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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (June 28, 2001)
Newsroom: (541) 346-5511 Room 300, Erb Memorial Union PO. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403 E-mail: ocle@oregon. uoregon.edu Online Edition: www.dailyemerald.com Editor in Chief: Andrew Adams Associate Editors: Jeremy Lang Peter Hockaday Larger OUS budget is a good omen for Oregon Better higher education funding good for all The latest news from Salem con cerning the budget for the Oregon University System has been the best there's been in this otherwise bleak session. From a starting point of nearly $100 million below what our seven public universities figured they would need for the next funding period, we have now arrived at the $792 million that is still below what was originally sought by the OUS, but is a great improvement from where Governor John Kitzhaber started us. Between those two points the co chairs of the Legislature’s Joint Ways and Means Committee of fered their own budgets that further muddied the waters. These past few months, which witnessed this “yo-yo” ofa budget, have been at times most distressing to those in higher education. And not only have administrators and profes sors been keeping a wary eye on leg islators, but student leaders have also kept their fingers on the budgetary pulse in the hopes of defeating a tu ition increase that at times was feared to be upwards of 10 percent. Like the fear ofa drastically re duced overall budget, that fear has also failed to materialize in light of the stabilizing efforts of the Educa tion Subcommittee that last week approved the $792 million budget as well as on ly a 4 percent tuition hike for this next year and a 3 per cent increase to follow. This is an encouraging sign, as it shows our lawmakers actually had the gumption to put some support behind higher education during a session in which state funds were hard to come by and the Depart ment of Transportation, the state police and the Department of Jus tice were all lobbying to preserve their budget requests in full. It would be easy for anyone to ar gue that those on campus have a self-centered view of the state budg et and don’t take into account the necessity of other services that had to compete for funding. While to some extent this is true, one also has to understand the grave importance of higher education to Oregon. As this state continues to make the painful transition from a sawmill to computer-chip economy, it needs qualified university graduates who have a devoted interest in the better ment of their home state. Leaving the OUS scrambling to make ends meet will just make this that much more difficult. Every institution in Oregon from the University of Oregon to Oregon State University’s fledgling Bend campus needs the full support of Oregon’s Legislature if we want to remain competitive in the national and international market. Tainted goods should be returned No one can discount the value of donations. Generous gifts have re made our Knight Library and also es tablished a formidable law school here at the University. But when gifts are received that were obtained through ill-gotten means, then it is time for this institution to take the high road and return any such funds. The Portland-based investment firm Capital Consultants, headed by University alumnus Jeffrey Grayson, collapsed under federal scrutiny last September. It would be later discov ered that Grayson appears to have used $355 million in funds taken from his clients and union pension accounts for various purposes, in cluding huntingtrips for clients and charitable donations. The Universi ty received $800,000 from Grayson and then renamed the old law school building in his honor in part because of that donation and the pledgetoadd $1.5 million more. Thomas Lennon, the receiver ap pointed by the U.S. District Court to liquidate Grayson’s firm, has made it clear that he believes the University should return those funds to Capital Consultants’ private portfolio so the courts can further deal with this tan gle of financial deception. Despite Grayson’s charitable in volvement with the University, which included serving in some of its largest fundraising efforts. Uni versity administrators should initi ate an effort to ensure that any funds that have any taint of corrup tion on them not contribute to its educational mission. Instead, they have maintained a defense that the University has not been explicitly asked to return any funds and will not even “speculate about what would happen,” as University Gen eral Counsel Melinda Grier said, until it receives such a letter. Our University should seek to solve this problem of its own accord and not because it is told to do so. Recognize the value of signing Education is an ever-changing mission because of our ever-chang ing society. The standards and re quirements set by this University and any other institution of higher education should reflect that. Therefore, it makes good sense that the University should support a bid to extend the perimeters of its foreign language requirement to in clude sign language. Granted, there are more people fluent in Spanish and French than sign language, but that does not diminish the value of learning sign language. The culture of deafness is just as legitimate of as that of any Spanish or French cul ture and the University should rec ognize this by letting students com plete their bachelor of arts degree with two years of sign language. Coordinating one’s words to one's actions should be just as chal lenging as the complexities of French verb tenses, and unlocking the doors to the world of the deaf has the same merits as delving into the Spanish culture. Western Oregon University al ready offers signing as a means to fulfill a language requirement, and this University should follow that example. This editorial represents the views of the Emerald’s editor in chief and does not neces sarily reflect the views of the Oregon Daily Emerald. EMU officials unwilling to collaborate Guest Commentary Linda _Dievendorf The Cultural Forum is an experiential, student based learning environ ment that I inherited and have continued to foster for the past seventeen years. The students teach me what they need to learn and I guide and assist their learn ing process. My attempts for a sim ilar collaborative relationship with EMU Director Dusty Miller and EMU Director of Student Ac tivities Gregg Lobisser have been without success. I believe their inability to com municate their goals and their in flexibility in understanding the philosophy and operation of the Cultural Forum led to their deci sion to terminate my contract. It would do well to more fully exam ine the motives behind Dusty and Gregg’s decision and whether this decision best serves the University community. It has been my honor and privi lege to work with some of the brightest, most creative, resource ful and gifted students that have come through the University of Oregon. I have dedicated my ener gy, enthusiasm, talent and the greatest part of my life for almost two decades to student develop ment and leadership in the Cultur al Forum and the University. The decision to terminate my contract is a misuse and abuse of power, authority and position and is fun damentally wrong. There have been numerous op portunities over the last two years to work through differences and for Dusty and Gregg to con sult with me and rely on my ex pertise and insight in making de cisions that affect my program. I believe their refusal is an inabili ty to embrace cooperation and collaboration and the desire to exercise control at any cost. And the cost is great. Their approach to managing breeds fear of engag ing in meaningful dialogue and resolution because to do so re sults in accusations of miscon duct, censure and termination. The choice to manage authorita tively, patronizingly and pater nally erodes trust and diminish es true participation in commu nity. Unfortunately, theirs is a prevailing approach to student leaders and other program peo ple in the EMU. Refusing to engage the knowl edge and resources of the student activities and program staff is dis respectful, unnecessarily ineffi cient, a waste of human resources and creates division. Attempts to control students, student pro grams and their resources disem powers everyone and teaches nothing. The University administration has an opportunity now to take a bold step and commit to inclusion — inclusion of the visions of stu dents, staff, faculty and adminis trators in deciding a positive fu ture for the University and creating an environment where differences are honored and cele brated. It is possible. The Cultural Forum students and staff have been creating and generating a shared vision for more than twen ty years. Linda Dievendorf is the program coordinator for the University of Oregon Cultural Forum. Letters to the editor Technological progress aids espionage organizations As people are certainly becom ing aware, enormous innovations are occurring in technology. There truly is something of a technologi cal revolution occurring in the country and the world. However, what I suspect peo ple do not fully realize is that the same is true with regard to tech nological innovation useful for espionage purposes. It is my view that world espionage organ izations now have technological capabilities that allow them to demonstrate more power in in fluencing the affairs of societies than ever before in history. All the secret satellites regular ly being sent up into space likely allow world espionage organiza tions increased powers to control societies. I suspect many of the technologies present on these satellites would shock people with regard to how powerful they are in influencing events on earth. One technology I believe is cur rently present is a technology called “mind control technology.” I believe this technology is now developed to such a degree that the Central Intelligence Agency and other world espionage organi zations can influence the thought processes in peoples’ minds. Con sequently, I suspect these organi zations can dramatically influence the outcomes of elections in sup posedly free democratic societies. I feel the public should be made more aware of these possibilities. It seems that the United States’ news-providing industries have been unusually silent with regard to reporting on the state-of-the-art technological capabilities of espi onage organizations. I also suspect it is no longer safe to watch televi sion or listen to the radio without risking being unknowingly influ enced in views and attitudes. Cordell Schubert Danville, Ind. The Oregon Daily Emerald welcomes and will attempt to print all letters on topics of interest to the University community. Letters are limited to 250 words. The Emerald may edit any letter for length, clarity, grammar, style and libel. Letters may be mailed, dropped off at EMU Suite 300, or e-mailed to the addresses at the top of the page. Also, please feel free to give your feedback to any individual story or column directly at our Web site. Feedback comments may appear in print at our discretion. Keep in touch! u.5. A£/*vy may VP0? j'va/o-'IA^AS CAPABILITY U/g-UiU'H AT cai^ y^ ^<2oaA AH A<W Of V • cf J^ooy TAN9\ Wayne Stayskal Tribune Media Services
