EDITORIAL
University isn’t able
to serve 2,000 more
On the surface, it seems like the ideal solution: the
University would increase student enrollment while
maintaining the same number of faculty mombors while
(hopefully) keeping tuition increases at a minimum,
while (get this) improving the prestige and attractive
ness of the University.
Sound like a pipo dream? Well, it probably is.
In an address to the University Assembly last week.
University President Myles Brand described a scenario
for preserving the University during the next biennium’s
budget cuts. In that scenario, the productivity of the
University would bo increased to such a degree as to
accommodate 2.000 (or more) additional students.
This section of the plan, while doubtful, is not impos
sible. The use of new technologies (such as video
recordings or instruction by computer) might allow the
University to instruct a few more students: increasing
the average class size might make room for a few more,
finally, if more students were able to graduate within
four years (instead of five or six), that too might increase
the University’s capacity.
If we are prepared to bo optimistic, we might even
agree that these methods would be enough to handle
2.000 or more additional students.
However, the idea that all this could be achieved
while simultaneously improving the quality and attrac
tiveness of education at the University is nothing short
of fantasy.
For many universities, maintaining a low student
teacher ratio is a sure-fire way to attract students; con
versely. a high ratio can scare them away. This univer
sity is no different.
Relying too much on technology, particularly as a
means of compensating for an imbalance in the student
teacher ratio, is likely to produce a backlash. High
school students may be thankful for a filmstrip to break
up the monotony of lectures, but college students are
paying for their education. Most people perceive human
instruction as superior to the alternatives, and that per
ception, right or wrong, is enough to make many stu
dents shy away from a university whose ratio is too
imbalanced.
Increasing class sizes won't improve that ratio either,
and will almost certainly reduce the quality of instruc
tion.
Finally, making it easier for students to graduate in
four years by reducing graduation requirements could
be seen as a "watering down" of the degrees offered.
That especially could have disastrous effects on the abil
ity of the University to recruit and retain new students.
Some students, particularly those from within the
state, will come to this University no matter what. But
many out-of-state students, upon which much of the
University's survival depends, would find a lot less rea
son to come hero if the University tries to take on 2.000
more students without signing on an appropriate num
ber of new faculty members to teach them. Especially
if their tuition keeps rising all the while.
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Profit kills
In response to Damon Cole's
loiter [Ol)K. Oct 22). supporting
Ayn Rand’s rational egoism and
laissez-faire capitalism, there is
an important point that ('.ole
fails to address
Nowhere in Rand's ideal cap
italism does she consider its
inevitable effect on the environ
ment (She wrote in the l‘150s,
remember') Is Cole suggesting
that we should abandon a gov
eminent that subsidizes multi
national corporate exploitation
of the world's resources for one
that simply allows the corpora
tions to do it on their ow n'
Although Rand had a clear
understanding of the l).S gov
ernment's violation of the first
t ardinal rule of i apitalism. oper
ating at a loss through sub
sidiary programs, she perceived
the governments involved to be
counterproductive to corporate
profits. In actuality, U S policy
(particularly military) has result
ed in tremendous profits for
multinational corporations
(All under the guise of spread
ing detnoi racy, I might add;
communism may have actually
worked somewhere on this
planet if it weren't for the Unit
ed States' systematic and very
thorough extermination of it.)
As far as the environment is
concerned, we are in danger of
losing virtually every natural
hahitat left. And to what? Cor
porate profits!
I am not a communist; I am a
capitalist in Ayn Rand's ideal
sense of the word. However, on
their "enlightened age." we
must realize that a corporation's
profit motive, if left unchecked,
will have irreversible repercus
sions on the environment.
1 add this appendage to
Rand's oath of the profit motive:
"I swear by my life and my love
of it. That I will never live for
tiie sake of another man. nor ask
another man to live for mine.”
yet I will live for the sake of this
planet as a whole, which my life
is entirely dependent upon.
Paul Iverson
Eugene
Exorcism
Nov. 2 is Election Day in the
United Status, which will reaf
firm the corruption of the U S.
Constitution by the people's
elected representatives who
have transferred individual
rights to profit-making and tax
collecting institutions But this
betrayal of the U S. Supreme
Court demands that all nine jus
tices resign.
freedom of speech only
applies to a single individual in
order that he or she might
address his or her community
regarding its welfare and
longevity An individual also
had the right to have his or her
com erns broadcast per freedom
of the press Both are individual
rights and cannot apply to a
group
Again, religious belief is an
individual right, not applying to
.1 group. Individuals have the
right to assemble, not in a repre
senting group, but only them
selves. So the time has come for
everyone, especially preachers,
to rise up out of their group
graves and be born again. I did
long ago. Anyone now?
The (John lfi:ll / Jude 1 fi.lt)
Kill King James Bible was spir
itually fulfilled during this gen
eration. and an example of
group demonizing is found in
Matthew 8:32 where greed
entered into a group of lawyers
and they ran down a a steep
place and perished in the sea of
laws (hat destroy individualism.
My one-man crusade to exor
cise demonized America began
Feb. 17. 1972, and on Easter
Sunday of April 10,1977,1 got a
partner with a photo in the
Salem newspaper with a saying,
"if all (Wo-men) stayed home,
we'd sue: 1 Full employment; 2.
No crime; 3. Jesus; for Christ's
Rev. 19:7 marriage.
John-Wayne Johnson
San Diago, Calif.
We ll listen
In response to Michael
Swatzel’s letter (OUE. Oct. 22), if
you need someone to talk to. call
465-4832. Anyone here will talk
with you.
James Slagle
Eugene
Baha’ism
The American Baha'i commu
nity has recently reported about
the destruction of the Baha'i
gravesites in Iran and a secret
government plan to suppress and
destroy their "cultural roots."
That is deplorable. But that's not
the full story.
Culturally, most of the tradi
tions in Baha'ism are in total con
flict with and far away from the
Iranian traditions and values. The
encouraging of young women to
employ all means possible to
solicit and recruit now members
is not only utterly offensive hut
reprehensible to traditional Iran
ian values.
The so-called emergence of
Baha'ism is viewed by Iranians
with suspicion and skepticism,
since the very precept of
Baha'ism is shrouded in politi
cal intrigues rather than spiritu
al enlightenment.
Politically, contrary to Baha'i
claims, its leadurs have always
l>eon engaged in reactionary pol
itics detrimental to Iran and its
people. Ironically, the very basis
of Baha'i foundation was politi
cal; it came into being in the 19th
century when Iran was political
ly in turmoil and weak, and
Baha'ism was used to divide and
exploit an already fragile coun
try. Iranians have found the close
ties between Baha’ism and Zion
ism an unholy one. (The world
headquarters of Baha’ism is locat
ed in Haifa.)
Prior to the 1979 Iranian rev
olution. Baha'is invested millions
of dollars in Israel. Furthermore,
some of the prominent Iranian
Baha'is were involved in the
Shah's regime: in the much-hat
ed SAVAK as well as other agen
cies of the government that
brought pain and agony to the
masses in Iran.
And this is the rest of the sto
ry.
T.J. Fooladi
Eugene