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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 1996)
VIEWPOINTS fOltORjAl S OPINIONS If MMS TO THE EDITOR UO students: Weren’t we supposed to vote? ■ OUR OPMOfc University voters decide to be inactive m Oregon’s future Unions thousand* of Uni versity students sped to bal lot-drop boxes yesterday, the ASUO's aggressive cam paign to register campus voters had little effect on the number of students who exercised their right to rep resentative democracy. In fad. as of Monday, only 31 percent of registered voters in the four precincts around the campus had sent in their ballots. This would tie a dismal turnout in any election Bui this limn, our rale of ballot return is 23 5 percent lower than the stale average, It's hard to believe that just last year the University was named the most politi cally active campus in the United States. If that doesn’t disturb you. f’ou're not alone Apparent y. we don't tare that we’re apathetic OK. maybe that’s a little harsh Alter all. the negative campaign may have turned many of us on to the elec tion. And yes. some may view the election as a selec tion lurtween the proverbial leaser of two evils. Or {>erhaps because so many of us ant from out of stale and will leave Oregon the second our diplomas grace our palms, we feel no incentive to invest our ener gy in this state’s political dealings. We can easily rationalise our (tn|a< lions In the end. however, all of those excus es amount to little more than a whiny. Gen-X justifi cation. Twentysomethingv com plain UtOMMUttly about owing lalteled as do-nothings who have no work ethic or sense of civil responsibility We're told that we arts media-sawy and cynical, aware erf the world'* prob lems tail unwilling to take them on. In revolt we txy; "We're nol slackers' We are not a target market!” And ihett we go out and prove them right. In our defence, we did register in record number* for thi* election That wa* the easy part It takes minis cule political passion to fill out a card and get the ASUO off your back Taking part in the political prtx.vu and helping shape the nation's future requires work It requires you to can* Why bother? Be* aim* more than senatorial elec tions are at stake. Political power is money driven Pw the most part, college students can't wield influence with that sword We are. however, a huge vesting blot k. and we get our needs met (eg. student loans, financial aid. tuition cost control, student health care funding) by tasting our Iuillots We matter in the political debate only because 4.000 of us can swing an election Thus, when we don't exercise our rights, politi cian* lose interest And we lose our voice in Salem and Washington, D.C As jaded Geo-Xen. most of us won't tie dragged to the polls by some archaic sense of duty or patriotism No matter. Voting can appeal to us for selfish rea sons We won't gel what we want unless we punch a hole in a ballot, lick a stamp and head for the mailbox Oh, the sacrifice* w* make for democracy. IWW| |>HH — 1. inirn *, m Oni» tmmm »<iiiG> m mmtamna,«■>•*!« tip* •'•**»*• * WMM» «! an lanM *a ttmm «««» «imhwmh* * wm um*nm, •» # *»» SWStf Mi-lUvini xa riUlMilMrf- nmumi» eri Mm * —— irtm, .. «___. . —. . - - .- — - i.hjp w **» W8*«Sr1t» •'I# *1’ IttMUraWM W 'SIJJnwKIF **«»—m»»twwnwim* l»» iwmiiwiw«»«»<mw»iwhii«i»w > »MMa 4* Mu Onn* 4«w (m*m mmt m im M4U1 VOU »jMT *\fc TO 'JOVE tOQ <r*ou aur «*x/*c All wt samc vou 6*r <m amo morn** <yrrs Don£ 0 OC, VOo \«JMT /ME TO L£VF4 W»n# V*H/? WAfsf T M€ ID rEU-V«X/ ;«£ PEAL P*o6i£*\l rm oMf furffVOMf »J SCARCD n> QCAjy m SAY.» /—< YES' TH€ «€At P«o8LCM n JW4T I on u\tsa. weWE wvwfc rt>n*vf n> \<jsrsocial stcoOirv awo AvrtvcAftt i‘j Mo ABouMD /r. "7> T ru vote aga«^t Awveooy uwo imvi that. tr‘ s mv opPohchtj |^^>OS»TIOA/ **t8vOUJ -jX_ JkJL If TIERS Weapons ban threatens student safety DO you peck a 3* Spam*! in your puna on campus? Do you tarry * 25 auto in your backpack’ If you do, you have a Mfiwu new choke lo make If you tarry a gun with a uiikmM carry pet mit. you won t be legal on campus any mom A proposed change to the student conduct tod* will prohibit tone waled weapons on cam pus Thu ton es people with permits to choose between leaving their guns off campus, handing them over to the Offic e of Public Safety (OPS) or carrying them illegally This it an miner assary rule change, we don't have a problem with concealed weapons on campus It infringes on the rights of Uw-abiding dliiMM. and dose nothing to increase safety on campus It will actually increase the risk for those who now choose to carry a weapon few self-defense And how will this new role b» enforced? Well, for the most part, it won't be If OPS offi cars have reasonable cause lo searc h you. they can do it The legal means to deal with disorder ly or dangerous people already noli Those who carry weapons now might well ask If the t M’S and Eugene cop* can't deal with the proh lam* on ! 3th Avenue, how do they figure they're going to make campus safer by removing a legal means of protection from licensed and monitored people’ You can assume that anyone with a permit is a law abiding citiron bscau the sheriff* office gets a weekly report on *,| permit holders, and those convic ted of niiwieroewuior* or greater offenses lose their permit* Four or five people per month in lame County have their permit* revoked fur misdemeanors such as shoplifting, or for a DUI or an assault OPS ami the Eugene Police Department sup port this tun because of some scary situations they've experienced with people who had con cealed weapon* (and permitsl Problem is. this new rule would allow the confiscation of per sonal property leased on a crime that might hap pen Let's say you drink now and then, and your «* roommates hate your guts Let's say they call OPS and say you've lwen drinking, and you own a tar. and they’re just terrified you're going to drive, and they say you once threatened to run over your biology professor An imminent mur der. right? Should the police be able to come and get your car? You can check it back out when you need it. so what * the problem? For that matter, do you really need a car on campus? Perhaps we ought to ban possession of can because people might drive them Considering the number of assaults, rape, and attempted rape* on or near this campus in the last year,! can't believe the OPS is trying to explain it* support for banning concealed weapons by insisting "no one needs concealed weapon* on campus “ But then, I wouldn't expect large males trained in law enforcement to understand that some of us small females must occasionally walk alone after dark across campus to our homes 1 understand and agree with forbidding possession of weapon* an a plane I understand banning their possession at grade schools I might even support banning them from resi dence halls or athletic events. But take a look around, boy* and girls — this campus is not a grade sc hool, and Kugene is not a small, rural town where the cops plav cords at the donut shop on Friday night wunug um ymn that t carried a gun, I never shut anyone, and I drew it only once ~ the night in lttt*2 when I watched a very drunk man scuffle with a friend of mine When it became obvious that *he w*» within incite* of being raped. I aimed at his chest and told him to stop He looked at my gun. then at my face, and he split l am still not sure WitMlter tllen would have tioan raped had ! not done that 1 am sure. however, that I would have shot htm And I am sum that 1 wu glad 1 had that pivtol in my coat pocket I am even mom sure that Elian w«* glad I had it, l am not tolling you thl» because I think l am a hero I'm telhng you thi* so you'll understand that them am both pros and cons to this rule change The new rule won't keep the nuts from carry m8 gun*. But it might keep people like roe hum carrying them on campus, and it puts those who leave them home at risk Don't kid yourself into dunking thi* new rule will make campus any safer. It will not keep loony psychopaths from pat k mg gun* around lo shoot you with It will not keep violence prone people from drinking It will not keep guns off campus It dues give OPS sod the real police one more tool a citation they IWlHilNfal When it comes to safety, though, this is noth mg but a feel good rule, s political I ycomxt declaration that guns are dangerous and we're going lo keep them off campus so that students will be safer kelly Andaman. a senior ma/urtng in joumaluun. is a columnni fur the Emerald
