Newsroom: (541) 326-5511
Room 300, Erb Memorial Union
P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
Email: editor@dailyemerald.com
Online Edition:
www.dailyemerald.com
Monday, September 23,2002
Oregon Daily Emerald
Commentary
Editor in Chief:
Michael J. Kleckner
Managing Editor
Jessica Richelderfer
Editorial Editors:
Salena De La Cruz, Pat Payne
From the editor
Even if you ’re
wrong, we want
to hear from you
Welcome (or welcome back) to college life. I’m ap
pearing in this space today to tell you a little bit of what
we have planned.
Ordinarily, this strip will be filled with an editorial,
written by a member of the Emerald’s editorial board af
ter a discussion of whatever issue is at hand. There are
certainly plenty of topics to write about as we head into
fall 2002:
• The Bush administration is arguing desperately with
the rest of the world about going to war with Iraq.
• The state of Oregon can’t afford the schools and
state services Oregonians say
they want.
• Pepsi has cornered the Univer
sity soda market.
• A group called the National
Student-Athletes' Rights Move
ment is pushing the NCAA for a
“Bill of Rights” for student athletes.
• Nevada is on the verge of seri
ously legalizing (and selling, and
taxing) marijuana.
• An election for governor and
senator (as well as many interest
ing and important ballot measures)
is nearly upon us.
• Fans are still waiting for the new Harry Potter book.
• College students are deeper in debt to credit card
companies than ever before.
• Oregon university presidents are asking the
State Board of Higher Education for nearly au
tonomous powers.
• The city of Eugene is considering a living wage for
city employees and contractors.
• There are fewer mainstream gay characters on net
work television this year than in recent years.
• Public interest advocacy group OSPIRG turns 30
years old in October.
My role in presenting these issues to you will be
somewhat reduced than in years past, when I was a
columnist and editorial editor. My voice will be one of
five on the editorial board, and, with rare exceptions, I
won’t be writing a regular, opinionated column about
the many things that bum my britches.
I will be writing a semi-regular new feature for the
editorial page. What I have in mind is sort of an “om
budsman” type of column, where I will take reader
concerns, complaints, compliments, commendations,
comments and criticism, and respond to them with a
sense of what the Emerald was trying to do, where it
went wrong (or right), and what we might do better
or different in the future. So feel free to send me feed
back; I don’t have to use your name in order to rep
resent your comments in the column.
The paper has other new things planned, as well:
an advice columnist, a new Pulse section on Tues
days, national and international news, extended on
line coverage with e-mail updates about breaking
news, and in response to public demand, the weath
er will return to the front page — packaged with
teasers about upcoming stories.
So enjoy the paper, and tell us what you think. We
may argue with you (especially if you’re wrong), but
we’ll always listen.
Contact the editor in chief at editor@dailyemerald.com.
Michael J.
Kleckner
Editor in chief
Correction
The Law School Special enrollment article (“Fewer
women, more minorities enter law school," ODE, Aug.
21) incorrectly identified the demographic breakdown
of the new law school class. It should have said that of
those who matriculated, 36 percent were women, 64
percent were men and 54 percent were nonresidents.
The Emerald regrets theerror.
GOOdbyC groupthink,
h GllO heated debate
It’s time again to
open books and
minds into a new
year at the Univer
sity and the Ore
gon Daily Emer
ald. With that, I
would also like to
introduce myself
as co-editorial edi
tor for 2002-03
school year.
I transferred
from Clackamas
community uouege in ure
gon City and will be com
pleting my bachelor’s degree
in journalism here at the
University. While at Clacka
mas, I held a number of po
sitions on its paper, The
Clackamas Print, including
sports co-editor, opinion edi
tor and design editor.
I hope to impart some of
my knowledge and experi
ence to help, along with my
co-editorial editor Pat
Payne, in making the Com
mentary section of the pa
per a standing force with a
positive voice for the entire
campus. My vision for the
Commentary section is to
be the voice of the stu
dents, faculty and the cam
pus. I want to sound off
about things of importance
to our readers.
I will be saying it loud and
Salena
De La Cruz
Editorial editor
proud and making
my statements
heard throughout
this school year.
I’m very opinionat
ed and hope you
will come to read
my columns and
even look forward
to them.
I don’t expect to
always say what
you want to hear,
but I do hope if you
have thoughts or questions
about my columns or any
thing in the Commentary sec
tion, you let myself or Pat
Payne know and we can ad
dress them.
I trust you will disagree
with me sometimes — and
am optimistic in that respect
— because some of the most
honest writing and debate
come from divergences. As al
ways, we will feature the edi
torial board’s editorials, as
well as guest columns and let
ters to the editor (see below
for guidelines on submitting
your own thoughts).
I look forward to a great
year of opinions, heated de
bate and yes, even some fun
while we’re at it. Welcome to
a new year at the University.
Contact the editorial editor at
salenadelacruz@dailyemerald.com.
It’s Pat Payne
again, this time
writing as the other
half of the duo serv
ing as co-editorial
editors for this year.
I’d like to share
with you my vision
of the opinion page
for this year.
Civil debate was
once an exchange
of ideas that often
illuminated issues
and may have once in a while
- horror of horrors! - changed
someone’s mind. Now, it’s all
too often an ideological spit
ting match. The spread of
“groupthink” in politics has
started to make political ac
tors and activists see them
selves as heroes, fighting for
the truth, the way, and the
light, while all others’ beliefs
are not merely wrong, but
must be extinguished.
Under the pretense of reli
gious fervor, or a misplaced
sense of political correctness,
both sides have tried to sup
press debate that runs count
er to their beliefs. The burning
of “Harry Potter” books in the
New Mexico desert by a Fun
damentalist preacher earlier
this year, and the thefts of
newspapers on college cam
puses when articles do not
hew closely to political ortho
Pat
Payne
Editorial editor
doxy show that the
misguided “culture
war” rages on. Any
one who even ap
pears to be on the
opposite side is la
beled a “racist,” a
“Satanist,” a “sex
ist” or worse.
That sort of ide
ological warfare
gets us nowhere. It
does not further
the search for solu
tions. Rather, it just furthers
the polarization and en
trenchment of the public,
making common ground that
much rarer.
We’re not going to be
playing that game. Our
opinion page is a forum for
rational discussion and dis
sent, but not for puerile
name calling. In short, it is
not yet another battlefield
in the “culture war.”
Rest assured, however,
that if there’s someone out
there in public life wlfo truly
deserves any of those labels
so casually tossed about,
we’ll make no bones about
calling them that in as many
words. But, as always, you,
the readers, are encouraged
to give us your point of view.
Contact the editorial editor at
patpayne@dailyemerald.corr>.
Letters
to the editor
and guest
commentaries
policy
Letters to the editor and guest
commentaries are encouraged.
Letters are limited to 250
words and guest
commentaries to 550 words.
Authors are limited to one
submission per calendar month.
Submission must include phone
number and address for
verification.
The Emerald reserves the
right to edit for space,
grammar and style.
Editorial hoard
members
Rtehekferfer Editorial editor
Managing
editor
Student representative
To be announced
Editorial editor
Salena
Oe La Cruz
Jessica
Pat Payne