VOL. CXVIII, No. 40
DailyBarometer.com
Thursday, November 5, 2015 Oregon State University
Discussing nuclear Iran Panel of experts to deliberate Iranian nuclear deal By Marcus Trinidad News Contributor
Today a panel of three Oregon State University faculty members and two experts will weigh in on the Iran nuclear deal in the Valley Library Special Collections exhibit from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Iran nuclear deal is over 100 pages and sets numerous rules on what kind of nuclear capabilities Iran can possess. The nuclear agreement allows Iran to keep their nuclear facilities, even Fordow, a controversial facility that is located underground. Their facilities must also be open for foreign inspection. The deal allows Iran to enrich uranium up to 3.67 percent, a number below the required amount to produce a weapon. The agreement would also suspend economic sanctions on Iran if they follow the prescribed rules set by the six major countries of the United States, Russia, China, United Kingdom, France and Germany. If Iran does abide by the deal, then the country will have its economic sanctions suspended. According to OSU Assistant Professor Christopher Nichols, this deal could potentially be one of historic proportions. “The people of Iran have felt alienated by the international community for decades,” Nichols said. “And this (deal) is opening Iran to the world; It is an opening for more direct change.” He also said that this deal does not come without skepticism from all the parties. According to Linda Richards, an
instructor of nuclear history at OSU, the fear of Iran possessing nuclear weapons has always been present. The reluctance to give Iran nuclear independence started even before the 1979 Iranian Revolution when the US was an ally with Iran. Richards said that Iran’s nuclear history has been very complicated over the past few decades. Iran is a participating member of the Nonproliferation Treaty, but according to Richards, they were still stopped from pursuing nuclear capabilities. Under Article Four of the Nonproliferation Treaty, any country that agrees to the treaty and agrees not to pursue nuclear weapons is allowed to receive assistance from other nuclear countries to develop nuclear facilities for peaceful purposes. “(The United States) used nuclear technology as a way to tie up (Iran’s) money so we can control their oil,” Richards said. “We wanted to make (Iran) dependent on the US for their nuclear technology. They thought signing the NPT would give them independence, but it didn’t.” Richards says that with the deal in place, Iran can continue nuclear research with the international approval they have always sought. The world has still remained skeptical of Iran’s goals, according to Richards, especially Israel. She said that Israel, at minimum, possesses 80 nuclear weapons even though they have not officially declared themselves a nuclear state. According to Jonathan Katz, a professor of modern Iranian history, Israel’s fear of a nuclear armed Iran is not well founded, but he can see why Iran would have ambitions to obtain nuclear weapons as a means of deter-
See Iran, Page 6
Heather March | THE DAILY BAROMETER
A display in the Valley Library highlights the series running in the Special Collections Center which will feature a panel in discussion of the Nuclear war deal on Thursday.
Visiting Writers Series aims to inspire MFA students Stanford writing professor reads to OSU students By Lauren Sluss News Contributor
The Oregon State University Visiting Writers Series will present a reading and book signing from fiction author T. Geronimo Johnson tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Valley Library Rotunda. Orchestrated by the OSU Master of Fine Arts program, the Visiting Writers Series allows students and the public to hear authors of different genres read their own work aloud. “It’s a whole different experience when you get to hear something read aloud,” said MFA program assistant Verity Sayles. “It’s also fun when an author reads from their own work — they get to put a lot of their voice behind it.” New Orleans native T. Geronimo Johnson comes from sterling academic background. The Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduate and former Stegner Fellow at Stanford has taught writing at several locations, including the Prague Summer Program Stanford, University
of California Berkeley and Iowa Writer’s Workshop. Johnson’s first novel, “Hold it ‘till it Hurts,” was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award in 2013. His most recent book, “Welcome to Braggsville,” has been longlisted not only for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, as well as the National Book Award. Johnson’s reading tonight will be from “Welcome to Braggsville.” “This is an opportunity to listen to an excited writer who is doing work that people should pay attention to,” said Nicholas Dybek, assistant professor at the School of Writing, Literature, and Film. “The themes presented in the book surround college students and the way in which they come to grips with what they see in the world.” Johnson’s reading tonight describes the lives of UC Berkley students who protest a Civil War reenactment in Georgia. “This book is taking on issues that are prevalent today in the United States,” Dybek said. “It’s also hilarious and warm at the same time.”
See Writers, Page 3
Luke Francis | THE DAILY BAROMETER
The OSU Visiting Writing Series will be hosted in the Valley Library Rotunda on Thursday, November.
IN THIS ISSUE >>>
UC Merced stabbing, NEWS, PAGE 2 Big weekend for men’s soccer, SPORTS, PAGE 4 A Mythed Opportunity, A&E, PAGE 8