Shame on sexism
I walked out of the candidate debate on Thursday night with a sick feeling in my stomach. It was not due to the lack of quality candidates, but rather the words of one candidate and the reactions he elicited from the audience. It doesn’t take any intelligence to offend people.
Tasteless humor is possibly the lowest form of comedy. However, it is not the misogynist and demeaning nature of the message of the specific candidate that outraged me, it was the audience reaction.
We sat in that room, and every one of us let it happen. As men, when we see such blatant sexism, it is our responsibility to stand up and say something. It is an embarrassment to the ASUO and this University that nothing was done and nothing was said as the role of women on this campus was completely dismissed.
We would all be outraged had the content been racist in nature, but for some reason the objectification of women is considered lighthearted and funny. I hope that in the future, all people in this situation, including myself, will have the strength to stand up and speak out against such degrading messages. None of us did on Thursday, and it is a shame on all of us.

Jay Breslow
ASUO president
senior
psychology/Spanish

Make a difference and vote for OSPIRG
I am writing to say that I absolutely agree with Eric Pfeiffer’s editorial (“OSPIRG: A model for citizens,” ODE, Feb. 20). Having groups like OSPIRG here at the University of Oregon and all across the state makes a difference both on campus and off.
Having worked closely with student groups and governments around the state and around the country, I have learned that it’s important to not only work for the issues students are concerned about on campus, but also to build statewide student movements off campus as well. OSPIRG is an amazing example of this. When you combine all the student activism from OSPIRG chapters statewide with the expertise of their professional staff, it makes a serious difference for the public interest.
Just one example of the good work they do is the campaign to “Clean the Willamette River.” Students on campus are researching polluters, monitoring streams and organizing grassroots campaigns while at the same time OSPIRG’s toxics staffer, Rhett Lawrence, works with the Department of Environmental Quality and the governor to enforce the current clean water protections we already have.
Students and staff working for Oregon is a one-two punch that just doesn’t miss. So I encourage you to vote yes for OSPIRG in the upcoming elections, because our education and our environment need our help.

Tim Young
junior
political science
member of Oregon State Board of Higher Education