Commentary
Emerald misinterprets affirmative action speaker
Guest commentary
I am writing in response to
“Panel mulls race issue,” (ODE,
Mar. 6) the coverage of the panel
discussion on the University of
Michigan’s affirmative action cas
es. As a panelist, I am pleased that
the Emerald saw fit to report on
the event. I feel the need, however,
to express my frustration with re
porter Roman Gokhman’s inabili
ty to accurately summarize views
expressed during the discussion. I
refer specifically to the following
excerpt from the article: “Tomas
Nullick (sic) Baiza ... said the Uni
versity of Michigan’s defense of af
firmative action is nothing more
than a symbolic gesture because
the university is close to a large
black population. ‘It goes a long
way to recruit 90-95 percent of
African Americans,’ he said.”
This is not at all what I said. To set
the record straight, I was commenting
on the symbolic importance of affir
mative action policies and what they
meant in the Michigan context.
Gokhman’s misguided version of
my comments seems to send the
message that the University of
Michigan — and, indeed, the rest
of us who work to expand educa
tional opportunities for low-access
students — are acting in an insin
cere manner. The misquotation also
implies that 90 to 95 percent of
African Americans benefit from affir
mative action. I did not say this, and
nothing could be further from the
truth. What Gokhman must remem
ber is that he has a professional re
sponsibility as a future reporter to ac
curately quote his sources.
Whether they warrant it or not, me
dia correspondents are given an inor
dinate amount of influence when they
attempt to transmit information, and if
that information is incorrect or sloppi
ly reported, both their readers and
their sources suffer. I am confident
that the people in attendance at the
panel discussion understood what I
said concerning affirmative action. It
is unfortunate, however, that
Gokhman’s readers must rely on his
fast and loose handling of the discus
sion to leam more about an issue that
is already so badly misunderstood.
Tomas Hulick Baiza is the assistant
director of admissions and coordinator
for multicultural recruitment in the
office of admissions.
Lars Larson s commentary pushes viewer away from KVAL
Guest commentary
At a time when schools are being
closed, school years are being
shortened and our school systems
are bleeding teachers to states that
respect the need for education and
are willing to pay for it with tax dol
lars; at a time when we are paying
to train law enforcement officers
and forcing them to take the train
ing we paid for to other states; at a
time when the support systems
that defend the old, the needy and
those least able to defend them
selves are being shut down, Lars
Larson’s 80s claptrap goes beyond
meanspirited to monstrous.
Larson’s commentary on KVAL
TV indicates to me that KVAL
“news” is no longer reliable because
it reflects a bias on the part of KVAL
management, and that the KVAL
“news” team is now the KVAL prop
aganda team.
For this reason, I no longer view
KVAL news. Because I believe that
the problem is with the meanspirit
ed, out-of-touch management of
KVAL, it will take more than remov
ing Larson from the air to get me
back. While I no longer consider
KVAL a “news leader” or follower, I
understand that KVAL has the right
to air (within the FGG rules) what
pleases it.
On the other hand, because I have
been viewing KVAL for more than 20
years, my decision to exercise rny
right to discontinue the practice of
viewing KVAL “news” saddens me.
KVAL management has the right
to air what it pleases, and I have the
right to watch what I please and
share my opinions with friends and
business associates. Therefore, I
plan to tell those I know and adver
tisers of my decision to exclude
KVAL “news” from my TV viewing
schedule, and that advertising with
KVAL reflects poorly on them, and
Letters to the editor
Wyden must end
support of filibuster
A question for Sen. Wyden: Why
* are you supporting the only fili
buster of a federal circuit court
judge in U.S. history? By filibuster
ing Miguel Estrada, you are denying
the Senate the opportunity to sim
ply vote on this man’s nomination.
If you do not approve of him, then
vote no.
Estrada has bipartisan support.
Four democratic Senators support
his nomination.
Estrada has the support of many,
if not most, Hispanic organizations
across the country, including The
Hispanic Bar Association, The His
panic Chamber of Commerce, and
LULAC — the largest, mainstream,
bipartisan Hispanic organization.
Estrada was ranked “well quali
fied,” the highest distinction, by
unanimous vote of a bipartisan
ABA panel.
Estrada presents the highest rec
ommendations from a broad range
of legal professionals; both Republi
cans and Democrats from the Jus
tice Department recommend him in
the most glowing terms.
Sen. Wyden, you claim to “not
know enough about his judicial
views and philosophy” on the one
hand, and then claim that his views
are “out of touch with mainstream
Americans.” These are contradicto
ry views; you cannot hold both.
At his judiciary committee hear
ing last fall, Estrada answered more
than 100 questions. President Clin
ton’s three previous nominations to
the same court answered less than
half that many combined.
Sen. Wyden, you are not repre
senting my views in your support of
this filibuster. Furthermore, you
are failing the Hispanic communi
ty by applying a double standard to
Miguel Estrada.
End your support of the filibuster.
He has earned that courtesy and we,
your constituents, deserve it!
Dennis Paul
Salem
Soldiers don’t make
decision of war or peace
As a fellow ROTG cadet and proud
member of the Oregon Army Nation
al Guard, I would like to express my
thanks to Zachary White for “Citi
zens should be grateful of military’s
protections” (ODE, Mar 11). Like
White, I too have been the victim of
slanderous comments while wearing
my uniform around campus. At first,
these comments came as a surprise
to me, but now I have grown to ex
pect them — which I find disap
pointing. On a campus infamous for
advocating free speech and open
mindedness, I would expect my pro
military views to be respected. How
ever, as I and so many other
military-affiliated students have un
doubtedly learned, this is too much
to ask.
In closing, allow me to remind
the gentleman who insulted White,
and others like him, that no one
joins the military to kill innocent
men, women and children. We join
to defend the freedoms of our
country, and do our part in protect
ing its citizens.
While I do not ask anyone to
thank me for being in the military, I
do ask for a degree of respect from
them. With that, next time you feel
the need to make insulting remarks
to someone dressed in uniform re
mind yourself of two things: First,
the decision to go to war is not that
of any one individual solider. And
second, keep in mind that soldiers
such as myself only have to do our
jobs when politicians fail to do theirs
in keeping the peace.
Paul Sherwin
freshman
journalism
that their association with KVAL
will adversely affect my shopping
relationship with them.
While Larson’s commentary dis
gusts me, he is not the reason I will
no longer watch KVAL news. It is
the lack of balance in KVAL pro
gramming, and the lack of trust I
have for those who manage the di
rection KVAL “(propaganda) news”
is taking.
A. Max Opus lives in Cottage Grove.
Sfr CmAMt
!n the Pulse Entertainment
Calendar, the phone
number for the Fifth Street
Public Market should have
been listed as 484-0383111
|upC suspends from Ws
lumpy flashes the metal
artistry that is his flesh,
pierced by Lisa. "
March 14-16
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