Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1971)
Poor conditions prompt rent strike By PATTI MINTON Of the Emerald Eighteen tenants in an apart ment house at 754 East 13th St. (next to the Sun Shop) have organized a rent strike over poor sanitary conditions and fire hazards According to tenant Diane Aiken, the renters can legally withhold their rent for 10 days before they can be evicted or their personal belongings con fiscated Among their complaints are fungus in the showers, mold in the refrigerators, a dangerous furnace, undefrosted freezer and unpredictable water heater In addition to the apartments, the large green house is occupied by Yankee Clipper Import Shop and Kampus Kopy. The two owners of Kampus Kopy. Bill Muir and Bruce Poinsette. manage the upstairs residences Dean one of leasees Muir and Poinsette are also two of four partners in MPS Services, Inc which is subleasing the building A third member of MPS Services is Emmett Williams. Assistant Dean of Financial Aid at the University. The cor poration's lawyer is State Senator Ed Fadeley of Eugene A local real estate firm, Cougtll and Hansen, actually owns the property, however the tenants allege that Williams and MPS Services are in the process of purchasing the lease Williams denied the allegation Tuesday. Because of William's alleged connection to the building, most of the tenants who receive financial aid or are on the work study program refused to be identified Miss Aiken. Karen Hagar and Mary Welsh did consent to outline the conditions which prompted the strike, however According to the tenants, there were three different managers for the aoartments when the girls Fee committee sets ASUO Senate hearing i ne proposed guidelines for the establishment of incidental fee budgets at the University will be presented to the ASUO Senate Thursday evening for its ap proval. University President Robert Clark appointed an ad hoc committee to establish these guidelines after the State Board of Higher Education decided to allow individual institutions to establish their own incidental fees Fee measure sent to floor House bill 1589, the measure which will guarantee fixed amounts of money from in cidental fees for student governments, athletic depart ments, and student unions at the three major Oregon universities, will go to the House floor Wed nesday, April 21 As the bill is amended, student governments would receive $5 per student per term, the athletic departments get $6 and student unions get $5 The State Board of Higher Education will retain a measure of control over the expenditure of funds *'as the board deems necessary or advantageous for the students of the institution." Under the existing system, students of the University are in direct competition with athletic departments and other activities for funds University students are now paying $28 per term, of which $7 goes to the athletic departments The University athletic department had requested $10 per term dunng the hearing, hoping to be included in the fixed amount of monies available The Incidental Fee Committee is in no way connected with the Fiscal Committee which is now in the process of hearing testimony concerning next year’s budget At a meeting Tuesday af ternoon, the committee decided to add educational activities to the list of Major Budget Ac tivities This means that a decrease in any of the educational activities cannot exceed 10 per cent of the preceding year's allocation without being submitted to the student body on a referendum and approved by a majority of the student body President Clark recommended that a certain per cent of the student body should have to approve the decrease and that it should be based on two con secutive year budgets instead of one The other programs in the major budget activities are the Athletic Department and the Erb Memorial Union The other major division of programs is the Minor Budget Activities and the guidelines say that "There shall be no specific budgetary limitations placed on Fiscal Hearings Follow ing is the schedule for today's ASUO Fiscal Com mittee hearings 2pm EMU t 3(1 pm Illahe school 5pm SAIF 7pm Proposal for a major environmental education project focusing on wilder ness 7:30 pn, Chicano Student Union 8 p m Sesamex 8 30 p m ASUO Executive Branch DUCK FANS ms AHD THOSE OF YOU r WHO JUST LIKE TO JUMP AMO SCREAM * LOT . . . (J of 0 Rally Squad try-out* bofin APRIL 26 Petifions available 3rd Floor. EMU and due Friday. April 33 by 5:00 An orientation meeting for all interested males and females w>Jl be Wednesday. April 21 at 6 30 p m in EMU (Room will be posted) changes in Minor Budget Ac tivities Clark's two recommendations will hr* submitted along with the other proposed guidelines to the ASUO Senate to get the Senate's reaction Its approval is not of firially necessary Another point that Clark made was hr* would like to only concern himself with the reviewing of the major areas and have a representative other than himself set* to it that the minor areas and the traditionally funded areas "get their day in court," KMU Director Dick Reynolds told the committee members Tuesday. The guidelines which the committee has been working on for the past several weeks will not become final until they ape approved by President Clark an* the State Board of (education moved in (all term Different tenants were told different things about janitorial service," said one girl, including which parts of the building would lx* cleaned regularly, Kach tenant paid a $25 cleaning deposit "Fall term it was discovered that the refrigerator generated mold',” a renter explained The girls then asked their managers for specific commitments concerning sanitation and repairs, however none were made they said (Ui front range During winter term, the tenants discovered gas emissions from the "antiquated" range in the Kitchen as well as a water heater whose pilot light often gllt'S out According to one renter, a gas heater ignited on the first day of the term and caused considers hie smoke damage to one girl's room Teruints report that the house has three different types of heating facilities gas. elec tricity and steam To air their complaints, the renters met with ASIIO Tenants Union director Jim Teasdale They later notified the City Building Commission and City Fire Inspector In the time between the inis'ting and the fire inspectors visit, the girls reported that Muir and Poinsette suggested rausing rent $2 50 per room to cover the coat of fixing the furnace Assistant Fire Marshall ('apt Floyd Dickey found the gas range and furnace to tie unsafe and the leaky refrigerator to be a fire hazard He also noted that access to the two fire escapes was through individual rooms According to the tenants, were the rooms to be locked in the event of a fire, the doors would have to be forced open to reach the escapes The fire inspector issued a compliance order to the managers regarding the range, furnace and fin' escapes, but according to the tenants only a "band-aid approach" was taken Inspector Dickey told the KmeraM Tuesday that he had the furnace fixed "the very next day " Tenants report that the faulty range was replaced and the firt exits marked, however, "resentment built up." one renter added Itrvpondbility unclear Th«> girls remained unsure as to who hold responsibility for cleaning the bathrooms, hallways and kitchen floor They maintain that the managers were responsible for sanitation on a regular basis, hut report that Muir and Potiwettc "continually complained about money " The tenant s latest tactic is the rent strike The renters recently signed a statement of intent listing their complaints and presented it to Muir and Coin setle "The managers don't know how long the rent is to lie withheld," stated one girl, although this will moat likely come to a head within tin* next three days In addition, the tenants re {hit! that the managers have not acknowledged the strike or commented on it According to the girls, their strike represent* about $aoo In withheld rent payments Because of the building's condition, the tenant turnover this year has been extensive, according to the current renter* Of the lit original girls who moved in fall term, wily seven are still living (Imre WANTED College men end women (or men agement positions in government Must meet physical requirements Financial aid available lor in college trainees, or applicants can enroll in special training course on graduation Stateside and/or overseas travel guaranteed Here's « government position with a real future for both men and women An officer's /ob in the Air force A management level /ob m anybody's booh Certainly, there's no better way to get the e»perience and tram mg needed for enecutive responsi bility If you have two years of college rema nmg you could find vOurveif earning an Air Force commission while you learn, through the Air Force ROTC two year program Along with college credits and a commission you'll receive $50 each month as a student And upon grad nation that management position we promised will be waiting tor you If an advanced degree is in your plans, you H be happy to learn that the Air Force has a number of out standing programs to neip you fur ther your education If you're « your final year of col lege, you can get your commlsston through the Air Fore# Officer fram mg Program It is open to ail College grads, both men and women, who qualify Check it out You'll find that the Air Force it one career that offers something for everyone Nearly 430 different jobs, rang ng from aero nautical engineering to /oology, with almost everything else mrlud mg flying, tn between But whatever your duties, you'll soon discover that the A r Force will let you move just as far and as fast as your tal ents can take you So look ahead and let your col lege years pay oft for you w>!h a manager el position m the U S Air Force Just send n this coupon or write to US*F Military Personnel Center Dept A. Randolph AFB Te*as 78148 and get your postgrad uate career off the ground — — — — — — — — — — — —— — —— -j USAf W.iiUfy Partoonal Cantar D«pl A I Random AM) f«<« 78148 t fixate Mnd mm tnotm mlafmatton . on QOMita* Training School | Q At# Fofca ROIC P»og#a#n •»*¥( as&L i trtm+m nwmi i . < Crrv twi HP f'xffj p»f | flf oaanm» • -o*t Krset I Kvlaiund •« no gfetfai-on riod yours*! in the United Stokes Air Force
