CONTACTING US
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(541)346-5511 Oregon Daily Emerald
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ode@oregon.uoregon.edu Eugene, Oregon 97403
ONLINE EDITION: www.uoregon.edu/~ode
Finishing a century of success
Today’s newspaper is a document for
the record books. Just above the
green stripe on the front page is
something a little unusual: Volume
100, Issue 1. It marks the first issue of the Ore
gon Daily Emerald’s 100th year of existence.
In day-to-day work, newspapers serve com
munities small and large all over the world.
They provide news, entertainment, a forum for
public opinion and dozens of other services. In
short, newspapers are often the community
cornerstone.
For a century, the Oregon Daily Emerald has
worked to achieve this on a diverse campus by
documenting activities at the University and
throughout the surrounding community. It has
also provided a strong voice of reason, often
asserting its independence from the University
in editorials decades before the newspaper of
ficially became independent.
The significance of today’s edition gives the
Emerald a chance to tell its own story, which
began on Feb. 12,1900, with Volume 1, Num
ber 1. It was founded by the Eutaxian, Laurean
and Philologian Societies on campus and orig
inally named The Oregon Weekly. The ASUO
took over the newspaper at the start of the fol
lowing school year and kept control until
1952. Still under the ASUO, the newspaper’s
name changed to the Oregon Emerald in 1909,
and it began publishing five days a week in
1920 as the Oregon Daily Emerald.
Through the years, the Emerald’s editorial
board took sides on many controversial issues.
In the 1950s, the Emerald took a staunch stand
against the practices of Wisconsin Senator Joe
McCarthy. The board was surprised when the
reaction it received was from students who
thought the Emerald had not gone far enough
in denouncing McCarthy.
This kind of determination and self-reliance
led directly into one of the newspaper’s proud
est moments. On April 8,1971, die Student
Publication Board was abolished and the
Emerald became independent. Two months
later, the Oregon Daily Emerald Board of Di
rectors created Oregon Daily Emerald Publish
ing Company, Inc., a company financially and
legally separate from the University.
Currently located in Suite 300, a rented of
fice high atop the EMU, and more than a quar
ter of a century after gaining its independence,
the Emerald earns more than 80 percent of its
revenues from the sale of local, national and
classified advertising. Only about 17 percent
of the revenue comes from a bulk student sub
scription of 10,000 copies daily.
About 40 student newsroom staffers collabo
rate on each edition of the Emerald every day
during the school year. The advertising, classi
fieds, business and production departments
have also trained hundreds of students for a
variety of experiences in the world. Emerald
alumni have landed jobs as diverse as chief of
Caribbean services for the Associated Press
and executive editor of The Seattle Times. The
Emerald has provided the country with hun
dreds of award-winning, well-trained journal
ists.
Like any news medium, the Emerald has tak
en its lumps over the last century, which is in
evitable on a student newspaper because of
the high turnover. But the employees truly do
follow the Emerald bylaws, which state, “Pro
fessional journalistic principles of objectivity,
accuracy, fairness and balance shall guide the
editorial staffs decisions about news and edi
torial content.” This is evident because after
100 years the newspaper is still here, and re
spect for newspapers is often built on little
more than reputation.
The newspaper business survived the inven
tions of radio and television, and it is now
adapting to the Internet. By remaining in
volved in campus and community activities,
the Oregon Daily Emerald has secured its
niche and maintained its reputation as a fair
and relevant campus publication. The next
century should be filled with just as much suc
cess.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Speeches incoherent
An open letter to 1997-98 ASUO Presi
dent and Vice President Bill Miner and
Ben Unger:
Did you misunderstand the concept of a
commencement speech? Oh yeah, "Let's
make the graduation ceremony just a little
uglier and longer." Plus, since you long ago
lost the respect of the students, you just
decided to bum your bridges with all the
professors and the HIPs in the audience? I
can’t wait to hear the reply from potential
employers when you guys go in for job:
"Sure, I'd love to hire you, but since you
don’t want to be a part of the 'monster that
is corporate business' we're just going to
pay you ten percent. Also, a couple of col
lege graduates like yourselves should get
executive-track jobs, but obviously you
want to work on the assembly line down
in the sweat shop."
Remember next time, there are times to
be idiots, and really wrong times to be id
iots. Your speech wasn't brave, if that's
what you think. It was incoherent, bab
bling, nonsensical nonsense. Some good
points amazingly found their way in,
prompting surprised applause, because
we were expecting the other kind of
speech — you know, the good kind. My
section, however, was filled with boos,
hisses, and the occasional “go home” or
“shut up.”
What a way to go out. Terrific job. Good
luck with your lives. Bill and Ben. You're
going to need it.
DaynaTeny
English
Discussion needed
The Thurston High School shooting has
created space for a wide-ranging discus
sion to take place in our communities
about how best we keep our culture safe
from unintended gun violence. In particu
lar. we must generate ways to keep our
children and young people safe. The fact
that the Thurston shooting was not even
the sole incidence of gun violence in a
school setting on May 21 underscores this
even further.
Without question, firearms have a place
in American culture. They will continue to
do so, whether the purpose is for the de
fense of civil society, for sport and recre
ation, or even for subsistence. As a society
built on civil liberties and responsibilities,
however, it is increasingly clear that we all
have a role to play. We must create com
munity norms that keep weapons of any
size or shape from falling into the hands of
those who may misuse them — especially
those who are not equipped by reason of
age or ability to judge correct from incor
rect use of a firearm.
For this reason, I heartily endorse three
things: First, continued dialogue in each of
our communities around unintended gun
violence; second, support of the “Let It End
Here" campaign or campaigns like it; and
third, removal or monitoring of influences
that tend to teach violence in our homes.
May we continue to learn which road we
must follow. And may we listen carefully
to one another, for the sake of all our chil
dren.
Rev. Stephen Mathlson-Bowie
Eugene
Emerald
The Oregon Daily Emerald is published daily Monday
through Friday during the school year and Tuesday and
Thursday during the summer by the Oregon Daily Emer
ald Publishing Co. Inc., at the University of Oregon, Eu
gene, Oregon. A member ot the Associated Press, the
Emerald operates independently of the University with
offices in 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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