EDITORIAL
Cluster requirement
due for an overhaul
With all the attention focused on the University'* mul
ticultural curriculum, other equally important aspects of
the curriculum have gone untouched.
One of those issuers, the three-cluster system, was dis
cussed last week by John Nicols of the University Aca
demic Requirements Committee. Nicols proposed chang
ing the system to make it uniform throughout the
University.
Currently, various departments and schools offer clus
ters that do not conform to University requirements. Most
of these classes are four credits, yet are considered clus
ters by whatever depart
ment offers them. How
ever. the University
requires throe classes.
Not nine credits, three
classes.
Obviously, this leaves
studonts in a lurch.
When a department only
offers two classes in a
cluster, how can stu
donts take a third? They
can't, and must instead
take yet another cluster
of three classes. And with the state establishing a credit
cap. those unnoeded and unwanted extra nine credit hours
can only hurt students.
instead of a required cluster system, a better approach
would be to require students take a minimum number of
credits in some disciplines, but allow them to choose
whatever classes they want to meet that minimum.
Students would take more of the classes the piquod
their interest, and thus their intellects, while ensuring a
broad education. In such a system, an expanded multi
cultural curriculum would fit nicely. Students would take
a minimum number of multicultural credits, and if they
wanted to take more, they could do so with no detriment
to their graduation requirements.
Such a system would also require a maximum number
of credits bo allowed so students cannot spend four years
taking nothing but literature classes.
At last week's meeting, a proposal to create a com
puter data bank allowing students to determine their clus
ter status was criticized as being unworkable. Balderdash.
One of the greatest obstacles students face in trying
to graduate is determining their requirement status. Aca
demic advising offices, counselors, faculty and peer advis
ors often provide conflicting answers to requirement ques
tions. Any move to unify the source of information can
only be beneficial.
Critics of a computer system say studonts will simply
screw it up because they get confused and push the wrong
buttons. Unlikely. More likely is some people at Ore
gon Hall don’t want the extra work.
As the Univorsity faces continued budget cuts, it is
going to have to learn to adapt, giving students more flex
ibility over their choices in a dwindling supply of class
es. If restructuring tjhe cluster system will further that
goal, then work should begin irtffhedialoly.
Instead of a
required cluster
system, a better
approach would be
to require students
take a minimum
number of credits
In some disciplines
Oregon Daily
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LETTERS
Degrading
l) Leo Williams' centerfold
story {ODE. May 21) is a taste
less contrived advertisement for
pornographic establishments in
Eugene That my academic fees
went into the production of this
article is appalling.
The mild disclaimer at the
beginning of his article does not
excuse hi* obvious glee in exer
cising "Journalistic freedom" to
make objects of women and rate
how "good" and erotic are the
dancers at various strip joints
around town
With regard to Williams'
"lucrative industry." how much
money does the club owner rake
in for dishing out the food of
fantasy for people like
Williams' What is life like fur a
female stripper? Williams men
tions "bruises" (which he rec
ommends ignoring) Who gave
the women these bruises? Is it
humiliating to serve as a peep
show when these women show
er after dancing?
Williams’ "base element of
eroticism" (the female strip
dancer) twists both my identity
as a woman and the self-esteem
and image of other men not like
himself If Williams wishes to
write pornography, he should
seek employment with Pent
house, not our campus newspa
per.
In retribution for this extreme
ly offensive article, the Emerald
should publish a more realistii
and scrutinizing story about the
objectification ol womens I ind
ies and the strip club industry.
Enna Dole
Anthropology
Good advice
Having read the editorial
regarding the Constitutional
Court decisions {ODE. May 19).
I have a suggestion for the
future: If you don't understand
the First Amendment, don't try
to rely on it.
Will Portollo
Law
Not anti-Semitic
I am Quite distressed at the
level of discourse in the current
campus buttle over require
ments for multicultural educa
tion Real and important issues
have lieen raised and addressed.
Sincere and thoughtful students
and faculty on different sides of
the issue have spoken and
shared legitimate concerns.
The people who have been
smeared as racist or anti-Semet
ic are not deserving of such
unfair and untrue accusations. I
myself wrote an angry response
to the Multicultural Curriculum
Committee that appeared in the
Emerald several months ago
[ODE. Jan 7).
Following that response, I
spoke with several members of
the committee and met with its
chair. Sandra Morgen From
those conversations and meet
ings, I have come to the conclu
sion that the committee really
did hear me and that I had been
unfair and overly judgmental of
its members.
I wrote an apology to the com
mittee and notes to Sandra Mor
gen and Clarence Spigner apolo
gizing for any personal attacks
or judgments 1 might have made
on them either directly or by
innuendo. 1 did not, nor do I
now, apologize for the legiti
mate concern 1 have about
embracing ethnic communities
such as my own or others in the
new course requirements
Again, I feel the committee
heard me on that and acted to
expand the requirement.
Sandra Morgen, Clarence
Spigner and Quintard Taylor are
not anti-Semites. Nor are the
faculty (the ones I know)
smeared in the Student Insur
gent racist
Rabbi Hanan Sills
Hillal Director
Middle East
In response to University
President Myles Brand [ODE.
May 24). 1 must say that while I
don't agree with name calling,
sometimes it is necessary to do
so to open up the system
Take the curriculum change
delate, it is actually no debate
By and large, faculty decide and
students must obey. Some facul
ty members aren't even honest
enough to want to debate and
vote openly.
For instance. I am bewildered
that in the recent deflate dealing
with cultural diversity, no men
tion of Islam and the people and
cultures of the Middle East have
been made. As a matter of fact,
this university doesn't offer any
courses teaching Islam, the reli
gion of one billion people, or
teaidiing the politics of the Mid
dle East, the most politically
misunderstood region on our
planet.
Why ore the students denied
access to instruction on the
Middle East? Is it perhaps that
faculty would prefer to keep stu
dents in the dark in order to per
petuate ignorance, bigotry and
hatred against Muslims and
Middle Easterners? If gender
and race courses are to help
eliminate bigotry and intoler
ance. then why not place them
in the curriculum as one offer
ing?
Esther Harrison
Eugene
Slinging trash
In trying to gauge my reaction
to the Student Insurgent's most
recent piece on possibly "racist"
professors. I don't know
whether to feel disgust or rage.
Not only did the Insurgent
overstep its precious right of
free expression, but it personal
ly attacked two professors 1
deeply respect. To imply that
|.T. Sanders and Paul Csonka
are racist is not only absurd, but
also grossly inaccurate.
The inclusion of Sanders as
"racist" is absurd. His sugges
tion was for the inclusion of all
oppressed minorities in the
United States for the new
requirement Rather than
accepting the dogmatic concept
of "the four” standard
oppressed. Sanders called for
all-inclusiveness. To consider
that a sign of racism is the mus
mgs of a mind thoroughly dis
connected from reality.
1 can personally vouch for
Professor Sanders' absence of
racism His knowledge and
understanding of other races
and cultures is something the
Insurgent knows nothing about.
To imply he is racist, from the
standpoint of the Insurgent's
ignorance, reveals the paper's
breach with reality and its total
lack of good journalism.
instead of making knee-jerk,
reactionary comments about
Sanders' or Csonka’s beliefs,
perhaps the enlightened staff of
the Insurgent could benefit from
doing a bit of research into these
men's real beliefs.
Open your eyes to what was
truly said at the meeting and
you will see the truth, not the
twisted, stinking heap of trash
that the Insurgent feels com
pelled to sling
Jerry Pierce
History