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
iuesoay
March 28,2000
Volume 101, Issue 118
KriWrakt
Well, we’re back from spring
break. I hope that everyone
had a good time and that no
body has any regrets ... al
though lots of people could. It seems to
me that once you’re in college, spring
break becomes a bigger deal than it used
to be. There seems
to be a mass exodus
of college students
either north or
south of the border
in the search of le
gal alcohol. I don’t
quite understand
this, however, be
cause if you really
want to, you can
get drunk right here
at college. Maybe it
tastes better in for
eign countries.
Perhaps that’s
what you did. According to the Associat
ed Press, 70,000 people were in Cancun,
Mexico, during last week. If you were
there, maybe you were lucky enough to
get on MTV, which was there on location
in some quasi-nude state. About the
whole MTV thing: I don’t get it. Does it
say somewhere on your high school
diploma in really fine print, “You have
just completed the state educational sys
tem and now have the right to act like
sexually aware kindergartners”?
Pardon me while I pull out my soap
box. I’m sure that the people engaging in
those activities had lots of fun, but I just
want to let them know, as I’m sure their
parents did after seeing their son or
daughter in someone else’s bikini, that
they are making themselves look like
blithering idiots.
fit avk
Commentary
Mason
West
censured
Bryan Dixon Emerald
I spent my break in Palm Springs with
my family. It is easier to vacation with
your family because you find that you
don’t have to pay for as many things. Palm
Springs was an interesting experience as a
college student because in my home town
of Lake Oswego (please don’t hold that
against me), about half of the high school
population goes there for spring break. Al
though I have been separated from the in
stitution of high school for less than a
year, I find that I hate all high school stu
dents and think that they are the basest
creatures on earth. I still maintain that I
was never like that, and the lack of all
photos of me from the ages of 15-17 is
completely coincidental.
Since I was not about to partake in the
festivities with the “young ’uns,” I spent
most of my time trying to get enough sun
on my Oregonian body to prove that I am,
indeed, alive. The other hours were spent
either asleep or in the pool. On one occa
sion, I tried mixing the two with disas
trous results.
To summarize: Yes, I was hanging out
with my parents, a newfound ability since
I joined tire collegiate population. No, I
didn’t consume alcohol. No, I was never
naked in the presence of others, much to
my disappointment. Yes, I still had a good
time. I haven’t taken any philosophy
classes yet, but I know that one exists at
the University on ethics. This class
should be mandatory for all college stu
dents because I think that we may be lack
ing in that department. May I draw your
attention to exhibit A.
By complete happenstance, I caught a
segment on MTV called “You Idiot.” This
consisted of Blink-182 paying people,
likely peers of ours, to do idiotic and hu
miliating things. The only one that I ac
tually watched was a contest to see
which of four men could produce the
most impressive feces within 15 minutes
of consuming a hearty Mexican meal.
They were actually filming the contest
ants on the throne trying their hardest to
be the king of crap! I don’t know what
they do south of the border, but here in
the U.S. of A., filming people doing the
sacred squat is definitely not OK.
The point is not that MTV or Blink-182
initiated this challenge or any other de
praved act that might have taken place
over the last week. The point is that peo
ple accepted it. Not just the people doing
it but everyone watching it. Even I, for
that moment where I was curious just
what moronic thing these people would
do, was guilty. Doesn’t it seem wrong?
Would you do that in May? Would you
do it in Eugene? Why is this special envi
ronment created where things can run
contrary to “normal life” for this one
week out of the year?
We all value our freedom to do what we
want. So when young adults are given the
circumstances to push their new freedom
to the limits, it becomes amplified. But
does that mean that we can’t have fun in a
socially condoned way? Some people
laugh at me when I choose to play catch
phrase with my friends or get pie and cof
fee at Marie Calender’s instead of go party
ing. Well, I scoff heartily at them. Scoff
scoff. Yeah, that’s right. I don’t need your
kind of fun, man, I’M HIGH ON LIFE!
I can’t believe I just said that.
Mason West is a columnist for the Oregon Daily Emer
ald. His views do not necessarily represent those of
the Emerald. He can be reached via e-mail at
mwest1@gladstone.uoregon.edu.
CORRECTION
The editorial “Funding for Freedom” (ODE,
March 27) should have read: A restriction on
our student fee usage would be a good idea
because OSPIRG could still pay for students to
go lobby in Salem as opposed to sending
some of the money off campus.
The story “Court rules incidental fees are le
gal” (ODE, March 27) should have read: The
justices ruled that the lower courts must de
cide whether it is unconstitutional for stu
dents to vote on whether to fund a group.
The Emerald regrets these errors.
World Wide What
How do you feel about being able to get a degree on-line? wU.daifreme«i£conr
ii I think it
provides an
excellent op
portunity for
students to
earn a degree
when other
wise, due to
timerestic
tions, family,
job, etc., they
wouldn't be
able to. ”
Brynn Hildebrand
psychology
Hit's not a
good idea be
cause if some
one stays at
home, there is
no need for
big institu
tions... but it
may be good
for people
who [can't
come to
school]."
Ashok Shrestha
architecture
It should
be limited be
cause you can’t
interact with
otherstudents
... But it’s good
for people with
time con
tracts. ”
Budijono Untung
business
d College
is about ex
perience
and inter
acting with
people. You
would n't do
that on-line,
and that in
teraction is
a major part
of college
life ”
Jolie Jenson
architecture