▼ EDITORIAL
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Learning life’s lessons, in class and out
For this columnist, the University
was a place full of wisdom and the
people who teach it
It took me a long time to get that
puzzle right. You know the one:
Using only eight lines, draw the
figure of a house without lifting
up your pencil. Now of course, be
OPINION
uauac i vc piciL,
ticed, I can
work that one
with my eyes
closed.
Usually, dur
ing an especial
ly exhaustive
lecture, the puz
zle will come to
mind, and I’ll
do a bunch of
little houses in
the margins without lifting up my
pen. So, I’ve mastered that one. I now
ponder what I have learned in my 22
years and, in particular, what I’ve
gotten out of this University.
I know my social security number
better than I know my hair color, and
my PAC code will uselessly stay with
me for a long time to come. But what
do I really know? It seems that the
majority of my most useful knowl
edge was not gained in any class
room.
I know that if you hold a beer bottle
around the neck while drinking, it
will stay colder longer. If you break
your cigarette right near the filter,
you can stick the filter in the other
end and smoke it anyway. I know
that a complete meal for five bucks
makes a fine restaurant. And, if you
put out the right bait, you can hook a
liberal every time.
One of the most valuable things I
did learn in a classroom is that I can
sleep in almost any position, at any
time, no matter how uncomfortable
the conditions. However, that is not
to totally discredit the people who
have been a big part of my education
and an inspiration to me.
So, here is my open letter to some
people who I think made a difference
and who I will remember with re
spect and admiration. If you ever
have a chance to get to know any of
these people, do it. You won’t be dis
appointed.
Thank you to:
Comparative literature GTF
Bradley Butterfield for creating an in
tellectual hideaway in his classroom
and a syllabus as enjoyable as it was
challenging. It’s rare to find people
whom you will seek out and take
their classes over and over again.
“You see, sir, I’m not obstinate, and
I’m willing to work; traveling is a hard
life, but I couldn’t live without it.”
Physics Professor Bob Zimmerman
for making me look at the stars and
wonder, perplexed, at the meaning of
everything; for pointing out to me
that Mars can’t look yellow because
it’s the Red Planet, for Christ’s sake;
and that, even though the sim will ex
pand and die, the earth will be en
veloped and die and that life as we
know it will eventually die, the
Pleiades are a beauty to behold.
Journalism GTF Lauren Danner for
having an innate enthusiasm for jour
nalism and the career of writing. I
will never forget her words about the
importance of even the small pieces,
like high school graduation an
nouncements, because they mean
something to somebody.
English instructor Paul Dresman
for being one hep cat, for having the
courage to teach a course on beat po
etry, for grading tough and for
snarling like a hipster and dressing
like a square. I wish you the best
wherever you are and in whatever
you do.
Journalism Professor Arnold
Ismach for just being one cool guy;
for ensuring that every class had a
hint of unbalance; and, though you
have years of experience under your
belt, for being humble enough to say,
“Oh really? I never thought of it that
way.”
Philosophy Professor Cheyney
Ryan for teaching one of my most fa
vorite classes, an unexpected sur
prise, Philosophy of Film, and for
giving us all a newfound respect for
the good ol’ American Western.
Although, you did ruin It’s a Won
derful Life for me.
Associate Journalism Professors
Tim Gleason for never bullshitting;
Carl Bybee for being an idealist and
for creating the world’s best “Info
Hell” class; Tom Wheeler for teach
ing me that editors aren’t always
nice.
And last, but not least, University
communications director Tom Hager
for wrapping up my college career
and being nice enough to say, if not
in so many words, “Hey, you might
be a good writer.”
I’m sure I’m forgetting people, but
it has been a long four years. I want to
stay a student forever almost as much
as I want to get out of here. However,
I have picked up a few useful tools,
I’ll admit. And a handful of people
here should be proud to know that
they really made a difference. Thanks
and good luck to all of you.
Amanda Erickson, a senior majoring
in journalism, is a columnist for the
Emerald. Her views do not necessari
ly reflect those of the newspaper.
E-mail: aericks@gladstone.
uoregon.edu.
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On May 20, the
director of the
Communication
Disorders and
Sciences program
was misidentified
as Jane McDonald.
The director of the
academic program
is in fact Marilyn
Nippold.Jane
McDonald is the
director of the CDS
clinic, another part
of the Speech-Lan
guage-Hearing
Center at the
University. The
Emerald regrets
the error.
LETTERS
Equal rights
Since you asked for it [ODE, May 21),
here’s my opinion.
I basically agree with Chen Zheng Ar
Rashid’s opinion as expressed in a letter
printed in the Emerald on Tuesday, May 20.
I, too, believe that there is nothing ob
scene about women’s breasts. Women’s
bodies are no more obscene than men’s, and
it’s simply unfair to have different standards
for men and women. If the city of Eugene
passes an ordinance that bans bare female
breasts (which I think is ridiculous) then at
least I demand equal restrictions for men.
I’m not an anti-male feminist and I don’t
want any privileges for women, but I strong
ly believe in equality. And if women are not
allowed to walk topless in the mall, why
then should men be allowed to do so?
Furthermore, I also strongly agree that if
topless women were commonplace then fe
male breasts would cease be objects of mys
tique and sexual allure. Now, that might be
bad for the profit of some magazine owners
who rely on just that allure to sell their mag
azines, but I believe it would help increase
respect for the female body in society and
create a healthier social climate.
SonjaG.Schirmer
Math Department
Inappropriate behavior
I believe myself to be a very liberal-mind
ed individual, but I don’t agree with your as
sertion in the May 21 editorial that women
should be allowed to walk around topless
anywhere.
While on the beach it may be an appropri
ate behavior, in the city’s mall it is not.
More than anything it is disrespectful and
inconsiderate to the other people in the
mall. I would be displeased to see a 16-year
old girl parading topless through the mall as
was described in your article, the same as I
would be if it were a man who had declined
to wear his pants.
I don’t want to see it. Not to imply that I
don’t believe women’s breasts to be beauti
ful. I am certainly not “living in fear.” But
unfortunately we don’t live in a society that
universally reveres the beauties of the hu
man female form. We live in one that all too
often regards women as mindless sexual ob
jects.
We need to start working on focusing the
eyes of those with such views on our
achievements, on the products of our
minds, not on the content of our bras. Come
on guys, women really aren’t liberating
themselves by baring their breasts in the
mall.
Michelle Lynn Sorensen
Biology
All
thumbs
THE PREFONTAINE
CLASSIC
Even bad weather
couldn’t stop the
Prefontaine Classic
last weekend. Not
only did the annual
track and field meet
sell out, but big
names such as Carl
Lewis and Michael
Johnson brought
the “Track Town”
feeling back to
Hayward Field.
CENTRAL HIGH
SENIORS
The seniors at Cen
tral High School in
Grand Forks, N.D.,
graduated from
what was anything
but a normal year.
Massive flooding
that caused an esti
mated $40 million
worth of damage to
Central High School
forced students to
spend more time
piling sandbags
than sitting in the
classroom, but de
spite it all, the 262
seniors managed to
graduate.
INCIDENTAL FEE
LEGISLATION
An amended
version of a House
bill designed to
eliminate the inci
dental fee from tfie
University now only
includes groups
that are politically
active. What exactly
“politically active” is
supposed to mean
is anyone’s guess,
but it sounds
suspicious to us,
ALCOHOL
AWARENESS
WEEK
Last week was Al
cohol Awareness
Week, not that any
one knew. Even the
owner of the bar
Taylor’s, located
right off campus,
was unaware of
what was going on.
It’s no wonder—
besides one exhibit
on drunk driving,
last week seemed
to be like any other
week of the term.