Equalization Board now
Lane County battleground ,
By E G. WHITE-SWIFT
Of the Emerald
Lane County’s Board of Equali
zation has suddenly become the
battleground for a feud between
Lane County Assessor Ken
Bylund and Lane County Com
missioner Archie Weiinstein.
The Board of Equalization's
primary function is to review the
property assessments of Bylund’s
department, insuring they reflect
the true cash value of the prop
erty. The board also provides a
first level of appeal for property
owners who feel they have been
treated unfairly.
However, Bylund has accused
the board of favoring commercial,
industrial and multiple housing
properties in its property tax re
ductions. The board has removed
more than $ 12 million from the tax
rolls.
"This action will result in higher
tax bills for most Lane County citi
zens,” Bylund says. "Most of the
reductions will benefit wealthy
taxpayers, at the expense of the
ordinary taxpayers."
Bylund singles out two cases he
believes indicate the board’s bias
towards btg business: Valley River
Center and properties owned by
Weinstein.
“The Board of Equalization
chopped $5,790,350 off the as
sessed value of the Valley River
Complex, Bylund says. "This de
cision will put the businesses lo
cated there at an unfair competi
tive advantage over downtown
Eugene and Springfield busines
ses.”
The Board also reduced
Weinstein’s property tax assess
ments by $226,000. Weinstein
owns more than $1,500,000 worth
of property in Lane County.
“John Gault, chairer of the
Board of Equalization, was Com
missioner Weinstein's choice for
the position,” Bylund says. "This
raises serious questions of ap
parent conflict of interest and re
veals that Commissioner Weins
tein, who likes to portray himself
as the the biggest of the little
guys,’ may be, instead, the
shrewdest of the big guys."
Ww
Archie Weinstein
Weinstein has demanded a re
traction from Bylund for the al
legations that Gault and Weins
tein were in cahoots. Although
both Weinstein and Gault lived in
Eastern Oregon's Harney County
in the 1940’s, they apparently had
no business ties.
"Mr. Bylund has made several
serious and unfounded accusa
tions in regard to a conflict of in
terest," Weinstein says. "Mr.
Bylund had better be able to prove
these wild accusations or be pre
pared to suffer the legal and politi
cal consequences."
Board of Equalization members
say that Bylund's charges of
favoritism are without merit. They
say that petitions before the board
to reduce property taxes were
acted upon by considering the
evidence presented to the board
regardless of the type of property
involved.
“Mr. Bylund evidently forgot
about the 8,000 residential ac
counts that were adjusted by the
Board,” says its chairer, John
Gault. “Contrary to what Mr.
Bylund says, the Board’s actions
were made in open meetings with
a secretary present to record the
vote.”
Gault also accused Bylund of
issuing propoganda statements
instead of performing the duties of
Lane County’s elected assessor.
Gault alleges that mistakes by
Bylund’s office have increased the
number of adjustment petititons
before the Board.
“The charge that Commis
sioner Weinstein received special
treatment has been rightfully chal
lenged,” Gault says. “Bylund
should get his facts straight before
doing too much talking. As the
self-appointed champion of the
homeowners, he does not further
anyone's cause by his ‘Uganda
type’ press statements.”
Bylund believes that he has the
facts and figures on his side, and
plans to challenge the Board of
Equalization’s findings.
“In order to correct inequities
perpetrated by this Board of
Equalization, I am appealing more
than $7 million worth of property
tax reductions to the Oregon De
partment of Revenue,” Bylund
says. “All of the appeals involve
owners of at least $100,000 worth
of property in the county. Half of
the owners own more than $1 mill
ion.”
It will take the Oregon Depart
ment of Revenue several months
to consider the appeals. Until
then, the verbal battle will most
likely continue.
Schools report grade disparities
By RICHARD SEVEN
Of the Emerald
An A is an A is an A, right? Not so, according to
the latest Academic Standards Committee (ASC)
report. Large disparities in the awarding of A s and
N s by University schools and departments were re
vealed in the committee’s June report.
Only the College of Business Administration and
the School of Journalism issued top grades to less
than 20 per cent of the students enrolled in those
classes. Most of the other schools awarded A’s to 40
per cent or more of their students. The percentages
were derived from the first term of the 1976-1977
academic year.
The grading disparities are not just between
schools, but within them as well, according to the
ASC report. In Arts and Sciences, the political sci
ence department awarded 40 per cent A’s and 1.6
per cent N’s, while the anthropology department
handed out 23.9 per cent A s with 9 per cent N's.
Dr. Norman Savage, professor of geology and
chairman of ASC, said the disparities penalize those
students enrolled in the harder classes. He listed
some possible reasons for the grading gaps.
"Certain departments, nationwide, tend to be
more generous,” said Savage. "Courses like physi
cal education, ROTC and sociology usually grade
more leniently than the basic sciences.”
Savage also hinted there is a relationship bet
ween easy grading and larger enrollment, which in
turn leads to bigger departmental budgets.
Savage and the ASC see the disparity problem
as part of an overall trend towrard grade inflation
throughout the nation.
“There's been a tendency the last eight to ten
years to meet the requests of the students to be more
permissive,” said Savage. "Professors tend to save
rather than flunk students—to see problems through
their eyes. This, of course, leads to easier grading.”
The report made note of some special factors
that set some schools apart from normal grading
Oregon Daily Emerald
procedures, such as prior selection of students, spe
cial nature of tuition and unusual entusiasm of the
class.
The School of Music, which awards A s to 60 per
percent or more of their students. The percentages
ing to Morrette Rider, music school dean.
"If a music student can’t get an A or B grade he
or she is convinced to drop his or her music major,”
said Rider. "Any comparison between our grading
and other schools is unrealistic because our study is
mostly on a one to one basis.” Also, music classes
aren’t offered to a large number of non-major stu
dents, as is the practice in most other schools.
The ASC report cited the school of Community
Services and Public Affairs (CSPA) for its improve
ment toward a "more meaningful grading system,”
by reducing its number of A's awarded from 59 per
cent in 1976 to 43 per cent in 1977.
According to CSPA dean James Kelly, the trend
toward fewer A s “reflects a conscious effort to be
more discriminatory and selective in awarding excel
lence."
“I made a general statement to my department
become equivalent with other schools in determining
A quality work," said Kelly. “In the past, members of
the CSPA department have been relaxed in reward
ing excellent grasp of the subject."
The ASC, an advising and recommending body,
feels by listing and commenting on departmental
differences they can help even out the grading prac
tices at the University.
Paul Olum, vice-president of academic affairs
and provost, supports the committee’s attempt to
reduce grade disparity, but warns complete standar
dization is impractical.
"We should make the grading more equitable,
but none of us want to make the grades exactly the
same,” said Olum. “We can't expect the grading
between landscape architecture to be the same as
math or any of the quantitative sciences. However,
this report, bringing out grading disparities, along
with the re-introduction of the D grade should make it
possible for grading to be done more finely.”
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