VIEWPOINTS
fOHORUtS QPitOQN'S UTURS TO T Mi fDsTOR
Jerry Rust represents
student interests best
■ OUR OPINION: Jerry Rust
ms the best U $ Senate
democratic candidate
Them am five U S. Senate
Unmixmtie candidates: Bill
Dwyer. Marry Umsdale,
Anna Nevenlch. Tom Brug
gem and Jerry Rust Jerry
Rust u the candidate who
will heat represent students'
interests.
Because we need a realist
who will work for change
and not a self-fulfilling
politician. Rust is the best
Democratic alternative
Me has not been trained to
be a politician, but he is an
environmentalist who
understands the importance
of education Money and
major corporations am not
his main concern.
Rust believes in boosting
the education budget, and
that Oregon should stop dis
investing education
H*« plans lo increase edu
ration monies by cutting
deep into military spending
and the tobacco industry.
In addition to Rust's
strong stance on education,
he will actually confront
environmental issues Ha is
not afraid to condemn the
government for ignoring the
currant geological crises.
Rust supports advertising
this crises, starting with
improving ecological condi
tions in the Northwest by
reauthorizing th« Clean
Water Act and the Endan
gered Species Act.
Other issues Rust sup
ports are increasing the
minimum wage, supporting
Israel, the only democracy
in the Middle East, respect
ing a woman's decision to
cIwmmmi, and keeping public
lands public.
smith: best alternative
for Republican voters
■ OUR OPINION: Gordon
Smith is the best Senate
Republican candidate
There are five Republican
Senatorial candidates- Kirby
Brumfield, Robert Fenton.
J«*ft ljuwi*. lain Malum and
Cordon Smith Smith is the
beat aenatorial candidate if
you choose to vote Republi
can.
Smith is the only candi
date who does not have
many blatant flaws. Brum
field has “no illusions of
winning,~ Fenton, age 67.
has made no comment on
education Lewis desires to
administer standardized
tests to all high school grad
uates. though the SAT and
ACT are sufficient enough
Mahon dosed-mindedly
■ays that homosexuality,
pornography and abortion
are wrong.
While ail of Smith's oppo
nents have weak stances on
education, Smith says he
might support a tuition
freeze He also supports a
$500 tax credit for educa
tion, which would help par
ents until their children
have graduated from col*
lege
Smith also supports bal
ancing the budget but cut*
ting military spending and
prioritizing federal spending
fur Social Security and
Medicare.
Further, he believes we
need more power in Oregon
and less control from Wash
ington
wwcrsco**
be tour
Running
anate?
Stranger rape: Take back the stereotype
II was Itke a Kama fnxrn a horror film, only
ww* The sexual assault of the 19 year old
University student that occurred in the
shaping hours of .Sunday hat t mated a
whirlpool ©I emotion In which we alt now *pln.
We envision the young woman screaming aa
aha t* dragged into Pioneer Cemetery and *exu
ally assault mi. and immediately we explode
with anger Mow could this happen’
In the aftermath of (he attack, fingers have
pointed In every direc tion imaginable
Although these expressions of anger have
proems personalty cathartic for many, by final
ing on last Sunday's attack we reinforce the cul
tural understanding of sexual assault that limits
the definition of rape to a "strangertnthebush
es” image
In the process, we ignore the tong standing
national studies that report SO to 90 percent of
tape victims are acquainted with their attackers
Women are taught that safety means touting
self-defense danse*, carrying a whistle and
kerning how lo use pepper spray
Meanwhile they stay home al night, avoid
dimly lit corridor* and look over their shoulders
as they walk Certainly these are self protective
realities.
However, if the discourse stops hero, then
rope education will have only addressed 10 per
cent of sexual assaults, while the silence sur
rounding acquaintance rape will remain
Since last September there have been aero
official reports of 'unwanted sexual behavior"
filed with the .Student Conduct Program in
Koran 304 Oregon Hall
“While rope* by strangers are still underre
ported. rapes by acquaintances are virtually
non reported," says Robin Warshaw. author of /
Merer Gaffed ft Rope. “Not only do women shy
away from reporting sexual assault to authuriu
five bodies like the police, but 42 percent of
rape victims tell no one about their assault "
Many survivors never discus* their expert'
ences because University and public policies
continue to fixate on stranger rape prevention,
while marginalizing all other forms of assault.
~()n college campuses, when a woman is
raped, university officials announce new plans
for better lighting and expanded hours for escort
services." Warsaw says, "(These are! positive
safety precautions that have nothing to do with
stopping acquaintance repo"
Programs like Pnjact
Saferiae. while crucial to pro
moting safety on campus, pro
vide a misguided sense of
security to their riders.
A haven from stereotypical
stranger rape is guaranteed, yet
the passenger is delivered to
the place where she is most
likely to become the victim of
sexual assault; it is a 'safe
ride" from the stranger and a
wuvwy iu im ai nuamitim n
Thi« evening at 8, University wonutn and men
mil gather in the EMU Courtyard fur "Taka
Beck (ho Night," During the event, lh« group
will walk through Pioneer Cemetery. the «ii» of
hut Sunday * attack.
But what will be taken back if we continue to
focu* on isolated instance* of stranger rape,
while turning our beck* to all other form* of
MMult?
We canned take beck the streets. am women
with mate and truthfully claim that our rape
prevention work is done
We must take back our houae*. take back our
bedroom* and take back the way* we continue
to define rape in term* of the mythic Granger,
Only then will every fortn of eexual assault be
seen as the horror show that it is.
Keith Cunningham, o teniar mafonng in English.
it a columnist far the Emerald Hit e mail address
is keithc&aeegan uamgtm edu
I f T T f R S
I disagree with the editor's
note following a letter to the
editor about Keith Cunning'
ham's "springtime* column
{ODE. May U|.
1 must say that ! found the
column to be fairly tasteless
and sexist, but I am used to
illogical, distorted and unclear
arguments in this section. I was
lust glad that the introduction,
body and conclusion of this
piece supported each other.
However. I did reed Cunning
ham's piece as a straightfor
ward account of his feelings
about the season.
Now. I *m confuted lo find
out it w«t intended u "pure
hmiiu'
Sarcasm about what? Doean’t
**ne*m have to be about aome
thing? Doean’t a journal tat have
a reapontibUily to hit reader to
be dear about what he it being
aarcaatic about?
Doea the editorial tuff of the
Ememid feel any raaponaibility
to print quality work?
Anne TiWnghMt
Comparative literature
Unfair festival
The Willamette Folk Fmtival.
sponsored partially by Univer
■lly studenU will be held this
weekend on the EMU lien
Thu U the perfect opportunity
for student* to sell crsft* and
moke a little cash, if the student
has an extra $75 to shell out (or
space The only alternative is to
he a strolling vendor for $30
Many established companies
that can afford the coat wilt
have booths, expecting to make
a nice profit from the student*
and consumers
However, the representation
of crafts from student* is likely
to be very low.
Lynch