Monday
Editor in chief: Jack Clifford
Managing Editor: Jessica Blanchard
Newsroom: (541) 346-5511
Room 300, Erb Memorial Union
P.O. box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
E-mail: ode@oregon.uoregon.edu
EDITORIAL EDITOR: MICHAEL J. KLECKNER opededitor@journalist.com
One Civil War the Beavers deserved to win
So Oregon State University
won the Bend branch cam
pus. Don’t get upset; it’s
probably for the best.
The Emerald editorial board has
n’t written to date about the Civil
War battle for Bend, not because we
forgot it was happening but be
cause it doesn’t seem to affect stu
dents here very much. Yes, it was
important to the University admin
istration, and it was a long-term ef
fort to increase the value and pres
tige of the University. But it wasn’t
an issue that made us squirm.
As it turns out, those in the com
munity who invested in the Uni
versity’s winning the Bend deal
will probably be happy we re
mained silent. Yes, we love our
university and want it to win, win,
win in everything it does. But we
believe OSU had a better proposal.
Recently, the arguments over
which university should expand to
Bend have sounded like a culture
war. Indeed, parts of the editorial
board’s discussion had cultural
overtones. Phrases such as “new
economy,” “changing culture” and
“elitist” were thrown around the
room. There are, then, at least two
ways to frame the purpose of bring
ing a state university to Bend.
First, there’s the notion that Cen
tral Oregon’s economy is changing
and the citizens need to change
with it. To this view, Bend needs a
liberal arts infusion to “culturify”
the region and to allow Central
Oregon a chance to advance in the
new economy. More is needed than
simply degrees in engineering and
computer science. A whole new
way of viewing the world needs to
be imported to Bend, to accompany
the growing population that is al
ready changing the cultural make
up of the area.
Then there’s the other side,
which asks why Central Oregon
must be forced to think and act
like the Willamette Valley. In
stead of demanding that every
one take undergraduate classes
in philosophy and sociology,
why not offer the region more of
what it wants: skills to compete
in the new market and courses
that complement the culture
Central Oregonians value. In
stead of demanding worker re
training, teach workers the skills
and help them identify the mar
kets so they can be competitive.
These two views can be divi
sive. The editorial board was
split, although the majority
was in favor of allowing
Bend to decide what
they needed rather
than sending them a
“Eugene Lite” to focus
on liberal arts. Appar
ently the demograph
ics of Bend really
have been changing in
recent years, however,
as the community
there also has seemed
to experience this bat
tle. There was no over
whelming majority in fa
vor of either campus.
We can’t know if the State Board
of Higher Education felt the culture
war, but we can say we agree with
its decision, based on both schools’
proposals. To be fair, we’ve only
skimmed the full text of the pro
posals. We focused on the sum
maries, which should give a repre
sentative sample of the schools’
attitudes.
Ultimately, we believe OSU’s
proposal sounded the most cooper
ative and focused on the best inter
ests of Bend. The first paragraph of
OSU’s summary discusses its in
tent to work with the community.
The third paragraph mentions the
24 public meetings OSU held to
Giovanni Salimena Emerald
find out what Central Oregon want
ed. Much of the entire summary is
focused around how OSU will
form partnerships and how OSU’s
programs will provide success for
the community. The proposal even
mentions working with the Univer
sity of Oregon in the “Partner
ships” section, which, after the
state board’s decision, OSU said
was always part of their plan.
Like wealthier cousins often are,
perhaps the University was a bit
cocky in its approach. The Univer
sity’s first paragraphs vaguely men
tion collaboration with others in
the Bend community, but mostly
they focus on explaining again and
again just how great the University
is. Reading the summary, one gets
the feeling that the University is so
darn great and has so much money
to spend, it would be a shame not to
have this greatness go out to Bend
and grace everyone with its pres
ence.
The University goes on to ex
plain that Bend needs more liberal
arts. There is repeated mention of
the money that can be offered. To
ward the end of the summary, the
University discusses “A Spirit of
Cooperation.” In this section, OSU
is not mentioned. Later, in the
“Success for Central Oregon” sec
tion, the University once again
highlights the many things that
make it great.
We love the Ducks, and we hope
they can win some more games. We
believe in school spirit, and we have
an ingrained dislike for OSU, just
like we’re supposed to. But OSU’s
proposal fits Bend better than ours
does. More money isn’t always the
answer. Sometimes, cooperation
and community go further. We’re
glad the state board chose commu
nity.
This editorial represents the opinion of
the Emerald editorial board. Responses
can be sent to ode@oregon.uoregon.edu
Consider the memories, not the fear
m SCRIBBLES
■of
P SANITY
m
jaYna bergerson
A friend, a girlfriend and a
daughter who is not remem
bered for her smile or her
dreams so much as for her
death: Jill Dieringer died of meningo
coccal disease. That is the truth. And
this disease is scary. But it is not who
Jill was, and it should not be her legacy.
I regret that I never knew her. The
Emerald’s article about her death was
the first I had even heard her name. The
picture showed a beautiful young
woman excited about the possibilities
of life. However, the article revealed a
dangerous disease that can kill some
one in 48 hours.
My mind didn’t focus on the face '
smiling up at me from the page. It was
the words that consumed me. Meningo
coccal disease? What is it? Is it spread
ing? Is there a cure? Questions paraded
through my brain. And obviously I was
not the only one who felt this over
whelming concern.
A fellow classmate of mine belongs
to the Kappa Delta sorority. Before
class, she talked with a few people in
the hallway about the disease. Dis
tressed, she recalled the reaction she
and three Kappa Delta sisters received
from fellow students.
The four were avoided throughout
the class by every one of their class
mates. One of her classmates who felt
she was endangering everyone ap
proached her and demanded to know
why she was in class. Then this young
woman talked about how the blood
bank stipulated that those who had per
sonal contact with Dieringer could not
give blood.
To the uninvolved, these seem like
logical precautions. To Dieringer’s
friends and to those who knew her, it
seems like a slap in the face. A friend
dies, and instead of receiving support,
they get treated with misplaced fear.
They were at risk. Advised to go to
University Health Center, they obeyed,
all the while wondering if they would
be alive the day after tomorrow. At the
clinic, they learned that most of the
time when people are exposed to
meningococcal disease, their immune
systems can handle it without difficul
ty
Occasionally, an “invasive disease”
occurs, but it is so rare that less than 1
percent of people who are exposed will
develop symptoms. Unfortunately,
Dieringer fell into that 1 percent. The
sorority sisters received the antibiotics
just in case they might be susceptible
to the disease, and then they were sent
away. No quarantine, no fuss.
Fear dissolves when the light is
turned on to reveal the truth. The mon
ster who sent shivers down your spine
as a youth was no more than a stuffed
panda bear. Meningococcal disease is
no monster. Flip on the light and see
that it cannot get you. It is a horrible
disease, without a doubt, but it is
harmless if you know what it is and
how to protect yourself.
Dieringer did not deserve to die of
meningococcal disease. No one de
serves such a fate. But most of all, she
doesn’t deserve to be remembered this
way.
Please remember the truth instead of
the fear — a beautiful life instead of
death.
Jayna Bergerson is a columnist for the Oregon
Daily Emerald. Her views do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald. She can be
reached at bjay@gladstone.uoregon.edu.
Poll results
Every week, the Emerald prints the results of our online poll and
the poll question for next week. The poll can toe accessed from
the main page of our Web site, www.dailyemerald.com. We en
courage you to send us feedback about the poll questions and
results.
Last week’s poll question:
What has been the single most satisfying aspect of your educa
tion at the University of Oregon?
Results:
Professors and curriculum — 37 votes, or 19.8 percent
Extracurricular activities — 33 votes, or 17.6 percent
Earning a degree—21 votes, or 11.2 percent
There is no satisfying aspect — 96 votes, or 51.3 percent
While none of our polls is scientific, these results are skewed.
Roughly 80 votes were cast for the last choice, probably by the
same person, within a few hours after the poll was posted. Still,
it shows that someone is very frustrated. Take the results as you
will.
This week’s poll question:
What is the most important issue in the ASUO Executive election?
The choices:
Diversity
Campus safety
Renters' rights
Incidental fee
Relations with authorities and decision makers