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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 1998)
NEWSROOM: (541)346-5511 E-MAIL ode@oregon. uonegon.edu ON-LINE EDITION: www.uoregon.edu/~ode EDITOR IN CHIEF Ryan Frank EDITORIAL EDITOR Kameron Cole Cops are in our comer Despite a lack of student interest, the new public safety station will be a boon to the campus community The grand opening of the new West University Public Safe ty Station came and passed without much in the way of student support,. Of the approximate 60 attendees at Thursday’s ceremony, none showed up. But that’s OK. After all, we’re col lege students, for crying out loud. We have more important things to think about, things like classes and social lives. A new police station just does n’t rate too high on our list of priori ties. That is, until we find ourselves strolling through campus or the West University area alone at night — expe riences that don’t exactly inspire a strong sense of security. That’s why the new station on the comer of 13th Avenue and Alder Street is such a welcome addition. First, the station is in a prime loca tion for handling campus crime, with a location that’s almost as convenient as the 7-Eleven across the street. This means, ideally, faster response times and an increased police presence on campus and in the surrounding area. Now before you groan that Eugene is becoming a police state or make a pig joke, stop and consider the merits of having such a prominent station so close to campus. The old station, if you could even call it that, consisted of a trailer set up in the parking lot of the Alder Street 7 Eleven. Few people knew it was there and consequently, there was quite a bit of doubt as to whether or not it was an effective crime deterrent. The new building is larger, more visible and features a permanent offi cer on duty. Already, people have no ticed a difference in the level of ques tionable activity around the area. While the most vocal proponents of Giovanni Salemetia/Emerald the new station have been local busi nesses, students stand to reap bene fits as well. Consider that it’s only the third week of school and already there have been several incidents that have posed threats to the campus commu nity, including car thefts and myriad alcohol-related incidents. The new station will serve to en hance the sense of security of stu dents on campus and in the West Uni versity area. And for any member of the campus community who has been a victim of crime, not to mention those among us who are simply sick of being offered "nuggets" every time we walk down 13th, this is good news. As campuses and college towns across the country debate ways to in sure the safety of students and com munity members, it’s refreshing to see some real effort towards that end be ing instituted at a local level. Perhaps the greatest benefit that will come out of the new station is the potential to improve relations be tween the campus community and the Eugene Police Department, which in the wake of last year’s riots and oth er clashes, have been decidedly strained. We often forget that the cops who confiscate our kegs and dole out MIP’s are the same ones we turn to when our car stereos or our bike come up missing. The bottom line is this: no matter how much we extol the virtues of the new station, you probably won’t care about it anymore or less than you did before we started. The new comer station probably won’t make any im mediate impact on your life. It’s more like a pocket knife or a extra button; you won’t realize how necessary it is until you need it. This editorial represents the opinion of the Emerald editorial board. Responses may be sent to ode@oregon. uoregon. edu. Letters to the Editor Registration ends today I write to encourage all students who have not yet registered to do so. The deadline is today, October 13. Registering to vote-and then voting-is the most ef fective way to influence the many decisions that will have a direct effect on your life, both as an individual and as a university student. A strong student voice at the ballot box is central to our ability to persuade the state’s lawmakers to reinvest in higher education. The ASUO Main Office in Suite 4 EMU has voter registration cards. Please stop by today and register if you haven’t already-and then vote in November. Dave Frohnmayer University President Students need to speak up Attention students! The last day to register to vote for the November 3 election is today if you have nev er previously registered. If you have previously reg istered, you have until November 26, but why wait? The importance of students voting this year is unde niable. So many issues will depend on strong stu dent turnout, like freezing our already high tuition and keeping our ability to organize and advocate for student issues. For the first time this decade the state of Oregon is seriously looking at reinvestment in our colleges. So many candidates and ballot measures will hinder or assist this process. Without a strong student turnout this will not happen. So to keep it simple please register and then go to the polls, vote by mail or get involved with the process. Today there will be students on the street with reg istration cards and they will help you make your voice heard in this state’s capital. Our student lead ers need your support. Without the strength of a uni versity’s voice shouting as one at the legislature we cannot make a difference. In order to shake the stig ma of student apathy the University community needs to make a statement: we want our state to care about its universities and more importantly, its stu dents. In-state and out-of-state, we all live in Oregon and should be heard. If tuition is a concern for you, take notice that the only way to make a difference is to represent. It takes two minutes, but its impact will last for years and aid students in our fight to achieve the right to a quality education. Matt Swanson ASUO State Affairs Coordinator Spencer Hamlin Student Senator In defense of fraternities I once shared Ashley Bach’s prejudices against fra ternities (ODE, Oct. 9), but 1 now know fraternity life can be a worthwhile and rewarding experience. While a freshman at another university in Oregon, I believed fraternities were nothing more than insti tutions meant to perpetuate inequalities introduced in high school. I assumed fraternity members were shallow, igno rant, spoiled children interested only in perpetuat ing various good ol’ boy networks. Over the years, however, I recognized my own prejudices against fraternities and I eventually joined a fraternity. At my undergraduate university, I refereed intra mural sports. When I objectively observed men play ing in those leagues, I realized fraternity men were, for the most par, better sportsmen than other partici pants. While some individuals (or in some cases, en tire houses) perpetuated the ”frat guy" stereotype, the vast majority of fraternity men were honest indi viduals who treated their fellow players, referees and audience members with respect. As a graduate student, I taught biology labs for a number of years and met many students and cowork ers who belonged to fraternities. Again, the vast ma jority of them were honest, upstanding individuals committed to leading the best lives they could. At my former university, I even dated a fraternity member. I never understood why he remained in a fraternity where a handful of brothers would openly despise and ridicule him, perhaps even physically assault him, had they known he was gay. I only knew he valued his life and experiences in the house too much to leave—the sense of community and broth erhood was too important for him to sacrifice. Fur thermore, I was impressed that those brothers who knew he was gay treated both of us with respect and welcomed me in the same manner they welcomed the girlfriends of other brothers. In law school, I have experienced fraternity life as a member of Delta Lambda Phi. Contrary to the array of existing prejudices and stereotypes, I wouldn’t give up my fraternity experience for a nothing. Our fraternity, like almost every other one on campus, is committed to improving the lives of its members by establishing a common bond of brotherhood and ca maraderie. We attempt to improve ourselves by holding each other to the highest standards of hon esty, respect, integrity and dignity. Quite simply, I am a better person for having joined my fraternity. Mr. Bach and others should remember that frater nities are institutions which can be used to improve the lives of their members or abused in ways that harm their members. The choice between good and harm will be made by the individual members of a fraternity it is not a decision inherent within the in stitution itself. Mr. Bach may hold the opinion that fraternities as a whole do more harm than good, but it has been my experience that a fraternity can improve the lives of its members. Joel Corcoran Law Thumbs TO THE INFOR MATION SUPER HIGHWAY: A man who used an I nternet chat room to confess that he killed his daughter was re cently sentenced to 40 years in prison. He should have lust stuck to "So, what are you wearing?" TO AMESTY IN TERNATIONAL: Venerable human rights groups re cently annouced it will look into al leged prisoner abuse in the United States. Maybe the inquiry will bring the country a step closer to leading by example. 1/ TO HANDWRIT ING: School adminis trators are argu ing over whether to teach young students tradition al cursive or italic as a primary writ ing technique. Why argue ove v^rich is better? Teach students both, maketheir handwriting illegi ble and “doom” them to become doctors. TO THE SUPREME COURT: Justices recently ruled that public schoolteachers have no right to free speech in the classroom. We don’t need no ed ucation...
