▼ 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