EDITORIAL
Think twice before
voting for Measure 3
As ono of the lenst-publlcizod. but perhaps most impor
tant measures on the ballot, Ballot Measure 3 deserves
critical attention before It is approved by voters Vital
details of the measure have not boon revealed to students,
and the measure presents a number of potential pitfalls.
It should riot Im« approved.
Measure 1 appears on the ballot as Ke< reation and Fit
noss Center Funding, but a !>oiter title might Ire "The best
kept secret on the ballot.” The old saying, "If it seems too
good to lmi true it probably is," derived its meaning from
things like Measure 3.
Measure 3 is designed to secure half the funding for
a proposed SIS million construction and improvement
project, which might include artificial turf playing fields
with night lighting, weight and fitness room improve
merits and a new three-court multipurpose gym and fit
ness center for soccer, basketball, badminton and indoor
track The project is divided into three phases with lat
ter phases Including swimming pools, rock climbing
walls, batting cages, tennis courts. locker and shower
rooms and of course a juice bar.
As written, Ballot Measure 3 fails to mention a num
ber of important facts. First, student funding will only
pay half of the cost. The other half some $7.5 mil
lion is supposed to come from other sources. How
ever. none of this funding has vet been secured. There is
no guarantee that any additional funds will bo raised,
even if the students approve the measure and provide the
first S7.5 million. Without additional funding, the pro
ject might not proceed — but students might have to con
tinue paying anyway.
There is also no mention ol the duration of the mea
sure's impact. Fven at a fairly stiff .$12.50 per student,
per term, the full $7.5 million will not be raisod for 30
years. The Constitution Court has raised objections to this
aspect of the measure, stating that a multiplo-vear bal
lot measure is illegal. Even if the measure is eventually
deemed legal, however, its 30 year duration should not
have been kept a secret, and should certainly have been
mentioned in its description.
Furthermore, the project is to ho funded via bonds, but
the interest rate on the bonds can fluctuate — possibly
increasing the life of tho load beyond 30 years
And no provision has been made for when and if tho
project’s cost exceeds expectations. If overruns occur,
who will pay for them? The students, or those other
sources? Maybe there is a reason this measure is better
known as "The best kept secret."
A new and improved recreation and fitness center is
in the best interests of students. As many of its propo
nents have argued, it would bring the University to par
ity with other Pacific* 10 Conference schools, which cur
rently offer facilities vastly superior to those found on
this campus.
But students should demand a little more information
about Measure 3. before they agree to pay for half its fund
ing. They need a guarantee that tho project will proceed,
before they are asked to surrender $7,5 million. Without
more information and more certainty. Measure 3 should
not ho approved.
Oregon Doily
Emerald
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COMMENTARY
Judging Cobain not that simple
By Keith Cunningham
Th<* style of the report
wasn't till that unusual
The anchor's lead was
some generic, tine like "Genera
tion X is mourning the death of
its c ult leader " There were the
typical shots of pimply teen
agers crying and hugging each
other, saving "I loved this guv
nmaanun " Hut something inside
(he story hit me The camera
panned to a person wearing a T
shirt showing hurt Coha in
writhing in flames The smug
looking figure said to the re
porter, "Suicide's a sin and this
is where Kurt is rigid now " If
only it were that simple
Sadly, the coverage of the Nir
vana lead man's suicide which
followed c ontinued with similar
commentaries of judgment and
simplism Syndicated columnist
Kyle Henderson wrote.
"Cobain's choice in death
stemmed from his choice of how
to live He c hose meaningless
ness."
Nirvana fan Tom Weaver. 22.
commented in the USA Today.
"What a loser. 1 used to like him
hut he took the c heesy way out."
The barrage of value-laden
commentary even found its way
to our own Emerald April 15,
Dave Charbonneau wrote a eulo
gy praising the singer whose
success grew from his anti
ostahlishmunt roots. However,
not even this praise could
escape the comment of how
Cohain had "hailed out on his
daughter."
And so goes the media’s
understanding of Cobain's sui
cide. Cobain's final act is seen as
a cop-out. a cheap escape. There
is an assumption that C.obain
somehow let those around hint
down. After all. he had his
daughter. Frances Bean, who
will be turning two this August.
He had his wife. Courtney Love,
whose musical career was just
unfolding. He had us. his fans,
who made him the reluctant
leader of a generation disen
chanted with the troubled world
it had been put in.
Yes. C.obain let all of these
people down. While I don't
assume to know everything that
was going through Cohain's
head as he put a shotgun to it,
my guess is he couldn't allow
himself to think about these
people. Perhaps the pain hod
risen so high that consideration
of everyone and everything van
ished Perhaps Coha in decided
that it was his turn to be selfish
He had given his fans what they
wanted. But in doing so. Coha in
gave too much of himself. '
1 refuse to join in the orchestra
of condemnation surrounding
this suicide It seems to be
human nature to pass judgment
when someone whom we feel
attai hed to takes his or her life
We search for quit k and easy
labels We tell ourselves, "Kurt
Cobain's suicide was a cop-out "
If only it were that simple
Some complexities of
Cobain's psy< he will never be
known I didn't know Kurt
Cobain. 1 wasn't the biggest Nir
vana fan, either. I do know that
after Cobain's parents divorced
when he was eight. Cobain vs as
passed from relative to relative
for the remainder of his child
hood. Crowing up in the logging
town of Aberdeen, Wash ,
Cobain won several art contests
and was ridiculed mercilessly
by the jocks of his school. Hu
eventually dropped out of high
school and became a recluse in
the punk rtx.k scene of the early
80s. Perhaps the 1991 release of
Nevermind was the beginning of
the end. The shrieks of anguish
and the reverberations of feed
back had caught on with the
mainstream, selling 10 million
copies. Cobain had become the
hero to the same youths who
had once been his childhood
nemeses.
Sure Cobain got what he
asked for. To some degree fit*
common lalized. lie made the
v ideos and played the i;oncerts
Hut once ho had the money and
fame, lie had no idea how to
deal with them His lyrics
voi( ed his confusion and anger.
"1 do not want what 1 have got!"
and "What is wrong with me?"
Perhaps it was the trat k which
was left out of the In 1‘tt‘ro
album which best reflet ted his
state "I Hate Myself and Want
To Die "
It's very easy to sav that
Coho in "had it all" But this
assumes that fame and fortune
spawn instant happiness.
Cobain "had it all" in the sense
that tie had the fame and for
tune. and the pressure and pain
which came with them.
And this is all assuming
Cobain was rationally weighing
the pros and cons of ending his
life lie fore putting the shotgun to
his head. However. I don’t
believe there is much rational
thought involved in suicide.
Perhaps Cobain felt he couldn't
"just walk away." Perhaps he
saw suicide as the only way to
esi ape the fans and the pres
sure. Perfiaps. in one moment of
passion, all sense of rationality
left Cobain and he ended it all
Of course I can't advocate sui
cide as a viable answer to one's
troubles There is no retake with
suicide and the pain it inflicts
upon the survivors is immeasur
able But I can't advocate quick
and easy judgments. 1 can't
advocate demonizing Kurt
Cobain's final act An act that
you and I will never understand.
Keith Cunningham is a pro
journalism major at the Univer
sity.
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