"? Multicultural means
having many given peoples
That means many belief sys
tems. yet your editorial implies
"they” are all the same
That attitude is whut a center
is all about. To be u minority is
to bo forever exc luded at some
level. Even when allowed to use
space in the Fishbowl, there is a
separation. What is so wrong
about a place of refuge and
learning, a place where people
are cognizant that there are dif
ferences between a Persian and
an Athabascan?
After all. nobody asked me if I
mind funding the Commentator.
iheStudent Insurgent or
the Emerald I would rather have
the money for me. These publi
cations represent 10 percent of
ASUO disbursements. I find it
offensive that I am required to
fund publications that consis
tently demoan and alienate peo
ple who do not subscribe to a
particular opinion or agenda
You have opinions and I have
opinions, but that's all they are
because they are subject to
change. Because this is a school,
maybe we should be learning
from w'hat you report, rather
than being deluged with items
more suitable for a gossip col
umn
David T. McCanna
Pre-Journalism
Election mess
Once again. I am forced to
question student government
politics, not to mention the
credibility of several members.
It is my understanding that
during a ballot recount, a repre
sentative from each party is to
be present during the process.
Why then was there no War
ren/Johnson representative pre
sent7 And how is it that the
Elec tion Board "reinterpreted"
the election rules after the initial
Ivallot count was known?
With this in mind. I'd like to
know how the write-in candi
dates factored into the final tal
ly. Some voters wrote the names
of the candidates in the given
space rather than filling in the
appropriate box. So how could
the number of votes for either
ticket not increase, though the
Warren/|ohnson tally went
down by two votes?
The recount process isn't the
only problem here either. Why
is it that certain volunteers at
various voting booths specifical
ly told graduate, law and inter
national students that they were
ineligible to vote? Some stu
dents went to other booths
where they were allowed to vote
with no hassles. Others simply
walked away angry and frustrat
ed. Aren't ail students who pay
student fees eligible to vote in
student elections?
With these issues at hand.
ASUO executives wonder why
student apathy is such a prob
lem It's not that we don't care
what happens in the University
community. We just can’t figure
out how to make a difference
from the outside while those on
the inside conveniently pull
their strings and abuse the sys
tem.
Katrina Zarga
Biology
Anthropology
Ouch
Upon leaving the University
Student Health Center the other
morning. 1 encountered a
woman being cited by OPS Offi
cer Otis Scarborough for failure
to register her bicycle and the
perilous action of riding on the
sidewalk Unfortunately, my
bike was locked next to the
scene of this hideous crime,
whereupon Starborough conve
niently noticed that my bicycle
was unregistered with the Uni
versity as well. Fate be it. I was
then asked for my student II)
and ticketed for my blatantly
deviant behavior.
Believing I was free to go. I
casually slipped my foot into
my pedal in hopes of skating to
the edge of the street Oops. Mis
take number two. Nothing could
slip by Scarborough's keen eyes.
Oh no. not a lecture on the defi
nition of "walking." an action
humankind has boon practicing
for four million years.
His words spewed in one ear
and out the other while 1
admired the pretty purple and
white blooming tree in front of
me. Finally, I hopped on my
hike and rode the ten feet to the
street with Scarborough yelling
that I would be receiving yet
another citation in the mail.
Good, I thought.
People like Scarborough take
away the "quality of life" from
humankind, as well as all other
life forms. The longer I'm at this
institutional learning facility,
the more 1 feel life is being
sucked out of me. Pretty soon
I’m prolwbly going to wither up
and blow away. Sometimes
attending this university is like
luting in I ted with a porcupine, a
1,000 pricks against one.
C. Travis Stumpff
Geography
Respect
I am appalled. As a student
senator. 1 attended the April 7
University Assembly meeting 1
take offense at the accusations
and insinuations that all student
senators vote together, "locked,
arm-in-arm."
Professor Tom Givon implied
that my fellow senators and I
lack the intelligence and integri
ty to honestly vote in the inter
est of the University. There is a
serious problem with a univer
sity if a student is given the
message that our professors do
not respect us for having a
thoughtful opinion.
I have sat in on an endless
number of meetings where
everything from fiscal impact to
ideological morality, front aca
demic freedom to student needs,
was discussed. I believe I have
been exposed to enough of the
on-going discussion and debates
to have a working knowledge of
what's at stake
I did not spend countless
hours and two years worth of
meetings to hear a professor tell
me 1 do not know what it is we
are debating, and would be so
negligent as to vote a certain
way because senator A and B
voted a certain way.
Give me a little credit and
respect for sacrificing my time
and energy.
Olck Lae
English