Newsroom: (541) 346-5511
Suite 300, Ert> Memorial Union
P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
Email: editor@dailyemerald.com
Online: www.dailyemerald.com
Monday, September 22,2003
Oregon Daily Emerald
COMMENTARY
Editor in Chief:
Brad Schmidt
Managing Editor:
Jan Tobias Montry
EDITORIAL
Students miss
big changes
this summer
The long summer months have been ripe with
breaking news and controversial issues here at the
University. I lere is an overview of summer events
that students may have missed:
• The University administration pushed a pro
posal through the Eugene City Council in July to
allow Department of Public Safety officers who
witness municipal offenses to issue citations. Mu
nicipal citations include minor in possession of
alcohol and possession of less than an ounce of
marijuana. DPS said it wanted the expanded
power to improve campus safety and to free the
Eugene Police Department from having to re
spond to simple municipal offenses. We say,
"Reno 911!" anyone?
• Didn't you hear? Tuition is increasing. A lot. And
classes may be cut to cushion a $4 million shortfall.
Higher education administrators from around the
state made a push in July to increase tuition for winter
term, and the Oregon State Board of Higher Educa
tion approved the changes shortly thereafter. At the
University, residents will pay an extra $20 per credit
between 14 and 16 credits, while non-residents will
pay an extra $60 per credit between 14 and 16 credits.
• McArthur Court madness was abound this sum
mer as Eugene's news agencies assigned teams of
journalists to sit in a small room and guess where the
new Pit will go. Well, not really. But it was still a hot
issue. In July, officials announced seven sites under
consideration for the new arena. Now, the top sites
look to be the Autzen Stadium area, Howe Field and
Williams' Bakery.
And guess who was already named as a donor? Call
ing all protesters, it's our favorite funding deity, Phil
Knight. Possible name for the new area: McNike Court.
• Ihe summer also had some sad moments as two
fellow University students died.
Sophomore Jay Rowan, known by his family and
friends as caring and outgoing, died Aug. 9 in an ac
cident on the Deschutes River. He was 20 years old.
The aspiring film producer made headlines last April
when he worked tirelessly to get his friend Jake John
ston back into the United States. Johnston was de
tained in Mexico and jailed in San Diego after an im
migration misunderstanding.
University biology major Daniel Levey, described
as bright and humorous, went missing July 21 while
he was hiking in Hawaii's Koolau mountains. The
19-year-old's body was found July 25 after he had
apparently fallen 150 feet. levy was active in the Jew
ish communities in I lawaii and Eugene, and was an
avid hiker and runner.
• A warning to all you student-terrorists: The federal
government is watching! following federal guidelines,
the University updated the student privacy code this
summer. Now, Feds can seize student records legally,
and nobody is required to inform the student about it.
• Look man, Theta Chi is on fire!
No way, bro.
Way.
Whoa!
Dude, you think we can stay with some
sorority girls?
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. Authors are limited to one
submission per calendar month. Submission
must include phone number and address for
verification. The Emerald reserves the right
to edit for space, grammar and style.
Eric Layton Illustrator
Journalism: the learning process
I spent the better part of a Thursday after
noon in the office, sorting through my and
past editors' clutter and accumulation,
looking for handouts and words of wisdom
for the incoming staff.
I his week, a group of nearly 50 student
journalists is in the Emerald office, trying to get
the necessary footing for the upcoming year.
It's a scary thing, being a journalist. Day in and
day out, you contribute something for the
paper, something that you know — well, hope
— will be analyzed by 10,000 of your peers.
Lately, I've expended a lot of energy think
ing about what a newspaper is. Clearly, it's a
piece of paper with words and photos and
advertisements. Leaving it at that, the Emer
ald is no better and no worse than any paper
in the country.
What makes a strong newspaper is the con
tent it brings to readers each day. If you pick up
the paper and don't see stories that interest
you, odds are you're not going to read it.
Another aspect of a good paper is its visual
appeal. Readers want to quickly see what a
paper has to offer. If the paper is designed in a
way that makes it difficult to find what you're
looking for, or if the paper is just a block of
text, odds are you're not going to read it.
To end this simplistic overview, the final
ingredient of a solid newspaper is its staff.
mWHk ^ V
Brad Schmidt
Of chief concern
News happens everyday. News is going on
right now. But you can't be there to see and
hear it all, so you want someone to tell you
about it. If you can't trust the person who's
telling you the story in the paper, odds are
you're not going to read it.
So I suppose that's why I'm sitting here,
sifting through desk drawers, trying to find
the magic that will ensure an ideal paper.
And guess what?
I didn't find it.
I don't think I'm going to.
Not where I'm looking, anyway.
The three things I mentioned do indeed cre
ate a strong newspaper. But I can't find content
in my desk drawers. 1 can't shoot photographs
from inside the office. And 1 surely can't create
an element of trust between the staff and the
public with an inspiring guest speaker.
For many of the staff, this week is going to be
a crash course in journalism that doesn't make
any sense and seems quite overwhelming. In a
few weeks, some of the training exercises will
become worthwhile. In a few months the job
will become routine. By the end of the year,
these journalists will come up with ideas of
their own about what makes a good
newspaper, and how it can be accomplished.
Journalism is a gradual learning process.
We'll be here on a daily basis, until the paper
is done. And in that time, we'll find the
stories that interest you and we'll share them.
We'll create a paper that you'll want to pick
up. And, more than anything else, we'll work
to get it right day in and day out.
Of course, you can aid in this process by
keeping in contact. Drop me an e-mail at
editor@dailyemerald.com with story
suggestions, general ideas and complaints.
So thank you, in advance, for reading the
Emerald this year. Simply, / want you to read
the Emerald because you want to.
Maybe I'll write that one down. They may
not be words of wisdom, but it is the truth.
Contact the editor in chief
at editor@dailyemerald.com.
His opinions do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Students should be aware
of draft procedure
The New York Times' Thomas Friedman re
cently stated: "If you think we don't have
enough troops in Iraq now — which we don't
— wait and see if the factions there start go
ing at each other. America would have to
bring back the draft to deploy enough troops
to separate the parties. In short, we are at a
dangerous moment in Iraq."
I think you would be doing the University
student body a service to begin a series on
the Selective Service and what it means to
them. When, or if, the Secretary of the Army
asks for an increase in the size of the mili
tary, the draft will probably be dose behind.
Take special note of the rules around stu
dent status. It's very limited, unlike the stu
dent deferments under the old draft system
during the Vietnam war.
John Lawrence
retired University employee
medic, Vietnam conflict, 1969 draftee
ONLINE POLL
Each week, the Emerald publishes the
previous week’s poll results and the
coming week’s poll question. Visit
www.dailyemerald.com to vote.
Last Question: What’s the best college
movie of all time?
Results: 227 votes
"National Lampoon’s Animal House" -
61.7 percent or 140 votes
"Old School" — 7.0 percent or 16 votes
“Revenge of the Nerds” - 6.6 percent
or 15 votes
“Girls Gone Wild: Endless Spring Break" —
5.7 percent or 13 votes
“PCU" - 4.8 percent or 11 votes
Leave me alone! — 4.8 percent or 11 votes
"National Lampoon’s Van Wilder” - 3.1
percent or 7 votes
“Real Genius” — 3.1 percent or 7 votes
“Dead Man on Campus” — 2.7 percent
or 6 votes
“Back to School" — 0.5 percent or 1 vote
This week: What's the worst part about
coming back to school?
Choices: Buying books; Paying higher
tuition; Early morning classes; Tests and
quizzes and finals - oh my!; Walking in the
rain; Taking classes from scatterbrained
professors.