EDITORIAL
Cease fire called;
truce nowhere near
If you're* unn of those people who has a fetish for
labels, you could call House Bill 3500 a cease fire in tho
war over Ray rights. If the responses from opponents and
proponents is taken into account, Armistice Day is still
a Ioor way off.
The bill, passed 38-21 Tuesday in the Oregon House,
would prevent local governments from enforcing or
enacting laws that would single out people on the basis
of sexual orientation. The immediate result of the mea
sure — if approved by tho Senate — would invalidate all
the anti-gay statutes around the state, including those
passed just a week ago. ...
Sponsored by Eugene
Rep. Jim Edmundson,
IIB3500 is a double-edged
political sword. Not only
would il prevent discrimi
nation against gays and les
bians. but would also keep
local governments from
awarding "special rights"
Once again,
‘special rights’
has been left to
Individual
interpretation.
_ r_
— (ho ambiguous, caicn-ail pnrase ion over irom me
Measure 9 hystoria.
Once again, "special rights" has been left to individ
ual interpretation.
It'S obvious Kd round son's plan is a compromise, but
not only between Oregon Citizens Alliance supporters
and gays and lesbians. HU3500 is a thinly-veiled politi
cal twig to the House Republican Caucus, which didn't
want to vote on the Senate-passed anti-discrimination
measure. In political parlance, that sort of backhanding
is called "giving the other guy an out."
Of course, just like other recent, notable compromises.
HB3500 has fallen flat.
The OCA. gearing up for Son of Measure 9 in 1994.
has already come out against the bill. The reaction pro
vides stunning Insight into the political maneuverings of
the group. During the Measure 9 campaign, the OCA
piously proclaimed it was not seeking discrimination,
but just trying to prevent gay and lesbian special rights
— something HH3500 guarantees. If there were any vot
ers out there who still bought this idea, the post-passage
frothing of the (X;A leadership should erase all doubts.
The next battleground will be in the courts; surprise,
surprise. Concern over whether the Legislature is usurp
ing power from local governments has judgos from
around the state warming up their gavels.
Those who take perverse pleasure in watching this
pitched battle can take heart; there appears to be little
chance that this war will end anytime soon.
Oregon Daily
Emerald
IN. Oregon Da.-, I mn.jkl .» puhtVwd daily Mo.«da> through I-nay dm-vj the «choe
year ana Tueiday and Thu'tdoy during the jummet by the Oregon Oaily Emerald
Inc « me Un.vwHy crl Oregon Eugene Oregon
the Emerald operate* .ndependentty o< t'w Un.vao.ly with oMicm ai Su*e 300 ol the
j ,tj Mnn.o..a( Union and r* a memt» ol the Ajsooated Pr»M
The Emerald,» pnvaie property The umawtui ramov** or u*e o' paper* » pro*ecuta»e
by
Editor Put M*ac*
Ph0«O Editor Anthony Forney
Auociato Editor*: Ed Car»on Marin I .*h«. Scot Daman*
Night Editor: Pm Malach
Oaoaral Man agar: Judy Max*
Adverting Director Man. Walter Productloti Manager: NAcheie
Adverttalng Frel.me Be* Jeremy Ma*on van V OBryan II Ange W.ndhemv Pan**
Wong
ClaaaMad: Ba«y Merchant. Manager
Buamaa* Kathy Ca-bona. Supene*or
Production: Ingrid Wh.le Production CoonAnattv Stacy WChaK Jann.ia. Roland
Newer oom 340-551 l Otaptey Adverttalng 14S-1712
Buainaaa Otltca ..J«*-»St2 CtaaaMtad AdvartlaJng.
vecrf* HOAiOfi, w£ CAN'T SUM
Jt> <y£T A PAIQ MEA0WV& OP OOg
S»OE OP 7W£ SECONDHAND
S/aoke ccwtoov^osv.
®**t) ’wf w«?(Vi'Tlk.
rut t h ific ctw€ </j£ <* wc rr
COMMENTARY
Rent-increase story obscured facts
By Shanta Kamath
and Eileen Traylor
In response to Marlin Fishor's
art it In and the editorial from
tIn* June 29, Emerald vve
would fik<r to familiarize the
authors and their readers with
some facts those pieces obscure
Out of a $20 monthly increase
for Amazon, only $4 is to In* used
for maintenance Vet the second
sentence of Fisher's article
lupins. "The increased rents are
due to routine maintenance costs
..." as though this wen* the pri
mary cause of the 13 percent
increase for this year
Added to last year's $14
increase, this makes a i emulative
23 percent increase since Sep
tember of 1992.
The editorial in the same issue
said, "A sad, cold fact of inflation
is that os time goes hv. things will
be more expensive." The rote of
inflation may be bad, but 23 per
cent? In fact, the "percent
i hange" column on a detailed
Amazon budget contains 23 (out
of 33) categories with no detailed
increase or decrease under "ser
vice and supply expenses " It is
clear that maintenance is not the
reason for the rent increase.
The "Administrative Assess"
column, which refers to Univer
sity overhead, contains a 427 |»*r
cent increase. Since 1947, Uni
versity Housing has had a
commitment to provide access to
higher education through low
income housing.
As a self-supporting auxiliary.
Family Housing was not estab
This makes a
cumulative 23
percent increase
since September of
1992.
lished to subsidize the Universi
ty. In fact. eligibility requirements
were just revised to formally
de< lare Family Housing to be for
lower-income students After
such a move, tbe rent increase
constitutes a special tax for Uni
versity-wide services to !»• paid
only by the students who meet
the low-income guidelines
An additional S'* of the $2U
will go to the debt service on the
18th Avenue and Agate Street
project. Most people familiar
with the project believe these 20
overpriced units fall far short of
the criteria for family housing
The bedrooms are 20-square-feet
smaller than Amazon’s, and the
increased floor space of the over
all unit is lost in corridors
Yet if their rents had to service
the entire debt, rates would need
to be set at $fi50 a month for a
two-bedroom This is far out of
the range of any family-housing
resident, so the University
expects residents in existing
housing to pay 42 percent of the
service to make up for adminis
trative bad planning so they cum
rent at (not under) market rates
(No wonder the housing depart
ment doesn't include that project
in its deceptive graphic alxnit the
relationship of the increase to
market rates).
These facts should make any
one question the use of $1 A mil
lion in bonds designated for low
income housing to build the
apartments at 18th Avenue.
The June 29 editorial states.
"At issue is not so much the rent
increase ..."
Someone seemed to get the
idea it was not the money but
where the money was going that
is causing the outrage Well,
guess again folks The issue is
very much the rent increase Per
haps to the editorial writer. $240
a year does not sound like much,
but to a single mother with four
children, or a GIT making $833
a month, it's a lot — an awful lot.
The Emerald should ho the
voice of the students. Well, these
students were speechless at the
Emerald s ignorance of the com
plex issues surrounding this rent
increase We do not see jeopar
dizing Family Housing as the
"periphery" of the problem, and
we believe we have choices oth
er than "weary Acceptance."
Marlene Drescher. ASl JO advo
cate. and a unanimous vote by
the Family Housing Board
(including two housing admin
istrators) have gone on the rec ord
against the increase We hope the
Emerald will be more inclined to
dig a little deeper and check the
facts the next time it is confront
ed with these issues.
Eileen Traylor and Shanla
kamnth are residents of Family
Housing
it also mas gratuitous
sexual content.
'us
IT ALSO COM JAWS SENSATOMAUZEA
DiSTOtfJfb INfOQHATlON DESIGNED
TtJ BE STtMLAA7/A/6 QATUU)
TUAN EDUCATIONAL
IS TWS A WABN'A/6
Oft A Pftowvo ?
U it *30 4 PflOUm .
on *
iHCM -J, J
j