EDITORIAL
City may intervene
in Amazon dispute
Tho Eugene City Council will analyze a proposal today
that asks the council to step into the emotionally and
financially charged Amazon debate. Friends of
Amazon and residents will ask tho city council to pass
a de facto injunction to stop the University from
demolishing Amazon
This battle has already created a chasm at tho
University, leaving many bloody soldiers in its wake.
The University’s intention to raze Amazon end build
new low-income housing has boon a fiasco, but regard
less of the bad decisions, those decisions were the
University's to make. The University owns the land
By asking the city to intervene on behalf of Amazon
residents, the residents are setting a very dangerous
precedent. It would be like the city deciding what
kind of curriculum students should be allowed to
study. It’s not the city’s business.
Council members said at last week’s meeting that
they were ’'concerned about tho loss of low-income
housing in the city." But Amazon housing is not city
housing. It is student housing. If the city is concerned
about low-income housing, it should be working with
local builders and contractors to find a solution to its
low-income housing dilemma.
Counc.Uwoman Barbara Keller, who represents the
southeast ward where Amazon is located, was quoted
in Thursday's Register-Guard as saying, “ I'm verv
upset with tho University’s decision, 1 think it was the
wrong decision, and i wish there was something we
could do to get them to change their mind." So. Keller
found a solution: she would take jurisdiction into her
own hands, because in her opinion a had decision was
made. Is it up to her to decide if it was the wrong deci
sion? The answer is unquestionably no.
City Attorney Bill Gary said he was unsure if the
council had the legal authority to stop the University
from getting a demolition permit. The city is asking
the wrong question. It should not be. do they have the
legal authority, but should they try to override a deci
sion that has been a year in coming?
Dave Frohnmayer's decision to demolish Amazon
has been made and getting the city to delay the demo
lition by granting what is in essence an injunction is a
direct attack on his authority as University president.
It also attacks his character and integrity. Frohnmayer
prides himself on being a good citizen and he knows
what is good for Oregon. Amazon residents are attack
ing the public persona he has cultivated throughout his
political career and his years with the University.
The bottom line is that no matter how ineptly the
University handled the Amazon crisis in its early days,
the decision to demolish it has been made. If the resi
dents of Amazon don’t stop looking backwards they are
going to get hit by the bulldozers that are coming.
Survivors of this battle have given so much. Their
efforts will havo been in vain if wo don't move to the
next phase.
Oregon Daily
Emerald
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■ OPINION
Irresponsible drinking costly
My friend Brenda loved to
dam e From the moment her
mom bought her first pair of bal
let slippers until her final dance
m ross the high school auditori
um stage. Brenda's troubles
would disappear with each
pirouette.
She loved to dream She wont
ed to be an astronaut. But first,
she would spend a summer danc -
ing in the parade at Disneyland.
People used to say Brenda and
I looked like sisters We some
times bought matc hing clothes
just to be- silly, and when she
signed my high school yearbook,
she wrote "your true sister" after
her name.
I'm telling you about Brenda
because none of you will get to
meet her. and 1 want her to touch
your lives as she did mine
Brenda, who would have cele
brated her 20th hirtluiay next
month, was killed in an automo
bile accident a few weeks ago.
She was with a group of friends
who thought it would lie cool to
get really wasted and drive to a
ranch outside of town. After all,
what else is there to do in a small
town?
1
She wasn’t driving the car, hut
she did her share of the drinking.
After the car flipped over and the
wreckage was cleared, the casu
alties were this: one teenager
dead, two critically injured in the
hospital — froth of whom may be
paralyzed for the rest of their
lives, and one driver who has to
live the rest of his life knowing
Rebecc a Merritt
ho was responsible for the loss of
his friend.
While many University stu
dents went at back-to-school par
ties testing their freedom from
mom and dad, 1 went home to see
Brenda one last time at the funer
al parlor.
My friends and 1 tried to con
sole each other by saying things
like "It was God's will," or "She's
at pence now,” and “She's hap
pier now because she's with her
dad." Brenda's father died when
she was young and Brenda nev
er really quite got over losing her
dad.
However, (he preacher at her
funeral told us we were talking
nonsense It's never God's will to
take a wav the life of someone so
young and promising, he said
The accident happened, he
said, because four young indi
viduals made a stupid choice
They put their lives at risk for a
crazy joyride. They knew how
dangerous it was to drink and dri
ve.
The preacher said he wasn't
trying to place blame on any
one for what happened to
Brenda. He was just trying to
gut the hundred or so young
high school and college stu
dents gathered at tier funeral to
understand that accidents like
this can be avoided. Young
people don't have to die.
This week is National Colle
giate Alcohol Awareness Week.
Usu this time to remember peo
ple like Brenda who paid a trag
ic price just to teach the rest of us
a lesson.
Alcohol awareness doesn't
mean learning which brand of
beer can give you the cheapest
buzz, or how to sneak a trough
into Mug Night It's about respon
sibility.
I'll I*! the first to admit that it's
nearly impossible to keep college
students from drinking. Beer par
ties and bar trips are part of the
so-called “college experience"
our parents and other previous
generations fondly reminisce
about
Just use common sense. Know
your limits. Walk to parties or, if
the weather's crummy, designate
a sober driver Remember, riding
with someone who has been
drinking is just as dangerous and
stupid as getting behind the
wheel yourself
People die from drinking and
driving accidents all the time.
Until it happens to someone you
care about, these accidents are
just statistics. Losing a friend like
Uremia is a terrible way to learn
about drinking responsibly.
Rebecca Merritt is news editor for
the Kmerald
■ LETTERS
Get involved
Recent events in Israel and the
Occupied Territories surround
ing the incident of the kidnap
ping and slaying of Corporal
Nachson Waxman have raised
concern regarding the future of
the pence process We feel that
Jews and non-|ews in the U S.
should he made aware and able
to respond to issues and crises
threatening stability in the Mid
dle Hast The incident that
occurred last weak showed that
the Oslo Peace accord of Sept
1993, signed by Yitzhak Rabin
and Yasser Arafat, is not neces
sarily going to secure peace.
Progressive Zionist Caucus is
a student organization involved
in raising awareness and debat
ing issues surrounding Israel. We
firmly support the idea of peace,
but encourage continued debate
over present policies PZC is ded
icated to a just and democratic
Israel through peaceful Jewish
Arab coexistence, religious plu
ralism, social and racial equali
ty. separation of religion and
state, and the creation of an
autonomous Palestinian state
within the Occupied Territories.
We will have our first general
meeting on Oct. 25 at 5 p in. in
the Jewish Student Union. Suite
5 in the basement of the KMU.
Please come and get involved.
Melanie Freeman
PZC