Tuesday
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
OSPIRG: A model for citizens
SAINTS AND
PROFITS
ERIC PFEIFFER
Editor’s disclosure: Eric Pfeiffer
is currently on hiatus from the
Emerald, as he is Bret Jacobson’s
campaign manager for the ASUO
Executive election. This column
and his next, appearing in two
weeks, were written before he took
the job as campaign manager.
Pfeiffer will not be writing about
the ASUO Executive election.
One of the most enduring
debates on this campus
has been tho ideological
and legal battle fought
over the Oregon Student Public
Interest Research Group. A little
searching through the archives of
the Emerald shows headlines
from decades ago, such as “Fund
ing of OSPIRG questioned.”
This week you might have seen
the open struggle between OS
PIRG petitioners and members of
HONESTY, a group of students
trying to keep OSPIRG off the up
coming election ballot. Right
now, OSPIRG members are
preparing for this year’s election,
when they will ask student vot
ers for more than $144,426 to
fund its chapter of the national
PIRG at the University.
The PIRGs were started in 1971
by Ralph Nader, and predomi
nantly fill their ranks with those
who would describe themselves
as liberals or as belonging to the
left wing of the political spec
trum.
Many liberals are very disheart
ened that Nader may have con
tributed to the defeat of Al Gore in
this year’s presidential election.
There has been a growing dis
like for the character and motiva
tions of Nader among a large por
tion of centrist and liberal
democrats. Most Democratic con
gressmen and senators won’t re
turn his phone calls. Even Massa
chusetts liberal and former Gov.
Michael Dukakis said he wanted
to choke Nader! But don’t let your
feelings about an aspiring politi
cian get in the way of your sup
port for a group that actively en
gages the most integral
component of our society, the citi
zen.
Yet, it is with no reservations
that I encourage all of you to
strongly support OSPIRG’s cam
paign.
The University is a very chal- f
lenging place, full of obstacles
and rewards, but it’s not the real
world. We’re living in a place
where there shouldn’t even be
an argument over the funda
mental value of cultural or
ganizations and active
groups that promote
new ideas across the
board.
Take a mo
ment to think
about the
cause that
means the most
to you. Now,
unless it en
tails large
amounts of
fertilizer and
a federal
building,
aren’t you
glad there is a
group of peo
ple that you
can share
your cause
with? It makes
sense in a
community
dedicated to
the education
of its patrons
that we should
foster different
interests, even
if they aren’t
cohesive with
our own basic politi
cal ideology.
Yes, every student
should demand ac
countability from their
student fees down to the very last
cent. Full disclosure is essential to
the vitality of publicly funded
programs. When a group has
proven its integrity and merit time
and time again, however, should
n’t we just let them do what they
do best? Yes, we should, because
college is perhaps the only time
when most of us will live in an
environment where the growth of
the human experience is nurtured
and sustained.
When you get out of college you
can fight high taxes, invest in
things you feel good about and
play as much golf as the country
club will allow. Whatever makes
you feel complete.
But while you’re here, learn to
accept the fact that you attend
school at a liberal arts university
in a town that gives the title “cam
pus icon” to a man named Frog.
Ultimately, I do think students
who have a very personal dis
agreement with a partic
ular group should be
able to have their
fees withdrawn
from that organ
ization. Even
Darth Nader
said that
would be “hy
per-demo
cratic.”
However, it
doesn’t
mean they
should
take that
money
back.In
stead, re
turn it to
the gener
al fee sur
Bryan Dixon Emerald
plus and let it be redistributed to
other groups. Regardless, I’m not
here arguing the legality of OS
PIRG — that’s why we have a Fu
ture Lawyers Association and a
Constitution Court.
Some people will tell you that
OSPIRG will survive without its
funding. Of course it will. I also
thought maybe this month I
wouldn’t pay rent, because my
apartment isn’t going anywhere.
Even better, I don’t think I need to
pay my utilities, grocery bills,
health insurance or tuition. We all
know those things will be there
tomorrow no matter what I do.
This brings us to the simple ar
gument for why you should sign
the pledge and support OSPIRG.
Great things come from the heart,
but they require the investment of
resources to make them a reality.
Time is a valuable resource, and
so is money.
Whether you call yourself a
liberal or a conservative, but es
pecially if you call yourself a
conservative, you have the obli
gation as a citizen to protect the
land we live in. One of the few
guarantees that our Constitution
entitles us is a national defense.
However, the defense of our en
vironment goes beyond building
the biggest missile shield money
can buy. It goes deep into the
ideal of being an active citizen
and preserving the place you call
home.
That means building commu
nities, neighborhoods and rela
tionships. It reaches into the
depths of the Alaskan soil, the
coasts off our ocean shores and
the dwindling forests in a state
like Oregon.
I encourage every student at the
University to support OSPIRG’s
right to be on this year’s ballot,
and then to vote yes on OSPIRG.
Besides, don’t you REALLY HATE
ATM fees?!?!
Eric Pfeiffer is a columnist for the Oregon
Daily Emerald. His views do not necessari
ly represent those of the Emerald. He can
be reached at epfeiffe@giadstone.uore
gon.edu.
Letters to the editor
Meningococcal disease
is not preventable
I extend my sincere condolences
to Mike Kepferle from Maryland on
the devastating loss of his son to
meningococcal disease (“Dieringer
tragedy demands response,” ODE,
Feb. 15). I understand that he
would like to reach out to share in
formation with parents here in Ore
gon.
It is very important to clarify that
the meningococcal serogroup B in
fection that caused the death of Jill
Dieringer was absolutely NOT a
preventable illness. Serogroup B
accounts for over 70 percent of cas
es of meningococcal disease in Ore
gon. The quadravalent meningo
coccal' vaccine does not* protect*
against Type B disease at all.
In the United States, invasive
meningococcal infection is most
common in infants (20 cases
/100,000 per year). In Oregon since
1993, there have been 75 to 130 cas
es of meningococcal disease every
year. There were only six cases that
occurred in students attending
four-year colleges (1.1 cas
es/100,000 per year).
Maryland had an attack rate in
college dormitory residents that
was three-fold greater (3.24 cas
es/100,000 per year) and also a very
high rate of vaccine-responsive dis
ease strains. Legislated mandatory
vaccination may be a successful
strategy in Maryland. Data suggest
that vaccination is much less likely
to be effective here.
ACIP is not recommending vac
■cination- of-all college -freshmen or
even of all college students living in
residence halls at this time. Edu
cate yourself about meningococcal
disease. Ask your physician or
health care practitioner for an indi
vidualized recommendation about
immunization.
Helen Miller, M.D.
Eugene
Jell-0 wrestling
is our prerogative
It was with a great deal of sorrow
that I read Jeremy Lang’s article last
Monday (“ASUO hopefuls embark
on 2001-02 campaigns,” ODE, Feb.
12).
Mr. Lang has made the assump
tion that the Eric & Brian Campaign
for ASUO Executive is nothing
more than a joke. Nothing could be
further from the truth. While we
have mn an admittedly light dreart
ed campaign thus far, in no way
should this invalidate our ideas for
improving student life.
In a nutshell, our platform con
sists of three issues: The creation of
a new scholarship fund from the
student incidental fee, improve
ment of campus safety after dark
and realizing the potential of every
student to be a leader.
If we want to banish a few vam
pires on the side or settle Constitu
tion Court disputes with Jell-0
wrestling, well, that’s our preroga
tive. I guarantee it would make
campus a more interesting place to
live and study.
To clear up another misconcep
tion, Brian Boone is not a staff
writer at the Oregon Commentator.
He is an associate editor. Eric Qual
heim is not affiliated with the Com
'mentator at-all/and like another
candidate, he is a former employee
of the Oregon Daily Emerald.
Our Web page, at gladstone.uore
gon.edu/~equalhei/elec.html, of
fers a complete look at our plat
form.
We would like to encourage
everyone to examine our ideas be
fore the election Feb. 26.
EricQualheim
sophomore
journalism
CORRECTION
In the ODE story “Students lobby in
Salem, learn legislative ropes” (Feb.
19), classified staff should have been
included in the list of people who
will attend the Oregon University
System rally in Salem on March 6,
The Emerald regrets the error.