Editor in chief: Laura Cadiz
Editorial Editors: Bret Jacobson, Laura Lucas
Newsroom: (541)346-5511
Room 300, Erb Memorial Union
P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
E-mail: ode@oregon.uoregon.edu
Friday
January 28,2000
Volume 101, Issue 85
Effigfold
Hard shies
F C
The University found out it will soon
loose a powerful ally and advocate
when City Councilor Bobby Lee an
nounced last week that he would not
seek re-election. Lee is the representative
for the West University neighborhood, and
while that district is not exclusive to Uni
versity students, there was nevertheless a
symbolic partnership.
Lee is the youngest member of the Eu
gene City Council and the only ethnic
member. He was also the first Asian ASUO
president, elected in 1992. Among his ac
complishments as president, he helped
build the Multicultural Center.
Lee was connected with the University
in so many ways, acting as an advocate for
students even after he graduated. He lived
in the West University neighborhood and
wanted to bring its specific concerns to the
forefront. Crime in the neighborhood was a
big part of Lee’s platform. And his focus
on that seems to have aided in a drop in
crime. Between 1990 and 1995, the
number of crime cases in the neigh
borhood increased
~ about 65 per
A
Giovanni Salimena Emerald
cent, from 1,513 to 2,490 incidents. But in
1998, the number dropped to 1,930 report
ed incidents. The importance of making
that neighborhood a good place to live can
not be overemphasized: It is the life blood
of the University.
But he also addressed concerns in the
whole community, such as homelessness.
Lee actually spent three days on the streets
to discover homelessness for himself, and
under his leadership the city expanded its
homeless shelter and mental services to try
to get more children off the street. The city
also hired outreach workers to talk to the
children directly on the streets instead of
waiting for the children to come to them.
“I’ll truly miss him,” Eugene Mayor Jim
Torrey said (ODE Jan. 21). And so will we.
Lee’s term will end in January 2001, and
Lee says that he needs to leave the unpaid
councilor position in part because he
needs to repay his student loans and make
a statement in the private arena. This
leaves the door open for someone new to
run for this seat and be a student advocate
to the whole city. The election may be next
year, but the race to find a replacement re
ally starts today: We have a year to discern
who will best serve our needs.
That someone does not necessarily have
to follow directly in Lee’s footsteps specifi
cally. But the spirit of cooperation and the
passion to bring University students’
needs to the attention are key.
One certainly significant issue is that of
renter’s rights. The city is still without a
housing code. While many groups, includ
ing the ASUO this year and in years past,
have advocated for this crucial need, the
city still lacks one. This affects University
students disproportionately, as we are of
ten stuck in deplorable housing conditions
with pretty much no leverage against a
possibly restrictive or unkind landlord.
Part of the renters’ rights campaign needs
to focus on why landlords should take stu
dent renters more seriously, not just that
students should fight back against abuses.
Diversity in Eugene, growth, construc
tion and crime are just a few other areas
^ of concern that co uld headline next
year’s elections.
P* Other issues are out there as well,
we just have to discover them.
Or, we have to have someone
bring them to our attention.
Like a good candidate for
2001.
This editorial represents the opin
ion of the Emerald editorial
board. Responses may be sent
to ode@oregon.uoregon.edu.
Collective history is key to a collective future
P| ost hoc, ergo propter hoc.
' When describing the effect
of the past on the present,
there's no better way to sum
it up than that one little Latin line:
after it, therefore because of it. And
that is what I shall say to self-impor
tant history scholars.
A friend from Harvard recently
relayed an upcoming history of
western civilization final he would
have to face. One possible question
on the exam struck me as having
more merit for those who wish to
demonstrate their ability to spew
forth an endless stream of facts in
pretentious prose rather than
demonstrating a student’s ability to
engage in a thoughtful discussion.
The students, you see, were asked to
pick an age of western civilization
that was the turning point of histo
ry. They were given the expected
options, the Renaissance, Medieval
times (never call them the Dark
Ages to a scholar of the era lest you
unleash a torrent of repressed rage)
and modern times to name a few.
What a load of bunk.
Post hoc, ergo propter hoc.
The ramifications of that little
Latin line is that all of what exists
now is the product of every moment
in the past. To pick a singular era
may be a vehicle to demonstrate
one’s condescending attitude
through their pet research era, but it
also ignores the fact that we are in
deed the sum of our collective past.
To say otherwise-is fooIieHi.V'V, »
Sure, there are plenty of impor
tant singular moments that shaped
the present.
Gutenberg’s
printing press
comes to mind.
But then so
does the inven
tion of the
atomic bomb.
And who
could forget
the bombing of
Pearl Harbor?
And those are
just the most
popularly re
membered moments. Any fan of the
History Channel loves a little seg
ment called.Timelab 2000 where-lit
Bret
Jacobson
tie McGuyver-esque moments in
history were decided by some un
known man with a match, three
balls of pocket lint and a Tic Tac.
Little tidbits of history are easier
to grasp, of course, in this ever-in
creasing world of worthless commu
nication noise. But it is incumbent
upon us as citizens to fight through
the malaise of easy history lessons
to remember all the aspects of our
collective past if we are to build a
society worth sustaining and ignore
pretentious historians.
Bret Jacobson is an editorial editor for the
Oregon Daily Emerald. His views do not nec
essarily represent those of the Emerald. He
can be reached via e-mail at bjacobso@glad
*stone.uoregofi.edu.< » • • *.*• * • •
Thumbs
To good news
for the elderly
A new study pub
lished in the jour
nal of the Ameri
can Medical
Association finds
that people older
than 85 are living
healthier and have
fewer disabilities
than in the past.
To a boon for
diversity
The Multicultural
Center’s new bud
get was approved
by the Programs
Finance Commit
tee Tuesday, and it
included money
for a new position:
an MCC director.
Echoing the words
of diversity intern
Jay Breslow: “This
is a historic thing.”
To the toxic-waste
school
The Los Angeles
unified school
board voted to
abandon a $170
million high
school construc
tion projects that
had already be
gun, after learning
that the site used
to be an oilfield.
To the new Ken
Starr
The Arizona Daily
Wildcat reported
that Arizona Rep,
Jean McGrath, R
Glendale, has sub
mitted a proposal
to prohibit guests
of the opposite sex
from visiting a per
son's dorm room
(other than family)
during certain
times of the day.
Originally, her bill
proposed to re
strict visitation
during ail times of
the day. She cites
co-ed dorms at
bastions of im
moral behavior.
Looking for im
moral places? Try
the White House,
lady.