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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (June 4, 2001)
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 Smells like* * . . school spirit Thanks to a sociology class, the University has moved a step closer to perma nently providing sweat shop-free apparel bearing Univer sity logos. Well actually, the permanence of the project de pends on consumer demand. But the Emerald editorial board is ex cited about the project, and we urge the community to support the lew “no-sweat” zone at the Uni versity Bookstore. Students in Professor Michael Dreiling’s “Workers, Consumers and the Global Economy” class formed the Campus Coalition for Fair Labor earlier this term. The aim of the group is to provide sweatshop-free University apparel, and they’ve almost reached their goal. Shirts should be on sale be fore the 2001 commencement, if all goes according to plan. But first, the group will hold a rally today at 11:30 a.m. in the EMU Amphitheater to raise aware ness and support for the project. We encourage the community to show up. No tents are required, and you don’t have to get arrested at Johnson Hall to work toward sweatshop-free apparel. Just come lend your support and sign the pe tition for the “sweat-free zone.” We support this project specifi cally because it offers a solution to the problem of sweatshop labor without the need to cajole or make demands of administrators. Con sumers on our campus, if they are as supportive of humane working conditions as they claim, can now make the choice to purchase only "no-sweat” apparel. Offering consumers the option was the focus of University Book store general manager Jim Williams’ comments about the venture for Friday’s article in the Emerald. He emphasized that of fering the choice should not be tak en as disapproval of the other products the bookstore sells. It’s just a choice, he said. That’s good busi ness, and it’s fantastic that Williams is coop erating to help this project get off the ground. Whether Nike is one of the sweatshop offenders or whether it’s some other company, we think the University should be moving to ward selling apparel that is produced under hu mane conditions. Last year, a group of very active students with the same conviction camped on the Johnson Hall lawn and University President Dave Frohn mayer did sign on with the Worker Rights Consor tium. Then in February, the Ore gon University System decided that universities could not hold their contractors to any standards other than cost. That trumped the University’s affiliation with any la bor-monitoring groups and seemed to leave the issue dead. Students and the campus com munity argued and argued about what was the right thing to do and which was the right way to do it. The Emerald’s editorial page pre sented letters and guest commen taries about the issue. James Han ley, an adjunct instructor in political science, wrote that stu dents should demand contract in centives to convince companies to produce “no-sweat” merchandise. He added that then consumers should “rush to the bookstore to Letters to the editor Decision about Linda Dievendorf belongs to students It is truly a sad day for the University of Oregon and our community. Very recently the University administration, without notice, terminated the contract of Linda Dieven dorf, employee of 21 years in student administration. She was a represented worker for 19 years and was then forced, as are many others, out of her bargaining unit and into a position as officer of administration with no pro tection. Linda Dievendorf, who is director of the Cultural Fo rum, is one of the finest individuals I have worked with at the University. She excels in all areas and is greatly admired by the students. Professionally, she ranks among the superior student advisors nationwide. Her position is 100 percent funded by student fees, and student leaders were not informed about this decision. I have taught at the University for 14 years, and I re main very committed to our institution. However, this event is one of the most groundless actions I have wit nessed, surpassing even the firing of past University President Paul Olum. In the end, power over Olum’s position belonged to the state. Linda Dievendorf be longs to the students who, in a unified manner, reject the administration’s decision. I firmly believe that the faculty, staff, most administrators and the community do, too. The administration gravely overstepped their bounds in this matter and it is time to rectify it. When this happens, the University will have protected the basic integrity of our mission. Bryan Moore senior Spanish instructor romance languages It’s true: Dead men don’t rape The Emerald never fails to make me ashamed to be affiliated with the University. Your latest editorial (“Subtle alienation still an overt wrong,” ODE, May 30) regarding the woman who held the sign reading “Dead men don’t rape” was full of patriarchal garbage! I happen to be a friend of the woman who held this sign, and I support her wholeheartedly. Guess what? It’s true, dead men don’t rape. In my eyes, when a man rapes a woman, she has the right to fight back against this in credible injustice in any way that she so chooses. In some cases, she may choose to kill her rapist, and I say more power to her. Maybe if more rapists (the vast majority are men) were killed, men would be less inclined to keep raping women in epidemic proportions. I agree that the under lying issues of sexism and patriarchy are what truly need to be addressed to stop rape for good, but in the meantime, women aren’t just going to sit back and put up with the abuse. It’s typical that yet again an issue concerning the vi olence perpetuated on women by men has been warped into a “blame-the-woman, feel-sorry-for-the man-who-felt-alienated” game. It’s also typical that the Emerald has chosen to “side with the man.” I’m sorry that a man was upset by the sign. I’m sorry that he felt alienated by a piece of cardboard. But guess what? This entire society alienates women, and we are more than a little “upset” about the constant vio lence that is perpetrated upon us. We are incredibly angry, and we will fight back in order to reclaim the night, reclaim our freedom and reclaim our lives! Liz Simmons freshman philosophy buy the new, more socially accept able merchandise.” Well here’s your opportunity. This project is more constructive than camping on lawns. It’s more conciliatory than cutting off sup pliers who don’t immediately co operate. If the clothing sells well, this project could offer companies plenty of incentive to produce hu mane merchandise: profits. So kudos go out to everyone in volved in making this happen. Dreiling, Williams and the students in the Campus Coalition for Fair La bor all deserve a round of applause. We do have one bit of warning for Giovanni Salimena Emerald the community, though: Don’t let this step in the right direction turn out to be the final step. The adminis tration cannot take this project and hoist it high in order to prove how humane the University is and how well it responds to student con cerns. Until the University stops selling sweatshop apparel, it is nei ther humane nor responding to stu dent concerns. But this is a step toward a better apparel policy. Give it the support it deserves. This editorial represents the opinion of the Emerald editorial board. Responses 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 encourage you to send us feedback about the poll questions and results. Last week’s poll question Which American war’s history do you find the most intriguing? Results: 263 total votes Revolutionary War—75 votes, or 28.5 percent Civil War—37 votes, or 14.1 percent World War I—4 votes, or 1.5 percent World War II — 74 votes, or 28.1 percent Korean War—4 votes, or 1.5 percent Vietnam War—69 votes, or 26.2 percent OK, judging from the way these votes rolled in, somebody found a secret way to vote again and again. However they did it, there was an all-out war about which warwasthe most in triguing war. The war that bought America its freedom won the voting war, followed closely by the war that freed the world from the Nazis. Cool. Make war with the poll, not war with each other, people. This week’s poll question What was the biggest news story the Emerald covered this year? The choices: Problems at the Department of Public Safety Presidential election Jill Dieringer’s death Jody Runge’s resignation Oregon’s football season UO wins two NCAA track titles WRC/FLA debate WISTEC/Autzen stadium controversy ASUO Election
