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Tuesday, January, 7,2003
-Oregon Daily Emerald
Commentary
Editor in Chief:
Michael J. Kleckner
Managing Editor
Jessica Richelderfer
Editorial Editor
Pat Payne
Editorial
One less Savage
shouldn’t end
campus debate
about UO name
Last term, one of the more engaging controver
sies on campus concerned the radio station KUGN
and a couple of syndicated shows they broadcast.
For a few years now, the station has paid $1 million
to the University for the privilege of calling them
selves “the voice of the Ducks” while also airing the
shows of Michael Savage and Michael Medved,
“shock jocks” who, in lieu of any constructive politi
cal ideas, spout offensive tirades against minorities.
Over the break, Savage’s show, “The Savage Na
tion,” was quietly dropped from the KUGN lineup.
We did not, nor did anyone else in the campus com
munity, call for Savage to be removed. However, we
are also not going to lament this turn of events. Sav
age was not representative of what “the voice of the
Ducks” stands for.
We do have to ask though, was this a purely volun
tary act on the part of KUGN? We would like to be
lieve it was, yet we cannot help but fear that might be
naive. The University, already stung by the “O” logo
fiasco, reaped a harvest of potentially bad press from
us, The Register-Guard and other local media oudets
for appearing to side with Savage and Medved. It is
not too far a leap of logic, although it is purely specu
lative, to envision the Office of Strategic Communi
cation exerting a little pressure on the station to dif
fuse the problem.
Most importandy, though, how does this change
things? With Savage gone, we are concerned that
the situation could go back to the status quo, with
no examination of how we should examine those
who pay the University hard cash to use the Univer
sity’s name and prestige. Should the University —
as the administration seemed all too eager to do with
KUGN — allow anyone with enough money to use
our image?
What if next time, with respects to Cheyney Ryan,
it’s a college pom Web site? How about a cigarette
manufacturer? What if they’re willing to pay $50 mil
lion per year to promote themselves with the Uni
versity’s name and image? Should they be subject
to the same policy statements as every other part of
the campus? How would this be implemented ? And
would such a protocol have its own pitfalls?
This is a debate that has been too long in coming
to Johnson Hall. How does the University negotiate
when businesses want to use its name or image? We
hope that President Frohnmayer—and the rest of
the campus community — will give this question
serious consideration, before we end up with the
“Official University of Oregon Sorority House Show
er Webcam —Home of the Wet Ducks.”
Editorial policy
This editorial represents the opinion
of the Emerald editorial board.
Responses can be sent to letters
<®dailyemerald.com. Letters
to the editor and guest commentaries
are encouraged. Letters are limited to
250 words and guest commentaries to
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Submission must include phone
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The Emerald reserves the right to edit
for space, grammar and style.
CORRECTION
Thejan. 6 article “KUGN’s un-Savage broadcast
ing” and accompanying photo caption should
have said that the radio station started broad
casting Dan Carlin’s show Dec. 18.
The Emerald regrets the error.
All Aboard
the funding train
Winter term has officially
started, and students are re
turning from all areas of the
country and using all modes of
transportation to get here.
For some, they can drive to
and from college; for others,
it’s an airplane; and for still
others, it’s the train. Since the
days of the Old West, trains
have al
ways ex
isted in
the Ameri
can imagi
nation.
Meghann
Farnsworth
paced
journey
of the
train
allows just think about it
one to
appreciate the scenery lost
when concentrating on driv
ing or when flying thousands
of feet above ground. Where
else can one dine while
viewing snowcapped moun
tains out the window, or
roam around the multiple
cars to stretch one’s legs
while still traveling?
Certainly, the train is an
enchanting ride, but it is far
and away the people on the
train who are the most
enchanting. There are fewer
greater joys than boarding a
train full of sleeping people at
midnight to find your seat
occupied by an old woman
who, once you wake her up to
inform her that you will be
taking away her good night’s
sleep, proceeds to crawl over
you every 15 minutes.
Or finding out at 1 a.m. that
the two men in front of you
are long lost soulmates and
have decided to toast their
meeting by drinking from a
couple of 40 oz. bottles one of
them happened to bring on
the train, while sputtering out
lines from their favorite Rob
Schneider movie.
But that’s half the fun, isn’t
it? People-watching, interac
tions. One of the more unfor
tunate aspects of the train,
however, is its inevitable tardi
ness. Since the tracks were
sold in the early part of last
century to private corpora
tions, private trains have the
right of way. Freighters carry
ing anything from cars to tele
visions to food are prioritized
and allowed to pass passenger
trains, delaying the hundreds
of people on board.
As if being last in line wasn’t
annoying enough, Amtrak has
had to deal with the passage of
the Amtrak Reform and Ac
countability Act. Passed in
1997, this act gave Amtrak five
years to become financially in
dependent and reduce its more
than $4 billion debt.
The government provides
subsidies to Amtrak each year
in order for it to run efficient
ly, but it obviously decided
that Amtrak’s benefits did not
outweigh its burden on the
federal budget. Amtrak, it
seems, is viewed as nothing
more than an obsolete part of
the American past that is
best forgotten.
What no one in the White
House or Congress has sug
gested, after the horrific events
of Sept. 11, is to provide a larg
er budget to Amtrak in an ef
fort to provide Americans with
another way to travel besides
flying. Amtrak, with more
funding, could become similar
to the highly efficient and fast
trains in Europe, with the cost
justified similarly to Eisenhow
er’s decree that the highway
system be built by defense dol
lars for national security.
Unfortunately, public trans
portation budgets have been
continually slashed by both the
states and the federal govern
ment in a never-ending battle to
make ends meet — and it is the
poor who suffer. Amtrak provides
a service to those who have limit
ed finances that Greyhound at
tempts to replicate, but cannot.
The airplane industry is not
completely independent of fed
eral funds, and it is unrealistic
to assume that what the airline
industry cannot do, and is not
expected to do, Amtrak can and
is. According to CNNMoney on
line, the U.S. government gave
more than $5 billion in subsi
dies and loans to U.S. airlines af
ter Sept. 11, money that was
more than enough to compen
sate for the effects of the attacks.
As an avid rider of Amtrak,
it is my opinion that the gov
ernment should not focus all
its efforts in supporting the
bankruptcy filings of United
and other such airline com
panies, but rather focus on
supporting and modernizing
real public transportation.
Contact the columnist
at meghannfarnsworth
@dailyemerald.com.
Students should get involved with Measure 28
Guest commentary
A decision has been dealt to the citizens
of Oregon that will undoubtedly affect stu
dents regardless of the outcome. A vote,
by referral of the state Legislature, will
take place on Jan. 28 and will ask but one
question of voters. Despite how you might
weigh in on Measure 28, my question for
you now is: Are you willing to take part, or
will you allow others to make the decision
for you?
This letter is intended to demonstrate
not only the impact on students that both
the passage or failure of Measure 28 will
have, but, more importantly, what you’re
reading is designed to encourage you to
simply participate in the process.
As you will know from a letter that was
included in your January bill, the Oregon
Legislature, in an attempt to balance the
state budget, referred an income tax sur
charge to the voters as Measure 28. Mea
sure 28 would raise #313 million in this
biennium by increasing the state’s payroll
tax from 9 percent to 9.5 percent. Addi
tionally, corporate tax would be increased
by 0.33 percent.
It is important to note that these in
creases would remain in effect over the
next six years, but would then sunset.
These aforementioned tax increases
would be the result of a yes vote on Mea
sure 28.
The letter in your January bill also ex
plains the University’s proposal for cover
ing anticipated cuts that will be made as a
result of a no vote on Measure 28. In addi
tion to overseeing further cuts on campus,
the University will administer a tuition
surcharge for winter and spring terms.
For undergraduate and graduate stu
dents, there will be a $10 per-credit-hour
increase per term. For law students, who
follow a semester system, there will be a
$15 per-credit-hour increase. If Measure
28 fails, undergraduate students regis
tered for 16 credits will pay an additional
$160 winter term, and if they maintain
the credit hours, a further $160 in
spring term.
The ASUO office and the University ad
ministration are prepared to help answer
questions that you may have about the ef
fects of Measure 28 on campus. Because of
the evident impact that this measure will
have on all students, the ASUO is working
to educate and inform the campus com
munity so that anyone who is able and
willing may participate in this vote-by
mail election.
If you have never registered in the state
of Oregon, today is the last day that you are
able to be eligible to vote in this election.
The ASUO office is prepared to register vot
ers and to update any changes that you may
need to make in order to re-register.
We highly encourage you to take part in
this decision making process — to refuse
to be affected without any say. Douglas
Adams once wrote that human beings,
who are almost unique in having the abili
ty to learn from the experience of others,
are also remarkable for their apparent dis
inclination to do so. University students,
however, have the ability to see the expe
rience that has been had by many before,
and, as a result, can act to change the cur
rent path laid by past apathy.
Students can make change — students
can vote.
Rachel Pilliod is the ASUO president
and the state OSA chair.