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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 10, 1996)
VIEWPOINTS (OlTORlAlS OPINIONS l ft Tt RS ?Q THf IOUOR Vote Scotten/Banf ield for ASUO Executive ■ OUR OPINION: Only with the backing of Ids of students can the ASUO effect change Running for ASUO Execu tive always present* an interesting challenge to would-be student governors: How do you create a bal ance between ambitious goals and objectives that am actually attainable? What can you pledge to *u:om> pitsh in office, when most of the major question* fac ing students will be decided not in the ASUO't EMU suite. but over in )ohnson flail, or in Salem, or In Washington. D.C? How do you set yourself apart from other candidates without resorting to silly promises that can't be kept? To their credit, most of the candidates for ASUO Executive this year are run ning on platforms of reason able. if predictable, goals, keeping tuition and other educational costs down, expanding student services such as library and lab hours, promoting diversity on campus, and. of course, the ever present pledge to "reinvent" the ASUO. When it cornea down to It. there isn't a lot to different! ale the candidates this year. But there is one ticket — Matthew Scotten and Glen Banfletd — that has placed its focus on the one issue that matters most to stu dents: keeping college affordable Sure, all the candidates are in favor of that. But what makes Scotten and Banfieid different is their understanding of how it can lie done. It's not going to happen by merely getting a hunch of ASUO insiders up to the Capitol for hobnob bing, or "demanding" the government lo do what we want And it won't happen by just “fully supporting" student lobby groups, effec tive as they sometimes nre As Scollttn and Banfield said in their interview with the Emerald editorial board Monday night, even tha 30 “host and bright oaf in stu dent government won't keep tuition down alone They need to mobilise the stu dents at large because one articulate voice is nothing compared to a thousand loud ones. And they have ideas to get more students involved, all of which center on the principle of "taking it to the streets “ Rather than sitling in an office waiting for stu dent input, or hoping stu dents will come to them to ask how to help. Scotten and Banfield would work through ASUO programs lo enlist the help of active stu dents who may have noth ing to do with student government per se. And they would also expand internships with both the ASUO and its various groups to promote more stu dent involvement We do offer one word of caution to the candidates; Don’t go too far in expecling to create harmony on cam pus. Voices of discord are not only inevitable at a major university, they are essential. The free exchange of ideas is the cornerstone of learning We hope that whoever is elected to the ASUO Executive learns from the current administra tion's mistakes (and suc cesses) and remembers their obligation to support the right of students to voice even the most unpopular of ideas without interference. After all. as students, our voices are sometimes all we have. ALU THOSE /N FAVOR op BR'NGJMC? BACK Assault uIEAPqkJV “TpuSE Of RtPRCStNTMIVE? rsiut Over here »n America its the NW Sheep Disease I, SisiUtPr/tiuPi OiPfKKH ntj ~ vjjat ftp*** hxj fcro 4r ^ ft IU I £ R S Right agenda exists t would 111,* to thank David Bartlett (or Initial mg debate on a timely t**u* the utlm of right vs. Ion politics in America ((XMf. April 2). Unfortu nately. I think Bartlett's "poohpoohing* isn't going to < u* anywhere The fort it that there la a groat economic imbal ance in thi* country, and the new conservative ecotuitnii agenda stmt to keep the wealth at the lop People who don't believe this simply laugh away the statistics. call the so-called "liberal media* biased, and say "it's worse In China, ya know.* thereby perpetuating political apathy Other Injustice* slid imbalance* of power exist alongside I he economic, and ye*, while males do generally average better Why? Because they’re •Imply superior? In the past 200 years, conservative* have opposed liberals on many issues Should blacks be owned by while* a* slave*' Should "Ameri can*” take land from lb* Indians? Should women be allowed to vote? Etc., etc. Conservatives today would tike to return us to a post where big busines* knew no bounds and power reigned unchecked One need not eapouae a "conservative conspiracy* theory or want to "institutionalise toramuniun* to support liberal political causes against current right wing agen das Bradley Butterfield Graduate. Comparative Literature Students’ bookstore Elisabeth Kearney wrote a letter to the editor (ODE. April 3) that *ugge*t» the University Book store is ripping off student* both on (he *ale of textbook* and the buying back of textbooks 1 thought it appropriate that her claims be given clarification Kirs! of all. the bookstore is a non-profit orga nisation owned by the students, faculty and clas sified staff of the University. The bookstore it governed by an elected 11 member board of diredur*. eight of whom are student*. Everything about the way the bookstore is structured ami governed would *ugge«l it is here to work in the best interest* of the University community. The bookstore is not responsible for the high cost of textbook* The bookstore does not arbi trarily decide what books we will buy back and how much we will pay at the end of each term The bookstore doe* discount textbooks and is one of a few college bookstores in the entire country that does to. The bookstore is aggressive in trying to cany as many used books as possible It Is the faculty who chouse the books that are going to be used on this campus, and the bookstore is oggrv* sive in seeking timely orders from the faculty so that the end of the term buy-back prices can be the highest possible The bookstore has estab lished • Guaranteed Book Program and an Early Duck book reservation program. The bookstore is an advocate for the students of this University. If you would like to help run the bookstore, please attend the annual meeting on Wednesday. April 1*. at 3:30 p.m in the EMU’s Fir Room A number of board positions are open, and it is a great way to make a difference on campus (Contrary to Kearney's suggestion of a Web site bookstore, the University community is well served by the University bookstore. We |ust can’t make textbook prices as low as some people would like. Jim Williams Untverwty Bookstore General Manager Thanks QSPIRG Recently. I was preparing a resume for a part tune job here in Eugene and realized that many of the skills that qualified me for the job came directly from my experience working the last three years with QSPIRG here on campus. Over this time. 1 teamed a valuable set of skills that I have not received from other parts of my education Through QSPIRG, I have learned pub In speaking to planning and running a meeting, building coalitions of support with different groups, organization* and people, to working with various media and administrative bodies At times, just getting someone to hire you < an fie very muc h like getting someone to sign a pett tioa. I appreciate QSPIRG being here on campus as a resource for students, and I am anxious to be a part of its work in the future. Ryan Moackly Fine and Append Arts Write school stuff The Emerald needs to write more about campus and community issues rather than printing all the APwire stories that anyone can find in the/leg inter Cuard or Oregonian. I do want to commend the reporter* who have taken the time to cover local events; however, it would be great to see the Emerald encourage end empower students to write and submit freelance articles, editorial* and column* on the critical problems we are hieing here at the University The regional and statewide paper* can fill their pages with AP wire, but the Emerald, with the thousands of dollars it receives, could do the stu dents and the campus community more justice by reporting more about what is happening In our own backyard. The Emerald has the human resources, so let’s see some more proactive, in-depth reporting — go talk with the student groups and community orge nizattons, and write more than two paragraph* about important cornerstones of student life Joey Lyon* international Studies Poetical Science
