EDITORIAL
Court uses Spock,
hotline for opinions
The ASUO Constitution Court was shooting 33 percent
from tho free-throw linu Friday after it Issued its latest set
of bizarre opinions.
The court ruled on three cases regarding the recont
ASi JO elections. Two cases requested new elections and
another requested a reversal of decision by the ASUO
Elections Board.
In its only correct opinion, the court ruled that Oscar
Garcia was elected to tho Student Senate even though he
did not file for tho general election ballot. Garcia made
the ballot after running a successful write-in campaign
in the primary election.
Tho court ruled that Garcia did receive more votes in
the general election than his opponent, and thus it is in
the best interests of tho students that the candidate they
elected be appointed to office.
However, tho court went way off tho mark in ruling on
complaints from Leslie Warren and Mark Johnson, can
didates for ASUO Executive. The two complained the
elections board violated its rules by not giving students
tho chance to vote via absentee ballot.
The court ruled that the violation did occur but was
"unable to subject the orderly operation of government
and tho student body to what would bo a tumultuous peri
od based purely on a hunch." This is after tho court points
out that Warren and Johnson "lost this election by an
extremely narrow margin." and that "it would appear that
(calling now elections) is tho best thing that could be
done.”
in what is sure to bo a resounding legal precedent, the
court ultimately based its decision on a line uttered by
Mr. Spock in the last 10 minutes of Star 7'n-k II: The Wrath
of khan. "The needs of the many outweigh those of the
|»nv, or the one." A solid legal foundation upon whir h to
render a decision.
This is the second time in two years the court has decid
ed that a rule has boon violated and has done nothing
about it Tho last time was in November 1991. when the
court ruled then-incidental Fee Committee Chairman
Mike Colson was improperly removed from office but
decided the IFC would simply vote him off again, so tho
court refused to reappoint him.
Those derisions soom more likely to originate with
Dione Warwick's "Psychic Friends Hotline" than from
any judicial soun o.
Finally, tho court issued a statement asserting tho Finer
aid falls within thP authority of the Constitution Court
because it receives "enormous amounts of student funds."
Them is a difference lietwoon receiving student funds and
being student-funded. La no Transit District receives stu
dent funds; student unions are student-funded.
Receiving student funds in exchange fur providing a
service does not beholden the recipient to the ASUO.
Being wholly funded with student fees, on the other hand,
does.
Perhaps tho court is unwilling or unable to seek out
legal, or at least logical, grounds for its decisions. What
ever the reason, the court should re-evaluate its role in
the student government and begin to take its responsi
bilities a little more seriously.
Emerald
P o 1*0 « J'« I uGf Mi DM* GO* Si14C
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LETTERS
Hatfield speaks
I would like to thank all of
you who have written me dur
ing the past few weeks in sup
port of the Violence Against
Women Ai t Your letters hove
illustrated to me how important
this issue is to students on cam
puses in our state
Violence against women is n
serious national issue that has
permeated our society The
oc i urrenc e of rape, sexual
assault and other violent crimes
against women has increased to
outrageous and frightening pro
portions It is estimated that an
art of domestic violence occurs
every 1H seconds, lfi million
women are beaten each year by
their husbands ’or boyfriends,
and us many as one of six col
lege women will be sexually
assaulted before their gradua
tion.
These women often experi
ence further victimization
because of the inability and
unwillingness of the legal sys
tern to prosec ute their attackers
While the women who choose
to recognize the frequency of
these atroc ious acts are forced to
live In fear, those who remain
ignorant of the reality of violent
i rimes unknowingly continue to
put themselves at risk of becom
ing future victims
College should tie a time lor
you to bask in the enjoyment of
life and learning, not he in lear
for your safety as many college
women are today That is one of
the reasons I am an original co
sponsor of the Violenc e Against
Women Ac t
This bill addresses the issues
of rape and sexual assault at all
levels, including the classroom,
the c ourtroom, the treatment of
survivors and the conviction of
perpetrators. This act would
provide increased resources to
help prevent violence against
women in the streets and on
school campuses.
It yvould double the penalty
for sex offenders, as well as
increase funding for campus
rape education courses and
training to help impede further
violence.
The Violence Against Women
Act reflects the need in this
country to treat the abhorrent
abuse of women as a top priori
ty and national concern. By
implementing its provisions, we
could mark the beginning of a
strong, large-scale effort to end
the cycle of victimization that
has continued for too long.
College students like your
selves can greatly assist in this
effort by remaining committed
to opposing violence in all of its
forms.
Mark 0. Hatfield
U.S. Senator
Angry biker
Do you enjoy the feeling of
the wind rushing through your
hair while riding your hike?
Well, in as little as two weeks,
that feeling may be a thing of the
past The state of Oregon is try
ing to shove another govern
ment restriction down our
throats This time, in the form of
Senate Bill 1 ohm — the manda
tory bicycle helmet law.
This bill, sponsored by Sen.
Hon Cease, D-Port land. does not
differentiate for age or location.
If passed, bn vcle helmets will
lie required not only along Ore
gon highways, but also on quiet
side streets, hike lands and
paths, and on campus
This new law will include a
hefty fine of $50 every time your
child under 1H is caught not
wearing his or her helmet
According to Cease’s office,
an average of 250 people a year
are injured on bicycles in our
state. Tilts figure includes both
adults and children, as well as
head and non-head injuries In a
state of almost three million
people, this is not many
If you have more questions on
this bill, I received my informa
tion from the office of Cease,
who is the sponsor His number
is 378-8073. The governor also
needs to be urged to veto this
bill if it passes in the Oregon
Senate. You can call Gov Bar
bara Roberts at 1-800-322-6345.
Let's not give the police
another excuse to harass us
Your voice does count. Call
now
Susan Semenek
Oregon State University
Enrich oneself
A good project for a multicul
tural class to have for its stu
dents would be to assign them
to observe a week of special
events sponsored by a culture
other than their own and report
on their observations in a com
parison paper to stereotypes
promoted by the media or
upbringing from early child
hood.
For the uninformed, all events
sponsored by any one group of
the University community is
open to anyone in the Universi
ty community at large.
On May 9. I attended a Moth
er's Day brunch that was spon
sored as part of the Black Arts
Week The hosts and hostesses,
all Africans and African-Ameri
cans. were lovely and gracious
individuals who made sure the
food served was delicious and
that the guests present were
relaxed and comfortable The
entertainment was superb
l.ater on. all mothers present
— of color or not — were pre
sented with the traditional
appropriate rose bouquets for
having undertaken one of the
hardest jobs in the world. Unfor
tunately. I was earlier unable to
attend the dinner, the talent
show, the fashion show, or the
dance, hut conversations with
those who had reflected growing
reports.
It is unfortunate that media
stereotv pes such ns boatings and
riots, or stereotypes from early
childhood that preclude people
from associating with others not
like them put the totul cultures
in a bad light and perpetuate
untruths It's time that more
individuals attend the events,
mix with the people and find
out the truth for themselves.
Ann Leadon
Leisure Studies
High standards
Thanks for the educational
and energetic piece on hot guys
in Beverly Hills 90210 [ODE.
May 10). Just think, the Emerald
might have chosen to use that
space for an insightful critique
of the American Studies Confer
ence, a thoughtful review of the
John Trudeli concert or a report
on the Black Student Union par
ty/ort show — all of which hap
pened in the EMU the previous
weekend.
But you made sure your read
ers didn't have to hear about
those You make it easier for us
all to rest easy I'm so glad you
resisted temptation and stuck to
your standards.
Jeff Harrison
English