Newsroom: (541) 346-5511
Room 300, Erb Memorial Union
PO. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
E-mail: editor@dailyemerald.com
Online Edition:
www. dailyeme raid. com
Wednesday, September 26, 2001
Editor in Chief:
Jessica Blanchard
Managing Editor:
Michael J. Kleckner
Editorial Editor:
Julie Lauderbaugh
Assistant Editorial Editor:
Jacquelyn Lewis
Campus area recall petition reflects misguided purpose
Guest Commentary
Bonny
Bettman
I'd like to extend a warm wel
come to new and returning
University students, faculty
and staff. While you were
away, Eugene ambivalently en
joyed the longest stretch of sunny,
dry weather we've witnessed in
the 30 years I've lived here. We've
also experienced a major munici
pal controversy regarding the sit
ing of Sacred Heart hospital.
Last March, after years of plan
ning to expand Sacred Heart at its
present site on Hilyard, the hospi
tal's chief executive officer an
nounced a move to Eugene's
northern city limits.
As the city councilor represent
ing Ward 3, which encompasses
the present hospital, downtown,
and substantial student housing, I
was involved in discussions with
Sacred Heart's CEO, along with
another councilor and city staff.
My objectives were to:
• Ensure the availability and
accessibility of hospital services
to residents in my ward, especial
ly the continued provision of full
emergency room services. That
meant keeping the hospital in the
downtown area so residents
wouldn't have to travel halfway to
Coburg for emergency medical at
tention.
• Protect downtown vitality by
keeping the county's largest pri
vate employer in the city center.
• Preserve the viability of the
small business community that
serves students as well as hospital
employees, patients and visitors.
• Prevent costly and environ
mentally destructive sprawl. As a
result of my participation in those
discussions, a disgruntled con
stituent decided to file a recall pe
tition against me. He is currently
attempting to collect the required
signatures to force a recall elec
tion. The petitioner’s complaint
stems from one specific option
emerging from our discussions
with Sacred Heart which would
have resulted in the hospital ex
panding on the six blocks due
west of its current location. (Origi
nally the hospital wanted to be
given eight blocks, partially ex
tending south of 13th Avenue, in
addition to their current four
block site.)
In his statement in the Sept. 17
Emerald, the petitioner failed to
acknowledge certain facts:
• There was no conspiracy to
conduct discussions with hospital
officials during summer term. The
timeline was predicated on the
hospital's announcement in
March and their stated need to
start building a new facility as
soon as possible.
• When the Sacred Heart pro
posal became public, the city and
the hospital had reached no agree
ment. Serious incompatibilities
had surfaced over provisions in
the proposal. As a result, the city
council — myself included — vot
ed to take the six-block option off
the table.
• If the city had been able to
reach agreement with the hospital
on any of the proposals, it would
have been just the beginning of a
14-month-long process with am
ple opportunities for public in
volvement.
The hospital's relocation is
fraught with complexities, vari
ables and competing interests.
Even so, it is apparent that the re
call process is being misused in
this case.
The recall is intended as a
remedy for Oregon's citizens in
cases where elected officials
have failed to carry out their du
ties or have engaged in criminal
misconduct. Neither is the case
here; this recall is simply an in
stance of a constituent finding
fault with my efforts concerning
the hospital siting. Many of my
constituents have been strongly
and vocally supportive of my ef
forts to keep a hospital in the
city center.
I intend to continue working to
ensure that there are the full range
of medical services accessible in
the city center, as well as ongoing
efforts to preserve housing and
improve livability, especially in
University neighborhoods.
I urge you not to sign a Ward 3
recall petition, and encourage you
to contact me if you have ques
tions about any issue, including
this one.
Bonny Bettman is the city councilor for Ward 3.
tnergy plan
will obliterate
Alaskan refuge
Guest Commentary
Paul
Helstrom
In light of current events, it is more impor
tant than ever that our nation unites. Not
only do we need to be aware of issues on an
international level, but also on a national
and even statewide level. Speaking Sunday in
the Ben Linder Forum on an issue of national
concern was Princess Peter-Raboff, a member of
the Gwich’in Nation, and Melissa Waage from
the Alaska Coalition of Oregon. They brought
forth a message of urgency for the Arctic Nation
al Wildlife Refuge. The Senate is preparing to
vote on President George W. Bush’s energy plan,
which includes opening the refuge to oil
drilling. Peter-Raboff is concerned that the na
tion will turn its back on the refuge for a small
and distant benefit for the destruction of her
tribes' subsistence lifestyles.
The Gwich’in Nation consists of 15 villages in
the northeast corner of the northern slope of the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Gwich’in
have subsisted in the refuge for millennia. The
wildlife refuge is the last 5 percent of the Arctic
that is not protected from resource extraction.
The Gwich’in, which means “caribou people,”
depend on the refuge for their food, shelter, cloth
ing and traditions. It is home to the ancestral
birthing grounds of 130,000 porcupine caribou,
the nesting ground for hundreds of thousands of
migratory birds and the only polar-bear den sites
in our nation.
This is an issue of national concern because it
has been argued that drilling in the Arctic
would rid the United States of its dependence
on foreign oil. Especially in consideration of the
events Sept. 11, it is more pressing than ever
that we do not open up the Arctic to the oil in
dustry. Sacrificing any part of this wilderness
would not drill the United States out of energy
dependence.
U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith is a crucial swing vote,
and Oregonians have a special duty to let their
opinions be known to him so he can vote respon
sibly on this bill. I urge everyone to voice their
opinions with letters, phone calls and petitions.
Paul Helstrom works for OSPIRG’s “Riverwatcff campaign
and Johanna Voss is OSPIRG’s campus organizer.
Letters to the editor
Duck fans rock
A couple of weeks ago, some friends
and I traveled to Eugene to watch the Uni
versity of Utah play the Ducks. We had
been to Eugene before and enjoyed the
trip, so we thought we’d come up again.
What we found this year in Oregon real
ly surprised us.
As friendly, respectful and fun as the Duck
fans were the first time we were there, they
were even more so this time. I just have to
say, your town and your school rock. I travel
extensively with the Utes, and never have I
received a warmer welcome than at Oregon.
We spent two evenings enjoying some
‘‘adult beverages” at the Wild Duck
Brewery, where we found the fans from
your school to be courteous, friendly,
cheerful ... you know, all that boy scout
stuff. Everywhere we went, fans wanted
to talk to us about Utah, our school and
what the state is like. They were gra
cious and accommodating.
On game day, I was extremely impressed
with your fans and your stadium—those are
some diehard football lovers if I have ever
seen them. You have a great tradition there.
I hope you’ll publish this letter to
thank the student body, fans and staff of
the University. Your school and your
town are definitely a class act.
Thanks again!
Darren Tucker
West Valley City, Utah
Emerald offers
inconsistent advice
Last year, I remember the Oregon Daily
Emerald running at least one feature article
attempting to reduce excessive or underage
drinking on campus by assertingthat fewer of
their peers got dnmk than students thought.
Imagine my confusion when I opened
up the “Back to the Books” Sept. 17 issue
and find a “The Inquiring Photographer"
article asking, “What's the craziest thing
you did this summer?” Two of the five stu
dents featured said that getting drunk was
the highlight of their summers and anoth
er couldn’t decide between scoring pot or
taking acid as the craziest thing. I am
amazed at the decision to feature these
students, especially given the Emerald's
stance on drinking and drugs as evi
denced by last year's article.
Which message are you going to back?
You'd better decide soon to tell incoming
freshmen whether many of their peers
drink or few do.
Dave W. Reed
. t senior, physics
Editorial Policy
These editorials represent the opinion of the Emerald
editorial board. The editorial board members are editor in
chief Jessica Blanchard, managing editor Michael J.
Kleckner, editorial editor Julie tauderbaugh, assistant
editorial editor Jacquelyn Lewis, community representative
Gabe Shaughnessy and community representative
Jessica Southwick. Responses can be sent to
editor@dailyemerald.com. Letters to the editor and
guest commentaries are encouraged. Letters are limited to
250 words and guest commentaries to 550 words. Please
include contact Information. The Emerald reserves the
right to edit for space, grammar and style.
CORRECTION
The text that accompanied
a I rant-page story on
Tuesday (“Jewish holy
days end Thursday with
Yom Kippur”) incorrectly
identified the Jewish New
Year. The Jewish New Year,
or Rosh Hashanah, was
Sept, 17,
The Emerald regrets the
error.
Steve Baggs
Emerald