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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 2000)
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 February 7,2000 Volume 101, Issue 91 Emerald To beer or not to beer? W: ”e all know beer does n’t grow on trees, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be culti vated in a campus garden. The ASUO Student Senate recently voted to remove from considera tion a measure that would have al lowed a beer garden to operate on campus, but there should be a campus beer garden on the ballot for some important reasons. Laying aside the extremist views of both the ale-guzzling few who feed on the fermented drink like others breathe air and those who be lieve college stu dents should be dri er than a forsaken desert, the debate about a beer garden on campus is a valid discussion. On the one hand, there is an un derstandable sentiment that a venue dedicated to beer on campus would send a message to students that the University community takes lightly the responsibility and effects of alco hol consumption. Also, opponents may argue, the majority of traditional students couldn’t even use the beer garden as they are underage, and, therefore, the use of student inciden tal fees would only benefit a small group on campus. The proposed fees would have been about $9.98 per stu dent per term for a total of $500,000 per year for two years. Those are reasonable concerns, though the worries behind them can be diminished and dismissed to some degree. First, until recently, Clancy Thurber’s Pub served beer on campus until it closed because of financial problems. So the message that beer is acceptable on campus is already es tablished. And the fact that the Uni versity would be involved in oversee ing the sale of the alcohol would assure a high standard of enforcing serv ing laws, preventing underage purchas es within the campus community. Second, the argument that the majori ty of students would be unable to use the facilities would be accurate, though misleading in its im plications. Working under the as sumption that most traditional stu dents will be at least 21 years old by the time they are seniors means that all students will eventually have ac cess to the garden’s refreshing springs. The likelihood is high that most University students would ben efit more directly from a beer garden than most of the other student groups and facilities that are currently fund ed by incidental fees. There are also practical political reasons to get the beer garden on a bal lot for students to examine. By plac ing such a widely popular issue on a ballot, the results would most likely be that more students would get in volved and educated about their stu dent government and actually make a choice about their campus, and most people would agree that broader participation would definitely be a positive thing. As it stands now, there is a good chance that the beer garden issue will be forgotten for a considerable period of time. In the past, the issue has been raised and postponed, only to be set aside again, according to Student Sen ate President Jessica Timpany. That would be a shame if it were to happen this time. The decision not to consid er the ballot stems from the belief of many senators that there were too many questions that needed to be an swered before the ballot should go to the voters. This issue could be turned into a political and campus morale success if the students had their chance to vote on it. Then they could have the final decision over whether this envi ronmentally friendly campus wishes to add one more student-friendly gar den to its beautiful campus. This editorial represents the view of the Emerald editorial board. Responses may be sent to ode@oregon.uoregon.edu. Letters to the editor Racism the real issue It was a shock to open yesterday’s Emerald (ODE Feb. 1). After front page headlines of "Black history takes center stage" and "Diversity still con cern," the second page suggests what a person of color's experience will ac tually be, via the cartoon of a kid staked over a fire while savages — Na tive American? African? — dance round in loincloths. No wonder "di versity" remains a concern. Such off handedness confirms that racism is systemic here, where the talk is of "diversity" and "learning to get along." This babble refuses to recognize racism and its benefits for (white) peo ple's basic to our political and econom ic power. Eugene and Oregon proclaim virtuous innocence. My wife and I spent last weekend with a Trinidadi an-Canadian here to lecture. Her off campus inn was a joy of racist insults: small incidents individually, grossly offensive together. A trip to the Flo rence beach to be chased and sprayed with sand by young louts on dune bug gies and stopped by the police for mak ing a U-tum in a cul-de-sac was icing on this confection of delight. Racism is never idle. Your ugly car toon shows the tip of an iceberg that white people here must break up. It's “our” problem. Token Native Ameri cans, Chicanos, African- and Asian Americans are not here to teach us about a problem we make them con front daily. Why do so-called "diver sity interns" not think to contact MEChA? Why do you not learn from your own page 8, recounting John Rocker's suspension for offensive racist remarks? Timothy J. Reiss professor, comparative literature Everyone should be offended Given the front-page stories on black history and diversity (ODE, Feb. 1) I was appalled by the overt and ar rogant racism provided by the page two “cartoon” — with images of ... what? African savages? Native Ameri can savages? I am sure that all the University ad ministrators who have been talking lately — to me and other faculty of color — about how they are committed to “diversity” are as shocked as I am. I fully expect you will be flooded with protesting letters — as well as with letters purporting to “explain” that it was “just a cartoon” or that it was not meant to depict people of col or. Perhaps we shall be told that it is not racism but only a mildly “insensi tive” gesture by a staff who did not re alize what they were doing by por traying such stupid, ignorant and ugly racial stereotypes. Of course EVERYONE’S feelings should be offended. French students and labor union activists responded quickly to efforts by the French right wing to label their 1968 revolution a “German Jewish effort” because one of the leaders had a parent who was a German Jew. The day following the appearance of signs reading “Send the Jews to Auschwitz,” the entire city of Paris awoke to new signs reading: “We are ALL German Jews.” Such collective opposition to racism would, at this moment, be a very sig nificant gesture. I do hope that the newspaper in tends to take some immediate action to prohibit such activities in the future. Patricia Penn Hiiden professor, history director, Ethnic Studies Program Forget beer garden It has come to my attention that the ASUO Student Senate has turned down a proposal letter for a new beer garden in the EMU. I, for one, am grateful there is some common sense in our student government. With a price tag of $1 million, I question whether this project makes any finan cial sense at all. There are several drinking establishments off campus nearby. Taylor’s and Rennie’s Land ing are both within a very short walk off campus. This project is nothing more than typical “pork-barrel” spending and a huge waste of student incidental fee money. Senate Presi dent Jessica Timpany is “worried” this measure will soon be forgotten. 1 urge her and our other senate mem bers to forget this gross waste of our incidental fee money. This beer gar den makes no sense to me when it seems the Programs Finance Commit tee won’t fund student child care bet ter. I should hope there are a few fis cally responsible people in ASUO. So, please, no beer garden in the EMU. It’s nothing more than a big waste of our incidental fee money. Kayla-Ann Emmons business and communication studies LETTERS POLICY The Oregon Daily Emerald will attempt to print all letters containing comments on topics of interest to the University community. Letters must be limited to 250 words. The Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter for length, clari ty', grammar, style and libel. Letters may be dropped off at EMU Suite 300. Thumbs Ughtingtheway to safety Last Wednesday and Thursday stu dents began a se ries of walks, spon sored by theASUO and accompanied by representatives from University of fices of Public Safe ty, Student Life and Facilities Ser vices. The walks will work to identi fy unsafe and poorly lit areas on campus. To a lot more hats in the political ring Almost 30 people added their names to the list of candi dates in the upcom ing ASUO elections after a filing dead line extension. Now there will be a healthier crop of those vying for the presidential and vice presidential ticket and the Stu dent Senate seats. To tuning out the deaf Eight hearing-im paired Oregonians were forced to file a federal dass-ac tion lawsuit in an attempt to force theaters to use dosed-caption de vices that would al low the deaf to en joy movies like the rest of us. To handling more than pans An overaggressive panhandler de manded beer money from two shoppers, an el derly woman and a male shopper, outsideoftheAl bertson’son Coburg Road. After the two refused, James Douglas Ray, 37, reportedly pulled a knife and threatened the man.The transient was charged with first-degree rob bery for the inci dent last Monday.
