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Show The Daily Utah Chronicle OPINION Shawn Parker Bailey, Opinion Editor: editorchronicle.utah.edu 4, 1998 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER The Daily Utah Chronicle Chronicle Editorial Letters to the Editor Class Hour Approach Abortion with Objectivity Standard a Bad Idea Editor: I am writing in response to Robert Bruce Hayes' comments on abortion, printed in Monday's Chronicle. I feel obligated to present an opposing argument, especially in d letter. light of Mr. Hayes' In debating any issue, it is crucial to be objective. Mr. Hayes must be pragmatic and consider the situations some women find themselves ost everyone would agree it is a bad idea to put a Shake spearean dramatist and a labor historian in charge of a M group of molecular biologists.. Most everyone, that is, except for the people in charge of Utah's nine colleges and universities, the Board of Regents. The regents have been pressured by the Utah Legislature for some time now to implement an objective workload standard that University of Utah faculty would have to meet. It appears as though they have now buckled under the political pressure. Friday, they approved a policy mandating work hours of the professors. By doing so, they have once again hurt the U. It would be much more intelligent to allow each individual department to monitor its own faculty members. Ken Jameson, president of the Academic Senate, agrees. "Our departments know how to facilitate the work that we do here," he, said. English professors know how much work it takes to be respected in their field, as do biochemists. The former may take less time here at the U simply because you can read Othello in your den, but you need to have access to the complicated equipment on campus in order to excel at the latter. Becoming nationally recognized in these fields also requires much more of a commitment than simply being in class teaching every day. The problem is that time spent researching and writing cannot be easily quantified. Again, Jameson agrees. "I think the focus solely on teaching, which is only one part of what we do here, is unfortunate." The simple fact is that professors cannot be treated like workers. It assembly-lin- e would be foolish and useless to place a time clock on each of their office doors, like the Legislature seems to want to do. The Board of Regents should be focusing on more in-cla- ss important matters, like help- ing students make the transition to the semester system as smoothly as possible. Of course, since the regents the are busy find to for them it's hard U, time to do something which would actually serve the U community. micro-managi- ng - 5 one-side- in. Hayes addresses abortion as if black and white issue. For anyone not placed in extreme circumstances (mysalf included) it is easy to pass judgement. Telling a woman that abortion is wrong is easy. However, it may not be easy for an impoverished single mother to raise a child. Or for a teenager in an abusive home to bring a baby into the world. Mr. Hayes mentions this issue, then ignores it. Consider the fact that most conservative leaders in America, those who are tend to support cutbacks in welfare. Millions of children in this Mr. it were a simple Interact Despite Campus Culture We Should Who hasn't identified the University of Utah as possibly the world's largest commuter campus? Sadly, this attitude is a mirror of the effects of media coverage of national political issues. Politicians are no longer politically active. Their constituency is really the undecided, inert middle ground that votes for whomever stands solidly on the status quo platform. Too often we find ourselves on that platform. Each of us has trigger issues to which we readily respond. However, there are issues that may bother us or arouse interest, but they're just not important enough to us to cause an active response. These middle ground issues become the supporting planks in Spencer Harrison Chronicle Opinion Columnist Instead of analyzing mumble and let everyone know how perceptive he or she is in realizing that this is not the most interactive campus. Politicians become popular by not touching triggers that may bring active support but will certainly cause an equally negative response. There are so many issues that to be involved in all of them would require a hybrid of Maria Theresa and Gumby (or some other stretchy fellow who can get his feet wet in two pools at the same time). However, other than maybe U gymnasts, the majority of us are not so flexible and so the media become our supplement to personal proactivity. We can tune into the tube and see environmental issues smothered by the AIDS blanket. Turn the channel and starfish are protesting the use of radial symmetry in pentagon architecture (tomorrow talk show hosts are going to protest their abuse of free speech). The comparison of former Vice President Dan Quayle with President Bill Clinton makes this passive-nes- s even more obvious. Quayle fora got silent "e" and spellthrift Americans howled about incompetency. Clinton explains sexual misconduct as a zipper anomaly and only atmosphere. While the press hypes impeachment, the majority of Americans are tired of apologies, explanations, and semantic banter that when translated means, "Please, just be complacent. Accept less." The media continually recycle and replay (in slow motion with play by play) the American of ideals and proactive idealists. Janet. Reno opened an investigation of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.; John F. Kennedy death conspiracy theories buzz like flies when there are no natural disasters; and PBS is sure to soon have a new angle on Abe Lincoln's last moments. Proactivity means maintaining an opinion through action. But people who did that were killed! Not to mention that proactivity is the antithesis of what we see dramatized by our modern national politicians. Naturally people are not prone to motivate. That's hard. Even can be hard. Therefore, it is easier to be a leader by not leading (that way no platforms. . York's skull, the usual U student approach is to grumble and trekkies demand impeachment for use of their word within Earth's political " self-motivati- one asks, "Are we there yet?", there is no controversy over leash laws, and there is no one asking us to leave our increasingly valuable comfort zones). Instead of analyzing Yoric's skull, the usual U student approach is to grumble and mumble and let everyone know how perceptive he or she is in realizing that this is not the most interactive campus. Why don't students walk into computer labs just to shake hands, start rebellious chants when waiting in lines for student I.D.s, or plaster addresses posters with their y "Binaand like, phrases is love"? the real of ry language We don't do those things because the response is always, "what position is that person running for?" Our fear of being branded political, proactive or even social causes us to step and stumble to the tired pace of an apathetic drummer. Joining a greek society one of the ones with letters that look like den-- . tal instruments, or any other club or road organization is a yellow-bric- k to interactivity. It's easy to say, "So, you're in this too?" But the great thing about that phrase is that it's universal and just as applicable in the classroom or the lines in the bookstore. In most cases the bureaucracy that bothers us gives us the opportunity to meet new people. If everyone in waiting lines was getting to know one another then no one would complain about the wait. It's possible that the library, bookstore and Student Services Building could become the new social mec-ca- s (which would relieve ASUU of the necessity of doing those Gumby stretching exercises). In the end it's easy to argue, "That doesn't apply to me. I have a lot of friends and I am very socially active." Great! And how many people did you meet yesterday? . anti-abortio- n, country arc without health insurance. Many arc too poor even to avoid going to bed hungry. When we refuse to take care of the children we already have, how can we say to a scared young woman, "You must bring your child into this world, but wc will not help you support it?" These leaders claim to be pro-lifbut what kind of life are they promoting? e arguments would be if they could prove that stronger for all its members. cares society These same conservatives (of the Christian community, as Mr. Hayes says) often protest when public schools teach sex education and make condoms available to students. An objective discussion on abortion is impossible without seriously addressing issues such as child care and sex education. I don't pretend to know what Mr. Hayes' opinions are on these issues, but a letter about abortion ignoring these topics suggests a narrow-minde- d semi-catch- " Unsigned editorials reflect the majority opinion of the Dally Utah Chronicle Editorial Board. Editorial columns and tetters to the editor are strictly the opinions of the author. "Letters to the Editor" is an open forum for the University of Utah community . Letters of an Indecent or libelous nature, or those which demean or threaten any individual or group because of race, sexual orientation or religion will not be considered. Letters must be brief. Letters will be edited for style and letspace. The author's name and phone number must be submitted with every letter for verification purposes. ters to editorchronlcle.utah.edu or drop them off at Union 240. e, Pro-lif- view. appreciated reading Mr. Hayes' letter, and I respect his beliefs. I only urge that we consider both sides of the abortion issue. I am I Catholic, and therefore abortion is a very difficult subject to consider. Jesus would preach the sanctity of life. But I have no doubt that Jesus would also offer compassion for women who are tortured by a decision. Let us not ignore our responsibility as a society to the new lives who are brought into this world, lest we should have another generation of forgotten children. And let us not turn our backs on women who have had to make the toughest of decisions, lest they be forced to walk through life alone, heart-wrenchi- r I ng . ' James Seaman Sophomore, History |
