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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...