Thursday
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
It’s unfair
... or at least unpleasant
SCRIBBLES
OF SANITY
It’s unfair! It is unfair that, as
students, we have to work so
hard that we forget what the
outside world looks like. With
our noses to the grindstone, we run
around stressing about all the proj
ects we have to do and the exams
we have to study for. There is no
time to stop because there is too
much to get done before tomorrow
comes. Long nights and short days
seem to compose our existence.
Food on the go, drugs to get rid of
the headaches and coffee to keep us
awake: the ingredients that sustain
us and allow us to keep going.
Fun is fast and just as stressful as
everything else. We run to the bar,
grab a drink and laugh with a few
friends only to come home and
nearly have a heart attack over the
amount of time “wasted,” when we
should have been doing our home
work.
What about the time spent on that
long research paper? Hours are put
in at the library and on the comput
er trying to put together the best pa
per ever. The professor will be in
awe, we think as we staple it all to
gether and turn it in with a feeling
of pride. Then the professor hands
it back with a bold “See Me!” in red
letters at the top. Ouch! See what I
mean? A student’s life is not fair.
Everything costs something.
Want books? That will be $350,
please. Copies? 10 cents. An apart
ment? $1,000 for a semi-decent
apartment, with rat holes a little
cheaper. Computer access? $25 per
term. Don’t forget the zip disks, spe
cial paper, rulers and all that other
stuff that your instructors insist you
have. The list goes on and on. Stu
dents have to pay for practically
everything, either with time, money
or energy.
No, it does not seem fair that we
should live this type of existence.
As students, we work so hard to bet
ter ourselves and to become every
thing our professors require us to
be. Education socializes and brain
washes us into being like everyone
else. We have no originality of
thought because we are all taught to
do everything a certain way.
Why? Because it is the right way,
we are told. All creativity is dis
couraged and dismissed unless it
falls within the current mode of
thinking or unless the professor
happens to like it. We learn too late
that we are unique individuals, just
like everyone else in our field of
study. Education beats us up, but
we aggressively continue to work
hard so we will find good jobs. And
once we find those good jobs, we
get to work the rest of our lives pay
ing the government back for all
those student loans.
Right about now, the urge to
shake a fist and scream “IT’S
NOT FAIR!” at full volume is
overwhelming. But then a
nagging inner voice whispers,
“Remember, you’re the one
who wanted to go to college.”
Oh yeah, I forgot about
that.
Jayna Bergerson is a columnist for
the Oregon Daily Emerald. Her
views do not necessarily repre
sent those of the Emerald. She
can be reached at
bjay@gladstone.uore
gon.edu.
Letters to the editor
Don’t ignore my racism
In response to ASUO President
Jay Breslow’s letter (’’Shame on sex
ism,” ODE, Feb. 26), I feel I must
say something: Hey, I wasn’t just
sexist; I was also racist!
When asked what I would do
with student unions at the Univer
sity, I responded, “I would align
them under one banner, and that
banner is ‘Kill Whitey.’”
I noticed that Breslow failed to
mention this in his letter, and I
think it was unfair for him to focus
solely on one element of my cam
paign. If you’re going to criticize
my words, Breslow, you should go
for the whole nine yards.
Therefore, in conclusion, I’ll say
this: To settle our differences, I pro
pose that Breslow and I have an oil
wrestling match in the center of the
EMU Amphitheater this afternoon.
If Breslow wishes, it could be a tag
team match with Vice President
Holly Magner as his partner and
Mr. Billy the sock puppet as mine.
Bring it on, Jay.
Sho Ikeda
ASUO Executive candidate
junior
history
Bailey and Oliver
for student voice
Apathy towards vital issues is
not something that University of
Oregon students tolerate; Eric Bai
ley and Jeff Oliver are the perfect
duo to keep this attitude strong
throughout campus. They genuine
ly care about University students
and the community we build.
And Bailey and Oliver do not
deal solely with the students by
any means; the two of them have
strong, indestructible ties with Uni
versity Housing, student govern
ment, DPS, financial planning and
athletic ticket distribution, and are
highly motivated to maintain valu
able and effective communication
with any department, group or per
son needed. Because of their gregar
iousness, Bailey and Oliver will es
tablish these new ties easily and
keep them strong, in order to create
a more unified community at the
University and in Eugene.
Along with Bailey and Oliver’s
attention toward as many peoples’
needs as possible, one of their
biggest issues is renters’ rights. Stu
dents who live off campus do not
always get the friendliness and hos
pitality that is expected from land
lords; oftentimes, it can be a slow
and painstaking process to get any
thing repaired in an apartment. Bai
ley and Oliver want this to change
so students will have a more com
fortable place to live and will not
have to worry about things falling
apart all the time.
No other candidate cares more
about the student voice than Eric
Bailey. Keep our voice alive! Vote
for him and Jeff Oliver for ASUO
Executive on Duck Web today until
5 p.m.
Brandi Church
freshman
Clark Honors College
ODE’s bid narrow-minded
Matt Cook and I were extremely
disappointed to read the Emerald’s
logic behind the endorsement for
this year’s ASUO Executive ticket.
While we know the Emerald has
the right to make a decision based
solely on the issue of diversity, we
hoped that your editorial board
would possess the foresight to see
that not only do we have more spe
cific and realistic plans to improve
student government than the other
candidates, but we also have an ef
fective plan to empower groups
through improved public relations
as a cornerstone of diversity.
As this election continues, we’ll
keep getting out our message of
new ideas and a new approach to
important student issues. If the
Emerald wishes to support candi
dates simply looking to rise up
through the ASUO bureaucracy,
that is its choice.
However, it is disgraceful that the
newspaper would endorse Nilda
Brooklyn and Joy Nair simply on
the issue of diversity, when the can
didates themselves have chosen
not to make diversity a platform ol
their campaign. It is clear that the
Emerald sees the issue of diversity
as one that simply runs skin deep.
From many we’ve talked to, that is
n’t good enough this year, when sc
much — from the Worker Rights
Consortium to the Eugene Police
Department — is riding on the line,
Diversity is an important issue
and that’s why we have specific
plans to fight for it. But diversity is
n’t the only issue, and voters whc
want an Executive to work for all
their needs should consider us in
this year’s election.
Bret Jacobson
ASUO Executive candidate
junior
business
Editor’s note: The Emerald editorial
board based its endorsement on the
merits of all of the issues presented by
the candidates — not solely on diversity
— as we wrote in our editorial. However,
the idea of student representation was
an issue for every candidate, and it was
an issue that helped us make us a close
decision. Skin color was never a factor
in our decision; experience and issues
were.
University staff join protest
of higher education cuts
Thanks to the Emerald for mak
ing its “correction” to an article
(“Students lobby in Salem, learn
legislative ropes,” ODE, Feb. 19) in
which reference to the upcoming
March 6 rally in Salem failed to
mention the participation of the
University’s classified employees.
Though to many readers it may
seem of little consequence whether
we’re recognized along with “stu
dents, faculty, administrators and
alumni,” we are the 1200-plus
workers who comprise the nuts
and bolts of this institution. Our job
types are many and include main
tenance, clerical, food service, ac
counting and custodial.
Given that the governor’s budget
falls an estimated $96.1 million
short in funding higher education
for the next two years, participation
by parties affected (and concerned)
is essential to influencing the Leg
islature. Not only would the short
fall impact tuition and programs, it
could mean the loss of jobs.
Our concern as classified em
ployees is compounded by the fact
that we are also on the verge of con
tract negotiations with the Oregon
University System, and we are
faced with bargaining to maintain
our current health care coverage as
well as get reasonable wage increas
es.
Activism does not come natural
ly for us all. But I encourage you to
join others from our campus as we
stand outside the capitol with folks
from other state schools. Call the
Alumni Association at 346-5656
now to reserve your spot on one of
the busses leaving campus on
March 6. If we have a poor show
ing, we all stand to lose.
Star Holmberg
classified employee
computer science
CORRECTION
In a story about disability services
offered to University students, [“Dis
ablingthe barriers to education,”
ODE, Feb. 27], Bonnie Bennett’s dis
ability was mistakenly character
ized. She suffers from a permanent,
not a slight, disability.
The Emerald regrets the error.