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
Athletics is Weighing doWfl academics
Everybody knows the dice are loaded / Everybody
rolls with their fingers crossed / Everybody knows
the war is over / Everybody knows the good guys lost
/ Everybody knows the fight was fixed / The poor
stay poor, the rich get rich / That’s how it goes, everybody
knows” — Leonard Cohen
Yes, the University’s Athletic Department was wrong for
scheduling the Civil War football game so close to Finals
Week. Yes, that administrative decision, which the Univer
sity Senate has rightfully criticized, will impinge upon the
academics that make this campus respectable and are the
reason (purportedly) that we’re all here.
But it’s not just the Civil War incident that should irk peo
ple. There are plenty of instances when athletics trump aca
demics. It doesn’t matter what irks us, however, because in
order to become a top-tier athletic program, that’s how it goes,
as everybody knows.
The Emerald editorial board therefore approaches this
subject with resignation. As we tell our tale, keep in mind
that this is simply a generic story about the reality of how
to get to the top.
Begin with a so-so athletic program, get a good coach, and
then do whatever it takes to lure some above-average play
ers. Using super-special perks, full-ride scholarships and a
fully stocked players’ lounge (not just with free food and
drink, but the best GTFs as tutors) is just the beginning.
Once some predilection toward winning is established,
keep up the pressure. Use charming escorts to woo the young
recruits, give those recruits cool rides in a Humvee and throw
in more perks whenever needed. Sometimes a stadium needs
expanding, and if a science museum stands in the way, pre
pare the bulldozer. Trouncing the little guys is acceptable as
long as the goal is always in sight.
Holy cow, now a major network wants to televise the big
games! And not just regional coverage, but nationwide. The
game schedule will have to be rearranged, but that’s OK. Na
tional exposure will go a long way in luring future recruits,
which further ensures the team’s rise to the top.
And all along the way, if money needs to be siphoned
from academics to sustain the athletic program, well, that’s
just what it takes, everybody knows.
In the meantime, academics suffer. Sure, some major
donors might be excited by the lure of a big team, a potential
future dynasty, and they might build some new buildings.
On the other hand, some of the students, learning about the
world thanks to pesky academia,.might protest and make a
donor real mad, and then the money’s gone.
And anyway, does big'-donor money
ensure adequate pay for professors?
Apparently not. If your small-town
university can’t pay decent salaries to
professors, those in academia will
find employment elsewhere. As a re
sult, some departments at the school
win have absolutely no prolessors oi color.
Students then lose out on the richness that
a different heritage and different life experi
ences bring to the table. Mock awards could
be given to these departments to raise
awareness about the lack of diversity, but
hey, the departments are trying; shouldn’t
the awards really go to the administration
that allows the cycle to continue?
There’s still more. While traveling to away
games, athletes need tutors to keep their
grades up. Never mind if some of these stu
dent-athletes aren’t actually learning enough
to be well-rounded individuals when they
don’t get drafted into the professional ranks.
That’s not the deal that was made. The deal is,
they focus on athletics, while the rest of
their school schedule will be covered for
them. In the meantime, other students,
focusing on academics, land a plum in
ternship at a prestigious organization.
Can they arrange to take their finals ear
lier? Too often.no.
We shouldn’t be so upset by this story. -
Isn’t this just training for the real world,
where celebrities and athletes get the big
money even though they re not doing the important work?
Pay-Rod needs that $252 million, after all.'Teachers? Let’s not
pay them more, let’s just hold them more accountable.
We’re still in college, though. And here, the unfortunate part
is, except for sports fans, everybody loses. Student-athletes
who get shortchanged out of a real education lose. Other stu
dents, who are here to learn, lose. Less glamorous sports pro
grams, such as lacrosse and softball, which need bake sales to
raise funds, really lose. The college, as an institution of higher
learning, loses. As an institution which runs minor leagues for
the big sports franchises, of course, it wins big.
But maybe this fight isn’t a lost cause. Maybe at the Uni
versity, the above scenarios don’t always come true. Maybe
here, we do focus on producing fully developed citizens of
Giovanni Salimena Emerald
the world. Apparently University President Dave Frohn
mayer shares our concern. After all, in a recent letter to the
editor, he wrote, “Our purpose is a higher one — to build
community, to honor identity within community and to en
gage in thoughtful and respectful conversation.”
So what is our purpose here? Is it to support society’s mis
guided “sugar daddy” relationship with movie stars and base
ball players? Or is our purpose a higher one? If you think we’re
here to learn, get involved. Maybe we can turn the tide. After all,
enough people fighting against a backwards system can pro
duce change. History has shown that, everybody knows.
This editorial represents the opinion of the Emerald editorial board. Re
sponses can be sent to ode@oregon.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 be 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:
It’s tax season. What do you do?
Results: 91 total votes
Pay on time—52 votes, or 57.1 percent
Pay late—6 votes, or 6.6 percent
Cheat—10 votes, or 11 percent
Don’t pay — 6 votes, or 6.6 percent
What are taxes?—17 votes, or 18.7 percent
What a bunch of goody two-shoes. I can hear the
chanting now, “We all pay on time!" At least
there are 10 good old-fashioned cheats out there
and six who are either protesting taxes or are re
ally lazy. And congratulations to the 17 of you
who don’t even know what we’re talking about. I
wish I could manage that kind of aloofness.
This week’s poll question:
Who is your favorite Saturday Night Live
character?
The choices:
Dana Carvey as the Church Lady
Tim Meadows as the Ladies’ Man
Eddie Murphy as Mr. Robinson
Rob Schneider as the Copy Guy
Molly Shannon as Mary Katherine Gallagher
Chris FarJey.as Matt Foley, motivational speaker
harm,” ODE, April 12), he states that oppo
nents or “potentially productive people” are
barking up the wrong tree, because although
the confederate flag is a symbol of bigotry,
slavery and repression, having it fly atop the
state capitol is OK because the issue is “in
consequential nonsense” anyway.
McKenzie said protesters are overlooking
the fact that the U.S. flag also represents vari
ous racially motivated acts, including the hor
rendous treatment of Native Americans and of
Japanese Americans in internment camps.
However, McKenzie overlooks the fact
that the U.S. flag is also a symbol of social
change that has very much benefited minori
ties. The confederate flag has no redeeming
symbolic implications and is a stagnant rem
nant of bigotry which can only continue to
represent a racial division.
McKenzie claims that to really combat
racism, opponents should go after policy
makers jn Washington, D.C., not good oT
boys in South Carolina. John Ashcroft, who
has a history of making blatantly racist deci
sions and openly endorsed a confederate
magazine, just so happens to hang out with
good ol’ boys from South Carolina.
McKenzie fails to see this connection and
claims the debate is a “one-dimensional
squabble,” yet the fact that the debate evokes
so much emotion from both sides proves that
there is more to it than “abstract symbolism."
Society (and its many dimensions) will
recognize that racism, and symbols of
racism, should not be tolerated.
Joshua Crockett
senior
Spanish/international studies
Please join us on May Day. Tell The Regis
ter-Guard what it is to be a citizen of this
community.
Joe Mosley
executive board member/action
committee chair
Eugene Newspaper Guild
Don't give me the bird
Why does the ASUO think they are better
than everyone else on campus? On Wednes
day, I went to the ASUO office to take care of
some business at about 5:30 p.m. when the
office was closed. Since I only had to pick up
a form, I was hoping they could open the
door and hand it to me.
Someone who was working in the office
came to the door and pointed out a sign that
said they were counting votes. I nodded my
head in acknowledgment and waved to the
man. To my surprise, a woman with dark
black hair flipped me off as I was leaving.
My question is this: If there were so many
ballots to be tabulated, how come I counted
four people just standing around in the of
fice? And when they decided they didn’t
want to help me, why do they feel it’s neces
sary to flip me off? (They get very brave be
hind locked doors.)
One mission of the ASUO is to have
greater communication with the student
body. Let me give you guys some advice.
Locking people out and flipping them off is
n’t the way to go about that.
Nick Larsen
sophomore
pre-journalismon
Confederate flag is a symbol of racism
In Aaron McKenzie’s article regarding the
Confederate flag debate (’’Never meanin’ no
Letters to the editor
Join Register-Guard employees
on May Day
Labor supporters and others concerned
about negative bargaining tactics of The Regis
ter-Guard are encouraged to send a message to
the newspaper's owners at a May 1 rally out
side the company's Chad Drive offices. The
5:30 p.m. rally — two years to the day after ex
piration of the newspaper's contract with its
largest union, the Eugene Newspaper Guild —
will feature speakers, entertainment and infor
mation about our community's vital role in
urging The Register-Guard’s owners to live up
to their "Citizen of the Community" standards
and bargain responsibly.
The newspaper has hired a union-busting
Tennessee lawyer to direct the current round
of negotiations with the Newspaper Guild,
which has represented newsroom, circula
tion and advertising employees for more
than 55 years (contributing greatly to past
stature achieved by the paper). The compa
ny not only is demanding wage rollbacks for
many employees and minimal raises for oth
ers, but it is insisting on contract language
that would weaken the union's ability to
stand up for workers' rights.
The Register-Guard owners were recent
ly found guilty of several unfair labor prac
tices and ordered by a judge to begin nego
tiating with the Teamsters on behalf of
distribution department employees. Rather
than comply with the judge's order and ac
cept the will of employees who petitioned
for union representation, the owners have
indicated they will appeal the ruling and
delay a just resolution.