Friday
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 sunny and it’s warm and students
are playing everywhere. What’s more,
students are playing in the EMU Am
phitheater. The Emerald editorial
board is super-stoked that the amphithe
ater is being used in a fun, engaged way.
Part of the credit goes to the weather, of
course. If it were raining and cold, no
amount of exciting activities (not even
Woody Harrelson) would fill the am
phitheater with students interacting.
But this week, it hasn’t just been the
weather bringing students to this central
point of campus to gather, laugh and
study. Some credit is also due to the
ASUO Programs Faire, which has stu
dents stopping to talk about ways they
can be active in extracurricular activities.
An additional heaping of congratula
tions goes to the ASUO Street Faire,
which has organized a talented line-up of
musicians to entertain us all. Thanks to
groups such as On the Rocks — which
sounded great and drew almost as many
people Wednesday as Harrelson did last
Friday — the Emerald office has been
filled with tunes and students can study
in the amphitheater with musical accom
paniment.
>
We have been most impressed this
week, though, with the International Stu
dents Association. This week was Interna
tional Week, and the students involved in
putting the events together have shown
amazing spirit.
According to the Office of International
Education and Exchange, there are cur
rently 1,626 international students at the
University, representing 91 countries.
This wide range of culture has caused the
University to be “ranked number one in
the United States among public universi
ties in international student enrollment”
relative to its size, according to the Office
of Communications Web site. These stu
dents seem to be overflowing with energy
and enthusiasm to share their culture and
heritage with others. And they seem to be
having a lot of fun while doing it.
On Monday, the ISA kicked off Interna
tional Week with a parade ending at a ral
ly in the amphitheater. They were shout
ing and joyful while announcing the
week’s events. When it started to rain,
they invited students under the tent to
dance and stay dry. On Tuesday, students
were teaching others to dance the salsa.
There were students participating, stu
dents watching and students just enjoying
the atmosphere. Thursday saw an amaz
ing African dance and drum presentation
which again filled the amphitheater and
electrified the audience. Today, World Fo
rum day events kick off at 2 p.m., and
there’s sure to be something fun going on.
Yes, it’s sunny, so students naturally
hang out outdoors. But the feeling of en
gagement, of interest and of the amphithe
ater being the center of campus life hasn’t
been this strong all year. So to the ASUO,
the bands that played and the ISA, we of
fer congratulations and thanks for a great
week.
This editorial represents the opinion of the Emer
ald editorial board. Responses can be sent to
ode@oregon.uoregon.edu.
Letters to the editor
Thank a campus worker today
After reading a letter to the editor
(“Janitors are human beings first,”
ODE, April 26), I am quite appalled
at how this campus treats its work
ers. Without the classified staff, this
campus could not function for
more than a day. Yet students and
the administration still treat them
with an incredible amount of disre
spect.
The instance recounted in the
letter, coupled with how the ad
ministration deals with them at the
bargaining table, shows this quite
clearly. This is classism, pure and
simple. It seems everyone is quick
to denounce sexism and racism on
campus, yet nobody seems to be
willing to look down their up
turned noses and accept workers as
people.
Make no mistake: Almost every
one on campus will be workers
someday. Probably, you already are.
I personally think that everyone
should try to thank at least one
campus worker today. The Silent
Action that the Oregon Public Em
ployee’s Union is having on the
steps of Johnson Hall today is a per
fect opportunity.
Randy Newnham
senior
anthropology/linguistics
Ad supplement has its uses
I want to assure the staff of the
Emerald, as well as the student
body, that “lovematters.com” (an
advertising supplement in the
ODE, April 24) does in fact serve a
‘ ’ ‘purpose'. T have" pla'cfed’it‘ih my
backpack just in case I’m ever in a
public restroom and I run out of toi
let paper.
Granted, the magazine won’t be
as comfortable as regular toilet pa
per, but in the end it will end up in
the right place: the Eugene sewer
system.
lovematters.com needs to wake
up. Publishing ridiculous propa
ganda won’t change minds. In fact,
this reduces the “pro-life” move
ment to a proverbial mosquito,
buzzing around the head of reason.
What kind of rational person would
believe that a woman pregnant
with a male baby loses ownership
of her own body? How can love
matters.com justify saying that a
woman who is impregnated while
being raped has a moral obligation
to have the baby, even if she isn’t
ready to be a mother? Should that
child be submitted to a life with the
knowledge that he or she was con
ceived as a result of sexual assault?
If these people want to change
minds, can’t they do it with a little
more logic? The only people who
would read this magazine with any
sense of seriousness are people
who already hold “pro-life” beliefs.
Everybody else, as I witnessed
Tuesday, is either laughing at the
pure idiocy of it or tossing it.
Jan Montry
freshman
computer science
Mark Baker displayed
ignorance proudly
The depth of white privilege and
complacency on this campus never
ceases to embarrass me. Mark Bak
er’s self-serving linguistic tirade
“correcting” Prof. Coleman’s objec
tion to the use of the term “a coon’s
age” last Friday (“Coon is short for
‘raccoon’,” ODE, April 20) is a
prime example. Why would you
consider it appropriate to mock
someone for objecting to racial
slurs?
If you were African-American,
you would have known better. If
you were ignorant, you could have
appreciated the information. If you
are deeply invested in your white
privilege you might have said — as
you did — “Oh, please.”
The future of this nation depends
on our collective ability to end dis
crimination. Do not be so proud to
be so ignorant.
jane Robin
senior
English/ethnic studies
Thanks for a great campaign
I would like to thank everyone
who helped my and Jeff Oliver’s
campaign for ASUO Executive.
Countless hours of volunteer help
contributed to my campaign’s visi
bility and viability.
Two people who went well
above and beyond the call of duty,
however, are Jen Ames and Mindi
Rice. These two amazing people
did all that was asked of them and
more on their own. And while Jen
was already one of my best friends
before, Mindi became one of my
best friends over the course of the
campaign. You two are simply
wonderful.
Now, that’s not to say that every
one else who helped‘out With my
campaign isn’t wonderful... they all
are! I can never say “thanks” enough
to everyone who helped me.
I would also like to thank a few
other good friends of mine who
helped with my campaign: David
Christensen, Brandi Church and
Curtis Buell. Much like Jen Ames
and Mindi Rice, these three kind,
wonderful people campaigned
more than could/should be ever
asked of someone. These five to
gether, and everyone else who
helped are the reasons why I can
look back on my campaign with
positive thoughts and memories
despite the fact that we lost and had
to go through some political strain.
I made a lot of friends, we all had
some laughs and our campaign was
one for positive change. Thanks to
everyone and I’m sure I’ll say it
again to all of you in person very
soon.
Eric Bailey
sophomore
major
ASUO Senate vice president
Leftfield Frank Silva