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Email: editor@dailyemerald.com
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Tuesday, April 8,2003
-Oregon Daily Emerald
Commentary
Editor in Chief:
Michael J. Kleckner
Managing Editor
Jessica Richelderfer
Editorial Page Assistant:
Salena De La Cruz
Editorial
UO, taxpayers
play the same
tuition game
It was alarming to discover on Friday that the “tuition
surcharges” students were assessed in the middle of
winter term are now permanent. Ah, the joys of eu
phemisms. Why didn’t the University just call them “tu
ition increases” to begin with?
This semantic game is somewhat familiar, though.
Say one thing, do another. And tuition isn’t only being
surcharged, er, increased this year. The Oregon State
Board of Higher Education is working on proposals to
drastically increase costs in the 2004-05 school year.
Constantly increasing tuition is worrisome; it moves
the University closer to being a private institution that
only select individuals can attend. Coupled with the
OUS schools’ recent push for more autonomy from any
state oversight, euphemistically called a “New Partner
ship With Oregon,” Oregon is seeing a slow but sure dis
mantling of public higher education. Students, faculty
and the community should stand up and demand that
it stop.
The administration should be fighting harder for stu
dents in this battle. Public education is necessary and
needs to remain accessible, but we see mixed signals
from higher-ups. From one mouth they say college
should be open and accessible, and from the other we
hear that donors need to be kept a strict secret.
To be fair, though, state taxpayers are playing the
same semantic game as our University officials. “Yes,
we want state services. No, we won’t pay for them.”
Say one thing, do another. Until that trend reverses,
the slide toward privatization will continue, to the
detriment of students, the Oregon economy and our
nation’s democracy.
Punishing dissent
is real terrorism
The earliest use of “terrorism,” according to the Ox
ford English Dictionary, meant “government by intimi
dation as directed and carried out by the party in power
in France during the Revolution of 1789-94.” Given the
changes in the meaning of the word, especially since the
war against al-Qaeda and now Iraq, terrorism has come
a long way, baby.
Oregon Senate Bill 742, introduced by Sen. John Min
nis, R-Fairview, would further shape the meaning of
“terrorism,” although the effect on civil liberties hear
kens back to the word’s original use.
SB 742 would create a new crime of terrorism in Ore
gon, punishable by a minimum of 25 years in prison.
And the act that makes one a terrorist, under this pro
posed law?
“A person commits the crime of terrorism if the per
son knowingly plans, participates in or carries out any
act that is intended, by at least one of its participants,
to disrupt” free assembly, commerce, transportation or
the educational or governmental institutions of the
state. In other words, no protests, no rallies, no outcry
— for any reason, for any cause.
Forget about a rally on the Capitol steps against in
creasing tuition. Forget about peace marches or vigils.
Civil disobedience will no longer be tolerated. This is in
spiring terror in us, right now. Of course, we recom
mend that everyone in Oregon speak out against this
bill, while you still can.
Not only would this bill stifle free speech and dissent,
it won’t make Oregonians any safer. On the contrary,
telling one’s political opponents they don’t have the
right to speak out creates a climate of genuine terror
and fear. Look at any number of dictatorships around
the world.
This bill is government by intimidation, saying to dis
senters, “Either you toe the line or...”
What’s that?
Yes, sir, Sen. Minnis. We’ll stop writing this immediately.
Sorry.
Empty elections
As Americans well know, it’s all too
easy to tune out an election — and the
ASUO election is no exception. Every
year, the civically conscious among us
try to excite interest in this charade,
and every year they are met with the
same response — a resounding collec
tive yawn.
Why is this so? Is it that college stu
dents, despite all the strident cries for
social justice that echo through the
hallowed halls of academe, are actual
ly more apathetic than the rest of our
listless, TV-besotted populace?
Or maybe it’s that, no matter how
much we want to believe that there is
indeed a democratic process at work
on campus, assiduously attended to by
earnest, progressive young souls, we
know in fact that student representa
tion is nothing more than a hollow
farce enacted by exactly the kind of
sniveling, opportunistic social climbers
we would expect to run in any elec
tion, large or small. A survey of candi
date interviews with the
Emerald might help you decide.
Typical Candidate Attribute #1: Ut
ter Ignorance of the Position to Which
He or She Aspires.
Vincent Martorano, candidate for Sen
ate Seat 8, one of three seats on the Ath
letic Department
Finance Commit
tee, is but one ex
ample of this nearly
universal phenome
non. When asked
what he would do
with the budget
surplus, he re
sponded, “Surplus?
We are projected to
have a surplus in
the budget?” Ap
parently he wasn’t
aware that there is
a surplus deliber
ately factored into the budget every year.
Rodrigo Moreno Villamar, running
for Senate Seat 4, is another candidate
who isn’t quite sure exactly what he’s
trying to get himself into. Mien asked
if he had read the senate rules, which
describe senators’ duties, he replied,
“Yes, but not with my full attention.”
Well, I guess he won’t mind if we tune
DJ
Fuller
No holds barred
CAH'T X3WT
Tauoze this
*JHOLf SCEMARlffl
him out then, will he?
Typical Candidate Attribute #2 : To
tal Irrelevance.
Spence and Mantel are running for
ASUO Executive under the Ultimate
Frisbee ticket, apparently because
that’s the only campus activity either
of them are involved in.
Chris Sittner is running for Senate
Seat 2, seemingly to exorcise some
demons from his past: “I ran for a few
student office positions back in grade
school and middle school, but that
never panned out.”
Anthony Kuchulis, running for Sen
ate Seat 8 against the above-men
tioned Martorano, has demonstrated
stunning leadership ability, having, as
his fraternity’s social director, the “ar
duous task of throwing dry parties.” As
I think all of us can agree, “It is quite a
bit more difficult than I had imagined.”
Typical Candidate Attribute #3: Re
liance on Vagueness due to an Aston
ishing Absence of Vision.
Mike Martell, candidate for PFC Senate
Seat 2, offers us a smorgasboard of empty
phrases, ranging from “I don’t think any
body really knows” to “It’s hard to define”
to “I don’t know if you can pick one out.”
Way to take a stand, Mike!
On the other hand, Mena Ravassipour,
running for PFC Senate Seat 2, knows ex
actly what she wants: “equal rights for
all.” Hey, what about world peace?
Typical Candidate Attribute #4:
Generalized Confusion.
Rick Reed is running for PFC Senate
Seat 1. When asked how he would
spend the senate surplus, he replied,
“Well, I think the best way to do that is
to cut costs.” I’m not an economics
major, Rick, but if you can manage to
spend money by saving money, more
power to you!
Laura Schulthies is vying for Senate
Seat 7. She makes the astoundingly as
tute observation that athletes “are al
ways in all of our sports that are pre
sented by the University.” You know,
damnit, she’s right — whenever I go to
a game, all I see are athletes. I ask you:
Is that fair?
So there you have it, straight from
the horses’ mouths for your contem
plation. You might complain that I sin
gle out certain people while ignoring
others who equally deserve criticism.
Please don’t take the absence of men
tion as evidence of endorsement. This
column is far too short to get to every
body; you’ll have to trust me when I
say that I wanted to.
Contact the columnist
at djfuller@dailyemerald.com.
His opinions do not necessarily represent
those of the Emerald.
Letters to the editor
Melton-Morales ticket
will follow through
This letter is in support of the “It’s
all about ME working 4 you!” ticket for
ASUO Executive. Maddy Melton and
Eddy Morales are the most qualified
candidates for this position because of
their past involvement in the ASUO of
fice and other student organizations.
I believe Maddy and Eddy know
what students need and have a plat
form to prove it. We want real repre
sentation, and this is why Maddy and
Eddy are for student empowerment.
They want to place students in deci
sion-making boards and committees so
those students will have more control
over their college experience.
Having worked alongside Maddy and
Eddy in the ASUO office, I know that
they can be counted on to follow
through and to work hard. Maddy and
Eddy are passionate about empowering
students, and I am confident they will
carry out the platform and agenda they
promise to implement.
Diana Aguilar
sophomore
journalism and political science
Melton, Morales have
a focused, solid platform
In order for a University to run
smoothly, we need great leaders. And
what better candidates to fill those
positions then Maddy Melton and
Eddy Morales?
I am supporting Maddy and Eddy for
ASUO Executive because they know
their stuff. As active members of the
ASUO, they have already established a
foundation. It is an advantage to stu
dents that they are able to build upon
such a foundation.
Their platform is amazing. Their fo
cus includes student empowerment,
fair housing contracts, law and gradu
ate student advocacy and supporting
international student issues. They in
clude everyone and leave no one
behind. Their issues are unique, and
you can tell that they have thought
things through and strategized every
thing, instead of having your basic,
generic platform.
As the Multicultural Advocacy team
of the ASUO, they have always focused
on educating students. People should
be aware that beyond their platform,
they will continue to work on diversity
and building bridges among all
communities.
They are dedicated and passionate
about their work. Now they want to
work for us and improve the school we
have come to know and love. I am defi
nitely willing to have them work for
me — and for all of us.
Shirley Mei Tham
sophomore
advertising and psychology
Letters to the editorand guest commentaries policy
Letters to the editor and guest
commentaries are encouraged.
Utters are limited to 250 words
aid guest commentaries to 550
words. Authors are limited to
one submission per calendar
month. Submission must
Mude phone number
and address for verification.
The Emerald reserves the right
to edit for space, grammar andf
style.