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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 1998)
CONTACTING US NEWSROOM: ADDRESS: (541) 346-5511 Oregon Daily Emerald E-MAIL: P.O. BOX3159 odeOoregon uoregon.edu Eugene, Oregon 97403 Perspectives EDITOR IN CHIEF Sarah Kickler EDITORIAL EDITOR Mike Schmierbach NIGHT EDITOR Laura Cadiz » flgtifi.ntrmmrn« ■ u ... .. i File Edit Uiem Label Special a W Printer ^Onet Connect HRIS HUTCHINSON/Emerald Sorry, all lines are currently busy. Try connecting again newt meek... 24-hour computer labs almost a necessity With the emphasis professors put on web pages and e-mail, students without modems need the labs to stay open Thank God for the ASUO Executive. There, I said it. Somebody had to sooner or later, so why not have the entire campus read it? Okay, passing out condoms fora library campaign was a little “out there.” But Bill Miner and Ben Unger are on the right track. Although their idea of extend ing library hours isn’t economical, keeping the computer labs open 24 hours is the best idea since 7-Eleven started it years ago. Contrary to what many instructors pro fess, students can survive without the World Wide Web. That is, of course, until professors force us to use the Internet by giving vital class information solely on class Web pages. When assignments and announcements aren’t discussed during regular class time, students must frequent ly check Web pages they otherwise would n’t visit. Miner and Unger realize that most stu dents don’t have access to the residence halls' fast Internet connections. They also recognize that University mo dem accounts are often rendered useless by the all-powerful busy signal. Most importantly, our student body ex ecutives know what it’s like to have jobs and go to school. The University constantly toots its own norn auoui ine avanaDili ty of campus computing centers. Hey, it should. After all, the University’s been voted one of the best campuses in the country for its computer technolo gy and access. But when students are unable to use those labs, what difference does it make whether access to the labs is impeccable or imnnssihle? »■- 'msm Jonas Allen Many students carry a full load, both aca demically and professionally. If work beck ons louder than a class Web page, students are compelled to follow the Pied Piper of Paycheck. This often means late nights on the job. When students are done at work, there’s a good chance the computer labs have closed. If that student is denied by a testy University modem or, God forbid, doesn’t have a modem, how can he or she find out what’s due? Class Web pages make great supple ments to notes, assignments and announce ments, but when they start to replace any or all of the above, students are often left in the dark. Miner and Unger want to avoid this dilemma by making sure the labs are open whenever students need them. Not that the Internet is the only thing labs have to offer. University computing centers also offer several word processing programs and oth er applications that come in handy around the middle and end of the term. But as the number of class Web pages in creases, the necessity for Internet access jumps as well. The Internet is one of the largest information warehouses in the world, and the day may come when class Web pages become virtual classrooms. Indeed, one professor holds office hours this term via a chat room from 11 p.m. to midnight. That’s great for the residence halls, but campus computing centers are closed by that time. And what use are the University’s tech nological wonders when the power switch es are turned off? They’re not very useful at all. The ideal solution to this impending In ternet problem is for all announcements and assignments to be given in class. As we cross Bill’s “Bridge to the 21st Century,” however, that’s going to become more and more a thing of the past. The ASUO has the next best solution. Keeping the computer labs open 24 hours is in the best interest of students who live off campus, whether they have a modem and job or neither one. Jonas Allen is a columnist for the Emerald. His views do not necessarily represent those of the paper POLICY Letters to the Emerald should be less than 400 words. Letters can be submitted in person at EMU, Suite 300, mailed to P.O.Box 3159, Eu gene, OR, 97403, or e-mailed to ode@oregon. uore gon.edu. Please in clude your full name and tele phone number for confirmation. The Emerald reserves the right to edit for length or style. LETTERS to the editor Interpreting MLKand Roe In the wake of this last week, we have been approached with two very pro found memorable events that signify our past, present, as well as our future. On Monday the 19th of January we were giv en a day to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Thursday, Jan. 22 marked the 25 year anniversary of the very con troversial Roe v. Wade case which legal ized abortion by means of federal law. We are now left to interpret the meaning of these two American events. As we all know, Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated his life to the struggle against legalized racism within our country. His efforts as well as others' helped initiate almost all our civil rights legislation that exists today. Unequal treatment of mi norities is no longer tolerated under fed eral law. King’s passions for freedom and liberty represent much of what we call our American virtues and because of this we honor his life with a national holi day. On the other hand, we are haunted by another memorable event that happened 25 years ago last Thursday, that being Roe v. Wade. The decision was celebrat ed by some and protested by many. The controversy still remains today: Is it the right of the child-to-be or the right of the mother? Who are we to honor? What would Martin Luther King Jr. say? How can we as a nation acknowledge a sym bolic figure for freedom, Dr. King, and also recognize abortion, the legal robbery of a potential life? Federal law no longer allows blatant infringement of the rights of minorities, so how can we honor Dr. King and at the same time legally disregard an innocent child’s life? Lynchings are no longer tol erated nor should the lynching of our children. John Skalberg Undeclared CORRECTIONS The article en titled “Parents support UO day care’’ (ODE, Jan. 21) focused on the EMU child care and develop ment site. There are seven differ ent facilities through the Uni versity day care system that cater to student, em ployee and com munity needs.
