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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 28, 1997)
▼ EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Steven Asbury MANAGING EDITOR: Thom Schoenbom NIGHT EDITOR: Mike Schmierbach & Laura Cadiz EDITORIAL EDITORS: Ashley Bach & Brian Diamond editorials, letters, commentary and perspective NEWSROOM: (541)346-5511 DISPLAY ADVERTISING: (541)346-3712 BUSINESS OFFICE: (541) 346-5512 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: (541) 346-4343 CHRIS HUTCHINSON/Emerald Student voices needed to stop bill ■ OUR OPINION: Oregon House Bill 3644 could eliminate incidental fees, and we must all help stop it n an age of dwindling funding for high er education, one more benefit of at tending college in Oregon may soon be taken away. At least, if some members Currently in debate in the House Com mittee on Education is House Bill 3644, which would effectively eliminate the stu dent incidental fee. We should all be wor ried. For any student involved in an ASUO funded program, the bill is a potential time bomb. A group of representatives and stu dents from various state colleges are cru sading to eliminate these programs’ liveli hood. Our stand on student programs has sometimes been shaky, we admit. But when it comes to a move this drastic, this ridiculous, we must make our voice heard. Students currently pay $137 a term to fund 125 programs as well as other ser vices. These include not only groups like the ASUO itself and Multicultural Center but also services like subsidized city bus travel and tickets to revenue-generating sports events. The incidental fee is a vital and practical part of our education. It is more than just of the Oregon House of Representatives have their way. CONTACT YOUR LEADERS ■ Lee Beyer (D-Springfield) Phone: (503)986-1442 E-mail: beyer.1.rep@state.or.us ■ Kitty Piercy (D-Eugene) Phone: (503)986-1439 E-mail: reppiercy@aol.com i ■ Floyd Prozanski (D-Eugene) Phone: (503)986-1440 E-mail: floydp@darkwing.uoregon.edu ■ Cynthia Wooten (D-Eugene) Phone: (503)986-1441 E-mail: wooten.rep@state.or.us I I giving money to groups a student isn’t nec essarily involved in. It is more than just blindly giving up a large percentage of your tuition to student government, as some proponents argue. It is an opportunity — to educate, to en tertain, to diversify, to get experience, to in volve, to annoy, to contribute to every stu dent’s education. The incidental fee can (and usually does) help all of us. Some times we don’t let it. Sometimes we don’t realize it. But its benefits are widespread and undeniable to the students who recog nize its power. HB 3644 could stop all this. If the bill passes, the University, with the help of the ASUO, will be required to designate a small number of programs worthy of state funding. This will no doubt include, and most likely be limited to, large programs and services like the ASUO Executive and the EMU. Modest-sized groups that serve a smaller student base will be cut and left to fend for themselves. The possibility of an optional student fee won’t help these programs ade quately either. But it is these programs that may be the most important. In order to save the incidental fee from extinction, we must all become vocal in our opinions. Several students attended a public hearing on the bill last week and voiced their concerns, but more involve ment is needed. Much of our education is in the hands of a governing body filled with people we do not know. Let's make sure they take good care of it. Call your representative today. This editorial represents the opinion of the Emerald editorial board. Talk to us ■ BY MAIL: P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403 ■ BY PHONE: (541)346-5511 ■ BYE-MAIL: ode@oregon. uoregon. edu ■ IN PERSON: Suite 300, EMU LETTERS Not applicable Abbie Jensen (April 22, ODE) claims to speak for those of us whose loved ones have life threatening diseases, but Abbie is wrong. My sister has multiple sclerosis and no amount of ani mal mutilation and death is go ing to help her one bit. I have watched as the drugs and treatments that were devel oped through animal testing are tested on her. A year of shooting up legal medicine and numer ous lab tests later, and my sis ter's condition had worsened. What these self-proclaimed “humanitarian” scientists won’t tell you is that any experiment conducted on animals must ul timately be tested on humans because the results of animal ex perimentation are not directly applicable to humans. My sister nearly died from drugs that animal experimenters said were safe. It is impossible to induce an artificial condition in animals and derive informa tion that applies to humans. Ab bie Jensen's claims that animal experimentation benefits hu mans is false. Animal experimenters re ceive grants and salaries to con duct their torture. Do you hon estly believe that the Neuroscience Dept, is going to say anything that jeopardizes their livelihood? I’ve seen the pain that modem science has “humanely” sub jected my sister too, and cannot see the sense in subjecting more animals to torture and continu ing this insane cycle of abuse of life just so scientists can keep their jobs and self-delusion that they are serving humanity. Alternatives to this abuse ex ist and they need to be utilized over animal experimentation. I question the humanity of any person who subjects an unwill ing creature to pain and suffer ing and uses people like my sis ter to justify it. I don’t appreciate your lies and you don’t speak for me! Tracy A. Scham Religious Studies “I’m just a person who is honestly liv ing my life and ask- I ing,‘How do you be \ spiritual and live in j a monastery?'" Musical star Jewel j on the importance I of values, even \ for a superstar j “They say if any body sells it [Hus tler Magazine] in Cincinnati, they’re going to be arrest ed. Well, we’re go ing to sell it on the street corners if we have to." Larry Flynt, announcing he will bring Hustler back to Cincinnati where it is banned j “Looks like it’s gonna be one of those years.” U2 lead singer i Bono to 38,000 screaming fans, \ as quoted in the April 12 Register-Guard “What good is wealth sitting in the bank?” Millionaire Ted Turner's challenge to fellow \ businessmen Bill \ Gates and Warren Buffet to give more \ money to charity \ “Joe Camel lives... Winston Cup is alive. Billboards are alive." John Fithian, attorney for the American Advertis ing Federation, on the barring of a proposed ban by the FDA on tobacco product billboards and promotional events “I care deeply about this process, which has been going on for thousands of years. I want to be a part of that, but am I actually going to get engaged? I have no clue." City Councilman Bobby Lae on his trip to Korea to consideran arranged marriage, as quoted in the April27 Register-Guard “Choosing to un dergo open heart surgery when I nev er felt sick was the hardest decision I ever made.” Arnold Schwaizenagger on his recent heart surgery
