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EDITOR IN CHIEF
Ryan Frank
EDITORIAL EDITORS
Kamenon Cole
Stefanie Knowlton
Winter Term Blues
Columnist
moans
about the
perils of
winter and
dreams of a
happier
spring at
the
University
It is sad out there.
No, actually it’s SAD
out there.
I used to think SAD
(seasonal affective disorder)
was an excuse for foreigners
to the Northwest to whine
and complain all winter
long. Yeah right, I thought,
the weather can really have
that much effect on one’s at
titude and efficiency.
I’ve always lived in Ore
gon, and the rain has
never bothered me. I
grew up J
thanking the rain for keeping
the Northwest green and the
air clean.
Not this winter.
Give me brown hillsides
and desert sand — I don’t
care — just give me one final
spring term.
For the sake of my educa
tion at least. I’m beginning to
find that the only thing more
fascinating than seeing that
six minutes of teasing, morn
ing sunshine is that 360 min
utes of rain that I didn’t see
while I was still asleep.
Oh yeah, I remember those
amazing spring terms of 1995
and 1996. If you were here
then, you
know
what I am
talking about.
Seventy-degree mornings,
shorts and flip-flops, and an
odd feeling of pleasure while
walking to campus. No soak
ing-wet clothes, no giant
mud puddles and none of
that wind-aided rain that
Forrest Gump referred to as
“sideways rain.”
And that is just the weath
er.
With such great weather,
however rare it has been dur
ing the past two spring terms,
comes an attitude that
screams productivity and en
thusiasm.
You can effectively get to
class on time, take a break on
the library lawn and then
head home for some early
brew and barbecue.
In general, people are just
happier. Guys start shaving
their faces again and at least
attempt to lose their winter
warmth guts (although the
barbecues don’t help). Girls
start shaving their legs again
and get tans from the real
sun, rather than jockeying for
position for the stand-up tan
ning machine at Precision
Cuts. There are a whole lot of
shorts, skirts and short skirts.
Professors are happier be
cause more students are in
class.
Improved attendance
transforms the campus from
a scurrying, soaking-wet mob
to a slow-walking, sun
bathing group of Utopians. If
you listen closely, you can
almost hear each and every
one of us thanking our re
spective God that we aren’t
behind some desk some
where pushing papers from 8
to 5.
No longer am I sad, or
SAD. Rather, I start to feel
very happy, or HAPPY.
This latest acronym,
although I am sure
some others ex
— perience the
same feeling,
Giovanni Sutimena/Emerakl
represents the little voice in
my head that says, “Hey
Aaron, isn’t this pleasant.
Party? Yes!”
In all seriousness, one
would have to be a very
strong person to not be nega
tively impacted by a season
that brought 50 percent more
rain by mid
February than
Opinion Oregon has
seen in its
very wet his
tory. I sure
hope my pro
fessors take
that into ac
count when
Aaron
Artman
they calculate
my grades
next week.
Please take
notice, Professors Bivins,
Dawson and Kaye, I began
this paragraph with “in all
seriousness,” and believe
me, I am.
In fact, maybe we all just
deserve a little slack in the fi
nal two weeks of this term.
Our sins of the winter must
have been washed away by
now—along with our
motivation, enthusiasm
and yes, effectiveness.
Maybe we are due for
I some good weather
} karma.
So please, God, give
us a glimpse of heaven.
Give us spring term at
the University of Oregon.
b
Aaron Artman is a columnist
for the Emerald. His views do
not necessarily represent those
of the newspaper.
Letters to the Editor
Farewell Kriegel
Finally, former Senator Tamir Kriegel has
done something that is beneficial to the stu
dent body (ODE Feb. 25 “Kriegel stages dra
matic resignation from Student Senate”). I
am referring to his resignation from the Sen
ate on February 24. Kriegel’s immaturity,
megalomania and stunts have plagued this
campus since he was elected, and I congrat
ulate him for resigning.
During his office, Kriegel showed a total
lack of respect for both the executives of the
ASUO and the Senate. He attempted to
make a plaything out of a respectable insti
tution that is in place to protect the rights of
the student. With no regard for the issues, he
once voted "no” every time at a Senate meet
ing and at a different meeting he voted “yes”
every time. Is this the kind of person we
want to represent us?
His apathy as an elected official was ap
palling and offensive. Personally I have a lot
more respect for the process of democracy
than that, and I expect the same from those
who represent me. The senate faces impor
tant issues every week and the senators need
to keep this in mind when they are voting.
As a last insult, Kriegel and his prankster
friends staged a kidnapping at a Senate
meeting. The Senate should be a body that is
respected, but instead this group of self-cen
tered men used the meeting as an opportuni
ty to belittle the Senate. I, for one, am glad
Kriegel has left the Senate, and I do not be
lieve that the Emerald should condone his
actions as they did in their article. More than
half of the article, which was supposed to be
covering the Senate meeting, was commit
ted to the antics of Kriegel and his cronies.
By giving people like Kriegel this kind of
press we are giving him or her just the atten
tion they are looking for.
With Kriegel gone, hopefully the Senate
will be able to address the important issues
that face this campus. So, thank you, Tamir,
for leaving the ASUO to people who care.
Let’s just hope the Commentator will be as
kind.
Kyle Swanson
History and Humanities
Safety First
Throughout the term, the Emerald has re
ported on the safety of students on campus.
The latest of these articles appeared on
March 5 (“Vandalism strikes the University
Inn”), regarding the repeated acts of vandal
ism at the University Inn. There have also
been articles on harassment in the dorms
and lighting on campus.
As a student, I am greatly encouraged that
these issues are being addressed and pre
sented to the student body. Everyone has the
right to live in a safe and harassment-free at
mosphere. And keeping students informed
is a good step forward in creating a hate-free
environment on campus.
Being informed, however, is not enough.
Students need to take an active role in creat
ing positive change on campus. The ASUO
Campus Safety Team has realized that there
are some issues regarding student safety that
need to be addressed. We have been actively
involved in working with University Hous
ing and OPS to see what can be done.
Most recently, we helped sponsor and put
on the Zero Tolerance Rally on March 1,
which promoted a harassment- and hate
free campus. There are also a variety of pro
jects in the works for the upcoming spring
term. Things get done on campus when stu
dents take a stand and work to create the en
vironment they want. I encourage you to call
or come by the ASUO and see what you can
do to make a better campus. It is up to us to
take the initiative.
Matthew Lieuallen
Freshman, Political Science
CORRECTION
The women’s tennis photo that appeared
on Page 8 of Tuesday, March 9’s Emerald
was of Oregon freshman Janice Nyland.
The men's tennis photo that appeared on
Page 14 of Monday, March 8's Emerald was
of Ducks freshman Bertrand Devillers.
The Emerald regrets the errors.
LETTERS POLICY
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print all letters containing comments on top
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Letters must be limited to 250 words. The
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for length, clarity, grammar, style and libel.
Letters may be dropped off at EMU Suite
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