After reading the Emerald’s editorial concerning the open Ward 3 City Council seat (“Ward 3 seat replacement must support UO students,” ODE Apr. 25), I feel the need to clarify a few points made by the editorial board concerning the West University Neighbors, which is the City of Eugene-recognized neighborhood association encompassing the area immediately west of the University.
The editorial stated that the WUN is dominated by a few well meaning, “zealous and eccentric community members-who do not truly represent students.” The Emerald rightly asserts that in a neighborhood dominated by a large student population, students should be taking an active role in the discussions and direction of the organization that represents them and their interests to the City of Eugene, and that the WUN would undoubtedly benefit from their increased participation. The editorial does not mention, however, that ASUO President Adam Walsh is the Chair of the WUN; nor does it mention that many board members for the WUN are either current University students or University graduates still living in the neighborhood. These numbers certainly indicate that the interests of students, as well as the collective interests of all those who reside in the neighborhood are well represented by the WUN.
The challenges of achieving a higher degree of participation faced by the WUN are the same challenges faced by all organizations; namely, attracting and sustaining interest. The Emerald calls for a City Councilor who will increase student participation in neighborhood organizations. This challenge should not be directed at the City Councilor who will represent students, (as realistically speaking they are helpless to increase participation beyond merely encouraging residents to do so) but rather to students themselves. A leader cannot lead if there are not those willing to follow
L.T. Gurdjian lives in Eugene