Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 1999)
NEWSROOM: (541)346-5511 E-MAIL ode@oregon. uoregon.edu ON-LINE EDITION: www.dailyemeraldcom EDITOR IN CHIEF Ryan Frank EDITORIAL EDITORS KameronCole Stefanie Knowlton You’ve got afriend in me 'gjOOD Ptz-igN In the world of relationships, sometimes a good buddy is better than a sweetheart W hen I was a freshman, I fell head over heels for a boy who I ended up wasting a large amount of time on. He wasn’t my knight in shining armor or my per fect match, but at times we just clicked. We weren’t really friends. In fact, we probably staged some of the best quarrels in Eugene history. It might not have been the healthiest of relationships, and we may have driven each other crazy, almost to the point of hate. But as I look back, I realize I learned and grew from it. I am a stronger woman because of it. My friend Nick and I were sitting around the other day, procrastinating as we do best, talking about girls, boys, sex, lust, love and all that good stuff, bab bling about how relationships can screw you up, make you squirm and take forever to get over. And as I looked at his floppy hair and drowsy eyes, I thought to myself how lucky I was to have a friend like him, and even though I had a Valentine, I knew he’d be there for me. Friendship is something that a lot of people take for granted, especially around the holiday o’ love, k Instead of sulking that there is no significant oth 1 er, or special li’l crush, why not let your friends I know how much they mean to I uwmu«*t you? V Letters to the Editor 1 ne ones who have been there for you, the ones who held your hair back during that night from hell, the ones who listened to you obsess over and over about that certain some one, the ones who walked seven miles with you in hot desert sun to get to a concert, the ones who said you always have been and always will be a rock star, the ones who drove five hours to com fort your broken heart, the ones who let you cry, the ones who told you to stop cry ing, the ones who told you it was OK to quit, the ones who made you keep go ing — these are the people who de serve the love. These are the people you learn from and grow with, much more than a rela tionship with a boy from years ago. And even though V-day has come and gone, there is no reason to not let someone know they affect you. However, as time moves on, and we all get older, friendships come and go. People go different direc tions and follow different paths, friendships begin to fade and contact gets hazy. It can be difficult to accept that you won’t all be go Opinion Amy Goldhammer ing through things together. It can be weird at first, but eventually things smooth out, and you realize these friends who have ventured down dif ferent paths are always there for you and will always give you their two cents’ worth, if you want it or not. It’s easy to neglect friends when your life is a whirlwind. If they are true friends, they’ll be there when the wind calms down. Friendships are funny things. They find you when you least expect it and are there when you’re looking for it. Nick and I have different groups of friends, and the first time we got them all together resulted in one of the best afternoons. They didn’t know each other. They might have seen each other around a bit, but af ter a few rounds of the “do you know so-’n’-so” talk, and a few kegs later, we were all one big happy fami ly. I almost want to say the more the merrier, but after a while you can only have so many acquaintances before you need a friend. So go tell your friends how much you appreciate them, that they make you smile and laugh. They won’t look at you funny when you say you’re glad they are in your life, and they won’t break up with you. They’ll tell you if you look better with hot pink hair rather than electric blue locks and if your cook ing is really bad. They will take your keys away when you can’t drive and do their best to make sure you’re happy. As your group of friends grows, you learn, not only about them, but about yourself. They may see things about you that you have never noticed. And don’t forget, these people, the ones you spend your time with, laugh with, cry with and get lost with, well, they learn and grow with you too. As much as they affect you, you affect them. And even though I have no idea what freshman year boy is doing with his life, it’s good to know he had an effect on someone else's. Amy Goldhammer is a columnist for the Emerald. Her vieus do not necessarily represent those of the neuspaper. Program flawed I've known and watched Oregon wrestler Dusty Roberts since his high school wrestling days (ODE, Jan. 15). He and his brothers are highly respected wrestlers and fine young men. I’ve had the opportunity to watch Dusty’s full fitness routine: eating healthy, well-balanced meals, the workouts, running and weight lifting. I've seen him work diligently toward his and the team’s weight goals, and this has taken determina tion, endurance and perseverance. I've talked with him about his wrestling and learned of his passion for it and doing what ever he can to be the best at it. I also know Dusty to be intelligent and thoughtful. He is capable of making wise and educated deci sions. He is an athlete, not simply a head strong jock. What I have never seen is “in subordination" or lack of commitment to his coaches, teammates or those around him. After listening and weighing Dusty’s comments for a while, I have concluded there is a problem with Oregon’s wrestling program, but it is not Dusty, nor is it his friends and wrestling teammates. Gary Mclnturff Spokane, Wash. Claims disputed Three rapid weight-loss deaths in the same year (ODE, Jan. 15)? This is absurd and highly unlikely considering that there are only four recorded cases of weight-loss deaths in the history of wrestling. A doctor recently wrote an article about the possibili ty of al 11 hree of those wrestlers’ deaths being caused by weight loss. Statistically, the pos sibility of those wrestlers dying due to weight loss alone is about 4 trillion to one. How many football players die each year during spring training? You probably could n't even find the recent article on Mark Bar ranco. Does the NCAA threaten to drop other sports unless immediate, drastic measures are taken when their players die? Who are these seven sources who have seen or used plastics this year? David Perkins, the Emerald claims, admitted to us ing plastics and was not suspended. David Perkins has not competed for the Ducks this year. It sounds like he is another disgruntled athlete trying to cause trouble. Dusty Roberts wrestled at 142 last year. If he didn’t have a problem making weight last year, why would he have a problem making 149? With a career record of 25-25, he wasn’t going to take the place of the Ducks’ nationally ranked Daryl Christian. It sounds like he was just looking for any easy way out of the team. Mindy Bixby Pre-Education Election should go on It appears the Emerald editorial board is missing the boat. In “Just Say No,” (ODE, Feb. 11) you report that several student leaders claim the special election to be a sham, just a way to sneak OSPIRG back on campus. These student leaders must have missed the “small army” of OSPIRG sup porters gathering pledges of support for OS PIRG and the 3,000 students who pledged to vote “yes" next week in the special elec tions. However, you go on to urge “each and every student” to vote "Against OSPIRG. Against everything ... ” I find this philoso phy hard to swallow when this election is supposed to fix an elections process in which 36 grievances were fded in the previ ous general election. How is voting “no” on everything going to fix a flawed system? I find it frightening that the ASUO Constitu tion Court has the power to deny the stu dent body a voice on OSPIRG and other dis puted measures to be heard through an election. Can students not discern for them selves what constitutional changes they feel appropriate? Let the students be heard. Brian Tanner Director of State Affairs, Associated Students of Lane Community College LETTERS POLICY The Oregon Daily Emerald will attempt to print all letters containing comments on top ics of interest to the University community. Letters must be limited to 250 words. The Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter tor length, clarity, grammar, style and libel. Letters may be dropped off at EMU Suite 300.