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mm :
Campus lacks common cause
STOP
THE
WAR
SAVE
THE
WHALES
■■I I 1
CHRIS HUTCHINSON/Emerald
■ OUR OPINION: The decline in protests at the
University reflects a change in society and
strategy for enacting change, not apathy
There’s nothing quite like a good old-fash
ioned sit-in. That’s what students at the
University of Massachusetts learned last
week when their protest for greater minori
ty enrollment ended, drawing national recogni
tion.
“United we fought, together we did this,” stu
dent government president Maurice Caston-Powe
declared as he and 300 other students emerged
from a school building they had taken over for
their six-day sit-in.
It was a protest reminiscent of the 1960s. A unit
ed student body taking drastic actions to accom
plish a common goal. It wasn’t too long ago that
protests like this were common at our University
as well. What happened?
It certainly isn’t true that students today are
completely satisfied with what’s going on at the
University and in the world. From human rights to
the environment, there are plenty of issues that
students feel strongly about. But large-scale
protests like the one in Massachusetts are increas
ingly rare these days.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that students here
care less than students in New England or students
of the ’60s. Things are just different here. First of
all, students are finding smarter ways to change
policies. A large-scale protest is dramatic, but it
may not be as effective as lobbying policy makers
and organizations with the power to make change.
Also, the fact that today’s problems don’t often
turn into large-scale protests is a reflection of the
general receptiveness of our administration to stu
dents’ needs. While not everyone will agree with
their decisions, our administrators are generally
willing to hear students out and try and reach
agreements in a way higher-ups at other universi
ties aren’t.
However, the most important reason we don’t
see large-scale protests today is that there isn’t one
all-uniting cause for students to rally around. To
day, there is no single issue like the Vietnam War
that motivates everyone. Instead we have a variety
of smaller issues, each with its own group of stu
dents fighting for it.
For instance, MEChA has concentrated on a Gar
denburger boycott, while USSA is fighting for a tu
ition freeze. There are student groups that focus on
the environment, groups that focus on gay rights,
groups that specialize in religious rights and liter
ally hundreds more.
What this means is instead of getting large num
bers of students all engaged in one struggle, we
have small groups who dedicate all their time to
specific issues. This makes it less likely that a stu
dent-wide protest will emerge in support of any
one issue. This isn’t a bad thing; it just means that
with the large variety of issues students are en
gaged in today, huge protests simply aren’t the
most effective way of enacting change.
Our University has a reputation for being one of
the most politically active in the country. Just be
cause students haven’t seized Johnson Hall in
protest doesn’t mean they aren’t actively fighting
for change.
If an issue does arise that can unite the entire
student body, it wouldn’t be surprising if we see
more protests at the University. Until that does
happen though, don’t look for students to riot in
the streets anytime soon.
This editorial represents the opinion of the
Emerald editorial board.
LETTERS
Footnotes in danger
I am disappointed in Angie Suchy’s portrayal of
Footnotes [ODE, March 11). The article presented an
erroneous perspective and perpetrated an inaccu
rate depiction of the EMUB-Footnotes space situa
tion.
The mysterious “threats” mentioned in Suchy’s
article were simple reminders that EMUB members
are in political office and can be voted out. Members
who struggle with the pitfalls of political life must
ultimately determine whether these reminders are
tolerable to them.
The fact is that Footnotes is the one whose life has
been threatened! Several members of the EMU Board
have threatened to kick us out of the EMU, to double
our rent and to put us in 200 square feet if they even
allow us to stay. In essence, to get rid of us.
As students, you have a right to be disgusted that
one of these student representatives has the audaci
ty to use Footnotes herself and to cry “personal at
tack” when she was denied her notes for one day.
Despite all the adversity, we remain committed
to our 30-year mission of providing high-quality
jobs and learning support services to students. We
continue to emphasize the positive effects of Foot
notes on students and to attempt to negotiate a
workable solution to the space problem — one that
puts students, not politics, first.
We appreciate the overwhelming support of the
1200-plus students who signed our petition to stay
in the EMU. We look forward to your continued
support and to 30 more years as a University tradi
tion. Please take the opportunity to show your sup
port when you vote in the spring.
Kristin King
Footnotes Coordinator
Apology is in order
I have a few things to say regarding the article in
Tuesday’s edition of the Emerald [ODE, March 11).
Never in my life have I been so offended.
To Angie Suchy: Have you ever heard of a little
something called “libel”? I think a retraction or pub
lic apology is in order. It is obvious that proper re
search did not take place on your part. Had you read
the entire letter, you would realize that the excerpts
in your article were completely out of context.
Kristin King is one of the nicest people I know. Her
intent with the letter was to show Jenna Wasson the
value of Footnotes — not to threaten.
Footnotes is not threatening the EMU board — if
fact, I believe it is quite the opposite. The student
employees, staff and SPI board have spent countless
hours trying to work something out with the board,
only to be threatened in return.
They’ve threatened to kick Footnotes out of the
EMU completely, to double Footnotes’ rent and to
relegate Footnotes to a paltry 200 square feet, all the
while knowing that Footnotes cannot operate in un
der 500 feet. The threats seem clear to me.
To Jenna Wasson: I hope the Ethics class you’re
taking has been educational for you. It has been my
experience that learning something I know nothing
about is enlightening. Don’t forget to come pick up
your notes for that class later!
Jennifer Lindsey
Journalism/Business
Contact us
■ BY MAIL: P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
■ BY PHONE: (541)346-5511
■ BY E-MAIL: ode@oregon.uoregon. edu
■ IN PERSON: Suite 300, EMU
thumbs
Eugene athletics
I
Sheldon,
Churchill, North
Eugene and Marist j
High Schools ail
did well in last
week's OSM high I
school basketball !
championships.
The Sheldon boys
made it to the fi
nals of the 4A divi
sion, and the
Marist girts won
the3Achampi- I
onship.
Book changes
Used book mar
kets on the World ;
Wide Web and
campus help stu- j
dents save money i
by buying and sell- \
ing textbooks.
Bookstores are
taken out of the
equation. Now
students can
screw each other i
over.
Register-Guard j
The Eugene
newspaper and j
Oregon Forest Ser- i
vice recently set
tled their dispute
stemming from
two Guard re
porters entering
restricted land. 8a- i
sically, each party j
apologized to the
other and stated
they understood
the opposing side. !
Rights of the
press? Forget it. ;
It's too much trou
ble.
Footnotes dispute
EMU Board
members and
Footnotes affiliates
are both to blame
for the ridiculous
state of affairs in
the fight for EMU
space for the note
taking service.
Both parties have
valid concerns, but j
their absurd
squabbling is far
from justified.