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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 31, 2002)
Newsroom: (541) 346-5511 Room 300, Erb Memorial Union PO. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403 E-mail: editor@dailyemerald.com Online Edition: www. dailyemerald. com Friday, May 31,2002 Editor in Chief: Jessica Blanchard Managing Editor: Jeremy Lang Editorial Editor: Julie Lauderbaugh Assistant Editorial Editor: Jacquelyn Lewis Yesteryear's Editorial No more smoke in your eyes Editor’s note: The policy de cision to ban smoking in classrooms and public places on campus had been in the works for 10 months before the ban was adopted. The ban exempted classrooms with less than 20 people with instructor and student approval. The proposed ban on smok ing in classrooms and public gatherings at the University is now a reality. The ban went into effect Thursday and is now a part of formal Universi ty policy. Finally, students can go to - class or to a University movie in the of Oregon EMUBall w4k AP room with I^UTH theassur ANNIVERSARY 31106 that the air they Originally breathe will published on be free of May 31, 1974 smoke. Fi nally, the majority of students who are not nicotine addicts will not have to breathe the fumes of someone else’s habit. University President Robert Clark is to be commended for making the ban a part of the University policy. It was a nec essary step, because non smokers who, for reasons of health and/or comfort don’t wish to inhale smoke, have not been able to prevail upon smokers to confine their in dulgence to uncrowded rooms and private places. Clark’s decision was a long time in coming. He originally proposed the ban at the end of winter term. A student-led group was circulating peti tions in favor of such a ban in February. The interim period has al lowed for a broad-based solicita tion of input on the proposal. The fact that the opinions and evidence submitted to Clark in that time period overwhelming ly favored a smoking ban further solidifies its legitimacy as for mal University policy. It is now up to the University community to put the policy into effect and ask others to ob serve it. This editorials courtesy of the May 31, 1974, edition of the Oregon Daily Emerald. Middle East Studies:No money; no priority George Beres’ guest com mentary on the talk by David Zev Harris states very clearly the propagandists in tent of the speaker and the mis leading character of the publicity promoting the talk (“Middle East discussion in need of solid Uni versity curriculum,” ODE, May 22). The promotional literature made me, too, expect a talk that would explain how Palestinians and Israelis have come to their grim impasse. I was not impressed by Harris’ defense of state policy. But as Beres proceeded to criticize Judaic Studies and lament the ab sence of a Middle East Studies program, I found his views conde scending and disingenuous. Judaic Studies exists on this campus not because the Universi ty administration gives funding, which presumably could be shift ed to some broader program. It ex ists because Jewish philanthropy has provided the funds, as other philanthropies have provided the Guest Commentary William, Toll funds for other University pro grams like the Center for the Study of Women in Society. At a meeting I attended in the early 1980s, then University Presi dent Paul Olum stated he was not interested in having the Universi ty commit any funds to Judaic Studies, and the University con tributes very little even now. After years of talk by interested faculty with the Schnitzer Family Fund, it finally agreed to provide sufficient money to launch a small program here. Last week it announced it would be doing the same for Port land State University. Universities, even public uni versities, should provide an aca demic setting for students who want to understand more about who they are. This issue was fully aired in African American Stud ies, Women’s Studies and similar programs 30 years ago. But Judaic Studies does not serve a “small minority of students, most of them familiar with the Jewish Temple.” Some of my history students have experience with “the Jewish Tem ple,” others have experiences with synagogues and many have no ex periences with either. Classes in Judaic Studies are designed by ac ademic professionals for all stu dents and happily, the number of students enrolling in Judaic Stud ies classes has grown beyond the “small minority.” The sad fact that a program in Middle East Studies does not ex ist here has nothing to do with the fact that a fledgling program in Ju daic Studies does. Middle East Studies does not exist here be cause neither the administration nor the established departments — except Religious Studies — has any professional commitment to this subject area. In the late 1970s, in a conversation with a former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, I was told that the Ore gon University System has a divi sion of labor for “peripheral ar eas,” and that Portland State had the Middle East Studies Program. The provincial views of that for mer dean — an American histori an — astonished me, as do the current priorities of the Universi ty’s social science departments. Fifteen years ago, the Universi ty’s various departments showed only limited interest in East Asia. But a commitment by the adminis tration to strengthening “Pacific Rim” studies has dramatically ex panded the faculty — and the stu dent body — in this area. Without the commitment of funding by provosts and deans, the depart ments will not alter their priorities. Unless, of course, they find philan thropists with an interest in the Middle East to encourage them. William Toll is an adjunct professor of history. Peter Utsey Emerald Letters to the editor Close the University ‘shopping mall’ Imagine my shock and dismay, when going to my class on the af ternoon of May 21,1 was forced to run a gauntlet of GMC SUVs and sports cars in front of the EMU, with a loud voice emanating from a mic and rap music from large speakers under the pavilion that usually hosts student dramatic groups, rock bands and other or dinary campus activities. The voice yelled out slogans for Joe Romania Chevrolet and urged students to sign up for some sort of car raffle. It was obviously a big sales gimmick aimed at students. Such loudly amplified events make it difficult to talk and hear in nearby classrooms, to say noth ing of what they imply about our purpose as an institution. A colleague reported seeing a similar Chrysler-Jeep extravagan za behind the Education School the same day. What’s happening to this “public university”? Is it turning into a shopping mall? Did Romania or the other dealership pay the University for the privi lege of selling their products here? Will we soon need commer cial sponsors for our classes? Louise Westling professor of English Dry greek chapters: Let the wet tears flow President Frohnmayer’s recent implementation of new dry stan dards is a step in the right direction for University. Many greek life leaders such as Jackie Ray igno rantly claim that the new standards Frohnmayer and other faculty have set are unrealistic and unfair. This completely ridiculous complaint has no basis. As a group heavily af filiated with the University and supposedly committed to leader ship and community service, the greek system should already have implemented dry policies. It seems that greek life needs to learn the definition of integrity. So what if all greek houses must go dry by December? Are simple standards to turn dry and im prove mean GPAs really asking that much from the greek system? If it is the strong group of brothers and sisters that it claims to be, not allowing alcohol in houses should only help their commit ment to leadership and communi ty service. Greek life leaders can cry me a river. The standards are not only realistic and fair, but a positi ve direction for both greek life and the University. Kevin Kim junior economics
