Wednesday
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
February 02,2000
Volume 101, Issue 88
Effierakl
What an uproar one measly article can
make. OK, it was more like three
huge articles in a series entitled
“Majoring in Mediocrity” in The
Oregonian, but still. The series, presented last
week in the state’s largest newspaper, analyzed
what the paper saw' as mediocre higher education
in Oregon.
Specifically, The Oregonian series lambasted
the lack of funding for higher education, the lack
of lucrative technology partnerships and the sub
par salaries of faculty.
While many at the University and at the other
universities in the Oregon University System
have voiced their heated opposition to many of
the comments in the series, the Emerald would
tend to agree on a few areas.
Faculty morale is something being touched on
in a seemingly unrelated series this week in the
Emerald. A series of stories on diversity have told
us that something isn’t quite right here, that facul
ty of color aren’t getting the support they need for
them to want to stay. And earlier Emerald articles
on faculty salaries have shown that virtually all
faculty members are concerned that they haven’t
had a cost-of-living increase in four years. The
more we pay our faculty — whether through
higher actual salaries or University encourage
ment of grants, outside research and business par
ticipation — the better faculty we will attract.
The funding issue is, of course, apparent in
every area of higher education. We pay more in
tuition than other peer universities but often
don’t have the same perks. Why are there only
four phone lines on which we can reach the Uni
versity Internet server? Come on, this is the 21st
century. Let’s get hooked up. Let’s find out where
our money really goes and change things that
aren’t efficient.
It’s funny that people can hear about so many
issues that affect Oregon and not make the con
nection between them. This election year, Bill
Sizemore, perennial measure-maker and head of
Oregon Taxpayers United, wants Oregonians to
pass a tax measure that could reduce the whole
state budget by 14 percent. Meanwhile, the Cen
ter on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal think
tank, shows the average income — $97,589 — of
the richest 20 percent of Oregon families with
children is 10 times that of the poorest 20 percent.
And now The Oregonian makes news that higher
education is in trouble.
Well folks, wake up and smell the connections.
If the state budget is decreased, chances are worth
betting on that higher education funding would
go down too. And what happens when a state
doesn’t place a big enough emphasis on educa
tion? More people are apt to live in poverty, and
the economy doesn’t blossom with the same self
sustaining energy.
What The Oregonian series did was highlight
this relationship between quality higher educa
tion and a healthy economy. A bigger push to
ward engineering degrees might mean more
Giovanni Salimena Emerald
patents, which might mean more tech companies
forming straight from universities, which means
new businesses that need to employ people at a
high standard of living. The systems of education
and business feed into each other.
We do seem to have the seeds growing for tech
nology tie-ins — the Riverfront Research Park and
even the new “The UO Experience” CD-ROM that
debuted last week. But how many students at the
University feel certain that their degrees are use
ful in Eugene or Oregon? How many students feel
that companies around here need them and want
them?
Partnerships with business and technology sec
tors often create issues regarding who controls
whom. Nike is a good example of a company that
heavily funds the University — not only in grants
but in putting grads to work — and students seem
to revile Nike even while visiting the law school
or the library. But the complicated ethics in
volved with these partnerships can be and should
be evaluated without withdrawing completely
from big business.
The bottom line is that now is a terrific time to
examine higher education. Students have been
calling for changes for years with regards to tu
ition and funding. Faculty are now calling for
salary compensation. Businesses around Oregon
are calling for well-trained graduates to fill their
growing technology field. It seems as if everyone
is calling for reform. And if the change of the cal
endar date to 2000 offers even more symbolism
for a new era in higher education, than let’s in
clude that reason too.
Because hurting higher education hurts all Ore
gonians.
This editorial represents the view of the Emerald editorial
board. Responses may be sent to ode@oregon.uoregon.edu
Letters to the editor
ODE promotes free speech
I’m writing to provide an alterna
tive viewpoint to the rebuttal that is
sure to appear concerning your guest
commentary against abortion (ODE,
Jan. 21). I am impressed that the
Emerald would actually publish such
a commentary, with views that are
neither popular nor “politically cor
rect” and with which most of us
might disagree.
You’re bound to get a lot of flak for
it, but congratulations on promoting
free speech.
.I , , Don Titus
i i undergraduate architecture major
'Ethnic* remark wrong
The Emerald’s editorial about Bob
by Lee’s exit from the Eugene City
Council (ODE, Jan. 28) was basic info
except for one astonishing statement:
“Lee is the youngest member of the
Eugene City Council and the only eth
nic member.”
The only ethnic member? No doubt
the other members of the Eugene City
Council will be very surprised to learn
that the Emerald editorial staff be
lieves they have no ethnic back
ground — or at least not an ethnic
background that counts for anything.
Do you believe if someone’s ances
tors came from Europe, then it means
that person has no ethnic culture, no, .
ethnic heritage and no ethnic1 back"
ground?
My European immigrant ancestors
would strongly disagree with you. Eu
rope is an extremely diverse geo
graphic region made up of more than
30 different countries and populated
by more than 200 distinctly different
and extremely varied cultures.
It is also totally inaccurate to sug
gest that Americans who have been a
part of the American melting pot for
several generations have “no ethnici
ty.” Do Americans possess as much
inherent ethnicity as a native-born cit
izen of China, France, Mexico or Nige
ria? Of course we do. Our culture is
different from those countries, but it is
also .just as “ethnic,” and just as valid.
\ Respecting cultural 'differences is a
good thing, but it shouldn’t be done at
the expense of denying the existence,
importance and validity of our own
culture.
Mark Chastain
future graduate student
CORRECTION
In the story “Groups get chance to ap
peal to PFC” (ODE, Feb. t), Jennifer
Greenough, an Athletic Department Fi
nance Committee representative, was
misidentified.
The Emerald regrets the error.
Quoted
"1 would say that
there’s a Iso a dif
ferent mentality
here. [The Univer
sity of Washington]
considers itself the
best university
north of Berkeley
and west of the
University of
Chicago. Who do
you think they're
skipping there?”
—Quintard
Taylor, a history
professor and a
leading scholar of
African-Americans
in the West, who
left the University
last summer for
the University Of
Washington. Ore
gon live, Jan.31.
“It won’t be long
before we lose
most of our talent
ed faculty, and the
bright students
who haven’t al
ready left will de
cide Oregon higher
education is a poor
investment.”
— Marc R. Feldes
man, professor
and chairman in
the anthropology
department at
Portland State Uni
versity. Ore
gonlive, jan.31.
“As a student in
the Oregon State
University Honors
College, I, too,
have been observ
ing through statis
tics the demise of
academic stan
dards at OSU with
dismay. It is a seri
ous threat to our
economy as well as
our democracy. I
nevertheless re
main optimistic
that OSU will prop
erly prepare itself
for the future. My
suggestion as a
first step is for OSU
topublidyadmit
that your critical
analysis published
Jan. 23 was accu
rate. Only when
{administrators}
admit that medi
ocrity exists in
higher education
can they start to
create a better to
morrow.”
—Alexander
La vidge Johnson.
Corvallis. Qre
gonlivejan.31.