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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 25, 2004)
INBOX Higher education not just a launching pad for athletes In his article (ODE: “It's high time writers leave early for the pros,” Oct. 20) Clayton Jones reduces the role of universities from academic institu tions to vocational schools which professional athletes use as launch ing pads. He writes, “It stinks know ing what you want to do for a living and having to go through classes that don’t pertain to your career field.” What he fails to realize is that each class he pays for and daydreams through has been carefully designed to stimulate intellectual growth, not simply jump-start a career. Each class slept through is a lost opportunity to better one’s self, not just one hour closer to a degree. Sitting passively through a class and passing does not imply learning and growth, which should be the primary objectives of both the University and student. Universities are amazing places where one can learn about a panoply of topics from experts, a privilege not available to far too great a number of people. Nowhere else can eager minds learn about subjects that are otherwise inaccessible. But as evi denced by Jones's article, many do not view higher education as the un paralleled opportunity that it is, but as a time-killer until they are scouted by future employers. In this view a degree loses all sig nificance and becomes a useless la bel and an expensive piece of paper that doesn't necessarily ensure em ployment. Using a degree as just “something to fall back on” is a dangerous gamble, especially when it only represents four years of lack adaisical daydreaming. A safer bet would be to take advantage of the opportunity to educate one's self so that one can have a solid intellectu al foundation to “fall back on,” which is much stronger than a flim sy piece of paper. My advice to Jones and other who share his view of universities is to not waste resources doing something you can't stand. There is no draft into col lege. Higher education is not compul sory. Leave the resources to those who would use them wisely and to their utmost. Craig Chapman Graduate Research Fellow Department of Chemistry ONAMI Complex not a 'done deal' yet The Oct. 14 Eugene Weekly re ferred to the proposed University ONAMI Complex as though it was a done deal. It is not. The city has yet to decide whether the 60,000 square-foot building for nanotech nology weapons and homeland se curity research will require a public hearing before construction begins. The ONAMI partnership (Nike, In tel, Portland State University, Ore gon State University, Pacific North west National Laboratory and others) has recently joined the Nanobusiness Alliance. The new chairman of the alliance is Newt Gingrich. With Frohnmayer and our gover nor’s help, your increased tuition now subsidizes weapons develop ment and Nike’s “Smart Clothes” research on campus. Even more, the Riverfront ONAMI Complex is con sidered “smart growth” because it is to be centrally located and will therefore be tax exempt for the next 20 years. Anytime you hear some one refer to a development as “smart,” substitute the word “Or wellian” and you’ll have a far more accurate idea of what is going on. Learn more about Nike, Intel, Hewlett Packard and Smart Growth America’s plan to ruin Eu gene at my Web site: www.nanobot invasion.cjb.net. Zachary Vishanoff Eugene Measure 36 mandates unfair treatment Oregon's reputation as a land of progressiveness and equality was so convincing a year and a half ago that my husband and I eagerly left our home in the deep south and moved to Eugene to start a family. We bought a house, completed foster care and adoption training and, a few months ago, even renewed our vows (legally!) in Portland. As a gay couple, it was thrilling to be treated as first-class citizens for the first time in our lives. But a cloud threatens to block out Oregon's beacon of fairness. Measure 36 would single out gay and lesbian couples like us for special exclusion from our Constitution. No matter what its proponents would have you believe, Measure 36 would turn us back toward a darker, shameful time when Oregon's top legal document was used to discriminate against Chi nese Americans, African Americans and women. It would establish a per manent heterosexual supremacy, making straight couples the only ones who may participate in the more than 1,000 rights and responsi bilities that can only be realized through marriage. We must not allow this to happen. Measure 36 is a slap in the face to gays and lesbians around Oregon and beyond. But to those gay and lesbian kids entering their teen years and growing into early adulthood, Measure 36 is perhaps even more tragic a possibility: It would send an unmistakable signal to them that they aren't valued or appreciated in Oregon. For their future and ours, vote no on Measure 36. Todd Simmons Eugene 'Fahrenheit 9/11' rightly portrays Bush's idiocy I think TYavis Willse’s article (ODE: “No More Moore,” Oct. 21) contained insight, but the criticism was unfair. 1 agree with him: The media did not win the election for George Bush and the 5-4 ruling of the Supreme Court does demonstrate the ever-present influence of politics over justice. In one sense, what man ifests (to me anyway) via “Fahren heit 9/11 ” is not simply the incompe tence of George Bush, but rather that of politics at large, in which sup posed honest and genuine men and women are incapable (or politically ill-advised) to think outside the box that defines their political agenda. The result is an oversimplified sys tem that seems to increasingly pre clude honesty and genuineness. However, there’s more to the sto ry, which, on my viewing, “Fahren heit 9/11” does a very decent job of presenting. It’s the story of a contrast (so well defined, that it is often com ical) between an immensely impor tant job and the incompetent man who holds it. This was what 1 got out of the movie. Not the facts or statis tics, (which can obviously be mis leading) but rather the image of a man who has no business being in the position he is in, ...... Just look at how Moore chose to end the film: Ml Bush, at a podium, completely butchering the saying “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” The mo ment when Bush pauses, completely lost and without a shred of self-assur ance and yet attempting to finish the line, is probably the funniest thing I’ve seen all year. Seriously. It’s not about facts. It’s not even di rectly about the ills of politics or so ciety. It’s about the idiocy of Mr. Bush as shown by Mr. Bush himself. All Michael Moore does is present this. We can draw our own conclusions. Tim Redmond Philosophy/Mathematics ■ Guest commentary Measure 36 will force religion into Oregon's constitution Supporters of Measure 36 often state that their desire to amend our constitution to prevent same-sex couples from marrying has nothing to do with religious beliefs or anti gay prejudice. Further examination reveals that these lie at the heart of this proposed amendment and are a threat to our constitution. Orego nians who believe in fairness and equality will recognize this and vote no on Measure 36. We were dismayed to read ear lier this month that the Catholic and Mormon churches, the two largest religious bodies in Oregon, have spoken out in favor of Mea sure 36. Their statements illustrate both the religious motivation and the flaw behind this measure. The Catholic statement openly concedes that it supports Measure 36 because, in Catholic teaching, marriage is a sacrament between one man and one woman. The Catholic Church also teaches, with equal force, that divorce, remar riage and birth control are serious sins and that any marriage entered into without the intent to have children is invalid. While this may seem quaint to some, history shows that the Catholic Church has not been content to limit these teachings to the pulpit — it has tried to control the laws of coun tries to enforce these teachings. Ireland, Italy and Chile are only a few examples of countries that had to overcome strenuous Catholic opposition to legalize civil divorce. The church also fought legalization of birth control here in the United States. How many Oregonians would support turning these or other Catholic beliefs into the law of our state? Similarly, the history of Mor mon teachings on marriage is in structive. Most people remember that, until 1890, polygamy was the ideal form of marriage in Mormon teaching and practice. Mormon leaders at that time regularly de nounced the “one-wife system” as immoral and “a curse to a people,” blaming all the ills of society and even the fall of the Roman Empire on monogamy. Today, of course, Mormons pub licly endorse monogamy as the only valid form of marriage. What isn’t commonly known, however, is that Mormons, under their belief that certain marriages endure past death into eternity, quietly contin ue to practice a form of polygamy. When a Mormon couple has been “sealed” in the temple as husband and wife for all eternity, should the wife die, the husband is permitted to marry a second wife in the tem ple, also for eternity, thus ensuring that he has two wives in the next life. A religion that opposes polygamy would not permit this practice, but in Mormon eyes, both women are his wives. In any case, Mormons make unusual advocates of “traditional” marriage. Now how does any of this relate to Measure 36? We point out these details of Catholic and Mormon re ligious teaching on marriage be cause, as important as they are to those groups, none of these teach ings has any impact on marriage in Oregon. Our right to marriage as citizens is not — and should not — be affected by what any church or religious group teaches about mar riage. Marriage in Oregon is a civil contract, meaning that citizens are free to make this contract with each other just like any other con tract, without the need for ap proval or blessing of any religious body. This is exactly how it should be. The moment we begin to change our marriage laws, or any of our laws, to reflect the doctrines of any particular religious group, we threaten the religious freedom and rights of all our citizens. We call on Oregonians to under stand that Measure 36 is nothing less than a direct attack on the Ore gon constitution. Measure 36 would change our constitution to exclude a specific group of Oregon citizens from access to the same rights everyone else enjoys. This kind of discrimination is the real threat to our society. Dan Statesman and Rick Fernandez live in Portland WHAT’S HAPPENING AT Check out our website http:// pars.uoregon.edu contact us Pt & Rec Progrwr* Rec Ferities. 346 - 4113 346 - 4183 3-on-3 Basketball Manager’s Meeting - Wednesday, October 20th at 4:00pm in the Ulrich Room located in the SRC. 18-Hole Golf Scramble (2-person team) - Sunday, October 24th at Emerald Valley Golf Course. Men’s, Women’s and Coed Divisions offered. The cost is $70 per team. Deadline for entries is Tuesday, October 1 9th. Fall Tennis Classic Tournament - October 22nd & 23rd. Deadline for entries is Tuesday, October 19th. Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles play. Cost is $3 per participant per division. Rec Aerobics Program - It is not too late to participate in the Rec Aerobics Program (drop-in aerobics). Purchase a punch card in (102 Esslinger Hall) and choose from 12 different classes each week. All classes are held in Multipurpose #1 in the SRC. Fitness Programs - Come by and schedule a Fitness Assessment. Evaluate your current level of health-related fitness through the following testing options: body composition, muscular fitness or aerobics fitness. Or you can do a fitness test package that includes all three tests at a discounted rate. For more information call 346-1364
