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Oregon Daily Emerald Tliesday, September 28, 2004 NEWS STAFF 346-5511 JEN SUD1CK EDITOR IN CHIEF STEVEN R. NEUMAN MANAGING EDITOR AYISHA YAHYA JARED PABEN NEWS EDITORS PARKER HOWELL SENIOR NEWS REPORTER MORIAH BALINC1T CANE LA WOOD ANTHONY LUCERO KARA HANSEN MECHANN CUNIFF NEWS REPORTERS CLAYTON JONES SPORTS EDITOR JON ROFTMAN SEINOR SPORTS REPORTER STEPHEN MILLER BRIAN SMITH SPORTS REPORTERS RYAN NYBURG PULSE EDITOR NATASHA CHILINGERIAN SENIOR PULSE REPORTER RYAN MURPHY DAHVI FISCHER AMY UCHTY PULSE REPORTERS DAVID JAGERNAUTH EDITORIAL EDITOR TRAVIS WILLSE Ail IT SLATER CHUCK SLOTHOWER JENNIFER MCBRIDE COLUMNISTS ASHLEY GRIFFIN SUPPLEMENT FREELANCE EDITOR GABE BRADLEY NEWS FREELANCE EDITOR/ DIRECTOR OF RECRUITMENT DANIELLE HICKEY PHOTO EDITOR LAUREN WIMER SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER TIM BOBOSKY PHOTOGRAPHER ERIK BISHOFF PART TIME PHOTOGRAPHERS BRET FURTWANCLER GRAPHICS EDITOR KIRA PARK DESIGN EDITOR ELLIOTT ASBURY CHARLIE CALDWELL DUSTIN REESE DESIGNERS IEANN1E EVERS SHADRA BEESLEY COPY CHIEFS PAU1.THOMPSON KIMBERLY BLACKFIELD SPORTS COPY EDITORS AMANDA EVRARD AMBER LINDROS NEWS COPY EDITORS LINDSAY BURT PULSE COPY EDITOR ADRIENNE NELSON ONLINE EDITOR BUSINESS 346-5511 JUDY RIEDL GENERAL MANAGER KATHY CARBONE BUSINESS MANAGER REBECCA CRITCHCTT RECEPTIONIST NOAH EVENS JOHN LONG MALLORY MAHONEY HOLLY M1STELL XAVIER XIONG DISTRIBUTION ADVERTISING 346-5511 MELISSA GUST ADVERTISING DIRECTOR TYLER MACK SALES MANAGER ALEX AMES MATT BETZ HERON CALISCH-DOLEN MEGAN HAMLIN EUSAJESSOP MAEGAN KASER-LEE DOMENIQUE LAINEZ MIA LEIDELMEYER EMILY PHILBIN SALES REPRESENTATIVES KELLEE KAUFTHEIL AD ASSISTANT CLASSIFIED 3464343 TRINA SHANAMAN CLASSIFIED MANAGER KATY GAGNON SABRINA GOWETTE LESLIE STRAIGHT KERI SPANGLER KATIE STRINGER CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ASSOCIATES PRODUCTION 3464381 MICHELE ROSS PRODUCTION MAN/CER TARA SLOAN PRODUCTION COORDINATOR JEN CRAM LETT KRISTEN DICHARRY CAMERON GAUT ANDY HOLLAND DESIGNERS The Oregon Dally Emerald is pub lished daily Monday through Fri day during the school year by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc., at the University of Ore gon, Eugene, Ore. The Emerald operates independently of the University with offices in Suite 300 of the Erb Memorial Union. The Emerald is private property. Unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable by law ■ In my opinion Lesson on len gthy language A lesson in lengthening language Welcome, students, to your first TUesday of classes. Hopefully, you’re reading this newspaper in class in stead of listening to the professor drone on. A professor who probably possesses a sharp mind but cannot get to the point. Most professors I’ve had can’t make an argument or explain any thing without some serious circumlo cution. Talking around topics like a dog walking around a sun-warmed spot in the grass before lying down is ludicrous. What you and I can say in a few short words requires a mind numbing display of obfuscatory jaw flapping from most professors. For those of us who love the English language for its wide and subtle vo cabulary, the abuse instructors impose on the tongue causes some concern. It seems that in academia, vague ness of language is prized over pre cision. After a decade or two of read ing and listening to their peers, even the most eloquent professors fall prey to academic gibberish. Doctor al degrees almost uniformly confer the tongue and pen with a bastard breed of English, branding the hold er as an academic with the certainty of a scarlet letter. When one reads a piece in a maga zine from an unfamiliar author, one can almost unfailingly tell within the first few pages whether the writer holds a doctorate. The following ex ample is from an article on the state of books in the Arab world: “‘Koolaids’ is an attempt to weave a narrative that make (sic) sense in this post-modernist labyrinth, and to construct a self out of the shreds of CHUCK SLOTHOWER TAKING ISSUE representation by the other and one’s own self-presentation.” The author is Fadia Faqir, a pro fessor at England’s Durham Univer sity, writing in a British journal. Be sides a blatant grammatical error, the quotation shows how to use 33 words to say absolutely nothing. Telltale signs of academia are easy to spot: using the phrase “post-mod ernist labyrinth” or the word “self” as something that is constructed. And, of course, no academic dis course would be complete without employing the word “other” to de note something foreign. Professors at this university are no better. In the political science depart ment, professors use the word “prob lematic” like a kid who’s just learned his first obscenity. Professors say it when they mean to call something fallacious, unworkable, nonsensical or just plain wrong but don’t have the capacity to say it. It’s like fingernails on a chalkboard. This language mixes pomposity and cowardice. Professors often use language to set themselves apart — they need a way to justify why they stand at the lectern drawing a salary and you sit in desks paying them. The best professors do this by im pressing students with penetrating intelligence and a lifetime of accu mulated knowledge. Several such professors exist at this university. Others, however, take on airs. The cowardice is the result of vague language used to sugarcoat bold statements, usually of opinion. Every professor has opinions, and how they deal with them generally falls into four categories: Some come out openly with their opinions but give other views a fair shake. Others try to hide their opinions but can't and end up shortchanging stu dents by ignoring alternative views or the justifications. A small minori ty of professors succeed in hiding their opinions. Then, of course, a few professors advance a viewpoint without giving others a fair shake or justifying their stands. You’ll find professors who deal honestly with their opinions usually deal honestly with language. Why does a professor’s writing and speaking abilities matter? Universities provide a forum to sound ideas and learn. Ideas and learning take shape through language, and vague lan guage leads to vague ideas and missed chances to learn. George Or well recognized, in his famous essay “Politics and the English Language,” that "... the slovenliness of our lan guage makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.” We live in a time that demands clear and precise thought, especially from those who quite literally think for a living. That can only occur with clear and precise language. chuckslothower@ dailyemerald, com ■ Guest commentary Death of friend brings perspective, puts a real face on Iraa violence Two months ago, a close friend of mine from high school died. Kenny Leisten Jr. was killed in action in Taji, Iraq, July 28 when an explosion was detonated near the Humvee he was driving. Leisten, who was 20 years old, was remembered as a soldier and a war hero at his memorial Aug. 9. However, before he received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star medals, before he fought for his country and became a war hero, before he even enlisted in the Oregon National Guard, Leisten touched my life and the lives of the few people he was close to. Under the camouflage jack et and dog tags, Leisten was a preten tious teenage boy who listened to Korn, loved computers and perfected his practical jokes. His laugh was con tagious and his smile could turn any one’s day around. Most importantly, under all of his many faces, Kenny was a compassionate human being. I’m not a big supporter of the war in Iraq, but up until now it was all just a bunch of numbers to me. It’s unfortu nate that so many people have died, r but my emotions never went much deeper than pausing to sympathize for the day’s nameless faces on the front page of the newspaper. However, when I heard about Leisten from one of my high school friends who was in the 2nd battalion, 162nd infantry with him, the face of the soldier on the front page of the newspaper now had a name, and a life full of people whose lives he changed. My opinions of the war are no longer just political and factual. 1 re alize that the people fighting this war are people I stayed out late with, toilet-papered neighbors’ houses with and went to concerts with. These soldiers are peers with whom I shared answers to math homework, friends whom I called when I needed advice. The war is no longer just a heated topic of discussion between my liberal and conservative friends. I don’t know if the war is right or wrong. What I do know is that obsessing over a bad hair day and being irritated by a $15 park ing ticket seem a little less important now, and keeping in touch with the people I really care about is at the top of my list of priorities. I didn’t get a chance to write to Leisten while he was in Iraq, but I thought about him a lot. 1 expected him to come home safely because 1 didn’t realize how very real the war is. Despite differing political opinions and viewpoints, I encourage everyone to remember the soldiers fighting for our country. As 1 prepare for fall classes, I have friends my age fighting for my freedom on the other side of the world. And I have more friends waiting to be de ployed, friends who won’t be home for two years. When I think of them, and when I think of Leisten, I am grateful to be a part of a generation with such courageous young people. I am lucky to know so many heroes. Sabrina Gowette, a junior majoring in journalism, is a classified advertising associate and freelance writer for the Emerald. This submission originally mn in The Oregonian OREGON DAILY EMERALD LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor and guest commentaries are encouraged, and should be sent to letters@dailyemerald com or submitted at the Oregon Daily Emerald office EMU Suite 300 Electronic submissions are preferred. Letters are limited to 250 wands, and guest commentaries to 550 words. Authors are limited to one submission per calendar month Submissions should include phone number and address for verification, the Emerald reserves the right to edit for space, grammar and style. Guest submissions are published at the discretion of the Emerald ■ Editorial Poor ASUO accounting makes rule a necessity Kudos are in order for ASUO President Adam Petkun for doing the right thing this summer by banning University graduate Dean Neiwert, husband of ASUO Accounting Coordinator Jen nifer Creighton-Neiwert, from performing con tracted work for the ASUO. The decision was prompted by concerns about the appearance of nepotism under his administration, Petkun told the Emerald in a September interview — and we can’t say we blame him. In July 2003, Neiwert was paid $500 in inci dental fee funds to update the ASUO Con trollers' Web site, and at least $350 in April 2004 to work on the ASUO's rental Web site, ac cording to ASUO purchase orders. The con tracts were first brought to Petkun’s attention when he took office in May, he said. While the whole incident has pretty much blown over, thanks to Petkun’s swift action, there is still no procedure or regulation in place for dealing with this sort of problem. We com mend Petkun for putting a hold on Neiwart’s contracts, but he needs to push for new regula tions that explicitly ban conflicts of interest re sulting from family-member favoritism. It’s not that we don’t trust Petkun. Actually, for the first time in a long while, we have a pret ty good feeling about the intentions of the ASUO Executive, but let’s face it — despite its sheer office walls in the EMU, this is an elected office with a history for being notoriously opaque and nebulous in its political motiva tions and dealings. It’s important to realize that if anyone is in the right here, it’s Petkun, and if anyone should be blamed, then equal responsibility should be placed on both the previous executive admin istration and on Creighton-Neiwert. Since taking on the title of ASUO accounting coordinator in 1997, Creighton-Neiwart has been involved in several questionable incidents where, as one of the most seasoned veterans of the ASUO, she should have acted differently. Last year, 15 members of the ASUO charged $2,250 to Creighton-Neiwert's credit card for a trip to Washington, D.C. The ASUO claimed it as a loan and then-president Maddy Melton went begging to the Student Senate for more student money to pay Creighton-Neiwert — an ASUO employee — back. She also ran into some controversy earlier last year when a typographical mistake made in the 2002-03 ASUO election packet prom ised senators a stipend of $175 per month when only $125 per month was available. Creighton-Neiwert's name was included in a resolution that sought to censure those re sponsible for the error, but since her official duties did not include the elections packet, her name was dropped. As of this moment, there’s nothing illegal about hiring a significant other to do ASUO grunt work. For the future good of the Universi ty, Petkun should bite the bullet and realize that in less than one year, he’ll be gone, and the only way to ensure this doesn’t happen again is to create regulations forbidding it. EDITORIAL BOARD Jennifer Sudick Editor in Chief David Jagernauth Editorial Editor Steven R. Neuman Managing Editor Gabe Bradley Freelance Editor Jared Paben News Editor
