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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 1975)
dailv'enieraid V/ An Indenendent Student Newsnaner An Independent Student Newspaper Eugene, Oregon 97403 Vo*. 76. No. m. I L,T Wednesday, May 21, 1975 Women’s coach recalls basketball in a dark gym By JEFF NIELSON Of the Emerald When Backy Sisley came to the University in 1965, opportunities for intercollegiate-level competi tion with other schools were somewhat limited. For the then established women's sports, there was no mechanism for na tional competition. And for some sports, it was just the beginning. "The first year I coached...it was basketball... we met one night a week for one and a half hours of practice inside the old, dark gym in Gerlinger,” said Miss Sisley, as her charges call her. “We had no uniforms, so we wore the gym suit service clothes. And we had three games, with a sports day at Oregon State.” Today, Sisley can usually be found on the move. In the fall, notebook in hand, she prowls the sidelines of a playing field with her winning women’s field hockey team. When spring comes to Eugene, the women’s "home" softball field at Amazon Park is where Sisley spends much of her time. Add on top of that the super vision of the University's 11 women’s sports programs (Sisley is the head of the Women’s Inter collegiate Athletic program at Oregon) and you have, as Sisley estimates, “an 80-hour-a-week job.” Nonetheless, Sisley, who taught for two years in Wisconsin before coming to Oregon, enjoys her job — and Eugene. “Oregon itself, the campus, is a good place to be," says the women s coach, who originally hails from Seattle. “Others in the academic field wonder why peo ple stay here because the working conditions definitely need improv ing, in terms of salary and hours put in. But Eugene is a good place to be, and the students here are much nicer than some I’ve met at other schools." But there are some worries ahead for Sisley, who has been the head of the WIA since the program split from the WRA (Women's Recreation Associa tion) two years ago. At a recent deliberation in front of the Inciden tal Fee Committee (IFC) the IFC voted zero funding for the WIA, which submitted a budget of ap proximately $200,000. Sisley sees much of the funding problems for WIA coming from a lack of understanding about the women’s programs. ‘‘Most people don't even realize that the WIA and the WRA are separate,” Sisley said. “And even fewer people realize that the WIA is part of the physical education department, not the AD. None of our coaches are full-time paid coaches, and all of our money does not oome from the Athletic Department." Where should the money for women’s sports come from if not from the IFC? Sisley has looked into that problem, also. “The amount of money for women's coaches should come from state funds, as it does in smaller schools, such as SOC and OCE,” said Sisley. “That portion, at least, should be state funded but we re under a handicap, since Oregon is a larger school and the men’s programs give scholar ships.” At OSU, women s sports are supported largely by student inci dental fees, Oregon State’s stu dent senate recently approved a budget of $120,000 for women’s sports next year. Other support is forthcoming from the president’s office. There is one other option that has been advanced for women’s sports at the University — the combination of both men’s and women's sports in the athletic de partment. Although she doesn’t oppose the idea, Sisley looks at this plan with caution. “Our major concern is combin ing (with the AD) is whether the women would still have a voice in the running of their programs. The men’s programs are off on such a different tangent.” said Sisley, “that we’d like to keep them sepa rate. If we could get our necessary operating budget and still stay in the physical education depart ment, things would be okay.” “Besides,” continued Sisley, “when you talk about the AD, you’re talking about two aspects — revenue producing sports and minor sports. Some of the minor men’s sports have to scramble just as much as we do.” But for Becky Sisley and others who have seen the women’s prog rams at Oregon go from gym ser vice suits and dark gyms to five days-a-week practices and field hockey in Autzen Stadium, the fut aire must hold a little brightness. Why do women compete? “The girls aren’t out here to en tertain anyone,” says Sisley, "They’reout here for the competi tion — and to be able to talk to the other team after a game and ap preciate each other on a personal level.” Photo by Beth Van Deusen Becky Sisley Bargaining bill held in House By WALTER BENSON Of the Emerald Although House Bill 3043, providing students a role in fa culty collective bargaining, received a “do-pass” recommen dation from the House Committee on Education and School Finance, it has been referred to a second committee for further consideration, acccording to Kirby Garrett, ASUO vice president. When initially introduced, the bill, sponsored by Rep. Ted Kulongoski (D-Eugene) was assigned to the Education and School Finance Committee, with subsequent referral to the Labor and Business Affairs committee. Garrett says the As sociated Oregon Student Lobby (AOSL), through consultation with Kulongoski, expected the bill to reach the floor this week. Garrett anticipated Kulongoski calling for consent ap proval to send HB-3043 directly to the floor. Since it now heads to another committee, Garrett fears time is running out, as the Legislature expects to adjourn the first week of June. “We (the AOSL) are really disappointed in the subsequent referral of the bill, that it did not go directly to the floor as anticipated,” he says. “Part of the reason for the referral is that the bill is not one of Kulongoski’s priorities, although it is a biq issue for us.” “The bill received a complete and thorough hearing in the education committee,” he added, “and we see no need to delay action on tlie bill by sending it to labor. If it wasn’t so dose to the end of the session, the referral to Labor wouldn’t present any great difficulty. But with only a couple weeks left in the session, this appears to be a move to kill the bill.” Gene Whallon, (D-Milwaukie), chairer of the Labor and Business Affairs Committee, has designated Thursday for a hearing on the bill. Should it receive a favorable response in this committee, Garrett says it should be on the House floor for third reading by the middle of next week. Once to the floor, Garrett expressed uncertainty as to the bill's passage. “The sentiment is hard to ascertain,” he says. “We certainly don’t have the necessary majority, yet — we ll be happy if we receive 20 of the 60 votes. At least the bill will be heard and we’ll know who our ‘friends and foes’ are.” He says having the bill heard, so it will be debated and voted on, is the main thrust of the effort this year. Should HB-3043 pass the House, it would be sent to the Senate and referred to another committee. At best, Garrett hopes for a Senate vote the final week of the session, although he admits the session may adjourn before a vote can he held. Between legislative sessions, Garrett plans to draft col lective bargaining legislation for the smaller, more specialized bills,” he says. Although HB-3043 is not now what the AOSL would really like to see, Garrett terms it a good first step to build on in the future. Pomo bill frees schools, museums, libraries A much-weakened bill to limit the scope of the state’s new obs cenity law passed the House Tuesday, by an unanimous vote of the 53 representatives present. Adult book stores, theaters and other disseminaters of possibly obscene material will still be liable for prosecution under Oregon Law, Chap. 699, Sec 4. The first three sections of the law, passed as Ballot Measure 13 November, have been uncontested. They concern prostitution and other sex offenses. The bill passed does not rede fine obscentity, nor change the penalty for disseminating materi als that can be ruled obscene in jury trial. It does protect, "emp loyes of bona fide public libraries, schools or museums” from being prosecuted “while acting in the scope of their regular employ ment.” Sen. Ed Fadley, D-Eugene, originally sponsored a bill to legalize dissemination of possibly obscene materials to people 21 years or older. That bill died in the Senate Edu cation Committee, where Fadeley introduced it. According to Nina Cleveland, lobbying for the Oregon Library Association, ‘‘Opposition from the senators came on the grounds that the people had just told them what they wanted in the November elections, and they couldn't turn around and tell them, ‘ I’m sorry, but you were wrong.’ ” Strongest opposition to Fadeley's original bill came from the Arch-Diocese and Council of Catholic Women, Cleveland said. Some of the original bill's strongest support came from the Senior Citizens’ Lobby in Lane County, she said. The bill now goes to Gov. Bob Straub's staff to be reviewed. Straub has 10 days to sign or re ject the bill.
