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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 22, 1997)
LETTERS Relative misinformation I thought it was very interesting how Brent Field from the Institute of Neuroscience wrote to back up the use of animals in University labs as well as others across the world (April 15, ODE). I thought I should back up some misguided information he uttered. First of all, he said some people have questioned the use of ani mals on our campus. Well, I’ll tell you right now we are doing more than questioning it, we are saying it is wrong) The “misinformation” that Field has accused is just SETA stating a truth that can not be de nied. When SETA states “informa tion extrapolated from animal models can not safely be applied to humans,” it is true. For exam ple, in 1963 studies of humans showed a strong association be tween cigarette smoking and lung cancer. When testing this on labo ratory animals, this connection recognition failed. This delayed health warnings for years, subse quently thousands of people died of cancer. Examples like these continue on and on. I know people with depression, mania, attention disorders and others that the University experi mentation is attempting to help, but this just makes me even more angry that these people’s prob lems are researchers’ excuses for murder. There are many strong al ternatives to animal research that many believe can find more cures to disorders. Results from these studies can not only create future hopes, but be done with a clear mind and moral heart. Scientific fraud can no longer be accepted. Murder of innocent ani mals must be stopped. This holds true to animal research on campus and everywhere else. Until this is done, our society can not and will not be civilized. Chelsea Lincoln Director SETA Anti-ASUO? Prior to this week, I was un aware that it is the role of the Uni versity departments to campaign against student groups. On April 16 and 17, the University Institute of Neuroscience, housed in Huestis Hall, sponsored and arranged a lobby table in the EMU against SETA’s ballot measure in the upcoming election. Besides the fact that by failing to file as a protest with the ASUO, they com mitted an illegal act and face due fines, I question the legality of such action in the first place. If the University is so dedicated a to diversity, why is it campaigning against ASUO student groups? What happened to the University’s much touted activism? SETA’s bal lot increase is warranted to in crease education and awareness that its current measly budget does n’t allow for. Whether one agrees with SETA’s issues or not, surely one must question the actions of the University in campaigning to silence ASUO activities. Kyla Schuller Comparative Literature Life perspective When faced with someone para lyzed by injury, muscular dystro phy, multiple sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease; a baby with birth defects; someone with severe mental illness, like schizophrenia or suicidal depression; someone dying from AIDS, could you tell them the life of a laboratory ani mal is more important and doom them to hopelessly suffer and per haps die? If you could not say this to all of these people (and countless others who suffer), then you cannot ratio nally support those (Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) who would end the ethical use of animals in basic and medical re search, and you should vote no on the SETA ballot that allocates stu dent fees to their organization. Research involving animals is the most reasonable hope that peo ple who suffer from disease, birth defects and injury have for the de velopment of eventual cures or ef fective treatments. Perhaps you can deny to yourself access to and hope of treatment, but can you also deny that to everyone? I study how eyes develop, using zebrafish as a model for how hu man eyes develop. I hope my re search will help lead to the pre vention or cure for blindness caused by macular degeneration (the leading cause of blindness), glaucoma and retinitis pigmen tosa (night blindness). When I see a blind person, I am compelled to work harder and to defend what I believe is their only hope to see—basic and clinical re search that humanely uses ani mals. In my mind, I see a blind person every day. Abbie Jensen Institute of Neuroscience Real truth Several weeks ago, SETA had a table in front of Huestis Hall, and members distributed pamphlets to give one “the real truth of the re search issue.” I want to be up front. I am a graduate student in the biology department, and I do research using an animal model — zebrafish. The universal goal of my research is to help shed light on abnormalities that cause death and disease in the developing ner vous system. A member of SETA might well disregard my recommendations. However, I hope that those of you who read its pamphlet take some additional time to get the facts based on scientific and objective evidence in order to fully under stand the controversy surround ing the use of animals in research. It is important that the readers of its pamphlet be aware of the many factual errors in its pam phlet. I invite everyone to stop by the “Forum for Science Educa tion” information table and read the poster pointing out some (not all) of the glaring misinformation being passed as support for SETA’s position. I also invite everyone to pick up and read information on why one should support the responsible and humane use of animals in ba sic and biomedical research. Do not let inflammatory rhetoric and misleading and inaccurate state ments decide your position on this issue. This is a complex issue-that re quires each of us — researchers, animal rights activists and you — to get the facts straight in order to make an informed opinion. Rosie Reyes Biology ATTENTION SUPPORTERS OF FOOTNOTES As you may or may not know, Footnotes has been fighting a losing battle to get adequate space in the EMU next year. Throughout this process, it has become clear that the EMU Board has no intention of providing space to Footnotes that would be adequate to house our operations. The fact is that the EMU Board has squeezed us out of the EMU, and we are forced to move to an alternate location in order to continue to be here for students. Unfortunately, the costs associated with a new location are more than we can handle, given our nonprofit approach to serving students. WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT ON OUR BALLOT MEASURE! LET US KNOW YOU STILL WANT US! Voting YES! for the Footnotes ballot measure means that you are in favor of preserving: *A 30 year tradition of nonprofit, academic support for students *30 to 35 student jobs during any given term, both work study and non-work study *Low cost, campus services such as faxing, word processing, and thesis formatting *And don't forget those class notes that help so much! GET ON YOUR FEET AND VOTE TOMORROW AND THURSDAY! Sincerely, Josh Dobson, Corie Koppen, Devon London, Parrish Pynn, and Angela Spann Students who comprise the Footnotes Board of Directors The Oregon Daly Emerald is published daily Monday through Friday during the school year and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc., at the University ot Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. The Emerald operates independently of the University with offices at Suite 300 of the Erb Memorial Union. The Emerald is private property. The unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable by law. 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