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Email: editor@dailyemerald.com
Online: www.dailyemerald.com
Thursday, July 24, 2003
-Oregon Daily Emerald
COMMENTARY
Editor in Chief:
Brad Schmidt
Managing Editor
Jan Tobias Montry
EDITORIAL
New housing
should move
south of Bean
The University is finally going to build a new residence
hall and, as many who have lived in the housing can attest,
it's about time.
The $30 million venture will provide rooms for more
than 400 students and, perhaps more importantly, they
will be much, much bigger than current spaces.
Unfortunately, since the building will be paid for from
students' rent money, it's likely only those with deep pockets
will experience the luxuries of the "Uving Learning Center."
With the complex's completion slated for fall 2006, it
seems the glory days of Barnhart Hall — currendy the prici
est and roomiest of the residence halls — are numbered.
Barnhart is the newest of the residence halls and, given
its somewhat odd placement from campus, one has to
wonder whether it in any way weighs on the minds of
planning committee members.
University administrators asked the planning commit
tee to review a spot they fancied, a location currently home
to outdoor basketball and tennis courts between Earl and
Walton complexes.
Another option was briefly discussed, and a potential
site near Bean Complex also received consideration. Ulti
mately, though, it looks like both will lose out to adminis
trators' preferences.
In one sense, we understand the desire to build housing
closer to the center of campus. The location would benefit
students greatly in that they would be closer to their classes.
The learning aspect of the facility could be utilized, too, be
cause faculty would be much more receptive to a short walk
to the building. East 15th Avenue would also become more
prominent, as would the walkway toward "dormland."
But the problem with this location lies mostly in the
land use restrictions the University has imposed on itself.
To build the Uving Learning Center between Earl and Wal
ton, the zoning of the land would have to be revised. If the
University is willing to amend its policies, then perhaps
the land should also be considered for other buildings that
would fall under these new guidelines.
Since there isn't a lot of land in the heart of campus, its
availability should be preserved. The basketball and tennis
courts are certainly nice, but they could be moved just
about anywhere. It seems that it would be a wise idea to
hold on to the land until a rainy day some decades away,
when its value can truly be realized.
The same can be said for the other site location, which
would place buildings on both sides of the path toward the
residence halls, with a building adjacent to Carson and a
building between Earl and Walton.
Administrators have said there is a desire to bring stu
dents closer to academics. Conversely, couldn't the Uni
versity choose to bring academics closer to students? Us
ing the Earl/Walton site for teaching facilities seems just as
viable and, when considering the University has land avail
able to the east it seems all the more practical.
The University should build the Living Learning Center atop
the pavement basketball courts across from Bean, despite like
ly objections from nearby residents. Taking this route preserves
vital, centrally located campus land. It doesn't revise the long
range campus plan. It will add to the prominence of East 15th
Avenue, although perhaps not in the same desired capacity.
Ultimately, the University should look to the future
when building the Living Learning Center. The campus
will only continue to grow, and what may look like a long
distance today may not seem the same tomorrow.
A point was made at Monday's campus planning meet
ing that putting the residence hall at the Bean location
would create a suburban-feel. This is most certainly true. And
when thinking about suburbs, growth should anticipated.
Perhaps one day academics might encompass Agate
Street and University housing will extend to Villard Street.
At some point, say 50 years, it's probable.
The University should allow for proper institutional
growth and proper eastward expansion, and building the Uv
ing Learning Center across from Bean will do both. Hopeful
ly administrators and planners will come to this realization.
EDITORIAL POLICY
This editorial represents the opinion of the Emerald
editorial board. Responses can be sent to letters
@dailyemerald.com.
Peter Utsey for the Emerald
AFRICA: not what you think it is
There he was, President Geoige W. Bush,
patting some elephants. 1 was staring at a
picture of the president's recent trip to Africa
that had found its way into a local newspa
per. I was hardly surprised that, out of all the
pictures Bush must have posed in, this one
made it to print After all, it simply reinforces
the popular concept we're all familiar with:
Africa is a jungle with wild beasts in every
comer. This and a variety of other stereo
types run rampant in the media and in the
minds of many Americans. Well, as a proud
Kenyan and Tanzanian child, I feel it is my
duty to dispel some of these crazy miscon
ceptions people have about Africa.
Africa: The jungle
While many parts of our continent are
blessed with abundant wildlife, the idea
that every household has a resident hippo
in its backyard is absurd. Many of us do
not have pet lions, hyenas or gorillas, nor
are we likely to mb shoulders with them
as we walk down the street. The wildlife sa
faris on the Travel Channel do not neces
sarily represent everyday life!
Africa: The country
"So is Nairobi the capital of Africa?"
"Uh, no it's the capital of Kenya."
"Kenya. Is that like a state in Africa?"
This conversation actually happened. I
swear! It represents some of the highest
levels of ignorance, and I must reiterate
that people need to stop thinking that
Africa is a big, homogenous place where
everything and everyone are the same and
Nelson Mandela is president. There are
thousands of different cultural groups
with different languages and customs.
This means you cannot ask me ques
tions about the circumcision practices of
the Ibo in Nigeria. I'm from Kenya, how
would I know? I don't even know the cus
toms of the Boran and they are from the
same country! There is no such thing as
the "African" experience.
And to the person who asked me
whether 1 speak Kenyan: surely, what were
you thinking? There are no languages
called Kenyan or Zambian or Gambian.
Africa: The tree-dweller's
continent
Africans do not live in trees. We may
not live in air-conditioned condos in
glass skyscrapers, but we still do not share
a branch each night with six other fami
lies and the community leopard. We do
have houses, even if some of them are
made from mud with grass-thatched
roofs. They are still houses.
And yes we have seen electricity. Some of
us even saw computers, telephones and mi
crowaves way before we came to the United
States. Why does it surprise you so much
when I tell you I sent my mother an e-mail?
The era of smoke signals is over in many parts
of the continent Unfortunately, the forces of
globalization are bringing all forms of tech
nology to even the most remote places.
And what is this: "My goodness, your
English is so good! * Do you have any idea
how many times I've heard that comment?
As if the fact that I can speak English is
some great anomaly. I'd just like to remind
folks that we do speak English and French
and other European languages because we
are the products of years of colonization (I
guess the two days spent on "Africa* in
your high school history class were not
enough to drum this fact into your heads).
Africa: The poor, diseased,
corrupt, lazy, underdeveloped,
the “you think of anything
negative and that's what it is"
Yes, some parts of our continent are
wracked by ethnic conflict.
Yes, we have the highest rates of AIDS in
the world.
Yes, some of our people are extremely
poor and some of our leaders are blatantly
corrupt.
But do you really believe that there is ab
solutely nothing positive in Africa? We are not
just the nations of beggars, pining for foreign
Ayisha Yahya
Afro cafe
aid handouts as we wait to slit each other's
throats because of our "tribal" hatred, which
the international media seem quite content
to push on people We are not promiscuous
hordes, either, who court disease because
we're too "uncivilized" to use a condom.
Africa: The reality
There are diverse factors behind Africa's
problems, and not all of them are our fault.
As Africans, we do recognize the challenges
we face as a continent. But that does not
give people the right to judge or pity us.
Many of us are proud to be Africans. We are
proud of our languages and our customs.
We are proud of our natural resources. We
are proud of our resourcefulness in the face
of scarcity and adversity.
I'm not going to pretend everyone carries
negative stereotypes about Africa. I am hap
py to say I have met many people who have
taken the effort to learn more about other
cultures — not just depending on images
of emaciated Ethiopians on CNN to make
their conclusions. I'd encourage everyone
to follow their example and learn some
thing new about someone else. Even I
make that attempt because I don't pretend
to be knowledgeable about every culture
on earth; I am fighting my own stereotypes.
One last comment: Africa is a beautiful
place with beautiful people. This column
is dedicated to the land of my birth.
Contact file reporter
at ayishayahya@dailyemerald.com.
Her opinions do not necessarily represent
those of the Emerald.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Students should send
opinions on DPS jurisdiction
to city officials
On Monday, the Eugene City Council
will vote on whether the Department of
Public Safety may issue citations on cam
pus, as discussed in recent Emerald arti
cles ("Council mulls expanding DPS re
sponsibilities," July 15; "City council
helps defend student voice," July 15).
ASUO urges students to e-mail the mayor
and city councilors to express their opin
ions on the issue and to stress the impor
tance of involving the campus communi
ty on issues that affect students and
student safety. This can be done by
sending an e-mail to mayorandcc®
ci.eugene.or.us.
Shannon Tarvin
ASUO Campus Outreach Coordinator