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Budget cuts threaten Hult Center
■ OUR OPINION: The Eugene City
Council should find a way to keep the
Hult Center alive
JUJU
The Eugene City Council has quite a
challenge ahead of it. With Mea
sure 47 creating the need for cut
backs, the council has to decide
which programs can be cut and which can
be saved. And no matter what it chooses,
some people are going to be left unhappy.
So where will the $9 million in cuts that
will be needed to balance the effects of
Measure 47 come from? Obviously, pro
grams like public
safety are not going
to be seriously af
fected. The police
and fire department
are simply too im
portant to cut funds
from. Instead it will
be the “non-essen
tial” programs that
will feel the brunt
of the cuts.
Non-essential, in
this case, may very
well be synony
mous with recre
ational programs.
Recreational pro
grams, though they
provide a lot of de
sired entertain
ment, are not com
pletely necessary in
running a city. So
when the council
drew up three proposed cutback plans, it
wasn’t surprising to find that all three in
cluded cutting back on recreational ser
vices.
CONTACT US
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serves the right to
edit any letter for
length or style.
What is somewhat surprising is that all
three plans include cutting funding to the
Hult Center. While it is understandable
that, in the wake of Measure 47, some cuts
would have to be made to places like the
Hult Center, the fact that every plan in
cludes cutting the Hult Center’s funds is
disappointing.
The Hult Center provides a wide range of
entertainment and culture for the city of
Eugene. From big acts like Sheryl Crow and
the Eugene Symphony to smaller local acts,
the Hult Center is an accessible and cheap
entertainment center for Eugene.
However, if the Hult Center’s funding is
cut like the council plans, it will be forced
to turn down all but the most profitable
acts. Without funding from the city, the
Hult Center simply won’t be able to afford
staying open for acts that don’t make big
money.
That means no more local or smaller
bands or comedy acts would appear at the
Hult Center, only big-named bands that
draw the big bucks. And because most of
the big acts that come to Eugene choose to
go to either Autzen or the EMU, the Hult
Center could all but shut down.
That means a serious loss to the cultural
atmosphere of Eugene. The fact that there
is a place where students can watch musi
cal acts for a very reasonable price is a ma
jor plus for Eugene’s night life. With the
Hult Center becoming a “big act or noth
ing" facility, that element of Eugene’s night
scene will be eliminated, and everyone
who enjoys that element of Eugene will
suffer.
While the function of the Hult Center is
not vital to the survival of the city of Eu
gene, it does provide a valuable cultural
service. If the Eugene City Council is forced
CHRIS HUTCHINSON/Emeiald
to make cuts in the Hult Center’s funding,
they should first look into alternate ways to
fund it.
At the very least, the council should at
least consider cutback plans that don’t
eliminate funding to the Hult Center.
Recreational services may be the easiest to
cut when money is tight, but there still
should be a concerted effort to preserve the
cultural diversity of Eugene.
After all, recreational facilities like the
Hult Center help attract people to Eugene
in the first place. So, though they may be
seen by many as an economic cost the city
can do without, in many ways they are an
investment, attracting additional revenue
to the city. In any case, the Hult Center pro
vides an element of entertainment that
would be missed if it was eliminated.
This editorial represents the opinion of the
Emerald editorial board.
LETTERS
Freedom of choice
Nicole Kristal's juxtaposition of religion
and opiates was offensive and hypocritical.
By viewing all religions under a negative
lens, she demonstrates disrespect for any
one who chooses to think differently.
She clearly supports the freedom to live,
think, and choose for oneself. But apparent
ly this doesn't apply to religious belief. Am I
missing something? If freedom of choice is
precious, then why is choosing a religion
any different from any other choice?
Nicole's evidence is clearly lacking. Her
editorial relies on stereotypes and Freudian
analysis which result in a biased argument.
She’s peddling a contradictory and judg
mental belief system. Sound familiar?
Furthermore, Miss Kristal fails to recog
nize her own inability to come up with a
unique thought. Her editorial reflects the
news coverage on the local and national lev
els. Like others, she reports the suicides as
a tragedy.
I consider the following tragedies:
• Over three million children were re
ported victims of child abuse in 1994; 1,271
died.
•"In 1995 there was a forced rape every
five minutes.
• About six million women are attacked
by their partners every year.
When people take their own life it is not a
tragedy nor worthy of front page coverage
for more than a day. A choice was made and
they are dead. And what does Miss Kristal
say of choices? "I don't think there is a cause
that's worth surrendering your right to think
for yourself."
I certainly won't be trading in my freedom
anytime soon. Will you?
Ryan R. Phay
Computer Science
Column misinterprets Bible
It saddens me to read your column [“Reli
gion still the opiate of the masses,” Nicole
Kristal, ODE, April 11] in the Emerald. I feel
prosecuted in a sense by your words simply
because I am Catholic. I hope that you do
not regularly prejudge everyone in the same
way you have just judged Catholics.
Your column correctly points out the
dangers of “cults”. However, let me please
point out what I believe to be an error on
your part with regards to the Bible.
First, the Bible does not teach anyone to
kill anyone. Jesus Christ taught love. To
teach means to cause to know a subject.
Your column says that the Bible “teaches”.
This must mean that those who read the
Bible will learn the same thing that the fol
lowers of Marshall Apllewhite learned. If
this is true why are we not all dead?
Second, I have read the Bible (I assume
that you have also read the entire Bible in
order to make the claims that you have) and
nowhere do I find an instruction or com
mandment to “deprive (myself) of natural
sexual desire." Instead, I find instructions
Overheard
“I love Mac Court. I will fight until my dy
ing days that I’m here to protect Mac Court
and its integrity because there’s a lot of
emotion that I’ve left out on that floor.”
New University Men's Basketball Coach
Ernie Kent, on his new home arena, in the
Emerald.
"It was improbable she would get preg
nant. You’ve got to stop believing in coin
cidence when you have as many things
come together as we have.”
Jeff Nelson-Folkerson referring to his
wife, who became pregnant with quintu
plets through in-vitro fertilization.
"Never again war!"
Pope John Paul II, speaking to the war
torn citizens of Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herze
govina.
‘This is a medical facility. This is not a
place to party."
Chenle Lovett, director of the Ukiah, Calif.
Cannabis Club, which provides marijuana
to terminally ill patients.
“This is the first time I’ve won anything.”
Josh Shrove, a freshman at IMssf Virginia
University, after winning one of five
$2,000 school scholarships based entirely
on luck.
“As much as people want to call us role
models, we're actors first. It's up to indi
viduals to decide whether to smoke.”
Winona Ryder, after being criticized for
taking too many “smoker" roles.
and commandments that I should love and
honor my wife.
Third, nowhere in Bible have I read that I
should “dwell in unnecessary shame and
guilt.” Instead, I read that I should rejoice
in the love of the Lord our God.
Finally, I read in the Bible that many peo
ple will come to this earth claiming to be or
know God. Jesus Christ warned of such
people. I pray and hope that people will not
follow the likes of Marshall Applewhite. Je
sus Christ taught us how to protect our
selves from such horrors.
Perhaps this short note will lead you to
understand Catholicism and Christianity. A
cult has many definitions. Webster’s lists
five very different definitions. However, a
cult can only be formed by people, as you
said, who thought for themselves that they
should join the cult.
Pete Crabb
Graduate Student
"Several of [the people] were rather mysti
fied, but Paul really enjoyed himself. It cer
tainly brought back memories for him.”
Geoff Baker, Paul McCartney's agent, on
his client's spontaneous rooftop concert in
London on April 11.
“Those cult people started arguing with
my friend. They also made weird chirping
noises. They were really weird.”
Tabby Runnels, a participant in the annual
UFO Conference in Eureka Springs, AK,
explaining the arrival of Heaven's Gate
members to the convention.