Letters
continued from page 2
noses! It’s high time we find alter
native binding for our University
programs rather than depend on
corporate handouts.
Sabrina McNamara
English literature
Minority rules
The withdrawal of Nike CEO
Phil Knight’s donations was the
result of the actions of a small
number of students who suppos
edly advocate the rights of work
ers worldwide. They would say
that the decision belongs to the
students who voted for the Worker
Rights Consortium. But we know
very well that with the very low
participation in the student elec
tions any organized group of peo
ple can pass whatever they want.
It is shameful that a minority of
students controls the student gov
ernment. It is more shameful that
their opinions and doings are tak
en to represent the will of the stu
dent body. Many of them protest
against what they call unchecked
corporate power, but they never
wonder if there is any real check
in the power they exercise.
Napoleon Linardatos
economics
Christianity “hype”
I was thoroughly disgusted to
witness the hyped Christian pres
entation on Tuesday. It was an in
sidious attempt to recruit Chris
tians through testimony, whereby
a seemingly normal individual re
calls his “really, really, really” bad
times, his discovery of religion
and his subsequent attribution of
stabilization to some abstract god
working through people. (It could
never be asserted that it was any
one of the multitudes of other
variables or explanations that con
tributed to his/her stabilization,
the least of which could be the
people themselves!)
I did not find it an amicable dia
logue and expression of faith, but
rather the lauding of Christian val
ues (which are, indeed, only one
set of values, not the “true” or
“most good” values), and the im
position of one way of under
standing the world - through reli
gion — as the only explanation of
our existence.
If someone needs to replace
their ability to reason, think and
understand the world around
them with an easily quotable, but
illogical and unsubstantiated reli
gion (with a long history of op
pression, domination and hatred),
please let them choose one that is
not universalizing. And if they
must, please do not give them an
open forum to corrupt, manipu
late and prey on our minds, souls
or bodies.
Charles G. Haller II
international studies/journalism
What is Nike hiding?
The two letters in the April 21
issue of the Emerald raised a num
ber of questions for me. First, what
is the source of Kimberly Thale’s
“research” on Nike’s working con
ditions? Was it an independent
and unbiased source? Was it a
company publication? Was it a
Fair Labor Association publica
tion? Was it from any source that
could lose money by reporting
otherwise? Regardless of the
source’s credibility, does the state
ment that Nike’s working condi
tions are “exceptional in compari
son to other factories” really say
anything positive? Isn’t living in
less poverty than others still living
in poverty? Isn’t being less ex
ploited than others still exploita
tion?
In response to Nick Larsen’s let
ter, is a new football stadium real
ly more important than the basic
human rights of people around
the globe? Should a sport, or mon
ey for that matter, really be such a
priority that we turn a blind eye to
the pain and misery of others,
which we are all partially respon
sible for? Is it right for predomi
nantly white, middle- to upper
middle class American college
students to whine about increased
incidental fees or lack of a football
stadium when the truth is that we
are actually very privileged and
lucky to be where we are and who
we are?
More pointedly, if Nike treats its
employees overseas so well, why
would Nike CEO Phil Knight feel
so threatened that he would pull
funding? Why should the Univer
sity have to inform Knight “of the
school’s... involvement” in the
Worker Rights Consortium issue,
as Thale thinks?
Elizabeth Joy Howard
University graduate ’99
Alumni should have a say
.Continue to quote student gov
ernment types and activists in
volved in this Worker Rights Con
sortium fiasco as they blather on
about how much they care about
the University and the “University
community.” Such dissembling is
always good for a rueful chuckle.
Maybe these folks can organize a
bake sale to recoup the millions of
dollars that have been apparently
tossed away by alienating Nike
CEO Phil Knight.
Not one of the activists had the
vision to see beyond their own
agendas or bothered to ascertain
what any of the alumni think of
their committing the University to
a controversial course of action
such as joining the WRC. Despite
what many students apparently
think, alumni are not outsiders,
we are stakeholders in the further
well-being of the University and
full members of its community.
Our opinions and concerns in the
direction of the University should
be sought out with at least as
much vigor as our fiscal contribu
tions are.
It should not be news to anyone
at the University that there are a
lot more alumni than there are
current students. When the stu
dent body and the president com
mit the University to a course of
action such as joining the WRC
and kicking our largest patron in
the teeth, even if somewhat tenta
tively so, all us alumni are vicari
ously along for the ride wherever
it leads. All alumni deserve more
consideration in the final deci
sions of the University than has
thus far been shown. Apparently,
we only have a voice through our
checkbooks.
Eric D. Jensen
JD ’99
University self-interested
I agree with Phil.
Perhaps an era of pure academ
ic self-interest is the right new
path for this school. Give yourself
to higher professors’ salaries,
proper school promotion, etc.
Joel Egan
architecture
Will we drop the WRC?
For years we’ve been told (by
those claiming to know) that do
nations by the likes of Nike CEO
Phil Knight involve no strings, ex
pressed or otherwise; no “quid
pro quo.” Now that Nike’s CEO is
weaseling out of promised dona
tions in the wake of the Universi
ty’s decision to quit sucking up to
corporations that use overseas
sweatshop labor, it will be inter
esting to see how long and how
strongly the University holds to its
own pledge. My guess: The ad
ministration will drop out of the
Worker Rights Consortium after
the year-long “trial period” is up.
I would like to be proven wrong...
but more than 20 years of observ
ing University politics does not
make me sanguine.
Bill Smee
staff, anthropology
Value others’ beliefs
On a campus where it seems
people can rarely speak their
mind and express themselves
without a student group denounc
ing those views, I would like to set
the rare example of showing some
support, respect and tolerance for
“Ryan.”
Do I agree with Ryan? Personal
ly, I am a devout atheist. I would
like to applaud, however, the sub
tle yet clever “Do you agree with
Ryan?” campaign.
Why do I have so much respect
for what Campus Crusade for
Christ is doing? Simply because
for once I am not force-fed a pile of
scriptures or forced to walk to
class, eying a shameful display of
mutilated fetuses, which does
nothing but leave me with con
tempt for all faiths that follow Je
sus.
With this said, we need to ex
amine this refreshing blitz of red
T-shirts and ask ourselves, “Are
we truly as tolerant as we claim to
be?" When I see “Ryan equals
death” mockingly etched on the
sidewalk, I am convinced again
that many still have a long way to
go in learning to respect others’
beliefs.
This week you may not be con
verted by the grace of God to
Christianity. I sure won’t. But if
you don’t necessarily agree with
Ryan and aren’t examining your
relationship with Jesus, at least
show some respect to those who
are willing to speak out. Maybe
we can all learn a lesson this week
and examine what it is we value. I
value respect, conviction, values
and tolerance. Do you agree with
me?
Bennett Lacy
pre-journalism
Ecopledge.com wastes paper
As I was walking around cam
pus the other day, I noticed about
100 little paper signs posted
everywhere that read
“Ecopledge.com.” It was easy to
see that so many signs were not
necessary. For instance, the cov
ered bench on 13th Avenue and
Kincaid had about 20 signs sta
pled around it, each adjacent to
another. And then there were the
multitude of little signs stuck in
the grass along the sidewalk.
What a waste of paper.
It is ironic that an “environmen
tal” organization is responsible for
this waste.
The way I see it, two of the most
important ecological issues are ex
cessive fossil fuel use and defor
estation. We all know that wasting
paper contributes to deforestation,
which contributes to increased
carbon dioxide levels. And sci
ence has accepted (finally) that in
creased carbon dioxide levels con
tribute to global warming. I find it
comical if not offensive that
Ecopledge contributes to prob
lems it claims to be acting against.
According to Ecopledge’s Web
site, students should boycott the
environmentally irresponsible
companies that they have listed by
not working for them. Perhaps
they should add themselves to the
list.
Aaron Fabbri
computer and information science
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