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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 1996)
It i MONDAY: Opinion TUESDAY: Politics WEDNESDAY: Opinion THURSDAY: Politics FRIDAY: Opinion a voters guide to the 1996 election and life on the campaign trail Do you identify most with Democrats, Republicans or Independents? Let us know. Political parties head into election week ■ LIBERALS: College Democrats say students relate more easily to the Democratic party By Shana Cohn Politics Editor More college students iden tify with Democrats because they support human rights, the environment and women's rights, said Karen Head, chairwoman of College Democrats on campus. “The De mocrats be lieve in more efficient govern ment, but we don’t want to cut government at the expense of the people," said the 21-year old senior in political science. “We’re just the better party.” With about 40 active mem bers, the College Democrats meet weekly to discuss candi date endorsements and in volvement with political cam paigns. Although many differences exist within the Democratic party, Head said the group’s beliefs are fairly uniform. “We tend to agree on candi dates to endorse who will best represent the Democratic par ty," she said. Jon Lucchese of the College Democrats said he would have likely followed in his Republi can father’s footsteps if it weren’t for his belief in left wing values. Democrats, Lucchese said support the opportunity of all instead of protecting the status quo. “I very much root for the un derdog,” said Lucchese, a 20 year-old political science ma jor. “The Republicans see the government as a majority-rules body. I see it as a body to pro tect the minority.” Because of the diverse stu dent body, Lucchese said it’s easier to be liberal than conser vative at a public university. Universities should actively seek those outside the usual student makeup, said Lucch ese, a strong supporter of affir mative action, which the U.S. government implemented in 1972. “Before affirmative action, student bodies at public insti tutions were largely white and male,” he said. “Affirmative action has definitely helped bring more minorities to cam pus. Before 1972, there wasn’t even funding for female sports.” Lucchese also said students relate more with the Democra tic party because they address issues important to them, such as education, civil rights and poverty. “Students tend to be pro gressive and Democrats tend to be progressive,” he said. To get involved with the College Democrats you can join their next meeting on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in EMU Cedar Room E. They also have a table set up today in the EMU Breezeway. OREGON STUDENT POLITCS About 600 students from the seven Ore gon State System of Higher Education in stitutions were surveyed about their politi cal identities: You are registered as a... What is your age? What is your gender? 1 It Male 45.9% SOURCE: Oregon Student Association DENNIS BOLT/Emerald ■ CONSERVATIVES: College Republicans say students are thankful to have an open political forum here By Shana Cohn Politics Editor Some Republican students were grateful and downright relieved to see their candidates represented in the EMU this week, at what they believe is a predominately liberal campus. “People think this a com plete liberal homogeneous zone,” said Joel Thompson, chairman of the College Re publicans and a senior major ing in political science. “It’s comforting to some people that we’re here.” As the Nov. 5 election ap proaches, Republican students are loading up on red and blue Dole/Kemp stickers from an EMU table and commenting on their minority status on campus. “They come up and say, ‘Thank God you’re here,’” said Thompson, who sat at the Col lege Republican sponsored table. “People know it’s a liber al university and they don’t feel comfortable having open political discourse on cam pus.” The College Republicans meet weekly to provide a place for students to discuss the can didates and the issues. Within the group of about 20 active members, differences are prevalent and accepted. “We don’t like to be real pro life or pro-choice because we have both in our group,” Thompson said. “We don’t de sire to be a homogeneous group among ourselves.” Regardless of differences, Thompson said the gatherings provide a place for students to express their views without coming under attack from campus liberals. “It’s easy to be a Democrat on campus, but it takes guts to be a Republican,” he said. Although many students come to campus with strong political beliefs, Thompson said others join the College De mocrats to be part of the majority. “It’s tempting to come on a politically active cam pus and go with the way the wind s blow ing,” he said. A main difference between the parties, he said, is the Re publicans associate themselves with values the country was founded on, such as free enter prise and less government con trol. Democrats focus on the role of government to provide and promote general welfare, he said. But despite conflicting views, College Republican Pe ter Enslow said importance lies in young people educating themselves about the issues. “Political action is so impor tant,” he said. “If you’re not knowledgeable about what’s going on in politics, it’s like saying ‘I’m not an American.’ There’s so many ways to be ac tive that there’s no excuse not to be.” To get involved with the Col lege Republicans call Joel Thompson at 346-9391. Or visit their table, which is located on the main level of the EMU and open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. until Fri day. P-0- BOX 3159. EUGENE. OREGON 97403 The Oregon Daily Emerald is published daily Monday through Fri day during the school year and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc., at the University ot Oregon, Eugene, Oregon A member of the Associated Press, the Emerald operates independently of the University with of fices at Suite 300 of the Erb Memorial Union. The Emerald is private property. The unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable by law Editor-In-Chief: Steven Asbury Managing Editor: Jennifer Carter Night Editor: Steve Asbury Community: Jennifer Schmitt, editor Jean Bond. Christian Hill Entertainment: Nicole Kreuger. editor Jesse Stephenson Higher Education: Tamyra Howser, in-depth. Laura Cadiz, Beniamin Kwasney Opinion: Ashley BuOh, editor Chris Hutchinson, illustrator. Brian Diamond, Larry Haftl, Sonia Sherwood Politics: Shana Cohn, editor. Doug Irving Student Activities: Kristin Bailey, editor Angie Suchy, Tom Potter Sports: Mark McTyre, editor Andrea DeYoung, assistant editor. Chris Hansen, Ryan Frank, Ryan Halvorsen Copy Desk: Thom Schoenborn. copy chief Trevor Kearney, Sarah Kickler, Mike Schmierbach, Kendra Smith Presentation: Dennis Bolt, editor. Matt Garton Photography: Mathew Stiffler, editor Andrew Brackensick, Joe Bumk, Amanda Erickson, Shannon Kilduff, Chad Patteson Freelance: Lara Pittman, editor On-Line: Nicholas Stiffler General Manager: Judy Riedl Advertising Becky Merchant, director Anne Amador, Lee Yen Beh, Marco Chmg, Yujin Chi, Matt Johnson, Anne Miller, Trina Shanaman, Rose Soil, Matt Solomon, Greg Walsh Classified: Tara Sloan, manager. Natasha Lumpkin, Debbie Levy, Heather Moye Production: Michele Ross, manager Ingrid White, coordinator. Shawna Abele. Laura Daniel. Tara Knight, Melissa LeBahn, Molly McCanta. Allison Stormo, Mike Young Business: Kathy Carbone, supervisor. Judy Connolly Distribution: John Long, Jeff Johnson. Ferenc Rakoczi Newsroom.(541)346-5511 Display Advertising.(541) 346-3712 Business Office.(541) 346-5512 Classified Advertising.(541) 346-4343 A look at some of the 23 ballot measures in the November 5 election THE MEASURE WHAT IT WOULD DO Would require that public employees' earnings be expressed as costs borne by the employer for the employee’s benefits. Those costs include base pay/salary, benefit package, vacation, clothing allowance, rest and meal breaks, holi day pay, personal leave, Social Security and Medicare taxes, retirement, federal unemploy ment taxes, family and sick leave, bonuses, mer it pay, overtime, child care, compensation time, employer tax, continuing education and state unemployment taxes. Measure makes complete information regarding employer costs available to the public. ARGUMENTS FOR Measure makes public all the tax money spent on public employee salary and bene fits. Although this informa tion is already public record, neither legislators nor the public has ever been able to get the exact numbers. The public is entitled to know what is spent on its govern ment , and the measure ex plicitly outlines the costs. ARGUMENTS AGAINST Would clutter the Oregon Constitu tion by adding unnecessary and confusing accounting require ments. Would require that salaries and benefits — including uniforms and unused disability — be twisted in an odd dollars/hours worked amount that could not be used to make comparisons. THE MEASURE WHAT IT WOULD DO Would require annual testing at the beginning of the school year of all public school students in grades 4-12. Individual results would be re ported to the student and his/her parents and total results from each school would be report ed to the Department of Education. ARGUMENTS FOR The annual testing would test the total system of education as well as individual students. Parents and students would know better how they are pro gressing and how their edu cation compares to that of others in the state. The cur rent system of testing every other year can allow students to “fall through the cracks.” ARGUMENTS AGAINST A testing system already exists that is a valuable, accurate tool for eval uating student progress. Testing at the end of the year, the current practice, rather than at the begin ning, is a better way to assess stu dents progress. This requirement is better handled by statute than by constitutional amendment in order to make necessary adjustments as the educational system changes. SOURCE:The Oregon Voters' Pamphlet
