For a year now, the Emerald editorial board has cleverly and intelligently led our readers through the minefield of confusing issues and complex policy decisions. OK, maybe not intelligently and not always so cleverly. But we hope that we’ve made readers think, that we’ve made readers disagree with us and that we’ve made readers really pissed.
It was a fun year, and the editorial board gained depth and breadth, thanks to our community representative. Each term, we asked a member of a student group to join the editorial board and help shape our editorial policy. It was a fantastic experience, and it will be continued next year. We extend a sincere thanks to those three people for making our judgments that much more thoughtful.
Well, we’ve spent ourselves this year, so there’s not a lot left to say. We decided to let readers guide the direction, if not the actual content of this final editorial. For the past week, the poll question on the Emerald’s Web site asked readers to choose the top story of the year. So here’s a rundown of the year’s hottest campus stories as of press time, according to you, with our final thoughts about the stories added for your mental pleasure.
9. UO wins two NCAA
track titles
Hurrah for track! Even though Tennessee and Southern Cal won the team titles, it was great to have two individuals win titles on their home field, right here in Tracktown, U.S.A. It was a shame, however, the attendance was low for Lorenzo Santiago’s win in the decathlon. Perhaps next year the community can muster a better turnout. Santiago and John Stiegeler deserve congratulations for being the only Ducks to take an NCAA title this year. By the way, congratulations are also in order for the club volleyball team, which took the national title.
8. WISTEC/Autzen Stadium controversy
We’re very glad that the University and WISTEC were able to come to an agreement that keeps the museum open. WISTEC is a treasure for our community, and the University should work on developing a closer relationship with this asset that is right in our backyard. Perhaps students could gain internship experience from working at WISTEC, or special curriculum could be developed to partner with the museum. One thing was made crystal clear through the whole controversy, however: The city of Eugene, Lane County, the University and any other governmental bodies that do business together need to clean up their intergovernmental agreements (IGAs). The maze of IGAs that had to be negotiated in order to pull off the Autzen expansion and the WISTEC deal was mind-numbing. Please, City Council, clear this up.
7. Problems at the Department of Public Safety
Much progress has been made since the beginning of the year at DPS. But the department should take note: Be careful, your actions are being watched. Now that DPS has commissioned officers, the onus of actually being peacekeepers is ever greater. There was more to the DPS story that the Emerald could not report on this year. All we can say is that we hope DPS takes care of its internal affairs in the future, in order that its external affairs can be successful for the officers and the community. And P.S.: Please take care in hiring Marte Martinez’s replacement. This position oversees all patrol officers and is critical to the success of DPS.
6. (tie) Presidential election / Jill Dieringer’s death
Well, the presidential election is over. Nothing more can now be done. The majority of voters can be bitter if they like, but everyone needs to stop focusing on December 2000 and start focusing on fixing our election processes, including the electoral system. Momentum was high immediately after the election for making corrections — such as eliminating punch ballots with those darn hanging chads — but it seems to have slipped. Election reform should be pushed back to the top of priority lists so that America never has to repeat the miserable events of last year’s election. Oh yeah, and there is one editorial board member who is dealing with Bush’s election by covering his or her eyes and pretending the whole thing is a bad dream. It’s only four years; it will be over soon enough.
Jill Dieringer’s life and death have affected a large portion of the University community. The circumstances of her death may have been tragic, but the effects of her life were not. May she rest in peace.
4. ASUO Election
Wow. What do we say about this one? In the aftermath, we have seen that communication needs to be better between the three branches of student government and within the ASUO Executive. Stronger relationships and more attention to deadlines and appointments will help avoid a repeat of this year’s mess. As usual, there was some criticism of the Emerald this year for its coverage of the election. In response, we promise in the future to cover all the positive stories about the election, as soon as there are some. The Emerald would have been fabricating news or relying on candidates to dictate its coverage in order to run positive stories this year. And in closing, perhaps the all-online voting will get a better turnout in the future if a better marketing plan is developed. Yes, online voting is the way to go. But people need to know about it.
3. WRC/FLA debate
We said plenty about this issue this year. What we can say now is that we’re glad the issue received the ongoing attention it has. This is important; labor rights and human rights need to be addressed in relation to producing goods in the world. Now, new proposals are being made and a new breed of activists is ready to take the issue further. Kudos.
2. Oregon football season
It was a great year, even if the Beavers stole the Ducks’ thunder at the end. Everyone should be proud. And while a bowl game would be nice next year, we really only have four words to say: Beat Oregon State University.
1. Jody Runge’s resignation
Here, again, we have written extensively about this issue. What we can see now — regardless of who was the bad person and who was the good person — is the University athletics and administration did a really poor job of dealing with their employees. Runge was treated like crap, even if she is as bad as The Register-Guard’s headlines made her out to be. As Runge learned, so should the Athletic Department: Communication is key! Problems between employees, or between coaches and players, or between assistant coaches and coaches, should be handled quickly and openly. The way the whole issue was handled, we fear, will have a chilling effect on other University employees. The lack of communication exhibited by the University makes employees unsure of what they can say and what they can’t, and this is very troublesome.