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-maii: ode@oregon.uoregon.edu
EDITORIAL EDITOR: MICHAEL J. KLECKNER opededitor@journalist.com
ERIC PFEIFFER
SAINTS
AND
PROFITS
Editor’s note: Eric Pfeiffer is the
campaign manager for ASUO Ex
ecutive candidates Bret Jacobson
and Matt Cook. This column was
written after the ticket was re
moved from the ballot. They have
since been reinstated and will ap
pear in the general election, so
Pfeiffer is again on hiatus until
after the election.
I’ll soon begin my last spring
term at the University, and
it’s raining outside. Fitting,
because University life has
been anything but what I expect
ed coming in. Ideally, I’d take it
easy during my last term of my
college career; spend time with
my family, tan my starkly pale
skin, and not take any classes be
fore 2 p.m. But let’s face reality:
20 credits, 8 a.m. classes, two
jobs and it’s raining outside.
I might be a little depressed if I
believed my college years truly
are going to be the best of my life.
Thankfully, I don’t believe that
for a second. I can’t speak for
those other soon-to-be graduates,
but I am literally counting down
the days until I leave the Univer
sity, and more4specifically, leave
Eugene.
There are a lot of topics I wish I
had taken the time to write about,
but a few unforeseen events came
up in the meantime: working on
a campus election that refuses to
end and a few life-changing mo
ments to boot. So, instead, I’m go
ing to use this column for a little
spring cleaning. Here is a short
list of neat little things I think
you might be interested in if
you’ve enjoyed any of my
columns so far:
First, for a healthy dose of al
ternative and mainstream politi
cal news coverage, go to the Web
site www.gotcannedgoods.com;
you won’t be disappointed.
Canned Goods is a non-profit me
dia collective that gathers news
and art from around the world
and assembles it into a conven
ient package. Once you visit
Canned Goods, be sure to sign up
for its free e-newsletter, the
Poopa Scoopa. It’s a daily
roundup of important political
stories from around the world
that will save you a lot of time
surfing the Web. Canned Goods
is also a unique showcase for
artists, writers and underground
journalists alike. So, if you like
crafting media, instead of just
consuming it, this is definitely
worth your time to check out.
While you’re engrossing your
self in alternative media, you
might as well listen to some good
music. If you’re tired of the same
crap polluting the airwaves,
please give a few minutes of your
time listening to the campus ra
dio station, KWVA 88.1 FM.
KWVA is run by students and
features a variety of music rang
ing from Spanish-language pro
gramming to independent hip
hop. There’s something for
everyone to enjoy on KWVA and
something to annoy just about
everyone as well, so don’t listen
just once. Keep trying and you
will definitely find something
worth listening to that you aren’t
likely to find anywhere else. And
best of all, no Dave Matthews
Band.
Because this is a column on
politics and the media, I can’t fin
ish my tenure without mention
ing one person in particular: Har
lan Ellison. Everyone has some
figure he or she looks up to, and
this individual is mine. Harlan
Ellison is the most-awarded liv
ing fiction writer in the world to
day, and you probably haven’t
heard of him. He is predominant
ly a short-story writer, but he has
written novels, screenplays, com
ic books and even once did a me
dia column back in the ’70s that
is the inspiration for my own
tour of duty. He is an incredible
personality and an amazing
writer. As he so humbly stated in
the introduction to one of his
books, your IQ will rise by at
least 5 points just by reading him.
So, if I’ve maintained your atten
tion thus far, it would be in your
interest to read something — any
thing — by this man. He is a ge
nius in the true sense of the
word.
Last in my spring cleaning ef
fort, take a moment to read one of
the other campus publications
that your student fees pay
for. And have a good
spring term. You’ll
hear from me again
v soon.
Eric Pfeiffer is a colum
nist for the Oregon Daily Emer
ald. His views do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald. He
can be reached at epfeiffe@glad
stone.uoregon.edu.
Letters to the editor
OSPIRG fights the good fight
We need OSPIRG now more
than ever. With all the recent roll
backs of environmental and con
sumer protections that have oc
curred in the last couple of weeks,
we students need someone to look
out for us.
One of those rollbacks by our
nation’s administration actually
overturned a law that had de
creased the limit of arsenic in our
drinking water. Clean water is one
of OSPIRG’s primary campaigns,
which is why we need to keep
funding it, so we can make stu
dents and the general public
aware of this rollback and others
like it and fight any future roll
backs from happening.
Now, more than ever, we need
OSPIRG to keep fighting the good
fight. So if you care about protect
ing yourself from any future at
tacks on laws that protect you,
then you should vote yes for OS
PIRG in the upcoming elections.
Courtney Hight
junior
environmental studies
CONTACT US!
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