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Published by the Library Staff Association of the University of Oregon Library System
No. 30, March 2001
Fortune And The Fifth-Grader
I bought a lottery scratch-off ticket at the gas station the other day, something I do rarely and always with a feeling of doom. I stood in the dumpster bay next to the station in near darkness, furtively scratching away. Sure enough, I was a loser. I quickly stuffed the ticket into the dumpster, looking around to see if anyone had witnessed my foolishness.
Why do I bother? I'm a person who has no commerce with luck at all, good or bad. Luck is like an ominous entity in another dimension; it brushes past me unseen and leaves no mark on me. I know what happens to folks who summon this terrible creature; therefore I gamble small and timidly, and I leave luck alone.
But there are some for whom this unpredictable being comes unbidden. For no reason, there comes an amazing change of fortune. One such person was Jeff McCoy in my brother's fifth grade class. Jeff was a nobody, not a clown, not smart, not stupid, not funny-looking nor gross-smelling, not remarkable in any way. That all changed for him in one stroke.
Jeff's uncle was driving on the old highway out toward King's Valley one fine day when he came around a corner and almost ran into a van stalled by the side of road. He pulled over and helped the van driver load the cargo onto a flatbed truck. In return for his help, the van driver gave Jeff's uncle a large carton.
Jeff's uncle had no use for the contents of this carton, so he gave it to Jeff. You can imagine Jeff's astonishment when he opened it:
The van belonged to a novelty company, which produced toys and prizes vended in gumball machines. Not the cheap kind of novelty, mind you, but the big, twenty-five cent kind that comes in a fist-sized plastic globe. Inside would be anything you could think of, in miniature: little metal cars with opening doors and hoods, fully accessorized charm bracelets, tiny cheeping chicks for Easter, mini cameras with stereoscopic views inside, hot rod cards to trade, lifelike skulls with glinting jeweled eyes, some very desirable shrunken heads, naughty magnetic scotties with their bottoms stuck together, incredible twisting red devils, dinky Derringers that fired real blanks, complete doll houses with teeny furniture, troll dolls with neon hair, slinkies, and on and on. Jeff had inherited the world in microcosm. Within minutes of letting his best friend know of his remarkable acquisition, Jeff had become the most talked about boy in the school.
Of course, everyone wanted to be Jeff's friend now. My brother, who hadn't given Jeff the time of day in his life, was now mooching around him, trying to get his hands on one of the Derringers. It was not to be, although he did get a rubber switchblade the size of his thumb with the tiny inscription, Death before dishonor, engraved on the handle. He also got a drag racer model with a hideous shrieking mummy driver, and an Alfred E. Newman transfer ("What--Me Worry?") which my mother confiscated and destroyed. She didn't read Readers' Digest for nothing; Mom was fully aware that sleazy comic books were leading directly to the moral decline of the nation, and she was not having any in her house. My brother wisely kept his toys hidden after that.
Soon, even second graders benefited from Jeff's good fortune, as their big brothers and sisters filtered down the less desirable items from his stash. Cartoons, transfers, whistles, and kewpie dolls all made their way to us. We got the less glamorous forms of jewelry--metal bangles that scraped, plastic diamonds, rings that turned fingers green. Through my brother I eventually acquired the entire postage stamp sized edition of the Tales of the Brothers Grimm, illustrated with lovely little pictures of Rumplestiltzkin and Hanzl and Gretl. Also, I received a deck of cards that featured the Flintstones on the face cards, and a wetty baby with a bottle and changeable diaper. I loved them.
Jeff himself kept the really good stuff, the stuff we never saw, but only heard tell of. We heard about the ball that was an acquarium for sea monkeys, with a little plastic castle in the bottom. We longed for the wee pinball machine with flashing lights. We sighed over the "Mighty Mite" roller coaster which could be set up inside a match box. Jeff had a model of Sputnik, a coffin with Dracula inside, a functioning miniature guillotine with a head in a basket, a dried fetal baby crocodile ("Genuine!"). Jeff had the entire set of Whacky Racers models, all of the scary movie monsters cards, and a Hi-Bouncing Nite-Glo Superball.
Wait a minute--I'm at a place in my life now, where I can just go out and buy a set of chattering teeth or a gory eyeball, if I want one, yet writing about Jeff McCoy has made me extremely wistful. Yes, damn him, I still envy Jeff. I could make his fate a terrible example. I happen to know what was at the bottom of the carton--two hundred stereoscopic peepshows featuring an identical scene from what was then considered the stupidest movie of all time, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Perhaps, after all that high living, Jeff was left with no friends and two hundred pictures of Dick Van Dyke embracing Sally Ann Howes.
No; I stay my hand. It is too horrible a fate.
I have to say I don't know what became of Jeff. Maybe his mother got tired of all the junk in his room, and threw everything out. Maybe he put out his eye with the dinky Derringer. Maybe he gave his whole collection to a girl who later dumped him for someone else. I don't know, and therefore this story ends without a useful moral. I will not attempt to have it published in Readers' Digest.
Perhaps somewhere, there exists a tiny Wunderkammer of delights, and Jeff is its curator, the Maharaja of Miniatures, while luck, like a jewel-eyed skull, still winks at him.
L.R.Sexton
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Screenplay (based on previous material)
Best Screenplay (written directly for the screen)
Best Cinematography
Best Original Score
One point is scored for each correct prediction in the above categories,
except in Best Picture, in which a correct answer is awarded a point and a
half.
Submit your answers
by 5:00 pm, March 25 to Fact File. The library staff member whose
submission has the highest score will win a certificate for a free video
rental from Flicks and Pics (or if you'd prefer, a lot of popcorn). We'll
have a little something for the runner-up, too. In the event of a tie, a
random drawing will be held to determine a winner. The answers, and the
name of our winners, will be announced in the April issue of LSA
News.
DIVERSITY DOINGS
Four members of the Library Diversity Committee (LDC) headed north on
February 22nd and 23rd to attend a Diversity Summit at Oregon State
University. The conference was organized by the OSU Diversity Initiative
(DIVINI) Committee and funded by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Leadership
for Institutional Change Initiative. While most attendees were from OSU,
people also came from UO, Portland, and Hewlett-Packard. A very moving
awards ceremony during one of the luncheons revealed a close-knit and
active community of administrators, students and faculty focused on
diversity at OSU. The Summit ended with a wrap-up brainstorm on how to
translate what was learned into specific actions that could be taken at
OSU. It was interesting to observe that many of the issues, ideas, and
even tensions that came up are also echoed on the UO campus, and probably
many campuses in Oregon. Many attendees were hopeful that there would be
future Summits. It would be wonderful to join forces and have a UO/OSU, or
even an OUS-level, Diversity Summit to continue the institutional
commitment to learning and dialogue.
What follows are brief summaries of the sessions that LDC members
attended:
Juntos y Revueltos: the U.S. Latino Communities at the Beginning
of the 21st Century
The first part of this title can roughly be translated as "together and
mixed (up)." While Hispanics represent a large fraction of the current
U.S. population, (almost 9%), they are not a homogenous group. Indeed,
part of the difficulty of determining the demographics of this group stems
from lack of agreement on what term to use to describe them. Some bristle
at being labeled Hispanic and/or Latino, and prefer the term Chicano,
although this term only applies to people of Mexican descent. Also, not
everyone who might be called Hispanic necessarily self-identifies as such.
One could truthfully answer the question "Where are you from?" by saying
"Oregon," but what is really being asked is "Where are your ancestors
from?" The highest concentrations of Hispanics in this country are in the
Southwest, which of course was once part of Mexico, but Florida, New York,
New Jersey and Illinois also have high concentrations. Regarding areas of
family origin, 65% of Hispanics in the U.S. have their roots in Mexico,
but immigration rates from Central and South America have risen markedly
in the past twenty years, now accounting for over 14% of the Hispanics
here. Immigrants from Puerto Rico and Cuba also represent sizeable
fractions of the total. Many of these immigrants have fled political
turmoil in their countries of origin. Compared to the majority population,
birth and poverty rates are higher among Hispanics, while median income
and educational attainment is lower.
Nationally, Latinos make up 14% of the school age population; in
California, they comprise 50%.
-----David Landazuri
Discovering Strengths in African-American Students and Personal
Renewal in the University of the 21st Century
This day-long workshop focused on identifying the seven psychological
strengths of African-Americans examined our own individual methods for
personal and professional growth, and how we can make the university
system more responsive to the needs of African-American students.
What are these "seven strengths"? 1) Improvisation: African-Americans are
imaginative, innovative, resourceful, creative; 2) Resilience: the ability
to rebound from a setback and come out stronger; 3) Connectedness to
others: a connectedness through extended families, same-gender peer
relationships, special romantic relationships and mentors and/or
mentoring; 4) Spirituality: a deep belief in God; 5) Emotional vitality:
the African-American community is alive through their music and dance,
their literature and art; 6) Gallows humor: ability to laugh and cry
during a bad situation; 7) A healthy suspiciousness without letting it
deter them.
This workshop was an interesting blend of recitation of poetry (Langston
Hughes' "Mother to Son"), fiction, meditation, and clinical psychology
methodology, in addition to an open dialogue among the participants.
-----Rose Thomas
Performance Poetry
Dr. Ingram's interest in poetry led him to create poetry for his own
self-expression of what is means for him to be a black man. His
electrifying mix of both verbal and visual images received two standing
ovations from the audience. If you would like to learn more about Dr.
Ingram or listen to his poetry visit his website at: http://www.thecounselingpoet.com/index.html
-----Rose Thomas
Class, Class Struggle, and Marx
This workshop featured an hour-long performance of the one-man play by the
acclaimed radical historian Howard Zinn (author of A People's History of
the United States) titled "Marx in Soho." Brian Jones, an African-American
actor and activist, plays Karl Marx who has come back from the afterlife
to clear his name.
"Marx in Soho" is a monologue that combines memories and reflections on
Marx's life and how his ideas are relevant for today's world. "Less than
500 individuals control $2,000 billion in business assets!" Marx shouts.
He reminds us that in this country, wealth is not spread among most of the
people who work to generate it. Marx reads newspaper headlines, such as
"General Motors Layoffs for Workers," to let us know that things are not
all right in our society today. Marx also delivers a critique of the
distorted forms of Socialism (Communism) that took place in the Soviet
Union and Eastern Europe.
After the performance, Jones took questions from the audience and led an
open discussion. An interesting point he raised is that to be effective in
eliminating racism the larger, underlying class disparity issues need to
be addressed so that there is guaranteed health care, housing and food for
all.
----Rose Thomas
Disability and the University: Building an Integrated Curriculum
and Society
Dr. Linton laid out the historical context for the area of disabilities
and defined some key terminology and concepts. Impairment refers to the
medical condition that is really only the concern of the individual.
Disability is used to identify with a community and its culture. In the
past, disabled people were segregated and addressed based on their
impairment, which resulted in isolation and mistreatment. The broader
umbrella of "disability" has brought these groups together into a
community that can address and counteract negative and prejudiced views
towards disabled people.
Academic scholarship has also mirrored this change, where twenty years ago
a focus on disability was found only in programs like Special Education,
Abnormal Psychology, and sociology of deviant behavior. Now Disabilities
Studies is laying out a new field of inquiry by using the "lens" of
disability to look at the tenets of other fields. Universities generate
many ideas that go beyond their walls, so a careful examination of these
ideas from multiple perspectives will benefit society as a whole. One
example is examining the use of empiricism in psychology and how it
privileges non-impaired people. Another example is questioning
architectural design (ramps to separate entrances; wheelchair access only
to the rear of auditoriums) that perpetuates a division between disabled
and non-disabled by only designing to meet the law, not the needs of a
community. One more example is the Casey Martin (professional golfer from
Eugene) case before the U.S. Supreme Court, which calls into question the
fundamentals of golf and asks, "Who decided the rules?" and "What is
golf?" Other major issues where Disabilities Studies can add a valuable
perspective are the use of genetic testing and screening and euthanasia.
-----Diane Sotak
Trends, Goals, and Other Meaningful InQUEERy
In the United States ten states still outlaw same sex relationships.
Thirty-nine states allow discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Twenty-seven states do not include sexual orientation or gender identity
in hate crimes laws. Zero states allow same sex marriage. Thirty-two
states ban same sex marriage, and only four states offer equal benefit
packages for state employees with same sex partners. On the campus level
nationally, there is no national sexual orientation policy. The National
Student Affairs Organization does include sexual orientation in their
policy statements, while the American Council on Education has ignored
requests to include such statements in their policies.
Campuses have to grapple with two trends. One trend is that more people
are coming out in high school and demanding services when they reach
college. Since no statistics are collected on LGBT students, staff, or
faculty (i.e., no forms ask people to identify their sexual orientation),
it is hard to assess their numbers and recognize their needs. This results
in a lack of service integration and support. Currently, only forty
universities have LGBT Resource Centers, of which the UO is one. The other
trend is that more people are hiding their orientation and there has been
an increase in attempted suicides. Also, since no statistics are collected
on the numbers of GLBT students, retention rates are unknown.
The function of a LGBT Center is not as the campus closet, but to teach
the rest of campus how to make spaces safe and welcoming. The UCLA LGBT
Center has a library collection that is in the process of being added to
their University's Library System, they manage listservs, they do high
school outreach, development outreach to potential LGBT donors, and hold
Lavender Graduations (ceremonies that honor the lives and achievements of
LGBT students who are graduating).
----Diane Sotak
Accessing and Understanding Asian American Students and
Communities
I couldn't think of a more qualified or more interesting person to present
this talk. During the first half of the workshop Professor Hu-DeHart
explained some of the history of Asian people in America. She described a
series of acts passed by Congress beginning in the 18th century and
continuing through 1964 that prevented Asian people first from becoming
citizens and finally from immigrating to the U.S. at all. It wasn't until
1965 that extremely limited quotas by national origins were overturned.
Professor Hu-DeHart emphasized that the term Asian-American implies a
uniformity that is simply not accurate. She described some of the
different experiences of Asian and Pacific Americans, from those whose
families have lived in the U.S. since the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries to
those who came in the 1960s. Some people came as refugees, others to
provide a cheap source of labor, and still others as skilled high-tech
workers. She pointed out the different countries, different cultures and
different religions that people represent. She described "one-and-a-halfs"
like herself (people who immigrate to the U.S. before the age of 13 and
are able to remember their culture of origin and adapt more easily to the
new culture) as well as Asian children adopted by Euro-American families
and children of "mixed marriages." All of this to illustrate the
complexity of the Asian-American experience. The last part of the workshop
was spent examining images of Asian-Americans and the concept of the
"model minority." She illustrated
the seeds of truth behind the stereotype by sharing statistics of
educational achievement along with country of origin, parental
expectations, education level and gender. Her primary message was to look
at people as individuals and not to assume we know a student's needs
because s/he can be categorized as "Asian-American."
----Heather Ward
Primavera Sale
Celebrate the first day of spring at the LSA Primavera Sale, to be held in
the Knight Staff Lounge on Tuesday, March 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
or until sold out.
We plan to have donated baked goods, canned goods, relishes, flavored
vinegars and other great things to eat. As in the past, the arts and
crafts
staff will be selling their wares.
New this year will be plant starts, bulbs, cut flowers, seeds and other
related garden goodies.
A decadent dessert by Paul Harvey will be raffled at the event.
If you have art or crafts to sell, or could help with setup or cashiering,
please contact Lisa
Sieracki
by March 9. If you have food or garden items to donate or sell, please
contact Susan Mincks.
LSA 2001 Annual Arts and Crafts Show
The third annual LSA Arts and Crafts show was held on Wednesday, February
14th, 2001. More than sixty library staff and faculty (plus a few curious
students) entered the Knight Library Browsing Room Gallery to view the
creative efforts of this year's participants:
This year's event allowed the opportunity to view works by new
participants, as well as "old" favorites. "Nice show this year!" and "I'm
so glad this is becoming an annual event!" exclaimed the show's viewers.
I am always astounded by the abundance of creativity among our staff.
There
are no pictures available this year, so you will have to envision the
fanciful humor, the vision and excitement, the effort and creativity of
the
arts and crafts displayed in this year's incredible show. Thank you to all
the contributors and the organizers!
---submitted by Rosella Thomas, LSA Programs Committee
*Michiyo Goble will be showing her Shinoware plates in the upcoming show
"Clay Interpretations: Pottery by Six Artists", March 9th-April 21st, 2001
at the White Lotus Gallery, 767 Willamette Street, Eugene, OR. Website:
http://www.wlotus.com/.
Been to an
interesting conference?
Send us a
brief report for publication in the next newsletter. Thanks!
Kudos!
Congratulations to fifty-five classified staff members who have
worked for five or
more years at the University! By my reckoning, these staff members have
contributed a total of 817 years of service to the Library System
and the
University! At least ten of us have worked over twenty years! Don't forget
to go to the Award Ceremony on March 5 at 3:30 pm in the EMU Ballroom
(although Autzen Stadium might have been a better choice.)
Be sure to say hello to Blake Scott, Current
Periodicals and Stacks, and Katie Sloan, Interlibrary Loan, both of
whom started work in February.
"The Envelope, Please..."
OK, movie lovers, it's time to dust off your crystal ball, get out your
Ouija board, or do what it takes to make your predictions for the
73rd Annual Academy Awards, which will be held
Sunday, March 25 in Los
Angeles. This month we give you a chance to pick the winners in ten of the
Oscar categories, and we list the nominations below. So even if you're not
a
frequent film goer, you can be a winner in this contest.
Presented by: Arturo Madrid (a leading Latino activist and scholar who is
currently a Distinguished Professor of Humanities at Trinity University in
San Antonio)
Presented by: Joseph White (Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Psychology and
Psychiatry at the University of California Irvine)
Performed by: Michael Anthony Ingram (Assistant Professor in Counselor
Education and Supervision at OSU and an internationally recognized
performance poet)
Performed by: Brian Jones (an actor who has teamed up with Howard Zinn to
bring the story of Karl Marx's life and ideas to a new generation)
Presented by: Simi Linton (a longtime disability rights scholar and
Associate Professor of Psychology at Hunter College)
Presented by: Ronni Sanlo (Director of the UCLA Lesbian Gay Bisexual
Transgender Campus Resource Center)
Presented by: Evelyn Hu-DeHart (Professor of History, Chair of the
Department of Ethnic Studies, and Director of the Center for Studies of
Ethnicity and Race in America (CSERA) at the University of Colorado at
Boulder)
Welcome New Staff!