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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 27, 1973)
Student lobbies for special interests Photo by Eric Brandt Donna Prodehl, a University senior, lobbies for the promotion of tourism at the Oregon Legislature. ( Briefs ■3 6:30 p.m. Taming of the Shrew: Students at Roosevelt Junior High School present five scenes from the play, with music by Roosevelt's Madrigal Singers and the recorder ensemble. 7:30 p.m. Drug Analysis Report 7:30 p.m. The Black Composer 9 p.m. Schools Without Failure. 9:30 p.m. Vocabulary Building. 10 p.m Mass Communications 10:30 p.m. Basic Mathematics. MEETINGS One Step Beyond. Euoene Gay People's Clinic and Resource Center, offers coun seling, referrals and a place to be yourself from 7 to 10 p.m Fridays at 232 E 12th St Applications are now being accepted for four positions on the Student Administrative Board (SAB). If you would like to fill out an application or just find out what the SAB is, go to EMU 312. AMERICAN STYLE Tnrowgn rne NATIONAL STUDENT EXCHANOE Exchange to 18 universities across the U.S. and pay resident tuition. Information and applications available at International Education Center, Room 202, EMU. x3721. ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY MORGAN STATE COLLEGE (MD.) OHIO UNIVERSITY OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY RUTGERS COLLEGE, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY TOWSON STATE COLLEGE (MD.) UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT FORT KENT UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA AT RENO UNIVERSITY OF OREGON UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - GREEN BAY WEST CHESTER STATE COLLEGE (FA.) WILLIAM PATERSON COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY QUALIFICATIONS: 8 Freshmen ft sophomores who are Orepon residents. Application deadline for all NSB proqrams: March I By NAN HENDERSON Of the Emerald Editor's note: This is the second part of a two-part report on students who are lobbying at the legislature. SALEM (Special) — Donna Prodehl could possibly be characterized as a traditional lobbyist — she spends at least three days a week in Salem lobbying for three special in terest groups and expects to get some renumeration for her ef forts. She is. however, unique. Prodehl is a 21-year-old University senior who describes herself as “a college girl that looks younger than she is.” And as far as she’s been able to determine, she is the only student lobbying for special interests in the Oregon legislature. “I don’t think anybody recognizes me as a lobbyist,” she said in a recent interview. “I walk into a hearing room and everyone else is handed in formation but me,” the short slender lobbyist added. ‘‘And around the lobbyist information desk where all of the men lob byists are talking. I’m looked at as just some little girl.” However, Prodehl, who is lobbying on behalf of Oregon Coastal Association, the Pacific Northwest Travel Association and the Oregon Chamber of Commerce Executive, believes persons she works for soon recognize her capabilities. “When they talk to me they realize I do know something — sometimes they are probably shocked,” she said. Prodehl reported she is lob bying for changes in SB 100, the controversial land use planning bill, and for an increase in the state tourist promotion ad vertising budget. The young lobbyist said the job evolved from her work last summer in the Bend Chamber of Commerce. In Bend, she answered letters requesting information on tourism in Oregon and directed persons that came into the Chamber of Commerce office. During the summer, she said she “realized that the tourist question is very important in that community. “Our livelihood in Bend depends on tourism,” the 16-year Bend resident observed. So when she learned of legislation that would stifle tourism in Oregon and sub sequently saw a job lobbying against that legislation she said, “I realized I had to make an effort.” She immediately accepted the lobbying job offered to her during Christmas vacation by the Bend Chamber of Commerce manager, she reported. The organizations she works for are operating on limited budgets, she said, and she doesn’t know how much she will be reimbursed for her expenses. But she stressed she didn’t take the job to earn money. “I am doing it just because I think it’s important.” Prodehl drives her Toyota to Salem at least three times a week to “attend hearings, talk with people involved with the land use planning issue, set up ap pointments and do footwork.” A fellow lobbyist, Gene Magee, president of the Oregon Coastal Association, serves as her boss, and they both talk to legislators about their concerns, she reported. In Eugene, Prodehl spends “hundreds of hours” doing research and familiarizing herself with legislation and arguments. The organizations she represents “compromise” in land use planning tourist control, Prodehl explained. “We see the need for ecology, but we also know the realities of the tourist industry and how it affects Oregon’s economy,” Prodehl said. She said she is lobbying for local control of land use planning instead of a statewide land use planning agency, proposed in SB 100. “We don’t want centralized government,” Prodehl said. “We wantiocal people to have a say in how they’re going to live.” She said this could best be ac complished by restructuring the councils of government (COGS) that presently exist in many counties in Oregon. She said she is also working for a new definition of “critical areas of concern” outlined in the bill. “Some areas that we feel are critical haven’t been included and some that we think are not critical have been,” Prodehl said. She related the land use planning question directly to tourism “because the few people in a state agency could decide to put a moratorium on building in some of the defined areas of critical concern which would decrease the number of tourists that would stay in Oregon.” Prodehl also indicated she is worried about the state tourist advertising budget which was cut in half by the 1971 legislature and is expected to be further cut this session. “We are asking for a budget equal to what we had two years ago,” she said. “We believe that tourists will travel through Oregon no matter what we do, but if we cut out advertising they will drive right on through to places that do advertise like British Columbia, for example, and they won’t spend any money in Oregon. “As long as they are using our highways anyway, they might as well spend some money here,” she concluded. The recreation major said studies have shown very few people move to another state because they vacationed in it. And she said if they don’t vacation in Oregon “the economy will be hurt. “People are too quick to criticize tourism when they don’t know what they are saying,” she observed. Prodehl said she is very happy with her job “because I feel like I’m doing something for the good of people instead of just sitting back.” She is receiving three hours of credit through the University recreation department and believes “a person could never get enough formal education equal to what I’m learning.” Flying Webfoots . . . (Continued from Page 1) hoping to attract more They are offering a ground school as a SEARCH class next term and eventually they will offer flight instruction through the Eugene Flight Center at a special package rate. The club owns a plane, which members can rent at a rate substantially lower than a similar plane rented from the Eugene Flight Center. The Flying Webfoots are looking forward to finding more adventurous souls like Libby, who will follow in Jonathan Livingston Seagull’s foot steps. We made the tou^h and go and then turned back to Eugene. As we flew back to circle Eugene and the campus. Libby talked about flying and how she became a pilot. “Flying is one of life’s greatest experiences,” she said, “I would spend most of my time in the air if I could.” Libby, who comes from an all girl family, received a lot of encouragement from her father. who also flies. It was her father who suggested that she take up the sport. At first, ground school presented the biggest challenge. “I stayed after class all the time trying to get everything, but the instructor was a great guy. He was pretty patient and understanding.” After Libby took to the air, the concepts she was learning in ground school started to fall into place. Libby, who is a major in therapeutical recreation, met little discrimination in aviation because of her sex. According to her, most flight instructors were encouraging and if anything, extra helpful. She has a few male friends who practice a subtle form of discrimination by avoiding flying with her. Libby laughed as she recalled various ploys they used to gracefully decline any invitation for an afternoon of flying. “They’d like to go flying, but not with me as a pilot,” said Libby with a wry smile. -oSSo \ Oregon Daily Emerald
