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
Monday
January 31,2000
Volume 101, Issue 86
Emerald
Choice in pur
chasing, includ
ing the option to
not purchase at
all, is a fundamental
American principle.
A proposal being
considered by the
Oregon State Board
of Higher Educa
tion, which would
require all stu
dents in Oregon
public universi
ties to be covered
under some ba
sic health care
insurance, is a
bad idea and
\J
Giovanni Salimena Emerald
f
should not be passed.
The current plan under con
sideration, though still a long
way from being passed, would
require students who are not
covered by private insurance
to buy insurance through the
school they attend at about
$14-17 per term.
While that isn’t a very large
sum compared to many other
fees students incur to matricu
late at a university, the fact
that the fee would be manda
tory is a big problem. Obvi
ously buying insurance at a
low rate makes sense for those
who don’t have private insur
ance. In fact, it’s not very
smart to go without it when
the coverage is so inexpen
sive. And we certainly advo
cate everyone having the
best coverage possible. But
to make its purchase manda
tory is ridiculous. People
should have the choice to
spend their money in the
way they see fit and to not be
forced into an expenditure
they don’t prioritize high
ly
The result of making
the insurance
mandatory for
all uninsured students will be
the subsidization of the few
people who already use it
heavily. In fact, that is one of
the reasons that some want
this plan to be passed. The ris
ing costs of health care force
premiums up for those in the
University plans and create a
need for more purchasers,
hopefully those who will not
use the services much, to cov
er the costs for the few regu
lars in the health offices.
That scenario, described by
Elizabeth Dickenson, a risk
manager for the Oregon Uni
versity System, is called “ad
verse selection.” The argu
ment she makes is that when
health insurance is voluntary
healthy people generally
choose not to purchase it.
Wow, imagine that. People
actually making their own de
cisions of what to buy or not
to buy.
The logical conclusion is
that consumers know best
what makes sense in their
lives. The adverse selection
argument is an illogical reason
to tax many students who
choose to use their money in a
different fashion. It is arrogant
and irresponsible to assume
that the board of higher educa
tion knows how to spend our
money better than we do.
Those uninsured students
who wish to remain unin
sured should have their in
tellect and decisions respect
ed.
If approved, it is estimated
that the plan will be imple
mented anywhere from fall
term 2001 to five years from
now. But it shouldn’t be ap
proved at all. There is no valid
reason to charge all students a
mandatory fee to cover the cost
of some students’ insurance.
The choice of whether or not to
purchase insurance should be
long to the individual.
This editorial represents the opinion
of the Emerald editorial board. Re
sponses may be sent to ode@ore
gon.uoregon.edu.
Letters to the editor ,
All students have right to
Saferide
I would like to make some com
ments on the article about a grievance
over Project Saferide (ODE Jan. 19).
As we know, Saferide is funded by
student fees, therefore it should be
available to all students. However, it
offers rides only to women.
One evening, I had to walk my
friend home, who had broken his leg,
because we were denied the service
since my friend was male.
I understand their concern on the
rape issue, but men can be raped or
robbed as well, and when you are in
jured, you don’t want to walk home.
As for the legal issue, depriving men
of access to a service seems to be a vio
lation of Federal Statute Title IX,
which prohibits discrimination
based on sex. As I understand it, this
grievance is not about eliminating
Saferide, but to make the service
available to all students. All of us pay
student fees, and we all deserve bene
fits resulting from student-funded ser
vices.
Manami Imaoka,
Graduate student, College of Education
LGBT more than
"homosexual community’
While I was pleased to see “Gay
Day: Building a Queer Community at
the University of Oregon” included in
*
the Emerald (ODE, Jan. 28) I was dis
traught to see the phrase “homosexual
community” used repeatedly
throughout the article.
While some might easily overlook
the error, members of the LGBT com
munity would be quick to point out
that “homosexual community” is a
misnomer. “Homosexual” is a term
that specifically denotes an individ
ual whose sexual orientation is pri
marily individuals of the same gen
der. However, the LGBT community
is actually much more diverse and in
cludes many people who don’t iden
tify as “homosexual” (hence the “B”
for bisexual and the “T” for transgen
dered, to start). We are lesbians and
gays, yes, but we are also bisexuals,
transgendered folks, people who
identify themselves as “queer” and
the partners, children, siblings,
friends and supporters of LGBT peo
ple.
Part of the goal of “Gay Day: Build
ing a Queer Community at the Univer
sity of Oregon” is for LGBT people
and their allies to recognize and re
spect the differences under that
acronym umbrella, and to create new
ways to make our community even
more inclusive.
We celebrate the broad spectrum of
people included under the term
LGBT, and the “homosexual commu
nity” just doesn’t do the diversity of
our community justice.
Molly J. McClure
LGBT Issues Coordinator for the
Women’s Center
Thumbs
To a new campus
garden, admission
age 21
The Student Sen
ate last Wednesday
approved a ballot
measure to build a
beer garden on
campus to be
funded by student
incidental fees.
Since the Collier
House and Clancy
Thurber’s Pub
closed in Septem
ber there hasn’t
been any venue on
campus where
beer is served. The
plans must still be
approved by the
ASUO Constitution
Court and voted on
in the upcoming
ASUO student elec
tion.
To the pot patch
easing cancer
pains
The American Can
cer Society is fund
ing a $361,000,
three-year grant
for researching
whether a mari
juana patch could
ease the pain, nau
sea and vomiting
of chemotherapy
patients.
To zebras quieting
of the crowd
With 1:02 remain
ing in the men's
basketball game
against USC last
Thursday the Ore
gon crowd went so
wild in their cheer
ing they shook the
basketball rim
during the Trojan's
Brandon
Granville’s free
throw attempt.
The referees
awarded Granville
an extra free
throw, which he
made.
To starting a bad
habit too early
According to the
first national sur
vey of middle
schools, almost 10
percent of stu
dents smoke ciga
rettes. Apparently
kids do like Joe
Camel!