Hey, College Housing, we are not stupid!
I am the student who came by your office yesterday to complain about the ad placed by College Housing Northwest stating that art students are stupid, (not in these words of course). I am the student who went to all of the appropriate university offices and filed complaints.
I realize that you did not write the ad, however, you also didn’t read it before publishing it. If you had you would have known that it would cause a stir in the art community here at PSU. I am certain that you will be hearing from other people on this issue.
I am requesting that you print the following in response to that ad.
There is something seriously wrong with our education system when an on-campus office calls an entire major stupid. The ad appeared in the May 9, 2003, Vanguard, wherein College Housing Northwest began advertising lower move-in costs. The ad read: “Lowered move-in fees = good.” Unfortunately, it also carried the tag line; “Economics majors, please help the art majors with this one.”
I was stunned that the housing office at my own college would have the nerve to call me and all artists on campus stupid. I realize that it was meant as a joke. However, in a university atmosphere we are learning to think outside the stereotypes. I can only guess that the person that wrote the ad, as well as the person who approved it, thought that art majors were either too stupid to understand the insult or not quite smart enough to read it in the first place.
Almost daily I hear stories of art majors who have been forced to add a second major or change majors altogether so that their families will know that they have a skill that can support them in the future. As an art major and working artist, I know that a huge amount of opportunity exists for artists. I sell my work regularly. What these parents and the writer of the ad don’t seem to recognize is that the world would be a radically different place without art. It is art that gives us movies and television. It is art that gives us new versions of cars, shoes, clothes and furniture every year. It is art that makes the world beautiful. Without art there would be no visual advertising. Without art the world would be gray and beige and boring.
I know that, technically, College Housing Northwest is a separate entity from PSU. But it is our students who live and work there. This is the only option we have for on-campus housing so it is considered part of our school. For our own school, or its representatives, to call a large group of its own students stupid is not only an bad marketing plan but also very bad manners.
Fianna MacGregor,
art, senior
Personal issues apart of SFC problem
In his May 9 letter to the editor, Tim Young calls for Tracy Earll’s resignation and says she needs “to ask herself if this is more about the students and their right to choose their leaders, or is it more about her personally?” Maybe he should ask himself the same question.
While Tim claims to be “formally proud of the institution of student government at PSU” and cites his tenure as former ASPSU president and SFC chair, he doesn’t mention that he wasn’t “proud enough” to finish his education at PSU or that he has had little contact with the campus since transferring to U of O or that most of his knowledge of PSU comes through Erin Watari, his fellow student on the OUS State Board of Higher Education, and the person who stands to benefit from Tracy Earll stepping down.
Knowing this, Tim’s criticism of Tracy Earll’s personal motivation rings hollow. Personal and behind-the-scenes dealings are largely responsible for the embarrassing situation the SFC and ASPSU are currently in, and until they cease they will prevent student government from regaining the legitimacy it deserves. Hopefully Tim understands this and will take the time to disclose his allegiances and background more fully in the future.
Ian Ruder, history, senior
No vaginal liberties for you
Just too damn funny you liberal women from PSU are! I will be graduating next month – Social Science. I will also be taking the LSAT test for law school June 9. I’m taking an LSAT class right now and we are working on contrapositive variables, ya know, it’s where you find true and false statements, like, if (A then B) so (if not B then not A). I can’t help but to apply this to you knucklehead liberals who make the silly arguments you do. Case and point – “May 7 Opinion” article by Rose Richard on abortion/murder. Come on girl, can’t you be more original than that? First of all, Rose seems to make a false contrapositive when she incorrectly relates her vagina with a baby. Rose, no politicians are telling you what you can and can’t do with your vagina. “Go have a party with just the two of you, Babe.”
But, what conservative politicians are saying, is that after you have utilized your vagina, don’t expect your vagina-liberties to carry over to include killing your baby. This is a false contrapositive. There is NO connection with the two! How in the world can you equate your vagina-usages with a human baby!? It’s obvious that many women like Rose are upset at the fact that politicians/men are putting limitations on their sex-lives. (This must be a drag?)
But at what cost will you women go, so as to “win” an argument? What’s so depressing is the thousands of innocent babies that will die in the next 24 hours just because some angry women are too stubborn to do the right thing. Hey, if ya smoke (choice) ya get cancer – ya die! Ya break the law (choice) ya go to jail! Ya used drugs (choice) ya may O.D. and die! Ya spread your legs (choice) ya get pregnant – ya have a baby! (All I see here are choices, choices and more choices!!!) Not these women, though, they would rather fight a political topic at the price of murdering an innocent child. Rose makes another false contropositive when she incorrectly links both religious conservatives and pro-life (which I’m neither) as if there’s no way a liberal could understand abortion for what it really is – medically funded murder. Sure, you have it your way now (Roe vs. Wade), but not for long. The Bush man is going to work his mojo! The truth will prevail and justice will be served!
Neill V. Nyssen, social sciences, senior