Commentary
EMU Performance9 is an issue of free speech, not of art
Guest commentary
The first rule of reporting is to ac
curately scrutinize the thing you are
reporting. According to Michael J.
Kleckner’s column, (”Is it offensive?
Is it acceptable? Is it free speech? Is it
art?,” ODE, Oct. 25), “I have been as
saulted by this performance while
walking to and from classes ... the
first time I encountered this perform
ance, I heard only the four-letter
words and ‘Die, Die, Die.”’ Since by
your own admission you only heard
a few words while walking past, that
makes your entire column null and
void. I am speaking here of my per
formance art/political rap that goes
on every day at noon, 6 p.m. and mid
night in the Free Speech Amphithe
ater. The “offensive” word is “fuck,”
which is repeated many times in dif
ferent ways in this particular per
formance. I only did this particular
performance three times on Tuesday
before I was arrested on Wednesday.
You apparently saw a short part of it
twice. You could at least have listened
to the whole thing. Before I was so
rudely interrupted, I intended to con
tinue with “Sit on your fat asses and
eat doughnuts. Sit on your fat asses
and watch T.V. while children in
Afghanistan and Iraq die so you can
have gas. Die pigs, die! FUCK WAR!
Which of these words is obscene?”
You, the editor of the school news
paper, can’t be bothered to come
down to listen for 15 minutes, but that
doesn’t stop you from slopping your
uninformed opinion all over. You also
don’t understand the question. The
question is not, “Is art sometimes of
fensive, and who decides if it is art or
not?” The question I’m asking is, “Do
we have free speech or not?” Whether
what I do is art or not has nothing to do
with it. Again, in your own paper is a
pulled-quote from Tom Hicks, DPS As
sistant Director, that stated, “People
certainly have a right to express them
selves, but the University has the right
to dictate the time, place and manner
Money pressures cause
Frohnmayer’s KUGN
stance to be transparent
Guest commentary
As President David Frohnmayer
dons the robes of one seemingly
protecting free expression in two
current campus issues, the robes
become transparent. They reveal
one who, committed to resolving
budgetary problems, tramples on
free expression to protect major
sources of revenue.
The squabble over KUGN is the
small-timer among the two. Students
and faculty urge the University to
ask the radio station — anchor of
the Oregon Sports Network — to not
carry other programming whose vi
ciousness and bigotry toward mi
norities contrasts to the University’s
mission statement and principles.
Cause of the concern is the daily
syndicated show of attack talk show
host, Michael Savage. Recordings
document the program’s savagery to
ward minorities. The request is not
that he be censored, but that the Uni
versity make it clear to KUGN that it
will not give silent approval to the
Savage words by having Oregon game
broadcasts originate at a station that
carries them. Ironically, a high pro
portion of players on the men’s bas
ketball and football teams are of a
race subjected to the verbal bigotry.
If KUGN is not willing to make the
choice, the University should ex
clude it and any other station that
carries bigotry from bidding for the
broadcast contract up for bid again
this June. This should be part of the
stated criteria, along with other re
1
015211
Best Breakfast
in Town!
By Eugene Weekly
All day, Everyday!
Friday - Monday, 7am - 3pm
Tuesday - Thursday, 7am - 2pm
West 5th at Lawrence • 342-2075
strictions. Money is involved, as the
current contract is worth 81 million
to the University Department of Ath
letics. Will other stations bid as
high? Perhaps not. But the rights are
an advertising goldmine, and bids of
others would be comparable.
When the president praises student
concern, but rejects their request to
move to another station, he is disin
genUOus, if not hypocritical. Whether
the station calls itself “the voice of the
Ducks,” listeners to all of its program
ming associate it with the Ducks.
The big-time squabble relates to
the proposal of Prof. Frank Stahl that
the University Senate formerly op
pose the United States starting a pre
emptive war against Iraq, or anyone.
The president’s response was, once
again, crafty: “It is not the place of
this University to be captured by any
one political voice.”
If the issue is political, it is only
because, as Stahl said, an anti-war
vote could cost the University sup
port from the Republican state Leg
islature and from corporations that
profit from a war economy. This also
might lead to potential loss of grants
from federal sources accountable to
the war stance of the Bush adminis
tration. When a president feels his
hands are tied by the will of donors
whose money is needed, the Univer
sity is fortunate to have a spokesman
of principle like Frank Stahl.
George Beres was formerly the
University sports information director,
and later manager of the University
Speakers Bureau and editor of the
faculty-staff newsletter.
GREAT FOOD
GOOD PRICES
OPEN LATE
Gourmet Cafe Food
a Deli Sandwiches
* Salads & Wraps
Awesome Desserts
Over a Dozen Seers
Fly ing pogs
Cafe $ peli
1Z49 Alder • 344-1960
Ham—Midnight
which it is done.” Dictate? By the Uni
versity’s own rules, the Free Speech
Amphitheater is open 24/7 to anyone
who wishes to speak on any subject.
It’s a sad day when the police paid
by our own tuition and tax money to
enforce the law don’t have a clue
what it is. To quote our Constitution:
“Congress shall make no law...
abridging the freedom of speech...”
The University has usurped the right
to regulate the time of performance
I -
by claiming that amplified (i.e. elec
tronic) sound is a noise nuisance but
speaking, which is what I do, is not
allowed to be “dictated.” The Consti
tution does not say, “if the speech
was too loud or offensive.”
It’s too bad you were “assaulted.”
Our illegitimate government flouts
established international conven
tion by making assaults on other
countries. Our Constitution lies in
shredded tatters.
If there ever is a time to scream,
howl and be offensive, it is now. I in
tended to be offensive, it is now. I
don’t care if you knew it was a per
formance or not. Figure it out. If you
don’t like it, don’t walk so close to the
Free Speech Amphitheater or your
little ears might get burned. Neither
you nor anybody else will shut me up.
Don Goldman is a sixth-year student
majoring in classics.
What’s Uf With This?
HOW HAS THE OU5IDP-DOWM HIERARCHICAL «*
ADMINISTRATION) &MAINED SIANDIKJ6- ALL “THEE TEARS f
Guest illustration
by Kitty forbircis
Katie Tate
Wednesday
nov. 20th
3-5pm
ben linder room
emu lower level
emu master plan
rette
You are cordially invited to participate in designing
the future EMU.
This free-flowing forum with the EMU Master Plan
architects is open to the entire campus community.
Please drop by at your convenience.
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON