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E-mail: editor@dailyemerald.com
Online Edition:
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Tuesdayjanuary 8,2002
Editor in Chief:
Jessica Blanchard
Managing Editor:
Jeremy Lang
Editorial Editor:
Julie Lauderbaugh
Assistant Editorial Editor:
Jacquelyn Lewis
Editorial
ASUO lowers fee;
more work awaits
ASUO President Nilda Brooklyn and Vice
President Joy Nair have succeeded in reach
ing one of their campaign goals by success
fully having the energy fee lowered to $20 per stu
dent per term, down $10 from a fall projection by
the administration.
They persuaded Provost John Moseley to cut the
controversial fee by one-third, mainly because of suc
cessful conservation efforts by students — a campaign
that was largely promoted by the ASUO.
The advertising campaign promoting conserva
tion was well-received, although most of the ASUO
sponsored events publicizing energy preservation
were not popular among students. Open forums to
discuss the fee and the ASUO’s efforts to have it re
moved were not well attended, and a conservation
dance in the EMU Ballroom was canceled at the end
of fall term.
But in the face of drooping student enthusiasm,
Brooklyn and Nair achieved a specific, tangible goal, a
feat too few previous executives have accomplished.
During each election, candidates propose broad, am
biguous reforms, such as “improved diversity,” “in
creased safety” and “better lighting.” This year’s pair
are guilty of nebulous campaign promises as well;
however, the measurable success of the lowered ener
gy fee should be lauded.
The executives are finally doing something positive
that students can see both on tuition bills and in their
wallets. Brooklyn and Nair have done an excellent job
of setting a goal and accomplishing it despite resound
ing apathy among their constituents.
They have also created a working relationship with
Moseley instead of pitting students against the Univer
sity. Now that the provost has been convinced students
are committed to lowering overall energy consumption
on campus, the possibility of lowering or even elimi
nating the energy fee in the future is conceivable.
The ASUO’s campaign to conserve energy has
worked well enough to lower the fee. But Brooklyn
and Nair need to continue to make similar progress
and make good on their original promise to complete
ly eliminate the fee. If students continue to take ener
gy-saving cues from the ASUO’s campaign, their work
will be that much easier.
Editorial Policy
This editorial represents the opinion of the Emerald
editorial board. Responses can be sent to
iettersOdaifyemeraidxom, Letters to the editor and guest
commentaries are encouraged, tetters are limited
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Editorial Board Members
editor-in-chief
Jeremy tang
managing editor
Gabe Shaughnessy
community representative
Tltoim
newsroom representative
Grant leftfer
community representative
Bunglers can boil in their own stew
Sigh... so much stupidity, so little
time. This year’s field for the sec
ond Baka Awards (baka means
“fool” in Japanese) was large, but I’ve
found the cream of the crop of last
year’s foibles and fumbles.
The “Foot-in
Mouth Disease”
Award goes to Mel
Lastman, mayor of
Toronto, who may
have single-hand
edly lost any
chance his city
had of hosting the
2008 Olympics by
alienating the en
tire African conti
nent. How does
one offend an en
tire continent?
Easy. You pass off
some bigoted
comment as a joke. This gold-medal
moron thought he had made a funny
when, before going to an internation
al mayors conference in Mombasa,
Kenya, he said, “Why the hell would
I want to go to a place like Mombasa?
I just see myself in a pot of boiling
water with all these natives dancing
around me.” If you’re the gambling
type, don’t bet on his winning re
election.
The “ A1 Capone’s Tomb” Award is
Payne
Columnist
awarded to the journalist or journal
ists who set our profession back
through sheer carelessness. This
year, Lisa Verch, you’re my winner.
Last Halloween, KEZI ran a report on
Wicca in the Oregon Youth Authori
ty. Verch needed quotes from some
real live Wiccans to round out the
story (after six minutes of the anti
Wiccan viewpoint). So she found a
couple who are both in prison for
multiple homicide. Instead of talking
with a high druid, she apparently
was only able to locate two men con
victed of ritualistic murder. As if that
wasn’t bad enough, Verch, or her pro
ducer, decided it would be cute to
put the men’s portraits in front of an
upside-down pentagram graphic. It
might have been salvageable. But
Verch went that extra mile from poor
judgment to out-and-out, over-the
top stupidity when she decided to
subtitle the felons’ words in that
“horror-show” font — you know, the
one that makes the words look like
they were written in blood. Lisa,
might I suggest you take a remedial
course in journalism ethics? For a
couple of centuries?
The “And He Thinks He Has A
Chance?” Award for Perseverance in
The Face of Overwhelming Scorn has
got to go to none other than Modesto,
Calif., Democratic Rep. Gary Condit.
Although he has not been linked by
any means to the disappearance of
Chandra Levy, an intern who alleged
ly had an affair with him, the Levy
case has hung around him like an al
batross. In the last few elections, Con
dit had been a lock with his district.
Now, he may actually have to pony
up a sizable $1,500 fee to enter the
race after failing to scare up enough
signatures to get on the ballot. Keep
on truckin’ Gary, whatever your next
job may be.
Finally, we have the “A Shot in the
Dark” award, for best performance of
partisan loyalty where it’s least need
ed. Attorney General John Ashcroft,
is the proud (?) winner of this award
for showing that even one of the
worst tragedies in American history
shouldn’t stop the handing of politi
cal favors to the National Rifle Asso
ciation. Ashcroft, whose job, if I’m
not mistaken, is to keep the American
public safe, has decided that almost
every record is fair game for anti-ter
rorist probes — except gun purchase
records. OK, John-John, but surely
you and Charleton Heston are aware
that al-Qaida murderers also come
with opposable thumbs?
E-mail columnist Pat Payne at
patpayne@dailyemerald.com. His opinions
do not necessarily reflect those of the Emerald
Letter to the editor
Civil War columnist needs
writing classes
Carole Chase can sure dish it out (“Eu
geneans Are Smoking Quack,” ODE,
11/30). Can she take it? What was the
point of her asinine article? Oh yes!
Beavers are better than Ducks. Honestly,
could Chase think of anything more igno
rant to write about? Any half-witted Eng
lish major could take her comparison and
reverse it so Ducks are “super-duper” and
Beavers stink.
I’m an English major. Many of my class
mates have contacted me to review rough
drafts before turning in final papers.
Maybe Chase and I should talk before she
submits another article to the Emerald.
Gee, do I sound pompous and ignorant? I
hope so.
I suppose Chase expected people to re
fute her argument. I refute her ignorant,
uneducated manner of writing. Her barbs
were blase, and her wit was nonexistent.
Her writing style is frenzied and below par
for an English major.
It’s hard enough for women to earn the
respect of their male colleagues in the
writing world. Chase should stop giving
us a bad name. It’s one thing to give an
opinion and quite another to do what
Chase did. She made herself into an opin
ionated jerk. This will affect other female
authors in the future who wish to be taken
seriously by the Emerald — not only by
their colleagues, but by their male audi
ence as well.
Shame on Chase, and shame on the edi
tor who allowed her obvious lack of intu
ition and better judgment to be .splashed
all over the Emerald.
Jenny L. Hansen
senior
English
Editor’s note: Carole Chase is an Oregon
State University student. Her column was
requested by the Emerald in a Civil War
exchange and was not edited by the Emerald
prior to publication. Emerald editorial edi
tor Julie Lauderbaugh wrote a column pub
lished in The Daily Barometer, OSU’s
student paper, the same day. Both Civil War
columns can be found online in the Emer
ald’s archives at www.dailyemerald.com.