Conference price tag too high
I am completely disgusted at the price tag on Eugene’s “Eliminating Bias” Hate Crime conference. $295 per person excludes the majority of us.
Chief of Eugene Police Jim Hill stated in a report to KMTR on Jan. 19, 2001, “Understanding the dynamics, working to prevent hate crime, creating a no tolerance for hate crime in a community is absolutely vital; it’s important that the entire community be involved in dealing with this issue.”
I absolutely agree that the entire community must be involved and educated on hate crimes. To stop hate, we must educate. The price tag for this event excluded the greater community. The community has already paid to attend with the $10,000 that helped underwrite this conference, and the city (us) has also volunteered two employees to help coordinate the event.
Perhaps a hate crime conference that would be affordable to the majority of us in Eugene would be more beneficial, informative and would get much more community involvement. At such a high price, it is hard to help prevent hate crimes. This creates tolerance of hate groups due to lack of knowledge, and the entire community is not involved in dealing with this issue. The rest of us have been left out.
I am sure that I could have been sponsored to go to this event; however, if it is closed to the general public (because of the cost), I do not want to attend. Perhaps a conference that is affordable is our next response.

Scott Britt

student

Opportunity missed
I saw a number of University journalism students at the Monday evening talk at the Central Presbyterian Church by Jeff Cohen, founder of FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting). It would have been of benefit to most Allen Hall enrollees to have heard Cohen’s evaluation of U.S. journalism and its failure to “cover the story.”
This was not a trashing of the profession as much as it was an alert to undergrads to avoid the pitfalls of “easy” (handout) reporting, and to dig for the full story. Among us, my two sons and I have had 13 years of college journalism education, and never has one of us heard a classroom presentation as valuable as Cohen’s talk.
Class schedules are important and not to be changed without reason. But cancellation of Monday afternoon classes for a convocation exposing all students to his insights (he was available) would have been of greater value than a week of classes. Actually, it would not have had to involve all students. Those majoring in advertising and public relations could have been excused. This talk had no relevance for them.

George Beres

graduate student


community education program