INBOX
Displacing grad students
could cause much grief
Graduate students are an integral
part of the University of Oregon com
munity. Despite the low pay and diffi
cult teaching loads, on top of the day
to-day stress of being a graduate
student in a competitive school, most
of us enjoy being a part of this Uni
versity community. Unfortunately,
University Housing has found a way
to make this enjoyment more of a
burden than an educational experi
ence. The proposed sale of West
moreland Apartments means that the
360 leaseholders currently living
there will have to stretch budgets that
are already taut. It is generous of Uni
versity Housing to offer those with
children an opportunity to live in oth
er University Housing, except that
this housing is so much more per
month than we are already paying. If
we need more than one bedroom, the
increase may be from $135 to $309
more per month.
Those of us without children? We
will have to figure out a way to find
apartments within our budgets, as
accessible to campus as Westmore
land, in a time when there will be
more than 500 people displaced all at
once. Some of us will be taking out
(yet more) loans to pay for the in
evitable increase in our rent. What
will international students, who are
ineligible for government assistance,
do? Further complicating this debacle
is that as of July 1, 2005, Westmore
land rents increased 6 percent in or
der to “provide safe, quality housing
for its students and student families.”
If University Housing is selling
Westmoreland, what capital im
provements and maintenance are
we paying for? Why are we paying
into a housing pool from which we
will not benefit? Further, Allen Gid
ley (Associate Director of Housing)
pointed out to me in a personal e
mail on Oct. 25 that the rental rates
for Westmoreland are still below the
average market rent for comparable
units. This would be a valid argu
ment in University Housing’s favor,
except that many GTFs earn an in
come less than what the “average
market” pays. With Westmoreland
Housing, most of us could live with
in our incomes, even though our
rent is one-third of our earnings. I
am glad that the University is look
ing toward the future, but it is an
unrealized future that is profiting
from the already heavily burdened
shoulders of the students it has
working for it today.
Teresa Coronado
Graduate Student
Animal testing is not
worth appreciating
This letter is written with regards
to ODE’s Oct. 18 commentary article
“A step forward for stem cells.”
Although a discovery regarding
stem cell research with the use of
mice might have incredible potential,
Gabe Bradley is quite mistaken when
he says, “The human spirit has done
a nice little run around an ethical
dilemma, reaching a solution that we
can all appreciate.”
Animal testing, aside from being
generally misleading, costly and in
conclusive, is barbaric, to say the
least. These animals are capable of
feeling pain and suffering just as hu
mans are. Which life are we talking
about, indeed! Where do we draw
the line for ethics? Mice? Puppies?
Monkeys? This “solution” involving
mice is not a solution anyone should
appreciate. It is an outdated method
that certain overpaid scientists have
deemed tolerable. A real step forward
would be to use computer simulation
and scanning technology, both of
which are efficient, effective and reli
able. See www.stopanimaltests.com
for more information.
Jenna Facciuto
Pre-business student
Fur is not always
truthfully labeled
Army Feth shouldn’t be so sure
that her fur coat came from a bun
ny’s back (“Free to wear fur,” ODE
Oct. 26).
There is a thriving, hideously cruel
dog and cat fur industry in Asia,
much of which is often falsely la
beled before export. Without expen
sive DNA tests, it is virtually impos
sible to know exactly what kind of
animal you are actually wearing if
you choose to buy fur.
But whether the fur is from Rover
or rabbits, there is nothing “gor
geous” or “beautiful” about how its
original owners met their deaths.
Much of the fur purchased in West
ern markets is imported from China,
where animals are bludgeoned,
hanged, bled to death, strangled with
wire and often skinned alive.
If you have the heart to consider
how your choices can mean the dif
ference between life and an agoniz
ing death for others, check out hip
designers like Fabulous Furs, Charly
Calder, Faux, Purrfect Fur, Sweet
Herb and Coquette Faux Furriers,
which sell stunning furs — that no
one had to die for. To learn more, vis
it furisdead.com.
Brandi Valladolid
PETA Clothing Campaigns Manager
■ Guest commentary .
Money spent on education now benefits the future
On Oct. 17 the Register-Guard pub
lished an editorial piece written by Mr.
Hacelroad and Mr. Marquis, stating
that Measure 11 brings justice and a
lower crime rate. I would like to ques
tion one of their key assumptions.
They cite figures, which show that
only about 15 percent of the Oregon
general budget goes to prisons, police,
public defenders and for district attor
neys such as Hacelroad and Marquis,
while 56 percent of the budget goes for
education. What level of education are
they referring to in their argument? K
12? Higher education? Community col
leges? All of the above?
Education is a good investment of
taxpayer money because of a number
of factors. According to the information
contained in the U.S. Census, college
graduates earn about $1 million more
in lifetime earnings, about 62 percent
more per year than people with a high
school education only. Given the fact
that they pay far more in taxes, educat
ed citizens with a good job make a
much higher contribution to the rev
enue stream, which provides the back
ing for all expenditures from the gener
al budget of the state of Oregon.
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In addition, educated citizens are far
less likely to end up committing the
very crimes that provide Hacelroad
and Marquis with their positions and
income. Educated people are less likely
to be dependent on the government
for food stamps, public housing and
welfare, all of which greatly cost gov
ernments and taxpayers.
A more valid comparison for this
purpose is to compare the state and lo
cal expenditures for one level of edu
cation with the 15 percent figure giv
en. For instance, let us compare the
cost to taxpayers of Lane County for
public safety and for funding of Lane
Community College, and the return to
the community from each one. Seven
ty percent of the general budget of
Lane County goes for public safety.
Given the fact that many of the people
arrested, convicted and incarcerated
for property crimes are people with a
low level of education and marketable
skills, when released, those people are
very likely to return to the same behav
ior patterns that landed them in jail in
the first place.
If the same tax revenue used to
support this warehousing of people
were to be spent on the workforce de
velopment programs offered by Lane
Community College, perhaps this cy
cle of crime and incarceration could
be broken. Educated people with
marketable skills benefit society and
make economic contributions in all
areas of our economy, as well as ben
efiting themselves. Money spent on
community college has a return on
that investment. Money spent on jails
does not, and it is therefore an
expense, not an investment.
G. Dennis Shine lives in Springfield
On the eve of one of the most popular events of
the year, Halloween, we find our students
leading the UO and Eugene community in an
effort to create a safe and festive environment
for everyone. The ASUO has partnered with the
leadership of Lane Community
College to spread a message of
responsibility while having
fun, and our RHA is
working hard to develop
entertaining programs
for their residents.
Students & staff are
developing several
activities that will take
place in the EMU during
the Halloween weekend. All
across campus there is a
flurry of activity being lead by
students to ensure that we live up to
our community standards while participating in
all of the Halloween activities. At the University
of Oregon, we have always prided ourselves on
providing excellent educational programs and
experiences for our students. Since its inception,
the institution has created and maintained a
plethora off opportunities to aid students in their
development as successful citizens. This ideal is
articulated in our institutions mission, which
states that the university will strive
to enrich the public that
sustains it through "the
cultivation off an attitude
toward citizenship that
fosters a caring,
supportive atmosphere
on campus and the wise
exercise of civic
responsibilities and
individual judgment
throughout life." Our
students have embraced this
ideal and strive to better
themselves and our community.
For this, the Leadership Resource Office says
Bravo! We wish everyone the best during this
festive time and encourage everyone to stay
safe, be responsible and have fun.
HALLOWEEN