Eugene Weekly : Views : 3.8.07

Viewpoint:
Memo to: History
Re: The quality of my education
BY IAN EPSTEIN

The UO was not my first choice. I am a lower-class Oregonian, and attending this school was more a matter of convenience than of opportunity. If I were from a wealthier background, I might not have gone to school in the U.S. This school, like many others in America today, does not appear to hold academia as its top priority. The UO has a reputation for being a party school, more connected to California than rural Oregon. My impression of earning a degree was akin to the system of Papal indulgences of 500 years ago: If I spend enough money for a piece of paper, I avoid going to hell — working minimum wage and thinking that is all that is available to rural Oregonians. Getting out of hell meant getting an education. My only other reasonable option was to join the military. [Read More]

 

Viewpoint:
Cultivating Corridors for the People
PIELC Keynote Intro
By Zach Welcker

EDITOR’S NOTE: UO Law student Zach Welcker received a standing ovation for his introduction of PIELC keynote speakers March 1. We’ve reprinted most of his speech with his permission. He thanks Becki Kammerling for speaking with him.

On behalf of the students of Land Air Water, I’d like to thank you all for coming to Eugene to help us celebrate the 25th Annual Public Interest Environmental Law Conference. We are honored to have Vandana Shiva and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. here. We are privileged to have many former co-directors in attendance. Because of their vision and dedication, this conference has grown from an initial gathering of 15 speakers and 75 attendees into the world’s most important environmental law conference. The global reach of our 24 previous meetings has been staggering. [Read More]