A recent letter claimed enrollment at Oregon State University is up nearly 40 percent thanks to winning athletic programs. Enrollment at OSU has increased significantly over the past decade, however the role of athletics is questionable.

According to data from the Oregon University System, enrollment at OSU increased 26 percent between 1998 — when the football program began to improve — and 2004. It increased 14 percent between 2000, the Fiesta Bowl year, and 2004. Worth noting, however, is that overall enrollments at the seven OUS institutions increased 23 percent and 15 percent overall during these periods. Thus OSU increases were merely average

A 2004 paper prepared for the Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics concluded that effects of success in big-time athletics on number of applicants, quality of admitted students and contributions by alumni and other donors was “almost surely very small” and transitory.

Nevertheless, intercollegiate athletics brings other benefits to OSU and to the students who participate in them. But an unfortunate consequence of the current system is that for OSU to participate — and have any hope for success — coaches’ salaries must approach 7 figures, stadiums must have luxury suites, training facilities must become more elaborate, ticket prices must increase and individual donors must pay more. Furthermore, it is an unfortunate fact that once OSU — and individual donors to the athletics department — start down this path, the consequences of opting out become more and more undesirable. I choose to stand back at a financially safe distance and watch the inevitable wreck unfold.

Jack Stang

Corvallis

Spending on war not equipping soldiers well

I see in the April 10 Gazette-Times that the House Democrats passed a spending bill of

$124.2 billion (vetoed) for the “war,” (which looks more like an invasion and occupation to me).

Assuming this also funds the troops in Afghanistan as well as the 146,000 in Iraq, this still divides out as around $500,000 per soldier per year.

Our troops must be very well paid! No? Well supplied? Well taken care of after they get disabled? No and No? Where does the money go?

Bruce Carsten

Corvallis

What to do if you spot a leak in city water line

While repairing a faucet on a house on Linden Street, I was surprised to find that the water meter enclosure was half full of water. I discovered that the house’s water valve was leaking a steady stream of water, so I tightened the nut around the stem and stopped it.

I thought that this was probably an isolated problem until a few days later, when I pulled the lid off another water meter box and again found a leaking water valve.

I called the city water department, and the man I talked to told me that they see this all the time but it wasn’t their problem because their responsibility stops at the water meter. A water leak can fill an Olympic swimming pool over time, so this is no small problem.

To see if you have a leak, pry off the lid and the valve, which is on the house side of meter. If the valve is leaking, you can normally stop the leak by tightening the nut around the stem. If this doesn’t work, have the city shut off their valve and then either install new packing around the stem or replace the valve. The newer meters have flow meters that will detect leaks when no water is being used by the house.

Don’t depend on the city to notify you if you have a leak.

John W. Pyles

Corvallis

‘Playmate’ can’t be honored by display of immorality

In his May 9 letter, “Nude or clothed, ‘playmate’ should just follow dreams,” Kyle Taylor wrote, “What an honor — whether morally sound or not — to pose … ”

I am not responding to the controversy of posing nude. I am responding to the implications of the statement by the aforementioned writer. There are serious implications to a belief that something may be honorable whether or not it is moral. Immoral activities are not honorable. Immoral activities may be pleasant for a short time. Immoral activities may provide brief satisfaction or gain. To say that immoral activities may be honorable is not congruent with reality. Immoral choices ultimately have destructive results. Ask anyone who has maintained a lifestyle of immoral choices. You will find the previous statements to be true. Many in our society have chosen the short-term pleasure or gain of immoral behavior over the long term stability and strength that comes from moral behavior.

Please do not perpetuate the myth that if a choice gives one pleasure it must be acceptable; or, that it is even honorable. Teach your children this crucial concept. It’s very simple: Moral choices are honorable. Immoral choices are not honorable; and, further, they are always harmful. Before you take me to task for setting myself up as a “moral authority,” take some time to interview people who have maintained a lifestyle of immoral behavior. Judge the outcome of their lives and determine if immoral activities are honorable.

By the way, for the record, I do not believe that posing nude is honorable.

Steve Bittner

Corvallis

Not publishing genocide justice article a mistake

It is unfortunate that the Gazette Times chose not to run an Associated Press article of last Wednesday about the International Criminal Court issuing warrants of arrest for crimes against humanity and war crimes for a Sudanese government official and a leader of the Janjaweed. I understand that the choices of articles to run and the reasons to run them are numerous, and include available space, timeliness, appealing to readers’ various interests. But the story mentioned above was important and yet it was covered locally only in last Thursday’s OSU Barometer.

The many aspects of the genocide in Darfur have been reported a number of times in this paper over the years. One would think that the issuing of these warrants by the ICC might be more newsworthy and timely than the 29 inches devoted to Reagan’s diaries last Thursday, or the story of a customer suing a dry cleaner for $65 million last Friday.

The ICC story is not just another sad Darfur story; it is the beginnings of due process in bringing individuals to justice.

It is ultimately about pursuing justice and prevention of crimes against humanity. That makes it different from stories detailing more and more disasters.

It is positive news, and worthy of the G-T’s attention. For those more interested in justice than the Gazette-Times appears to be, the full details of these warrants and other cases the ICC is developing can be found at www.

icc-cpi.int.

Bob Ozretich

Corvallis Chapter

Citizens for Global Solutions

Adding fluoride to all drinking water helps kids

I would like to weigh in with Jan Peterson in support of House Bill 3099, which calls for water fluoridation throughout Oregon.

During my graduate education, I did research on mineralized tissues, including both bones and teeth. I researched effects of aluminum, fluoride and later Vitamin D on mineralized tissue development. When I researched fluoride effects, I did an in-depth literature review of what was known about fluoride toxicity. I continue to stay up to date in reviewing literature on this subject.

I have worked for Head Start programs locally and in that capacity, I arranged for medical and dental services for children enrolled in the program. A huge part of our bill for services not covered by insurance or OHP is for dental services. I saw children with teeth rotted to the gum-line who required sedation in order to have corrective services. Dental caries are an enormous problem for all children but especially for this population. Head Start programs are mandated to have children brush their teeth after meals but often by age 3 to 4 much damage to deciduous teeth and even jaw bones has been done.

I am of the opinion that fluoridated water supplies would alleviate much suffering endured by children. Of course this needs to be coupled with an aggressive public health campaign aimed at teaching parents about dental hygiene from birth onwards.

I do not think fluoridated water poses any health risks and may pose a very minimal risk of fluorosis (mild) in some children, but that this small risk is worth the effort to prevent the much greater damage caused by unchecked caries and subsequent infections to the oral cavity.

Therese S. Waterhous

Corvallis