VIEWPOINTS
IDlTORUlS OPINIONS IftlfRS !0 IMI f Oil OR
Laue gets endorsement
after University debate
■ OUR OPIHIOR: Laue
takes a respectful jump
into an endorsement
W0 were all *et to endorae
Jim Torrey for mayor (an
edit wa* written Wednesday
for thi* million) when we
belatedly realized the man
appeared lo be uninterested
in university student* (at
be*t) and condescending
toward them (at worst).
So. Tim Laue. our runner
up pick for Eugene'* may
oral race, nwivit* into first
place.
Laue ha* experience a* an
analyst and norsuitant to
private IwtinraMis and non
profit organizations, and
he'* currently the City
Council president represent
ing Ward 1 Laue ernour
age* students to make their
concern* known to city gov
Mtmwnl by siting involved
with committees that inter
mit them and by voting
On higher education.
Laue «aid society should
stop disinvesting in educa
tion and start making
"investments in education
at every level." (hi urban
growth, laue Hid it should
lie anticipated and allowed,
but in such a way that pre
serves and enhances the
environment
From the environment to
ensuring safety for people,
laue told the Enwmld that
promoting more home own
ership in the West Universi
ty area would help people
feel more as though they
were part of a neighbor
hood
Lee well-suited to bring
UO concerns to Council
■ OUR OPINION: Lee's
experience sets him apart
from other candidates
Far Eugene City Council
Ward 3, Bobby Lmm stands
out as th« bust parson to
represent the University's
interest*.
He served as ASIJO Presi
dent from '92 to ‘93 whom
he managed a •Indent fee*
budget of SS million that
funded more than 100 Uni
versity programs As an
undergraduate, Lee founded
the University Alumni Men
tor Program the Multicul
tural Center and KWVA
radio. He was appointed to
the Oregon State Board of
Higher Education by Gover
nor Barbara Roberts tn 1993
He is also on the Planned
Parent hood and Eugene
Family YMCA board* of
directors
A* a merabw of the High
or Education 2010 commit*
toe. txM> ha* developed
educational policies for Ore
gon'* college* and universe
tie*
Lea believe* that econom
ic progress in Eugene
shouldn't be discouraged,
but that ecosystem* should
and must be protected. He
plans to work to balance
growth with environmental
responsibility
Lee's experience will also
help him in his plans to take
University interests to city
government.
"Without the University,
Eugene would not exist,"
Lee told the Emerald. "Stu
dents are the fuel for the
local economy."
r ,..so, if Ht
SV400TS «r DOWN/
W»N 0*£ akid
V/£ LOSE ONE.
A
»*•«*»
0*» j
AmeriCorps program should be saved
FiAmo v«**r» ago (hi*
spring. I impulsively
promised * (ullage mju
I cat tun to 81 EmI
Harlem »i»th graders. if and
when ihcy graduated from
>»gh school The only catch
75 percent of the youngster*
were profaned dropout* To
malu* rat promise meaningful.
I began a year-round educe
(tonal program that, with ongo
ing personal tnvolvemeni.
am'.ouraged tha youngster* to
stay in achooi and aspire to
higher education and fulfilling
(.area** I catted I ha program 'I
Ha ve a Dream' (IHAD), and
tha kids "Dreamers "
It turned out that all over
America other individuals fait
the same way t did Today,
more than tfttl "1 Have a
Dream* projects in 28 states
serve more than >5.000 chil
dren, mostly the minority
poor Each project, with the
support of volunteers, pro
vide* it* Dreamers with a pro
gram of educational, social and
cultural activities from ele
mentary school through high
school — with the guarantee of
tuition support fur college or
vocational school
Each of our projec t* U local
ly administered, locally fund
ed and tailored to the needs of
its Dreamers We believe that
personal, individual action i*
the key. in short, the “I Have a
Dream' Foundation is exactly
iha sort of private-sector chari
ty that opponent* of Amen
Corps, the new national
j service program, say they
believe in A success story tike
ours proves, they say. that gov
ernment should have nothing
to do with volunteerism It
prove* that AmenCnrps is a
waste of money Worse, it may
even harm charities by under
mining America'* great tradi
tion of citium volunteers.
Two years of IHAD/Amen
Corps collaboration proved
otherwise IHAD* AmeriCorp*
member* have had a dramatic
impact on our program in the
15 cities where thev work
They teach, tutor, run after
school program*, organ!**
community service project*
and help Uraumn stay away
from t<ang* and drug* and do
batter in school They serve a*
responsible rota model* for a
Mtnaratiua that naada mat
heroes Sinew AmenCorp*
came on board. Dreamer* have
bean atudying harder and scar
ing higher They alao have
built playground* in vacant
Iota, fed the homaiaaa and
comforted the elderly And the
member*' high-profile effort*
have helped u* attract more
than 3.000 new volunteer*
from the Dreamer*' cummunl
tie* Other national rervice
organisations report almilar
dramatic benefit* from Ameri*
Corps.
Fortunately. Congress
appear* to have overcome
effort* in the House and the
Senate to kill AmenCorp* and
i* voting io provide the hind*
necessary to continue the pro
gram AmariCorp* i* not an
example of the government *
telling the private sector what
to do and how to do it. Amen
Corps member* help disadvan
taged kids finish high school
and go on to college that isn't
liberal or conservative It'*
smart Nor is it a gimmick The
Council on Eduational Devel
opmant estimate* that the
average dropout add* a life
time burden on the community
of $300,000 What value
should we place on Ameri
Corps. whore member* have
din* ilv helped to keep thou
•and* of Dreamer* in school
and on a positive track to pro
ductive citizanshipf
Congress created Amen
Corps aa a parlnenihip
between the private and public
sectors It work*. In just its
first year, more than $91 mil
lion was contributed to Ameri
Corp* program*, including $41
million from private business
m and foundations Moreover,
talking about AtneriCorn*
budget alone fail* to add re**
the private money thet Ameri
Corp* brings into the commu
nities in which its member*
work A teem of conservative
economiMi has calculated that
COMMENTARY
miiMlIrli'iHfclil!
•vary dollar invested in
AroenCorps returns at lout
SI 60lo $2 60 in direct, rim
tumble benefit* — findings
confirmed by the (inner#!
Accounting Office
AmeriCorpe also provide*
some of the Mine societal ben
oftim as military service. It
builds an ethic of citizenship
and civic duty It helps young
people front disadvantaged
backgrounds gain work expert
etu e and finance a college
education For the more privi
loged. it provides real-world
ax|terienc« to supplement the
"Ivory tower" environment of
college And in ~*ir increasing
ly multicultural work, it give*
those in their formative years
the experience of working
closely with people from all
segments of society. Our
Ament orps teams embrace all
racial and economic back
ground* working together
every day with a remarkable
spirit of community,
I'm a ftscal conservative But
when a new initiative works as
promised, when it i« proven
cost effective, when it pro
motes our tore values, then tt
should be preserved Amen
Corps is such a program
Republican Gov Bill Weld
recently had a valuable piece
of advice for a Congress grap
pling with tough choices on
the budget "1 have one word
of caution AmeriC'orps It is
the baby that should not be
thrown out with the bathwater
AmeriCorpt is one of the most
intelligent uses of taxpayers
dollars ever." I couldn't agree
more Let's put aside politics
and simplistic slogans and do
all we can to improve — not
eliminate — AmeriCorpt
Eugene M Lang it the founder
and chairman of the *f Haw a
Dream * Foundation, an educa
tional tupport and intervention
program for disadvantaged
children