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E-mail: editor@dailyemerald.com
Online Edition:
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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