EDITORIAL
Athletic department
doesn’t deserve cut
The Incidental Fee Committee's decision to cut $35,000
from the athletic department's SI.04 million budget last
Thursday was an irresponsible response to rising student
fees.
The athletic department uses the money to pay for stu
dent seating at homo sporting events. Currently, students
must pay a mandatory feo of $22 per torm for the right
to attend every sporting event on campus. The seating
is hoavily discounted from the public ratos and is among
the best in the Pac* 10.
Because of the IFC's announced cut — the fourth in five
years — the athletic department has threatened to take
away either Section 9 at Autzen Stadium (at about the 30
yard line) or the courtside section across from the bench
es at McArthur Court. The department would then sell
those seats to donors to make up the S35.UOO
There are two points to be made here. First, the IFC's
decision affected many more students than most IPC deci
sions do. anti therefore should have been voted on by the
student body. Instead, five IFC members, who wore elect
ed by about SOU people apiece, were allowed to cut mon
ey from a program supported by the nearly 4.000 students
who attend each football game, and the many others who
watch basketball and other sports.
And while most students likely grumble about pay
ing constantly rising student foes for groups they never
encounter, many of those same students will cry even
louder if they learn the athletic department, a group they
actually don't mind paying for. no longer receives as much
money.
This leads to the second point. Should the athletic
department have the right to take away good student seat
ing such as Section 9 at Autzen rather than the margin
al, rarely filled seating of Soction 5? After all. it wouldn't
take too many regularly priced tickets to make up $35,000.
The answer is that the athletic department has the pre
rogative to bo as money-hungry ns it wants. It already
gives students a huge discount for excellent seating at
sporting events. If it charged full market value for those
seats, the department estimated it could make about
$225,000 more next yoar.
The department has no reason to continue to be gen
erous with a student body that continually cuts its bud
get. The department already runs a $1 million deficit. If
opening up Section 9 to donors is a smarter business deci
sion — which it is — it shouldn't shy away from mak
ing that decision based solely on student complaints.
Remember, the athletic department is getting $3 less per
student than in 1987. Meanwhile, salaries, ticket prices
and fees have all gone up.
If the decision to cut the $35,000 stands, the athletic
department should forget cutting the McArthur Court
seats. They are too valuable to both students and the bas
ketball teams. The athletic department should recognize
that players feed off the crowd's onorgy. and no crowd is
more energetic than the students in the west-side seats.
As for giving Section 9 to donors, it wouldn't be a huge
loss and is therefore a bettor option. Aflor all. there are
no bad seats at Autzen. And many people who attond
football games go to meet friends and drink.
Orex<>i i Daily
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Emerald
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LETTERS
Fuming
The letter by John L. Poppin
that was published in the April
30 Emerald needs some per
spective.
What is funny about this letter
is that I identify with much of
what is said until I come upon
the parts mentioning cigarette
smoke and smokers specifically.
I am surprised that cigarette
smoke is the whole subject that
this choked person expounds
on.
What about diesel? Don't
diesel fumes do anything to
you? Diesel fumes are tremen
dously vile and disruptive to
every natural organ and system
of the body, and diesel is not
even intended for human con
sumption!
And you must know how reg
ular diesel frequents our fresh
campus air I smell it. inhale it
every single day against my
will Try to encourage a diesel
consuming vehicle to quit with
the fumes. Not a chance.
Poppin mentions cancer, pro
viding the cigarette appellation
cancer slick And ! call these
bigger spewers ‘'cancer
mobiles."
I find the "Choked" letter to
be a weak and insufficient
attempt to place blame. You
should know that you are prob
ably inhaling something car
cinogenic from the outdoor
environment, whether you see
blatant smoke or not.
Jennifer Kamau
Pro-Journalism
Open Hands
As long as helpful resources
are being printed in the Emer
ald. please allow me to mention
Open Hands, a quarterly publi
cation from the Reconciling
Congregation Program of the
United Methodist Church. Open
Hands is a resource for congre
gations and individuals seeking
to he in ministry with lesbian,
bisexual and gay people.
Each issue of Open Hands
focuses on a specific area of con
cern within the church. The
articles are written by contem
porary theologians such as
Roller! MacAfee Brown, William
Sloane and Mary Jo Osterman.
as well as by persons who expe
rience the daily discrimination
within the church because of
their sexual orientation. The
articles are faith-based, informa
tive and supportive of persons
who are working to affirm both
their Christian faith and sexual
orientation.
Open Hands is available by
writing to 3801 N. Keeler Ave.,
Chicago. If. 60641, or by stop
ping at the Wesley Foundation
(iainpus Ministry office. It is an
important resource for Chris
tians who desire an open and
inclusive church.
The Rev. Janet Cromwell
Wesley Foundation Campus
Ministry
Cost of lunch
Yes, 1 am also frustrated with
fee hikes. Particularly when I
feel the majority of administra
tors and instructors maintain an
institutionalized curriculum of
racist, sexist, ageist, religionist
and Euro-centric material.
It is for this reason 1 voted for
the Multicultural Center A fee
of $2.75 per student per term for
one year is about the price of a
tafe latte and muffin. It's sad
some students do not under
stand the need for multicultural,
divurse awareness not only on
campus hut off as well.
The argument against the
Multicultural Center maintains
there are already student unions
for multicultural students. A
Multicultural Center would he
redundant.
Yet a Multicultural Center
would be for everyone. It is
important each student ethnic
group has its own union in
order to support each other, but
a Multicultural Center would
have taken another step and
been a place for communication
and education for all.
It's bewildering that many
"white" students believe "mul
ticulturalism" is only for those
of a particular ethnic: group and
not for them. They fail to under
stand they can benefit. As a
"white" (Jewish) woman, I find
inspiration in learning about,
and being with, people from
other ethnic groups.
tielebrate diversity. Obviously
not for the price of one lunch.
Regan Lee
English/Ethnic Studies
Drinking greeks
I'm writing in regards to Jake
Berg's article about the greeks
alcohol policy (ODE, April 27)
and the editorial that followed
(ODE. April 29). !-et me ask you
one question; where did your
information come from?
First of all. the policy
described by Berg in his article
wasn't even the policy that was
presented to the Student Con
duct Committee. Berg talked
about greek ID cards, checking
of IDs by security guards and
various other things that were
not even in the proposed policy
Secondly, the Emerald's edi
torial, which appeared two days
later, talked about how the greek
system should include alcohol
education in its current policy
Well, that's a great idea, but
your one flaw is that it's already
in the policy.
To be perfectly frank, the
Emerald looked at two pages ol
a 14-page social policy and
based its opinion on that. Next
time, I would appreciate it if
you read the entire policy before
you decide to voice your opin
ions. Thank you.
Melinda Bessner
Student Conduct Committee
LETTERS POLICY
The Oregon Daily Emerald will attempt to print all letters
containing comments on topics of interest to the University
community.
Letters to the editor must be limited to no more than 250
words, legible, signed and the identification of the writer must
be verified when the letter is submitted.
The Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter for length or
style. __