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Editor in Chief:
Jessica Blanchard
Managing Editor:
Jeremy Lang
Editorial Editor:
Julie Lauderbaugh
Assistant Editorial Editor:
Jacquelyn Lewis
Wednesday, February 20,2002
Editorial
Pilliod, Buzbee
are best choice
forASUO Exec
During the last two weeks, the Emer
ald editorial board has had the pleas
ure of interviewing each of the 10
ASUO Executive tickets on this year’s bal
lot. It proved to be a difficult decision, since
many of the candidates had excellent ideas
for improving the ASUO Executive office in
some way.
Although it was a tough choice, the Emerald
is endorsing Rachel Pilliod and Ben Buzbee.
Their enthusiasm, as well as their wealth
of leadership experience, made the pair
stand out. Together, they have developed a
solid understanding of campus issues and
ASUO politics, through their service on the
EMU Board, Student Senate, Constitution
Court, the current ASUO Executive office
and several student groups.
Most importantly, Pilliod and Buzbee are
not making outlandish promises they will be
unable to keep. They plan to continue work
ing on the issues current ASUO President
Nilda Brooklyn and Vice President Joy Nair
have been dealing with all year, such as low
ering energy costs through campus conserva
tion, implementing Eugene housing stan
dards and improving campus safety. These
projects take time to complete, and it’s good
to see Pilliod and Buzbee would build on the
foundations the current executive has laid.
In addition, Pilliod and Buzbee offered new,
pragmatic proposals, such as their ideas to
raise awareness for the Oregon Health Plan
and ease University Health Center insurance
billing problems. We believe University stu
dents would be best served by Pilliod and
Buzbee, who will be sensitive to the diverse
needs of the University and work tirelessly
for the betterment of the school.
However, with so many tickets on the bal
lot, there were a lot of interesting ideas that
were proposed during the course of our in
terviews. Pilliod and Buzbee get our full en
dorsement, but there a few other tickets that
deserve recognition:
• John Ely and Hayes Hurwitz impressed
us with their forthright style and honesty.
The pair called the incidental fee what it re
ally is — a tax — and said more students
would be interested in protecting the fee
once they viewed it as such. Also, their idea
of solving football ticket woes by broadcast
ing the games live at McArthur Court was an
original solution to an annual problem.
• Jesse Harding and Todd Brink struck us
as ASUO ‘outsiders’ and could offer a fresh
perspective on student affairs. The editorial
board also liked the pair’s sincerity and can
did manner.
• And finally, we liked Haben Woldu and
Oscar Arana’s succinct and practical plat
form. Their idea of educating students about
the parking ticket appeals process, as well as
their idea to make the Multicultural Center
and Career Center financially independent
from the incidental fee, were creative and
original concepts.
Letters to the Editor and
Guest Commentaries Policy
This editorial represents the opinion
of the Emerald editorial board.
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.
Letters to the editor
Ely and Hayes are right for the job
I grew up with ASUO Executive candi
date John Ely in Tillamook, Ore. We forged
a great friendship that lasts to this very day.
Ely, a year older than me, often did
things first. HL was the leader. Anyone
who does not know Ely should know he
grew up in a small community as the “big
kid.” Ely overcame adversity and was al
ways willing to put himself in the public,
free for scrutinizing. By the time he was a
senior, he was yearbook editor in chief,
student body secretary and a member of
the National Honor Society. He graduated
in the top 10 percent of his class.
Ely came to college a year earlier than I
did. He took the rough road his first year
but has figured out what’s important and
what it means to have student goals. Ely
has dropped much of his former self since
his freshman year. His renewed dedica
tion to self-improvement is what drives
him and motivates others in positive di
rections. Ely is one of the most intelligent,
caring and real people I have ever met.
We need a president who will act with
integrity, neutrality and fairness. Jon Ely
and Hayes Hurwitz are the right men for
the job. They have my vote.
Hurwitz is intelligent, courteous and
logical. Both have strong skills and make
a formidable team in the arena of logic and
understanding. They will do a great job
not only representing the greek system,
but all students at the University.
Spencer Miles
sophomore
computer science
Tolerance starts
with the student body
“I believe in survival of the fittest. I’m
sick and tired of hearing this crap. If mi
norities didn’t get in, that means they are
inferior.” You may view this comment in
the feedback section for the article “Di
versity survey gives University mixed
grade” (ODE, Jan. 31), in the online ver
sion of the Emerald.
Although whoever wrote the comment
isn’t representative of the majority, the
statement resonates with many students
on campus. The survey found that 40 per
cent of University students experienced
some form of harassment. Of those, most
were minorities and women.
Administrators say that they’re “looking”
at the survey. Some would argue this is just
lip service. After all, the survey did find
that 57 percent of students felt the admin
istration was not supportive of diversity.
It’s the moral responsibility of students
to bring an agenda of tolerance to the fore
front. We don’t deserve tolerance, unless
we promote it by insisting University ad
ministrators take action.
Increasing the multicultural degree re
quirement and expanding it to all gradu
ate programs would reduce harassment on
campus. Although more education isn’t
the panacea, it’s a reasonable and empiri
cally valid solution.
The survey implied administrators and
faculty are not supportive of minorities
and women. However, the student body
must insist administrators and faculty fol
low through on the mission of tolerance.
Do not let silence or passivity be interpret
ed as support for intolerance and bigotry
on campus. Talk to your department head,
University administrators and peers, and
encourage them to augment the multicul
tural requirement.
Javier Ayala
1 graduate student
education
Bush’s crusade is anti-American
President Bush has been on a crusade
from the day he seized power. He
has invoked his god’s name and in
jected personal morality into every
speech. Bush and company have crusad
ed against, among other things, “evil-do
ers,” women’s rights, missile treaties, the
GAO, the environment and American
youth. Bush now wants to engineer a
more “moral” culture.
The first federal execution in three
decades took place within months after
Bush took office. Known as “Governor
Death” in Texas, Bush had the opportuni
ty to save 152 people from being execut
ed. Ironically, in Bush’s recent display of
compassionate conservatism and in sup
port of his anti-abortion stance, (which is
based on his religious beliefs) he de
clared that, “all life is sacred!” All life but
yours, convict.
While conservatives demand morals,
values and American freedom, we have
seen freedom limited and now a woman’s
right to choose is in jeopardy.
Conservative pundits, talk show hosts
and politicians were first in line to capi
talize on nationalistic anxiety. Conserva
tive talk show host Sean Hanity consis
tently points out there is an element of the
left that hates America. What he tends to
leave out is that there is an element of the
right that hates America and has commit
Guest Commentary
Scott
Britt
ted bombings, assassinations, murders,
etc. In fact, white supremacist groups are
not even a target in the war on terrorism.
However, leftist groups such as the En
vironmental Liberation Front and the An
imal Liberation Front are under constant
attack because of the economic damage
they have caused. These ideological at
tacks and the arrogant stance they take on
all issues, whether foreign or domestic, is
a recipe for disaster at all levels.
Reminiscent of the past, people have
just fell in line. Silence the media, trust
your government, dissenters are traitors,
propaganda, “volunteerism,” flags, pins,
banners, stickers, and declaring war on all
who oppose them. I have seen this on The
History Channel; same theme, different
slant. Being a patriot is to protect each in
dividual’s freedom, opinion and choice;
not an arrogant, simple minded, “kill ’em
all” nationalist.
Now American teachers, history, youth
and culture are under attack. The right
seems threatened from American teach
ers, feeling good and American culture. ^
They want our young to abstain from
drugs, alcohol and sex. As an ideal, it
sounds great on paper.
However, the world in which we live
is quite complicated. Besides problems
like these within their own families,
there have been many youthful indis
cretions, even in middle age. Why are
such indiscretions needing punishment
or repression now?
The right has begun its attack on Amer
ican heathen culture. American culture as
Bush puts it, is a culture that if it feels
good, then do it. American culture has
evolved into what it is today. Perhaps, it is
not what they intended, but now is where
we live. Conservatives want to change the
culture to a more Christian, moral, hetero
sexual and whatever other dictates they
can lay on us. This culture is the culture
of America!
I am proud to be an American. Ameri
can culture ideally is a culture of personal
decisions, tolerance and a blending of
many different beliefs, lifestyles, cultures,
religions and ideologies. E Pluribis
Unum. This new crusade against Ameri
can culture is insane. They have no grasp
of the reality or culture that “we the peo
ple” live in. They should be ashamed of
themselves for being traitors to women,
America and its culture.
Scott Britt is a junior sociology major.