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E-mail: editor@dailyemerald.com
Online: www.dailyemerald.com
Friday, October 3,2003
Oregon Daily Emerald
COMMENTARY
Editor in Chief:
Brad Schmidt
Managing Editor:
Ian Tobias Montry
Editorial Editor
Travis Willse
Travis Willse
Rivalless wit
Hustle, bustle
makes life far
less fulfilling
Coming down off one of my busiest weeks
in recent memory, I feel like I've tripped on a
block of half-planned obligations and crashed
face-first into the vast disorientation associated
with sleep deprivation. Maybe it's exhaustion,
or maybe it's just that 1 don't remember doing
much else besides going to classes and going to
work, but I'm beginning — possibly arrogantly
— to believe that my recent life has descended
into an apt metaphor representative of the
modern world of caffeine double-doses, fast
food and fast living.
And, frankly, that scares me just a bit.
About the time 1 graduated high school, I
looked up at the rest of the world and saw peo
ple who were too busy with investment bank
ing or petty political battles or other occupa
tions that turned into 10- to 14-hour days. In
some blend of revulsion and (what may be)
naivete, 1 told myself that I'd never be part of
that world, that I’d always have enough of a
grip on the moment that life would never slip
by out of my control.
But as it turns out, all sorts of forces are con
spiring against me. Everything in our society is
geared to turbocharging, super-efficiency and
instant gratification.
To wit: Some consumers are evidently unsatis
fied with digesting information in real time. So,
companies like technology firm Prime Image sell
devices like the Digital Time Machine, which
speed up video and audio recordings by up to 12
percent without curtailing comprehension.
Laura Gaines, the company's vice president,
touted the machine to the New York Times in
a Thursday article, and offering potential cus
tomers — television advertisers included — a
"66-second minute."
but, advertisements tor products through an
appeal to saving time aren't limited to adults.
Through April, even the casual cereal devotee
can trade two proofs-of-purchase from desig
nated Post Kids Cereal boxes and $ 1 for ship
ping for their very own personal digital assis
tant that features memory for an extensive list
of lemonade stand suppliers and clients, and a
planner for the hectic schedule of the modern
multitasking 9-year-old.
Now, this is certainly not an argument
against speed or modernization, or anything
equally ignorantly Luddite. So-called competi
tion of ideas is generally a positive process that
improves the human condition: It creates bet
ter medicines; new, interesting meals; and
tools that lighten the labor of human hands.
Even so, all this efficiency doesn't seem to
save Americans much time. In 1997,
Americans spent an average of 1,966 hours on
the job — the most of any industrialized
nation — according to the International
Labour Organization.
So, what's the lesson? Reject the amenities of
modem life? Clearly not. People invent those
conveniences so that we can spend less time
doing less fulfilling tasks and spend more time
doing the things we enjoy, inside and outside
the workplace.
Next week, God willing, I'm going to spend
a little bit less work in the maelstrom of organ
izing and notes-sorting, and with any luck, I
won't let down my high school self.
Contact the editorial editor
at traviswillse@dailyemerald.com.
His opinions do not necessarily represent those
of the Emerald.
Tips to prevent landlord conflicts:
Be proactive, protect your rights
Editor's note: This commentary is part of the
Emerald's and ASUO Legal Services' ongoing efforts
to assist students through education as well as rep
resentation. ASUO Legal Services' attorneys are li
censed to practice in the state of Oregon. Informa
tion disseminated in this article does not constitute
legal advice and does not create an attorney/client
relationship. For legal advice, contact an attorney li
censed in your state. You should not make legal hir
ing decisions based upon brochures, advertising or
other promotional materials.
Many students visiting ASUO Legal Services
seek assistance with landlord-tenant issues. Al
though conflicts with landlords are sometimes
inevitable, there is a lot that tenants can do to
protect their rights. The key is to be proactive in
the landlord-tenant relationship.
Read your lease
Read your rental agreement and any attach
ments carefully. Discuss any questions or con
cerns with your landlord, and confirm any
changes in writing.
Be aware of your responsibilities under the
agreement and live up to them. Pay your rent
on time. Seek legal advice before attempting to
withhold rent — this is permitted only in very
limited circumstances, and only after specific
procedures are followed.
Keep records
It is essential to correspond in writing with
your landlord. Many protections under Oregon
law apply only when the tenant has given notice
of a problem and requested repairs in writing. In
dude dates on your letters and keep copies in a
file with your entire rental agreement.
Protect your deposit
When signing the agreement discuss your ex
pectations regarding the use of your deposit —
will it be applied only toward repairs, or will it
also be used for deaning?
When you move in, do not assume that the
landlord knows about pre-existing damages in
the home. Send a letter detailing any concerns
you have, and take pictures in a way that estab
lishes the date they were taken. If the unit is not
clean when you move in, notify the landlord
and discuss the remedy. Confirm any agree
ment in writing.
Report other problems as soon as they oc
cur. Sometimes minor problems, such as a
leak, can cause major damage in the long run.
The landlord may hold you responsible for
expensive repairs if you fail to report such ^
problems promptly.
Document the condition of the unit again
when moving out. Take pictures of any dam
ages for which you expea to be charged. Also
include the wails, the floors, and appliances.
You can ask your landlord to inspea the unit
when you have removed all of your belongings
and finished cleaning. Some landlords will
agree, thus giving you a chance to do additional
cleaning as needed.
Terminating a lease
In a month-to-month agreement you must
give thirty days' written notice of termination.
Even if your lease ends on a specific date, it will
not hurt to confirm that you intend to move
out at that time. (In fact, some term leases pur
port to require such notice, though such provi
sions are of questionable validity.)
Seek legal advice if you must break a term
lease, or feel that you are entitled to do so due
to the landlord's failure to abide by Oregon law
or the rental agreement.
Give written notice of your forwarding ad
dress, and return the keys on the date you move
out. If you do not receive your deposit within
thirty-one days, or you feel that funds were
wrongly withheld, seek legal advice.
Nicole Miani is an attorney at law
for ASUO Legal Services.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Students, not big-money sports,
should be priority
If the University selects the Howe Field site as
its choice for a new basketball arena, it will, ac
cording to the consultant's report to the Athletic
Department, displace not only the women's
softball field, but also one or both of the Astro
Turf intramural fields, the Outdoor Program’s
trip facility, the golf team's putting green and
possibly the new Student Tennis Center. Even
the hammer-throwing area and practice track
associated with Hayward Field is suggested as a
site for a parking structure. Of course, an arena
and associated parking structures will also elim
inate or obscure one of the few remaining open
spaces near the University. With this selection,
the University would pay homage to big-money
spectator sports at the expense of the hundreds
of students who like to play, practice and devel
op their own bodies and physical skills.
I would hope that the University would val
ue the health and skills of its students by leav
ing their participatory sports and recreational
facilities in the heart of the campus. All of the
other arena sites studied are better than Howe
Field for these purposes.
Alvin Urquhart
emeritus professor of geography