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