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