Newsroom: (541) 346-5511
Suite 300, Erb Memorial Union
P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
Email: editor@dailyemerald.com
Online Edition:
www.dailyemerald.com
Friday, February 14,2003
-Oregon Daily Emerald
Commentary
Editor in Chief:
Michael J. Kleckner
Managing Editor:
Jessica Richelderfer
Editorial Editor
Pat Payne
Editorial
Quacks &
smacks
Quacks to the pro-Bush
demonstrators. They’ve finally
come out in a cohesive manner
to present their side of the war
debate, and everyone is well
served by more voices joining
the discussion.
Smacks to Fox for booting
“American Idol” contestant
Frenchelle Davis after it was dis
covered she appeared topless on
a pornographic Web site. Since
when is something too raunchy
for Fox? This is not a network
entitled to pass moral judgment.
Quacks to the anti-war
demonstrators for championing
the loyal opposition to war. This
is a life-and-death issue, and
more people should be out in the
streets about it.
Smacks to House Speaker
Dennis Hastert, who thinks
we should ban French and Ger
man products such as Perrier,
Evian and French wine because
they haven’t agreed to Bush’s
war plans for Iraq. Gome on,
stop acting like children on
a playground. What next, will
Bush give Jacque Chirac and
Gerhard Schroeder the “silent
treatment”?
Quacks to Holy Cow Cafe, for
their “plate club” program. The
cafe is (pardon the expression)
killing three birds with one
stone: It cuts down on the dis
posable trash generated by the
EMU food court, it keeps the
Folk Festival plates from taking
up storage space, and by renting
the plates from the ASUO, it
generates some cash for the stu
dent government.
Smacks to the idea of “date
auctions,” of either gender, by
any group, even for charity.
Even though the dates are pla
tonic, it still sends the wrong
message: That humans are
pieces of meat to be sold.
Quacks to the University for
new student numbers on the ID
cards. Identity theft is a real pos
sibility, and we commend the
University for taking social secu
rity numbers off the cards.
Smacks to the University for
waiting so long to take social se
curity numbers off the ID cards.
This was a dumb idea from the
beginning. At this point, it’s a lit
tle like locking the barn door af
ter the horse ran away.
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 550 words.
FEEL UTTERLY BETRAYED BY HOW I
WAS PRESENTED IN THAT
tv_INTERVIEW.
.ftjitsaar,.
Peter Utsey Emerald
‘Campus buzz ’ offers greater public service
Like many other newspapers,
the Emerald considers public
service to be its main function.
Exposing facts that would other
wise be hidden, writing about is
sues, trends and controversies
that come up in daily life, printing
information about the democratic
process, and telling the public
about community events — these
are some of the different topics we
consider when deciding what to
cover as news.
The first three categories are
relatively easy to handle; we use
our “news filters” and assign the
story a priority. Unfortunately,
the last category — telling people
about community events — can
be harder to filter, especially on a
campus as active as the Universi
ty’s. We simply don’t have the
space in the paper or the full-time
staff to cover every brown bag dis
cussion, every student group
meeting or every departmental
guest lecture.
The editors here struggle daily
with what parameters to use in de
ciding which events to cover: How
many stu
dents are in
volved, how
important is
the topic,
how promi
nent is the
guest speak
er, etc. But
still, we can’t
everything.
As an at
tempt to ease The editor’s office
this situation,
I am happy to re-introduce an event
listings feature in the paper. Begin
ning Monday, we will print “Campus
buzz,” a daily list of what’s happen
ing on campus. Our intention is to
set aside a space where we can pub
lish public notice of events that oth
erwise might not receive any cover
age. In order to do this, though, we
need your help: Tell us about your
events!
J
Kleckner
We will accept “Campus buzz”
submissions at the Emerald front
desk (Suite 300, EMU), by fax (346
5821) or by e-mail
(campusbuzz@dailyemerald.com).
Here are the guidelines for submit
ting events for publication:
• Please include a description of
the event, location, date, time, cost,
phone number and contact person
(tell us if you would like the phone
number and contact name pub
lished).
• The Emerald will attempt to
print as many event listings as pos
sible. However, space limitations
and priority will be taken into con
sideration. Submission does not
guarantee publication.
• First priority is given to one
time, free events happening on cam
pus that are sponsored by a student
organization or University depart
ment.
• Lower priority is given to
events that are not free, that are not
unique or one-time occurrences,
that are not happening on campus
and that are not sponsored by cam
pus organizations.
• Listings are published Monday
through Friday for the following
day’s events. For example, Tues
day’s event listings are published
on Monday. Friday listings will in
clude events happening on week
ends as well as Mondays.
• Submissions for events will be
considered only if they are received
by noon two business days before
the event. Example: A Tuesday
event listing must be received by
noon Friday.
• Listings may be run only once
per submission; ongoing events
must be resubmitted each time
they occur.
We hope this feature will be use
ful to students and to groups on
campus. Watch out for the “Cam
pus buzz,” and make sure to let us
know when your group is sponsor
ing an event.
Contact the editor in chief
at editor@dailyemerald.com.
Letters to the editor
Who pays the greatest price
for Measure 28?
I would like to respond to Kelly Flynn’s letter
to the editor entitled “Voters must hold Salem
fiscally responsible” (ODE, Feb. 5). In his letter,
Flynn urges Oregonians to open their eyes and
realize that the Oregon Legislature has wasted
money and is thus responsible for Oregon’s
budget woes.
I am quite certain that the decision for Orego
nians over Measure 28 had little to do with
whose shoulders the blame for Oregon’s budget
deficit should fall on. Much like Flynn, I think it
is time that we “acknowledge a collective need
to stand together and hold the real culprits re
sponsible.” Unfortunately, I did not see that
measure on the ballot.
Flynn is correct that Measure 28 is only a
band-aid used to cover up the real problem of
irresponsible politicians residing in Salem.
However, what he and the majority of Orego
nians failed to realize was that in their attempt
to bring the “real culprits” to justice, they
managed to ensure that it is our public school
children who will pay the greatest price, rather
than the tax-paying voters who elected those
politicians in the first place.
Zach Cuda
first-year graduate
educational leadership
Taxpayers should
have war options
White House economists have projected the
cost of a military campaign in Iraq, and the en
suing occupation, to be at least $100 billion.
These experts have comfortingly reassured us
that our economy can afford this price tag.
Whether our uninsured, our homeless, our dis
abled and our schoolchildren can afford it is, ap
parently, another matter.
This sum can be better understood as rough
ly $350 for every American, or $1,400 for a
family of four. Unlike the economists, I appre
ciate what a difference $1,400 could make for
millions of American families. Therefore, I pro
pose that every American taxpayer be given
the option of waging war against Iraq, or re
ceiving a #350 refund.
This new plan could take effect retroactive
to 2002. It’d be a relatively small matter com
pared with invading another country to print
and distribute new tax forms well ahead of
April 15. A new line could be added asking
whether or not we want to be refunded #350
per family member from the “Attack Iraq”
Treasury Department fund.
About 15 percent of American families live at
or below the poverty level, which currently is
only #18,100 for a family of four. Given a choice
between war and receiving #1,400 from the gov
ernment, my bet is that most of these impover
ished families would choose the money.
I might be mistaken. Perhaps there are many
Americans who might feel that their #350 would
be better spent installing puppet governments.
Some Americans are funny that way.
Todd Huffman
Eugene