Wednesday
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
"WASTE
ofspace
The controversial urinal
screens from three and a
half years ago showed up
briefly again last week, at
least in the men’s bathroom by the
EMU Ballroom. The screens are an
old issue, and they only popped
up briefly, but they’re worth a
mention. The screens Eire printed
with a message smiling out at you
from the urinal: “You hold the
power to stop rape in your hand. ”
No one is sure who put the
screens in the bathroom last week,
as the University stopped using
them a couple of years ago when
they proved unpopular. The
Emerald editorial board can un
derstand why the screens created
a ruckus. They were inappropri
ate, and we’re glad they’re gone.
To begin with, the bathroom is
neither the time nor the place for
“raising awareness.” When uri
nating, men are generally zoning
off. Post issue messages on bul
letin boards—right outside bath
rooms, if you wish. But leave the
toilet as one place safe from propa
ganda (except for those graffiti
artists who love “grout” so much).
Perhaps the idea of the screens
sounded like a cute and clever
way to bring attention to a very im
portant issue. Rape and “rape cul
ture” needs more attention, and
more men need to be involved in
helping to dispel the atmosphere
of objectification and sanctioned
violence against women.
But honestly, a “cute” or
“clever” approach is incredibly
insensitive in this case. I can’t
imagine that women’s groups
want men to be having a little
chuckle as they contemplate rape.
And if all men need to be involved
in stopping rape, they’ll have to be
involved with more than just their
penises. We imagine they’ll have
to use their brains, too.
Further, we agree that all men
need to be involved in the effort to
eliminate society’s negligent ac
ceptance of belittling images and
stereotypes of women. But the mes
sage on the urinal screens doesn’t
address men’s role in stopping sex
ist comments in the work
place or deconstructing vio
lent imagery involving
women. The message is
quite clearly saying that all
men may be rapists. If that’s
the not the case, then ex
plain this: How does a non
rapist man have the power
to stop society’s mistreat
ment of women with his pe
nis?
As a final note, with a
nod to grammarians every
where, we would like to
point out that the message
on the screens contains a
ridiculous misplaced
prepositional phrase.
“Rape in your hand” is an
impossible scenario. The
sentence should have read,
“You hold in your hand the
power to stop rape. ” This is
a college, after all.
This editorial represents the opin
ion of the Emerald editorial board.
Responses can be sent to
ode@oregon.uoregon.edu.
Giovanni Saiimena Emerald
Legislature shouldn’t mess with university curriculum
State Rep. Betsy Close recently intro
duced three bills in the Qregon House
she claims will protect “student aca
demic freedom.” The bills are de
signed to allow students to opt out of re
quired classes if they find the course
material objectionable or if the material
doesn’t relate to their major.
This is a scary proposition that threatens
the integrity of higher education, and the
bills must be stopped.
Close, a Republican from Albany, said her
idea came from a case at Southern Oregon
University. A freshman there, enrolled in
the required core colloquium, was offended
by some of Karl Marx’s writings and a depic
tion of rape. Under Close’s main bill, the stu
dent would have been able to either do dif
ferent coursework or not take the class. But
how would the student have known the ma
terial was offensive without reading it? Per
haps the student’s parents were aware of the
potentially offensive material in advance.
No matter how one identifies ideas one
doesn’t like, the notion that a student, or the
Legislature, should be allowed to determine
what constitutes a college education is
frightening. The possibilities for abuse and
extremism are endless.
A fundamentalist might object to any mate
rial that doesn’t promote a Christian God as
the sole creator of the universe. That could
rule out philosophy, literature and science. A
Krishna devotee or Taoist adherent could find
the promotion of capitalism, economics and
Western history morally offensive.
The point here is that the value of a public
college education comes from learning
about a vast panorama of ideas. This is not a
private school, where the administration
and teachers can promote only one set of be
liefs about the world. A public degree means
something because it implies a well-round
ed individual who knows a little about a lot
of subjects and a lot about one or two areas
of study.
Close would like to eliminate the value of
our universities and allow students to pick
and choose what’s OK for them to learn. One
of her bills would allow students to opt out
of classes not relating closely to their major.
Wait one moment: That’s the point of col
lege! If students want to take a narrow selec
tion of courses all designed to train them in
one field, they are free to go to trade or tech
nical schools. A liberal arts education man
dates courses outside one’s major on pur
pose.
The bottom line is this: The Legislature
doesn’t need to be meddling with the state’s
university curriculum. It’s micro-manage
ment, it’s bad politics and it’s an offensive
idea. Close’s bill is currently sitting in a
House subcommittee. Legislators should let
it die there.
This editorial represents the opinion of the Emerald
editorial board. Responses can be sent to ode@ore
gon.uoregon.edu.
Letters to the editor
Bret and Matt will re-energize the ASUO
Before my roommate Bret Jacobson began his
campaign for ASUO Executive, I didn’t care
about student government. I didn’t know what
student government really does. Although I’ve
only helped place posters on campus, I’ve real
ized during this election how vital the ASUO
is — and can be — to students. I’ve also seen
how hard Jacobson and his running mate Matt
Cook will work so everyone realizes what stu
dent government can do for them. In this year,
I’ve never seen them so excited or dedicated.
The ASUO goes beyond giving student fees
to other groups. It’s the starting place for new
campus ideas. But as past presidents can attest,
it’s crucial that the president bring more voices
in and make people outside of student groups
interested in what happens in government.
I like that Jacobson and Cook have a handful
of specific ideas that will start bridging gaps
among student groups. But most importantly, I
think his enthusiasm can rub off on other stu
dents like me and they will care for the first
time about what happens in the ASUO office
because they will see how it affects their experi
ences at the University.
I just have to live with the guy. I don’t have to
like what he does. But Jacobson and Cook’s
ideas and specific campaign plans have ener
gized me about student government. And if
elected, I believe they will actually—finally —
take the first steps to connect the ASUO with
the larger campus community.
John Erickson
senior
business administration
Kyoto Treaty decision
shows importance of OSPIRG
More than 100 industrialized nations have
joined together to slow global warming. These
countries signed the Kyoto Treaty, which
seeks to lower the world average output of
carbon dioxide by 5.2 percent. This seems like
a positive, reasonable and achievable goal.
That’s because it is. Our nation’s president
disagrees.
President Bush refused to sign the Kyoto
Treaty despite urgings from Britain, Germany,
Italy and others. Bush claims he won’t do any
thing to hurt the U.S. economy. Where was he
when NAFTA sent millions of jobs across our
borders? Oh yeah, Texas. The point is, keep
ing rich people rich is the name of the game,
and the environment makes little difference.
America produces 25 percent of the world’s
carbon dioxide emissions, yet our president
refuses to join international efforts to ensure a
future for the future. Many Native American
cultures believe that one should consider the
impact of decisions for seven generations.
Maybe Bush could start with an easier num
ber — like two.
In fairness, Bush has a valid gripe with the
treaty. He claims it’s not fair because develop
ing countries don’t have to comply. To be tru
ly fair, other countries should be granted the
same head start we had before taking respon
sibility for pollution, right?
At any rate, we come off as arrogant and self
ish to the rest of the world. Situations like this
emphasize the importance of watch-dog groups
such as OSPIRG. Vote yes and support an or
ganization that fights the degradation of our
earth.
J.J. Burkart
senior
journalism
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