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Oregon Daily Emerald
COMMENTARY
Editor in Chief:
Brad Schmidt
Managing Editor:
Jan Tobias Montry
Editorial Editor:
Travis Willse
Monday, June 7, 2004
E OI TORI AI
Emerald gives
credit to year's
biggest stories
Ihe top 10 stones of the year, as determined by the Emerald
Editorial Board:
10. The winter storm. Students came back to school from
winter break to sheets of ice. it was the zaniest weather we
have seen in this great state of bizarre weather patterns.
9. ASUO. Many, many editorials have been published ex
posing the abhonent state of ASUO this year. From the chief
justice of the ASUO Constitution Court calling former ASUO
President Maddy Melton unfit for office to former Vice Presi
dent Eddy Morales accusing ASUO Student Senators of
racism for disagreeing with one another, we can say, without a
doubt, that the Melton/Morales administration was the worst
we've ever seen.
8. Neil Goldschmidt hired, retired. Former Gov. Neil
Goldschmidt did a lot for this state during his political career,
but he tainted his legacy with a despicable act: He admitted to
having sex with a 14-year-old girl while he was mayor of Port
land 30 years ago. We stand by our earlier opinion on this,
which was "thanks for your public service; but good riddance,
and seek help."
7. Campus improvements, fhis year was great for making
the campus — visually and structurally — a better place. Ihe
Lillis Business Complex opened, which utilizes cutting-edge
technology for energy efficiency and is just an all-around ar
chitectural feat. Also, the college of education received a siz
able grant to expand its building, which will make a nation
ally renowned program even better.
6. The Department of Public Safety. It was a rough year
for DPS. I ast summer, a former DPS officer used his vehicle to
drive on the sidewalk and pursue a "suspect" who was on a
bicycle. Ihe officer collided with the "suspect," who wasn't
actually doing anything illegal, and — long story short — an
internal DPS document concluded that the officer had com
mitted misconduct.
5. DPS, part two. Then, around the same time as the pur
suit debacle, the City of Eugene basically said: Hey, DPS, an
officer on your payroll just demonstrated a serious defect in
judgment that opened the University up to a potential law
suit. We're gonna have to expand your powers'. And with that, the
Eugene City Council gave DPS the right to issue municipal ci
tations.
4. New basketball arena. Given the strange and troubling
set of arena decisions that have taken place, the administra
tion is clearly implementing the following confusing process:
Spend a lot of money choosing a site; spend a lot of money
developing preliminary plans; decide die arena will cost too
much money; scrap it and build it later when it will likely cost
more money.
3. Measure 30. Once upon a time there was a state called
Oregon, which had one of the worst economies in the na
tion. The deeply divided legislature had to decide whether to
raise taxes or make spending more efficient, but like small
children the lawmakers just whined a lot. So the tax-increase
decision was sent to voters, who had already rejected a similar
measure, and Measure 30 was bom. The voters, understand
ably angry that the people they elected can't get anything
done, soundly rejected the measure. In related news, tuition is
set to increase by 12 percent next year.
2. Same-sex marriage. Oregon made state history this year
by granting its first same-sex marriage. Although we were nev
er able to reach a consensus about the issue — some of us
wanted to abolish government-sanctioned marriage alto
gether, some of us supported same-sex marriage and some of
us liked the idea of domestic partnerships — we couldn't
deny the significance of the event.
1. Iraq war. Look, few are denying that Saddam Hussein
was a ruthless dictator who spat in the face of every demo
cratic ideal in existence. But what really made us leery about
the war was the faulty justification used by the Bush adminis
tration (links to terrorism, then weapons of mass destruction,
then ...). In the meantime, soldiers continue to die fighting a
guerrilla war with no clear end in sight.
EDITOR! A!.BOARD
Brad Schmidt
Editor in Chief
Jan Tobias Montry
Managing Editor
Travis Willse
Editorial Editor
Jennifer Sudick
Freelance Editor
Ayisha Yahya
News Editor
You and 1 have a
rendezvous with destiny. We
will preserve for our chidren
this, the last best hope of
l man on earth, or we will
sentence them to take the
first step into a thousand
years of darkness, if we fail
? at feast let our children and
our children's children say
of us we justified our brief
momen t he re. We did a il
that cou ld be do ne,
- ‘Ronald 'Reagan
Eric Layton Illustrator
Was it as good for you
as it was for us?
As you thumb through the pages of to
day's Emerald, you'll be viewing the work
of one remarkably talented staff. We've
spent the past year working to provide the
campus community with news that is
both entertaining and useful, with a defi
nite focus on the latter.
The year started with a bang; in the sum
mer, the Emerald first told readers that a De
partment of Public Safety officer had struck
a bicyclist with his vehicle. We followed the
story in an effort to better understand what
transpired. We filed an Oregon Public
Records request and, in October, were able
to tell readers what they may have not oth
erwise known: The DPS officer was found
guilty of misconduct. In the months since,
DPS has undertaken a sweeping review of
its pursuit policy.
Later in October, the Emerald informed
readers that Howe Field was selected to
house the new athletic arena. Were it not
for the Emerald, readers would have
missed hearing about a leak at Autzen Sta
dium that caused about $200,000 worth
of damage. Readers wouldn't have found
out that outgoing CIA Director George
Tenet secretly visited campus to speak to
various academic dignitaries from across
the country. And, most importantly, read
ers never would have discovered that their
ASIIO Vice President, Eddy Morales, was
charged with assaulting a woman after a
night of drinking at Taylor's Bar and Grill.
In November, the Emerald was the first
to report that campus alcohol violations
Brad Schmidt
Of chief concern
increased an alarming 171 percent. We
told you that Oregon University System
Chancellor Richard Jarvis' plan to solve fi
nancial problems, The Deal, had died. Af
ter hearing complaints about how often
ASLIO officers were in their office, we con
ducted a survey to find out whether they
were sticking to their scheduled hours.
Soon after we ran the story, an angry
ASUO President Maddy Melton called the
Emerald, just to let me know she was in
her office.
In the short month that was December,
we brought you a five-part series examin
ing academic cheating and we covered the
late-night fire that broke out in Hamilton
Complex.
In January, we told you former football
player Junior Siavii was charged with as
saulting a woman at Taylor's. We did a sto
ry examining why Taylor's seemed to be at
tracting high-profile problems. We told
you the University hired a new diversity
provost. We were the first to break the
news that the cost estimates for the new
athletic arena had jumped to $180 mil
lion. We also told you about the University
student who filed a lawsuit asserting his
right to bring a gun to campus.
In February, the Emerald took readers
inside a Programs Finance Committee
meeting from January, one that student
leaders tried to keep off the record. Only
after the Emerald filed a grievance citing
Oregon Public Meetings Law was the con
versation made public to you, the readers.
We told you about the tickets all fee-pay
ing students are entitled to, and we
showed you what the student government
was — or rather, wasn't — doing to keep
you informed. We reported that the Uni
versity had temporarily pulled the plug on
plans to build the new arena. And we did
a story about the undercover Eugene Po
lice Department officers who broke up a
campus party.
In March, we brought you a datelined
story from Portland as same-sex marriage
entered Oregon. We drove up at 5 a.m. to
ensure we didn't miss a thing, and we were
the only college paper in the state to bring
readers such in-depth coverage. We also re
ported about various fraternity indiscre
tions and how they have gone unpunished
by the University.
In April, we told you about Jarvis' resig
nation and the amount of money he was
going to receive even after he left office.
In May, we covered the resignation of
Turn to SCHMIDT, page 4A
ONLINE POLL
Each week, the Emerald publishes the
■ results of the previous poll and the
coming week’s poll question.
Visit http://www.dailyemerald.com to
vote.
Last question: Need help getting through
finals? What is your Dead Week drug of
choice?
Results: 57 votes.
• Caffeine: 36.8 percent or 21 votes.
• Illegal drugs: 22.8 percent or 13 votes.
• Booze: 10.5 percent or six votes.
• Exercise: 10.5 percent or six votes.
• Food: 10.5 percent or six votes.
• Prescription drugs: 5.4 percent or
three votes.
• Nicotine: 3.5 percent or two votes.
This week: What was the biggest story
covered by the Emerald this year?
Choices: ASUO VP Eddy Morales’
alleged assault; DPS pursuit policy;
Goldschmidt scandal; Los Angeles
Times Editor John Carroll lecture;
Multnomah county issues same-sex
marriage licenses; Sports arena put on
hold; Squirrel fishing; Wieden workshop