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MONDAY: Opinion
TUESDAY: Politics
WEDNESDAY: Opinion
THURSDAY: Politics
FRIDAY: Opinion
editorials, letters, commentary and perspective
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Rightful student-staff relations respectable
■ OUR OPINION: The details of a new
University Senate dating policy are
what’s important
The University is worried — and
talking — about a fuzzy problem
that has hovered over the campus
for years.
On May 8, the University Senate agreed
to pass a policy viewing sexual relations
between a faculty or staff member and a
student as unethical and an abuse of power
if the student is enrolled in a class taught
by the professor.
But that wasn’t the end of it. Senate
members have debated “precise language”
in the policy — and still do. On Oct. 9, the
governing body made up of students, facul
ty and staff met once again to fight over,
among other things, whether the burden of
proof lies with the accused or the accuser,
what party in the relationship should ad
just in the event of an accusation and who
has and should have power in such a com
plicated relationship.
And if everybody finally agrees on the
particulars, the final policy will become re
ality on Oct. 23 at a Senate hearing. Then, a
faculty-student relationship will be ac
countable to anyone who wants to file a
complaint, whether that be one half of the
relationship or a third party.
We here at the Emerald don’t really care
if a student and a professor want to have
sex. Go for it — granted each partner has
taken care of business. No, we aren’t talk
ing about birth control — important as it is
— but the dreaded conflicts of interest.
If the student has never been or never
will be in a class taught by the professor,
the relationship is steering clear of most
potential conflict. Of course, even this is
difficult as most students meet professors
in classes, not at professor-student mixers.
But theoretically, there are members of
the University community who have fol
lowed all the rules and it is these people
who should be protected by, as well as
from, the potential Senate legislation.
Unfortunately, too many relationships
have broken the strict rules regarding con
flict, making it necessary for the Senate to
make it easy to accuse potential offenders
The Oregon Daily Emerald is published daily Monday through Fri
day during the school year and Tuesday and Thursday during the sum
mer by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc., at the University
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and harder for them to prove their inno
cence. Even in a relationship that is clearly
consensual, a third party can submit a com
plaint and in turti, force the couple to thor
oughly (and possibly publicly) prove no
rules were broken.
Many problems exist in student-faculty
relationships that affect a great number
of people, the majority of which are
valid. But many people are doing
things the right way and could be
questioned and possibly punished for
it.
When the Senate votes next week,
they’ll have many specifics to deter
mine beforehand that will decide
whether the policy be- __
comes a just law banning
unfair practice or a
broad proclamation
banning chaste be
havior. We trust
they’ll make the
right decision.
This editorial
represents the
opinion of the
Emerald
editorial
board.
CHRIS HUTCHINSON/Eme raid
i
LETTERS
Save your money
Once again, parking is a ma
jor problem. Once again, the
University is doing nothing
about it. Campus commuters
are paying $63 for spaces that
may not even be available to
them. The money would al
most be better invested in the
reputable business of the ODE
classifieds, which offer work
at-home jobs with thousand
dollar a month incomes. And
you only need to send them
$20 to find the key to success
(Trust me, you won’t be the one
getting rich).
The faculty and students are
rightfully fed up with parking,
arriving at school way ahead of
time just to make sure they can
get to class. Selling twice as
many permits as spaces, you
might as well make Al Davis of
the Oakland Raiders the new
University President. So they
want to open up Autzen Stadi
um for parking — what kind of
solution is that? Nothing like
paying more than sixty bucks
for a one mile walk. Better yet,
save the money and park above
18th Avenue. It’s a shorter
walk, and hell, it’s free.
Gregory Darusmont
Economics
Change LTD routes
Don’t build new parking
garages on campus. Improve
the bus system. I’ve gone from
being a devout mass-transit
groupie to considering driving
my car to class for two reasons.
1. I have to change buses at
Eugene Station, which makes
what should be a 20 minute
commute last 35 minutes.
2. Most buses change to an
hourly schedule at 6:30 p.m. If
I get out of my classes at 6:20
p.m., I’ve already missed the
6:17 bus from the campus sta
tion. I might as well wait for the
7:17 bus because the #40 leaves
Eugene Station at 6:30 and 7:30
but not at 7:00.
Bruce Waller
Germanics
Men need teaching
As a volunteer for Sexual As
sault Support Services, I appre
ciate efforts to create an aware
ness about sexual assault. Un
fortunately, those efforts often
reinforce the barriers to creat
ing a rape-free environment, as
did the second article of the
Emerald’s three-part series on
sexual assault.
While there is something to
be said for awareness, we need
to be careful when we talk to
women about self defense and
self protection. Too often the
lists of do’s and don’t’s for
women result in endless victim
blaming. Just as “getting raped
... is not a natural consequence
of drinking,” neither is it a nat
ural consequence of “walking,
studying and biking after dark”
or not locking one’s doors, as
the article suggests.
Under the heading “Educa
tion,” ASUO Mediation Pro
gram Director Jacqui Gibson
said, “We have to teach women
to protect themselves and cre
ate a world where sexual as
sault doesn’t happen.”
Wrong. We have to teach
men to create a world where
sexual assault does not happen.
To put the responsibility solely
on women is not only sexist,
but perpetuates the rape cul
ture. Women are not responsi
ble for stopping sexual assault.
Women (and yes, some men)
are the victims and survivors of
sexual assault. It is men who
rape, it is up to men to stop
rape.
If women have any responsi
bility, it is to stop living in fear.
For only when we refuse to be
afraid any longer will we begin
to take back the night every
night.
Rebekah Orr
Journalism
LETTERS POLICY
The Oregon Daily Emerald
will attempt to print all letters
containing comments on top
ics of interest to the Universi
ty community.
Letters to the editor must
be limited to no more than
250 words, legible, signed
and the identification of the
writer must be verified when
the letter is submitted.
The Emerald reserves the
right to edit any letter for
length or style.