Center encourages, promotes psychic study
By MELODY WARD
Of the Emerald
You may have passed off "The
Force” (that silent mentor of
heroes in Star Wars) as just another
variation of a familiar theme.
But over at Psi Center,
AV center has
more than films
and projectors
By PAUL WALDSCHMIDT
Of the Emerald
If you think the only thing the
University's audio-visual center
has to offer is 16 mm films and
projectors and you have to tie a
faculty member to use them,
you're wrong.
While the backbone of the In
structional Media Center is its film
library with over 800 selections,
the A V center also has available to
students other types of media ser
vices and equipment. This inven
tory includes dry mounting and
laminating machines, paper cut
ters, graphic copiers, stereos,
opaque projector copiers, slide
sorters and audio tape and record
dubbing equipment.
Center Director Kim Nelson es
timates that over 1,500 students
use the equipment each year She
points out that instructional mater
ial on how to use the machines is
available and that students learn
to operate the machines as they
complete their projects.
Students may check out some
equipment for campus use if they
obtain permission from a faculty
member and assume responsibil
ity for the machines.
The most frequent use of the
center, however, is for films and
projectors. The center has 16mm
sound and silent projectors, 8mm
and super 8mm projectors,
carousel-type slide projectors,
overhead projectors, opaque pro
jectors and stereo cassette and
reel to reel tape players.
This equipment, besides being
available to instructors, is also av
ailable to any recognized student
group on campus. The center
does charge a fee to cover the
cost of providing a work-study
student to run the equipment.
The center’s film library has
selections ranging from films on
how to sail a boat to old Buster
Keaton movies. Nelson says a
broad selection of other films are
rented for classroom use. Also
students may request a film al
ready in stock and view it in the
media center.
The center can also order films
for student groups and maintains
catalogs of films available from
film rental companies. Nelson ad
vises persons who want to order
films to order commercial films
two months in advance and
specialized films six weeks ahead
of time.
The department has a number
of instructional use services in ad
dition to the more traditional ones
of films and slides. The graphic
arts section, headed by Helen
Spiller, will prepare visual aids
such as art displays, graphs,
charts and other illustrations to
order.
A list of instructional films on
campus and available for viewing
is printed in the Emerald Briefs
section and a schedule of current
film showings is posted in the AV
center. AV equipment is available
for use from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon
day through Friday. The center is
located in the University Library.
686-4377, the folks are dead seri
ous about it. Only they would de
scribe it as psychic energy —
something we all have, but are
generally almost totally unaware
of.
"Psi, the trident-shaped letter of
the Greek alphabet, will probably
become the most popular West
ern term for psychic,” claims
Dough Steinmetz, director of the
ASUO-funded center.
P3i center started out as a spe
cially funded SEARCH program
three years ago. Now, it is the
ASUO program that en
courages and promotes psychic
studies on the interdisciplinary
level.
‘ We’re a clearing house for stu
dents who are interested in doing
independent psychic studies,”
says Steinmetz. “We also spon
sor various groups and work
shops like Transcendental Medi
tation while continuing to work
closely with SEARCH.”
Through SEARCH, Psi offers
the Psi Center Practicum, which
features workshops in palmistry,
the tarot, astral projection and
similar phenomena.
Steinmetz explains that the key
to psychic awareness is “a wil
lingness to accept something that
wouldn’t normally be considered a
part of reality.” Things like ghosts
or Sasquatch, the potential for
leaving one's body through astral
projection, or the chance that
there is more to astrology than just
an interesting parlor game.
According to Steinmetz, who
also teaches parapsychology at
Lane Community College, the at
mosphere at the University is very
open and positive to new inputs
like Psi. “Eugene is a very psychic
area,” he beams. But he specu
lates that the degree of personal
receptiveness to psychic studies
depends on what department one
is dealing with.
Generally, Steinmetz has found
that Art and Architecture people
are perhaps the most often apt to
tune into psychic experiences,
while psychology-types tend to be
the most remote.
The center has established a
premonition registry, which is in
tended to correlate premonitions
which are similar in nature. Ques
tionnaires are available at the
center and will be kept confidential
if the respondent wishes. One
thing is sure—if you’ve ever had a
“Jean Dixon” experience, Psi is
one place where no one will laugh
in your face.
The center is building a library
on psychic information ranging
from astrology to zen. Students
have ready access to the materi
als, which may be checked out.
Steinmetz estimates that several
hundred students have used the
library for research papers.
Interested people can also gain
access to qualified astrologers,
palmists, psychic readers,
metaphysicians or other para
psychologists through the center.
Those who wish to add something
to the gereral body of psychic
knowledge can be referred to pub
lishers.
. The University does not offer a
degree in psychic studies. Stein
metz says no one has a degree in
this field except for a handful of
people who have created their
own through independent study at
other institutions like Berkeley.
Interested people should stop
by Suite 1 of the EMU and check
the center out. The Center pub
lishes the Psi Center Journal,
which usually contains a calendar
of pertinent events and the find
ings of various persons working
with psychic studies.
Our Campos branch is the most
It’s right across the street from the
Co-op book store. So. you’re just a few
minutes away no matter where you are
on campus. And you won’t run into
any long lines at our branch. You’ll
be in and out in no time. For even
more convenience, the Campus branch
has a walk-up and bicycle-up window,
friendly. Fast. Convenient. That's
the spirit at our Campus branch.
Come in and see.
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