Newsroom: (541) 346-5511
Room 300, Erb Memorial Union
RO. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
E-mail: ode@oregon.uoregon.edu
Online Edition:
www. dailyemerald .com
Editor in Chief:
Andrew Adams
Associate Editors:
Jeremy Lang
Peter Hockaday
The choice to smoke should be an individual decision
By this time next week, all
of Eugene’s bars and tav
erns and most of the city’s
businesses are expected to
be completely smoke free, as all
cigarette smokers will likely have
moved to city sidewalks and be
huddled together in a fraternity of
exiled tobacco users.
The much-heralded and debated
smoking ban will go into effect
July 1, and smokers will no longer
enjoy free reign in their favorite
bars, taverns or restaurants to light
up if they see fit. That is, unless, a
move by the state Legislature to
normalize smoking restrictions
across the state and preserve some
sense of autonomy concerning to
bacco use passes.
House Bill 3953 would, if
passed, forbid smoking in all
restaurants, except in areas closed
to minors such as bars or lounges.
The bill has already passed
through the House and backers are
making a strong push in the Capi
tol to see that it is signed into law.
Last week supporters of the bill
moved $17.5 million in tobacco
use prevention funds from the
state’s health division toward the
measure to effectively force Gov.
John Kitzhaber to sign the bill if he
expects to fund anti-tobacco edu
cation. If the bill does pass, earlier
smoking bans enacted by cities
such as Corvallis, Baker City and
others would be grandfathered in,
but Eugene’s would be nullified.
And that would be a good result.
Eugene’s ban goes too far in re
stricting individual’s basic respon
sibility to him or herself under the
premise of a greater good. No one
can argue that excessive tobacco
use is not harmful to both the
smokers themselves and those im
mediately around them. But one
can argue that it is the individual’s
choice to either protect his or her
health or endanger it.
Mature adults should be left
with the choice of whether they
would like to smoke or not; the
city should not make that choice
for them. Emphasis is placed on
“mature,” as children should not
be subjected to unnecessary expo
sure to second-hand smoke. Chil
dren are already banned from
these areas to protect them from
the excesses of alcohol, so it is
within reason to apply the same
guidelines to tobacco. Therefore, it
makes sense to limit smoking to ar
eas were mindful adults can
choose to either light up or avoid
those who do.
One can easily argue that any
limitation of personal action
through law is a deviation from
the logic that individuals should
be left to make their own deci
sions. But today it is highly un
reasonable to suggest a system in
which personal liberty is the end
all, so a rational compromise is
the best solution. Leaving smok
ing within bars and taverns
whose owners permit smoking is,
then, the most sensible action.
But one can also argue that giv
ing bar owners the right to decide
to permit smoking also takes the
decision from the hands of the in
dividual. This is true, but only in
the sense that for that specific bar
the choice has been made for the
individual. That person, if he or
she disagrees with the owner, can
choose another bar. Eugene’s
smoking ban does not allow for
this option, and so in this regard
it is also an unfair limitation on
one’s autonomy.
Not only is this an affront to the
individual, it is also an affront to
the business owner who must
compete with another town that
allows its residents the right to
choose what they can do with to
bacco. If Eugene’s ban goes into ef
fect, there likely will be an influx
of business to the bars in Spring
field, Junction City and other
neighboring cities that do not im
pose such stringent limitations on
one’s personal tobacco use.
This is the very reason why the
Oregon Restaurant Association has
been an active critic of local smok
ing ordinances and helped draft
HB 3953. A statewide approach
that offers a sensible compromise
is the best answer to the issue of to
bacco use in public places. Let us
hope that Oregon’s lawmakers re
alize this.
The emerald city,
a national jewel
It is with great pleasure that we
see Eugene has been a focus for the
national spotlight this past week
end. While this is not the first time
our city has received some national
attention, it is pleasing that this
round is largely positive and not fo
cusing on Eugene’s reputation as
the headquarters for anarchy. Lo
cals have long known the benefits
of this often quiet city from the edu
cational atmosphere provided by
both the University and Lane Com
munity College, numerous outdoor
recreational opportunities, a stable
economy and a unique, if at times
struggling, downtown area. Ac
cording to some reports there were
nearly 20,000 visitors to Eugene
this past weekend that included top
track athletes, Bach fans,
hand weavers and even Norwegian
singers and attendees of the Black
Sheep Gathering. We heartily wel
come them all, and remind them
that Eugene’s qualities can be en
joyed year-round — if one doesn’t
mind a little rain, that is.
Summertime — when the
ODE is easy
While most of our fellow stu
dents are out of town enjoying
their summer break, the staff of
the Oregon Daily Emerald will
still be publishing this summer.
This is the first newspaper of the
summer term, to be followed
every Tuesday and Thursday by
more issues providing our read
ers with an in-depth look into
both campus and local news,
sports and entertainment.
This editorial represents the opinions of An
drew Adams. His views do not necessarily
represent the views of the Oregon Daily
Emerald. He can be reached at
aba11431@gladstone.uoregon.edu.
No ready solution exists for now-pervasive grade inflation
Guest Commentary
Knight-Ridder
_Newspapers
Grades are a controversial
topic on many campuses
these days. Not so much
the gloomy topic of bad
grades, an old, contentious prob
lem, but the relatively new issue of
too many good grades.
Few would seriously deny that
the inflation of grades has be
come pervasive in American
higher education over the past
couple of decades. It is said that
the Gentleman's C — long consid
ered an acceptable grade by stu
dents of both sexes, faculty and
tuition-paying parents — has
turned into the Gentleman's B, or
even the Gentleman's A.
Grade inflation in its various
guises can be seen at nearly all
campuses. In grading, as in so
many areas, student-consumers
are getting more of what they de
mand, rather then what they need,
or deserve. Attempts to deal with
the problem by enforcing institu
tion-wide standards tend to run up
against faculty members' charac
teristic insistence on establishing
and policing the academic sub
stance of their own courses.
There isn't too much that lone
faculty members can do about the
overall trend, but some continue
trying. One is Harvey C. Mans
field, a professor of government at
Harvard. He has long held a repu
tation as a tough (but not unfair)
grader. In any case, he has insti
tuted a two-tier grading system for
students in his political philoso
phy classes: One grade, the mod
ern-type inflated one, will go on
their official transcripts; the sec
ond grade, representing what he
thinks they really deserve, will be
disclosed to them individually
and privately.
Under this system, his stu
dents will presumably be able to
avoid being harmed (in graduate
school applications, etc.) for
having significantly lower grades
than their peers, at Harvard or
elsewhere. But, for their own
consideration, they will also
have the professor's unvarnished
assessment of their work.
This approach is not universally
applicable. For example, it may not
affect students who are far more in
terested in how graduate school ad
missions committees view their ap
plications than in how Professor
Mansfield views their work in
class. Nevertheless, the problem is
real and it's not going away by it
self. During the 1999-2000 school
year-, more than 87 percent of Har
vard undergraduates received
grades of B or better in their cours
es. That strains credulity.
© Knight-Ridder Newspapers, 2001
Letters to the editor
Dievendorf’s dedication helped
students flourish
It is with great sadness that I read from
across the country that Linda Dievendorf
has been betrayed by the very institution
for whom she has dedicated herself the
last 17 years. I came to know Linda while
I worked at the Cultural Forum. I per
formed duties ranging from reception to
posturing, security and stage crew. In
part because of her good example I have
gone on to become a successful agent
working in Boston, Mass.
I am not the only one who has flour
ished in the music industry under Lin
da's watch. Jason Miller went from con
cert coordinator at the U of O to President
of Horde Tour, and now he is a senior ex
ecutive at House of Blues International.
Adam Zacks went from his student job at
the Cultural Forum working with Linda
to working for Double T Concerts, one of
the largest promoters in the Northwest
and operator of the Roseland Theater in
Portland. In the coming years, the music
industry will be seeded with those who
trained under Linda's watchful eye.
I don't know much about the politics of
the University and its administration. As
an alumnus I am often confused by poli
cy and its effects on students, faculty and
the community. But I do understand eco
nomics. I will withhold my support as
an alumnus for a university that finds it
more important to hang billboards in
New York City than to keep its most ded
icated educators and staff.
Phil Simon
class of 1992
Dievendorf’s termination will
negatively affect University
I have never earned a cent with my
University of Oregon degree. I have, how
ever, managed to support myself quite
nicely using skills that were born of my
experience working with Linda Dieven
dorf and the Cultural Forum.
On May 23rd, without consulting stu
dents , the administration terminated the
contract of Linda Dievendorf, who has
served the students of the University for
almost two decades.
Linda Dievendorf and the Cultural Fo
rum are one of the few resources on cam
pus where students can gain any experi
ence that is applicable to the world outside
of the University. Beyond giving students
valuable work experience, the result of
that hard work is a hugely enriched cul
tural landscape for the student body.
I can only imagine the shameful polit
ical motivations that inspired this termi
nation , but I can say without a doubt that
it will have a resounding negative impact
on the University as a whole.
Dan Stiles
class of 1994
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Chan Lowe Tribune Media Services