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Oregon Daily Emerald Wednesday, June 1, 2005 NEWS STAFF (541)346-5511 JEN SUD1CK EDITOR IN CHIEF STEVEN R. NEUMAN MANAGING EDITOR JARED PABEN AYISHA YAHYA NEWS EDITORS MEGHANN CUNIFF PARKER HOWELL SENIOR NEWS REPORTERS MORIAH RALINGIT ADAM CHERRY BRITTNI McCLENAHAN EMILY SMITH EVA SYLWESTER SHELDON TRAVER NEWS REPORTERS C1AYTON JONES SPORTS EDITOR ION ROETMAN SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER STEPHEN MILLER BRIAN SMITH SPORTS REPORTERS RYAN NYBURG PULSE EDITOR AMY EIGHTY SENIOR PULSE REPORTER JOSHUA UNTERF.UR PULSE REPORTER CAT BALDWIN JOHN PALMER PULSE CARTOONISTS A1LEE SLATER COMMENTARY EDITOR GABE BRADLEY ANNEMARIE KNEPPER CHUCK SLOTHOWER JENNIFER MCBRIDE COLUMNISTS ASHLEY GRIFFIN SUPPLEMENT FREELANCE EDITOR DANIELLE HICKEY PHOTO EDITOR LAUREN WIMER SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER NICOLE BARKER TIM BOBOSKY PHOTOGRAPHERS KATE HORTON ZANE RTIT PART-TIME PHOTOGRAPHERS HR FT FURTWANGLER GRAPHIC ARTIST DUSTIN REESE SENIOR DESIGNER ELLIOTT ASBURY WENDY KIEFFER AMANDA LEE JONAH SCHROGIN DESIGNERS SHADRABEESLEY JEANN1E EVERS COPY CHIEFS KIMBERLY BLACKFIELD JOSH NORRIS SPORTS COPY EDITORS GREG BILSLAND AMBER L1NDROS NEWS COPY EDITORS JENNY GERWICK PULSE COPY EDITOR ADRIENNE NELSON ONLINE EDITOR WEBMASTER (541)346-5511 JUDY RIEDL GENERAL MANAGER KATHYCARBONE BUSINESS MANAGER LAUNA DE C1UST1 RECEPTIONIST JERED NAGEL PATRICK SCHMERBER HOLLY STEIN I ANA SWANSON ROB WEGNER CAROLYN ZIMMERMAN DISTRIBUTION ADVERTISING (541)346-3712 MELISSA GUST ADVERTISING DIRECTOR TYLER MACK SALES MANAGER MATT Birr/ HERON CALISCH-DOLEN MEGAN HAMLIN KATE HIRONAKA MAEGAN KASER-LEE KELLEE KAUETHE1L MIA LEIDELMEYER SHANNON ROGERS SALES REPRESENTATIVES CLASSIFIED (541) 3464343 IRINA SHANAMAN CLASSIFIED MANAGER KORALYNN BASHAM ANDO KATY GAGNON KERI SPANGLER KATIE STRINGER CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ASSOCIATES PRODUCTION (541) 3464381 MICHELE ROSS PRODUCTION MANAGER TARA SLOAN PRODUCTION COORDINATOR JEN CRAMLET KRISTEN DICHARRY CAMERON GAUT SABRINA GOWETTt IONAH SCHROGIN DESIGNERS The Oregon Daily Emerald is pu6 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 pnvate property Unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable by law. Bret Furtwangler | Graphic artist ■ In my opinion Moderating the bench We are facing a Bull’s Run, the Moderate’s Last Stand. Our nation is on a hideous precipice about to be tipped over into a wasteland of parti sanship and hate. Democracy was always supposed to be about discus sion. Democracy was always sup posed to be about compromise. Un fortunately, it seems the more vocal among us are also the most ridicu lous; the people on both sides of the spectrum who view the world in terms of black and white and refuse to acknowledge sepia. Even Pat Robertson is railing against Bill Frist for not being right-wing enough. I must admit, John McCain has al ways been one of my favorite politi cians. Growing up in a post-Water gate world, to me he seemed almost trustworthy. Though I’m not sure the higher gavel should go to any of the three judges who appear to be on their way to the bench because of the settlement McCain helped au thor, I applaud the courage of men and women who brave their party heads in order to do what they feel is in the national interest. In this case, I think the recent judicial bargain was correct. The fili buster was about to be abolished, which would have caused more damage to our democracy than the compromise of the Infamous Four teen. The Democrats would have martyred themselves to no avail, and there’s no way the game of chicken (slowing down the federal govern ment) would have turned the liber als into good guys in the eyes of the public. Not that it shouldn’t have — conservatives were wrong in their accusations about the Democrats be ing against religious judges. When looking at the nominees, newspa pers from The Washington Post to The New York Times base their opinions on business ties and previ ous legal decisions. William Pryor, JENNIFER MCBRIDE QUASHING DISSENT for example, is so far right that even the more conservative Supreme Court justices have written opinions striking down his rulings. He was the advocate for Texas’ absurd sodomy laws in Lawrence v. Texas, and his ties to corporations (big tobacco, among others) make me very uneasy. Our judges are already being ac cused of playing politics. In some states, judges need to raise huge campaign coffers in order to be elect ed — in West Virginia alone, the last judicial election’s candidates spent more than $5 million. The Supreme Court’s decision in Bush v. Gore split down partisan lines. In times like these, we need to do everything necessary to protect the purity of the legal system. The U.S. Constitution must preserve justice for all, not justice for the rich, the white and the heterosexual. The best way to be fair is to make sure our bench is full of moderates who don’t owe any party favors. For this reason, rather than give the most bone-flaying of partisans lifetime federal appointments, I urge cooperation. If the president and the Senate can’t be trusted to keep the judiciary impartial, I suggest that one more safeguard be added. I don’t think it’s an unreasonable sug gestion that the people who make most of our laws, who are the custo dians of truth and justice for a life time, are asked to be confirmed by a supermajority. A candidate who receives 51 percent of the vote is probably not the right robe for the job. I would advocate that the U.S. Constitution or Senate rules be altered so that 60 votes are required before any nominee assumes the bench. This would assure a biparti sanship that is more than superficial and craft a law less likely to swing to extremes. Neither party is likely willing to give up the power to almost single handedly appoint someone of its own politic viewpoint, but what’s best for the country will probably be somewhere in between. This real “constitutional option” would de crease the incentive for filibusters and death-in-committee and would encourage true consultation be tween the president and the Senate. The next few elections are going to be important for the level of discourse in this country. I am afraid of the po tential of red and blue to stop talking to each other, of border wars breaking out between California and Nevada. We have much more in common than we have in difference, as witnessed by the voice of Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, who is willing to go against the presi dent in order to support stem cell re search. For this reason, Liberals and Conservatives alike should applaud the courage of the moderates. Instead, the bloggers’ attacks on George Voinovich for criticizing Bolton are acerbic. One blog tells us that “it’s a good thing for Voinovich that the Sen ate is in recess;... that’ll give him time to go see his therapist and get back on his Zoloft.” Can’t we all agree that people who are willing to reach a hand out to the other side in friendship are the most courageous of politicians? I, for one, admire a man willing to cry for his country. jennifeimcbride@dailyemerald. com OREGON DAILY EMERALD LETTERS POUCY 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 words, 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 rigit to edit for space, grammar and style. Guest submissions are published at the discretion of the Emerald. ■ Editorial Diversity plan bogged down by its own idealism In May, the University introduced a Five-Year Diversity Plan designed to ensure that our cam pus community is one that supports freedom, safety and equal opportunity for all. Some ideas are well thought out and feasible, and for that Chair Greg Vincent and the plan’s other creators should be lauded. Encouraging racial or gender minorities in job announce ments is an easy way to reach out and bring di versity to campus. Making sure that a course in gender/sexuality is required for graduation is also an excellent, tangible plan. Mentioning at one point that tokenism is not the aim of the plan and that the University system itself needs to change is a priceless piece of wisdom. However, the fact remains that much of the diversity plan is just too idealistic. Ensuring that the University works with local schools to get minority students, their parents and their fami lies excited about college is a lot to swallow, es pecially considering the lack of concrete plan ning or funding. Hiring clusters of faculty in different areas of diversity for 30-40 staff posi tions in fewer than 10 years will surely prove difficult considering the University’s less-than desirable faculty wage. Even the simple idea of more community conversations on issues of di versity needs to have a solid plan behind it. When it comes to the tangible issues of offering more scholarship money, the question is practi cally implicit: Will funds be redirected toward these and other programs? Where will that money come from? We just don’t know. Goals such as seriously recruiting underrep resented faculty, increasing Diversity Building Scholarships and setting up new departments and staff positions cannot be sufficiently ac complished given the current situation of fund ing within the University. The plan even men tions that putting money toward diversity is key to showing the University’s value on diversity, and yet this five-year set of goals outlines no way to ensure that funding can be created or redirected toward the program. The plan claims to be a vision for the best educational environ ment possible; with a host of new ideas and less University money than ever, it seems clear that accomplishing all facets of this plan is any thing but possible. Idealism is only worth so much when it comes down to reality. As always, the issues of a University are fundamentally connected. It is hardly just the fault of the new diversity plan; it is a fault, as well as an important issue, of the entire Uni versity. The problem of lagging diversity sim ply cannot be solved without first solving the problem of an underfunded school in gener al. Lower-than-average faculty salaries won’t bring in new and diverse faculty, and new, di verse graduate students surely don’t want to attend a school that can’t later offer them ex citing job opportunities. The Five-Year Diversity Plan is a fabulous step in the right direction. In the future, howev er, the best thing for this University will be more funding or at least feasible proposals to increase diversity when the best thing falls through. CORRECTION The summary to Tuesday’s story “Malone rewrites Duck javelin record" states, “Sarah Malone landed a throw at 186-10, three inches farther than her previous school record.” This is incorrect. Her throw on Satur day was 7 feet, 3 inches farther than her previous per sonal best of 179-7. The Emerald regrets the error.
