Page 4A
OPINION
East Oregonian
Friday, October 27, 2017
OTHER VIEWS
Founded October 16, 1875
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Publisher
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Managing Editor
TIM TRAINOR
Opinion Page Editor
MARISSA WILLIAMS
Regional Advertising Director
MARCY ROSENBERG
Circulation Manager
JANNA HEIMGARTNER
Business Office Manager
MIKE JENSEN
Production Manager
OUR VIEW
Tip of the hat;
kick in the pants
A tip of the helmet to the end of an era.
For nearly a century, the Buckaroos and Bulldogs have met on the
football field each fall, playing for county pride in the great American high
school pastime.
As the East Oregonian has carefully documented over the years, it
wasn’t often much of a fight. For many years Pendleton played the role of
big brother, annually pinning down their
smaller sibling no matter how good the
Hermiston team was.
That started changing in the 1990s as
Hermiston hit a growth spurt and finally
started matching their rivals blow for blow.
Though both teams have put together short
runs of dominance for the past couple
of decades, every meeting has had the
electricity of possibility. Both fan bases
show up in force, and it has often been the
most exciting game of the regular season.
But after tonight’s edition of the War on
84, the Thrilla on the Umatilla, the Watermelon vs. Wheat, it’s not clear
when the teams will meet again. Hermiston will join the Mid-Columbia
League in Washington’s athletic association and Pendleton will stay in
a league with central Oregon teams. Because of a full league and tight
schedule for Hermiston, finding room for Pendleton on the calendar is
unlikely.
As far as local traditions go, not many have the history of this football
game. We’re going to miss it.
A tip of the hat to Blue Mountain Community College, which has
seen an 11 percent jump in attendance this year compared to last.
That stands out among community colleges nationwide, which are
collectively on a downward attendance trend.
Not so in Pendleton, Hermiston, Milton-
Freewater and Boardman — where BMCC
has facilities in the area.
Partly that’s thanks to local taxpayers,
whose approval of a bond in 2015 has
expanded programs and made BMCC
more relevant for more students.
It’s also thanks to leadership at
the college, which has improved the
school’s reputation and increased its
partnership with other Oregon colleges
and universities. It’s also due to recruiters
like the ones we profiled in this week’s
paper, who are working hard to convince skeptical high school seniors that
BMCC is the place for them.
Let’s hope the upward trend continues. Eastern Oregon can only benefit
from more students attending and graduating from BMCC, whether they
go to the workforce or on to a four-year school.
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of the East Oregonian editorial board of publisher
Kathryn Brown, managing editor Daniel Wattenburger, and opinion page editor Tim Trainor.
Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of the East Oregonian.
OTHER VIEWS
UO needs to protect campus
from extreme protesters
their protest against fascism was itself a
form of fascism, which he described as a
“smothering of dissent.”
The meanings of “free speech” and
And he described an alternative
“fascism” are apparently unclear to some
approach taken by other UO protesters
University of Oregon students who shut
in 2015, where they ended up in a
down a speech by UO President Michael
constructive dialogue with Schill that led
Schill earlier this month.
to significant action to
The need to take a
address their concerns.
firm and public stand
In
preventing
But Schill’s well-
against such assaults by
punishing the perpetrators others’ speech, the argued defense of rational
didn’t mention
is apparently unclear to
protesters were discourse
any steps by the university
the university leadership.
to take control, to protect
In supposed defense of
defeating the
the rest of the campus
free speech, the students
principle they
from these misguided
used a megaphone to
students. And the
shout down the president
claimed to be
university said Tuesday
and take over the stage,
it can’t tell us anything
complaining about tuition
asserting.
about that.
increases, indigenous
The university’s
rights and minority
Media Relations Manager Molly Blancett
student safety, according to a report in
wrote in an email: “The incident is under
the student newspaper. One speaker said
review, but . the university is not able to
the protest was prompted by fascism and
share specifics on conduct decisions in
neo-Nazis who have made the campus
this or any case, as it is protected under
unsafe for students. The reality that the
protesters were making the campus unsafe the Family Educational Records Privacy
Act.”
for everyone else didn’t register.
The university needs to take a public
University officials vacated the stage,
stand against this kind of protest, making
leaving it to the students, and proceeded
to post a pre-recorded video of the speech. it clear that it will not tolerate students
physically taking over an event and
Writing an op-ed in Monday’s New
preventing anyone, be it a student, a
York Times, Schill did a fine job of
visitor or the university’s president, from
laying out the ironies, most importantly
expressing themselves. The community
that in preventing others’ speech, the
needs to know what steps were taken to
protesters were defeating the principle
punish such unacceptable conduct.
they claimed to be asserting. Also, that
The (Bend) Bulletin
LETTERS POLICY
The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public
issues and public policies for publication in the newspaper and on our website.
The newspaper reserves the right to withhold letters that address concerns
about individual services and products or letters that infringe on the rights of
private citizens. Submitted letters must be signed by the author and include
the city of residence and a daytime phone number. The phone number will not
be published. Unsigned letters will not be published. Send letters to managing
editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email
editor@eastoregonian.com.
Sexual harassment isn’t
just a ‘women’s issue’
W
omen have been speaking
victims.
out over the last few weeks
One of the bravest voices has been
about sexual harassment and
Ashley Judd, who broke the ice by
assaults — passionately, eloquently
speaking up about Weinstein. So I
and sometimes tearfully — and we
asked Judd how men can help.
men have been (for once!) rather
“Men being willing to have
silent.
dialogue with their families and
That’s better than jumping in,
friends, and to disrupt sexist remarks,
drowning out women’s voices, and
Nicholas jokes and behavior, is integral to
mansplaining: Actually, I saw a TV
Kristof change,” she said. “Learning to let
show about this once, and the real
women speak up, and being open
Comment
problem is. … But we men can be
and teachable, is crucial. Imagine if
more than passive observers, and a
we could simply say, ‘stop’ and ‘no,’
start is surely to be better at listening. So I
and men stopped? These micro interpersonal
asked some smart, strong women how men
interactions hold transformative power.”
can become part of the solution.
One unfortunate consequence of greater
I started with Gloria Steinem, who
scrutiny of these issues is that male bosses are
emphasized that men can stand up to make
sometimes reluctant to have dinner or drinks
clear that inflicting unwanted sexual attention
with female employees, making it difficult
on another person is just plain wrong.
for women to build social relationships with
“Every time a man interrupts the culture
bosses and be promoted. I asked Rosabeth
of dominance — and treats both women and
Moss Kanter, a Harvard Business School
men as unique individuals
professor, about this, and
who are valuable for our
said that the solution
Civil rights weren’t just she
hearts and minds and
is obvious.
actions, not for how we
“More women in all
a “black problem,” the positions
look or where we are in
of power,” she
Holocaust wasn’t just said. “And not as tokens.”
some hierarchy — we are
closer to being linked, not
I’m sure that some
a “Jewish problem”
ranked,” Steinem told me.
men reading this are
“Fathers have a big chance and sexual harassment rolling their eyes. On
to do this just by listening
Twitter, one person
and discrimination are responded to my
to their daughters, and
showing them that
denunciation of sexual
more than just a
they’re worth listening to.
harassment with a
Co-workers can do this
“women’s problem.” snide, “Do you have a
by not commenting on
penis at all?” Sigh. We
a woman’s appearance
men simply have to
when they wouldn’t say the same of a man.
understand that there is nothing manly about
“This is not rocket science,” Steinem
sexual assault.
added. “It’s empathy.”
Look, human relations are complicated,
Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, told
we are sexual creatures and it’s inevitable that
me that she flinches a bit at references to male there will be fine lines and misunderstandings.
“allies,” because that can sound as if men are
But a new ABC News/Washington Post
wading in as a favor to women. In fact, she
poll found that 54 percent of American
noted, it’s in everybody’s interest that we erase women report having received unwanted and
harassment and discrimination — and a man’s inappropriate sexual advances — meaning
own team will perform better if he includes
that this is a huge national problem, and a
women who feel safe and respected.
challenge for us all. Civil rights weren’t just a
Sandberg also emphasized something I
“black problem,” the Holocaust wasn’t just a
strongly believe: We need not just sensitivity
“Jewish problem” and sexual harassment and
training, but also accountability. That means
discrimination are more than just a “women’s
firing not only the men who sexually harass
problem.”
but also the men and women who are
Men sometimes weigh in: As a father of a
complicit.
young daughter, I deplore. … But that sounds
“People need to be afraid not just of
as if one cares about women only if one
doing these things, but also of not doing
has made one, or as if one thinks of female
anything when someone around them does
colleagues as little girls. So let’s switch to this
it,” Sandberg said. “If you know something is
paradigm: As a human being, I want fellow
happening and you fail to take action, whether humans treated fairly and decently, not poked
you are a man or a woman — especially when with less respect than we would treat a pound
you are in power — you are responsible, too.” of beef at the supermarket.
One dismissal sends a stronger message
I asked my wife, Sheryl WuDunn, what her
throughout an organization than 10,000 hours
advice was for men, and she was concise: “Put
of sensitivity training.
peer pressure on each other to treat women
Men have sometimes been prone to
better.”
disbelieve victims’ stories, and one of the most
Hey, men, let’s heed her advice.
distasteful aspects of the Harvey Weinstein
■
scandal was a rush to refocus blame by
Nicholas Kristof grew up on a sheep and
questioning why female victims didn’t speak
cherry farm in Yamhill. Kristof, a columnist
up earlier or go to police. That tendency to
for The New York Times since 2001, writes
victim-shame is precisely why survivors are
op-ed columns that appear twice a week. He
reluctant to speak up — and let’s remember
won the Pulitzer Prize two times, in 1990 and
that culpability lies with perpetrators, not
2006.
YOUR VIEWS
EOCI health system not
helping all inmates
I just read your article on the person who is
getting their hormone treatment paid courtesy
of us the taxpayers. Please answer me one
question, East Oregonian: why do you not do
an investigative report, in depth, on how bad
the health system really is in prison?
A person can get hormone therapy because
they want to be another sex, and two people
I know of at EOCI need insulin pumps; one
had his before he was even incarcerated and
EOCI refuses to let him have it, and the other
had a recommendation from an outstanding
endocrinologist that he desperately needed one
and family offered to pay for it, but EOCI and
DOC said no. This is life-saving equipment,
whereas hormone therapy is not.
So, please out there at EOCI and DOC,
please tell me how you justify this? You are
contributing in the long run to two people
dying earlier than necessary because you
refuse them much-needed treatment, and you
give hormone therapy to a person who will not
die without it.
Anybody out there know a excellent
attorney for a class action lawsuit? I am
disgusted beyond anything I can say.
Barbara Dickerson
Milton-Freewater
Access to track field not what
we voted for
Citizens and taxpayers: If you are upset
about the access to the new high school
track and field, during a game or any other
time, you need to call council members
Scott Fairley (541-240-1825) or McKennon
McDonald (541-969-3345) before the meet
and greet on Nov. 4 at Hamley’s Cafe at 8 S.E.
Court at 9-11 a.m.
When we voted to pay for this, they never
said we wouldn’t be able to use it like before.
Jim Harvey
Pendleton