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E-mail: editor@dailyemerald.com
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Tuesday, April 27,2004
Oregon Daily Emerald
COMMENTARY
Editor in Chief:
Brad Schmidt
Managing Editor
Jan Tobias Montry
Editorial Editor:
Travis Willse
EDITORIAL
$12 million
in donations
should be
appreciated
It's been a bad year to be an empty-walleted college student
Students found out during the last month that tuition is
likely to swell by 12 percent this fall. For an in-state under
graduate taking 16 credits, that's up from $5,079 this year to
about $5,700 next year. Much of this is due to about $5 mil
lion in unanticipated cuts in funding; the failure of Measure
30 alone accounts for $ 1 million to $2 million in cuts.
But even if students are being squeezed by tuition and
fee rates that far outpace inflation, some people are mak
ing life a little easier on the University community.
Philanthropists have announced more than $20 million
in new donations to the University in recent months, and
their timing couldn't be better.
University President Dave Frohnmayer announced re
cendy that a group of 15 donors — including alumni — have
pledged $12 million, which will fund about 100 University
scholarships annually. The Ann and Bill Swindells Charitable
Trust of Portland alone is funding 32 scholarships.
The private Northern California-based HEDCO Foun
dation, an organization that helps fund social and edu
cational initiatives, announced it was donating $10 mil
lion to pay for a new complex for the space-strapped
College of Education.
The new facility, which is set to include some 100,000
square feet dedicated to teaching and research, is a wel
come boon to a college whose often insufficient work
spaces are spread across 21 locations. The college should
also benefit from the project's planned "teaching per
formance studio."
Frohnmayer stressed that the University needs legislative
support, too, to help build the new education complex.
"It's imperative that this donation be matched by the
state of Oregon," he asserted.
While it's unfortunate from a philosophical and po
litical standpoint that the University must increasingly
rely on private sponsors, students, administrators, fac
ulty and staff should all nonetheless be grateful for gen
erous acts like these that help the University better fulfill
its mission statement of being a community "dedicated
to the highest standards of academic inquiry, learning
and service."
William Swindells, of the Swindells trust, has the right
idea:
"Oregon's past includes a heritage rich in natural re
sources, but its future is in the knowledge economy, so we
need educated citizens," he said in a release.
The Emerald Editorial Board commends the generous
efforts of the Swindells trust, the HEDCO Foundation and
others, for their commitment to improving the quality of
the University.
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.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Jan Tobias Montry
Managing Editor
Ayisha Yahya
News Editor
Travis Wsllse
Editorial Editor
Jennifer Sudick
Freelance Editor
'Give me
back. My
WALLET/'
Steve Baggs Illustrator
TRUE
HEROICS
You see the word "hero" a lot in Ameri
ca these days. It's in Mariah Carey songs,
on "Spider-Man" posters and is especially
used in reference to athletes.
But in my mind, only one athlete is tru
ly a hero. Pat Tillman gave up a $3.6 mil
lion football contract to join the Army
Rangers in 2002. He was killed in action in
Afghanistan on Thursday.
I hate that we have troops in Iraq and the
Middle East. I hate that Americans are los
ing their lives so we can keep gas prices low.
But I support our troops because they are
people with lives and wives and friends.
Pat Tillman gave depth and dimension
to "support our troops." He was the ulti
mate soldier.
Pat Tillman was a hero.
Tillman started his football career at Ari
zona State, where he struck fear into oppo
nents like Oregon's Akili Smith as a devas
tating linebacker. He wasn't big, but he
was fierce and tough, and he was Pac-10
defensive player of the year in 1997. He
graduated in fewer than four years with a
3.84 grade-point average.
He was drafted by the Arizona Cardi
nals in 1998 and switched to safety. But
he was just as fierce and just as tough. In
2000, he broke the Cardinal record for
tackles in a season. He declined a lucra
tive offer from the St. Louis Rams so he
could stay in Arizona. That alone made
him a hero in the sports world.
But then Sept. 11 happened, and Till
man became a hero in the real world.
Eight months after the attacks on the
World Trade Center, Tillman quit football
to join the army. He gave up his contract,
he gave up the nice cars and the big hous
es. He gave up the people cheering his
name, the media interviews and the auto
graph requests.
And he really gave it up. He didn't say a
word to the media or any of his team
mates. He just went into the service and
went to Iraq.
Peter Hockaday
Today is Hockaday
But, for some reason, that made people
want more of Pat Tillman. His story spread
across the country and infected people like
a beautiful vims.
"He what?"
"He gave up how much?"
"And he doesn't want to talk about it?"
He was all over newspapers and maga
zines. ESPN honored him with the
Arthur Ashe Courage Award at its 2003
ESPY Awards show.
I was lucky enough to work at the ES
PYs and was lucky enough to meet Pat
Tillman Sr. after the show. I told him
that, as an aspiring journalist, I admired
his son's will and strength to avoid the
media tidal wave.
Pat Sr. just looked tired. I was probably
the 207th person to congratulate him. He
looked crushed. Now I know why. His
son was in Iraq.
After a while, the younger Tillman was
shipped to Afghanistan. According to an -*■*
Army spokesman, Tillman and his unit
came under fire at around 6:45 on Thurs
day night. They jumped out of their vehi- .
cles and ran toward the area where the
shooting was coming from. After a 20
minute firefight, Tillman and an Afghan
militiaman fighting with the Americans
were both dead.
In death, Tillman's story is only drawing
more attention. Hundreds of people
showed up to a memorial outside the Car
dinals' training facility. Both the Cardinals
and the Arizona State Sun Devils will retire
his number, and Arizona State is trying to
set up a scholarship in his name. The NFL
asked for a moment of silence before its
amateur draft Saturday.
His family is maintaining a silence to
the media, and their comments to the
press indicate they will maintain that si
lence for a long time. Somehow, it seems,
Pat would have wanted it that way.
But even if he wouldn't want us to, for
Pat Tillman we mourn. And mourn. And
mourn.
Contact the columnist
at peterhockaday@dailyemerald.com.
His opinions do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Representative Holvey
deserves district vote
I am very excited that State Represen
tative Paul Holvey is running for the state
Legislature. I have volunteered with Paul
for almost 10 years and know he is dedi
cated to our community and our state.
We both were on the Steering Commit
tee of the Eugene-Springfield Solidarity
Network. When work needed to be done,
Paul rolled up his sleeves and jumped in.
He always showed great leadership and a
willingness to get the job done without
seeking the credit for himself.
Paul is one of the most highly princi
pled legislators in our state. He will always
speak up for families, fair taxes, decent
jobs, good housing, good schools and
quality of life. I know he will always priori
tize the voters in our district, and not spe
cial interests. Paul would never sell out his
values or ethics. We need someone with
his integrity in Salem.
Eugene District 8 should vote for Paul
Holvey in the May 18 primary.
Joy Marshal!
Eugene