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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 10, 1978)
art-time seaman talks about aliens By JOCK HATFIELD Of the Emerald Each day, millions of people go to work, drive their cars and watch the dock. But there are some who experience less common activities and are thus termed “nuts.” They believe they have viewed or communi cated with extraterrestrial be ings. Viewing a flying saucer can be a traumatic experience, ac cording to David Hibbard, who will speak Thursday at the Eugene Public Library at 7:30 p.m. Those who have viewed UFOs, he says, find it hard to assimilate their experiences into everyday living, and there fore “seem a little different.” Hibbard, a 38-year-old, part time merchant seaman, is a re searcher of the psychology of "non-ordinary” experiences. “The landing of extraterres trial beings on earth could have the same effect on our culture as the landing of the white man had on the culture of the Native American,” he says. "The de struction it brought was as tounding.” Hibbard hopes humanity will become used to the idea of UFOs to prevent nervous breakdowns if they visit. “We should be able to say to the UFOs when they land, It’s nice that you’re here, watch the grass as you land. ” Hibbard, tall with a broom sized beard and large penetrat ing eyes, describes himself as a left-footed merchant sea man. “There was a philosopher who once said, Do what you need to to live, but do it only with your left foot. ” With his right foot, Hib bard conducts his UFO re search, which combines 14 years of interviews and medita tions of the subject of UFO phenomenon. On the basis of his un documented interviews with UFO observers, Hibbard claims that psychic awareness is often increased after a sight ing. UFOs were always de scribed in the same manner, he says: “As ellipsoid lights bouncing their way across the horizon.” After these contacts, accord ing to Hibbard, the viewers gained a new understanding of space-time. “We agreed to meet here at 4,” Hibbard says. “That concept of space-time brought us together. But that is part of a much larger picture — of dimensions in space and time beyond our comprehen sion.” Hibbard has made only one UFO sighting himself. “It was the usual, ellipsoid, glowing about 10 degrees above the horizon,” he says. “It was mov ing extraordinarily fast. In this instance there was no psychic contact.” successfully based on a “con ceptual model’’ that trans cends “biological and social limitations.’’ Many UFO groups, accord ing to Hibbard, have mis takenly centered themselves around a "religious coming” of the UFOs, rather than on self improvement. “A potential re versal on a large scale could be Photo by Gregg Weed David Hibbard But Hibbard considers his personal experience inciden tal. His real interest lies in quasi-scientific investigation into the experiences of others. His interest in the phenome non began with a study of groups that differ from the mainstream, which he calls the "emperors clothes syn drome.” This interest was gradually narrowed down to the “UFO phenomenon.” “Each of us tries to operate in our culture, through day-to day living,” he says. "But there is another dimension to our lives, and this kind of experi ence opens it up.” Hibbard believes once this enlightenment is achieved, human organization may be a belief that non-terrestrial vis itors will save us from our prob lems and biological limitations. It’s up to us to grow.” Hibbard claims most disag reements, including a disbelief in UFOs, results from an unwil lingness to disregard worn out ‘‘belief systems.” He urges the ‘ need to share in terms of similarities to transcend biolog ical boundaries.” Hibbard admits he has had no contact with the considered authorities in the UFO field. “I would make no distinction be tween laymen and profession als in the area,” he says. “Every individual has the power to find out for himself; we don’t need to rely on so called experts.” •t HEART THROBS WILL BE HERE SOONER THAN YOU EXPECT (Tuesday. Feb. H) Student guide to be out soon By KEVIN HACKETT Of the Emerald Student and faculty and staff telephone directories, which failed to make an appearance on cam pus fall term, will soon be distri buted around the University. The directory, also known as the “Pigger’s Guide,” and the fa culty and staff directory, are usu ally distributed on campus during the latter part of November. But a change in the duplication process used to compile the faculty and staff directory has caused the delay in the printing of both publi cations. In previous years, the Univer sity publications department has used a linotype printing process for the directory. This year the University switched to a computer for compiling the faculty and staff listings. An entire new computer prog ram had to be developed. Catherine Lauris, University catalog editor, says her staff was unfamiliar in working with a com puter and the conversion to the new system turned out to be a “pioneering experience." The programs had to be redone sev eral times before a complete and accurate version could be ob tained. "It has been a real learning pro cess,” Lauris says. "I was new at working with a computer staff and they were new at working with me. Although there was a delay in • the distribution of the directories this year, the conversion to the computer process should result in distribution of the guide at eariier dates in subsequent years, ac cording to Muriel Jackson, direc tor of University Relations. She says her office has been investigating methods for speed ing up the publication process so the directories could be made a vailable earlier in the year. She says only about a quarter of the faculty staff listings change each year. The computer process will allow revisions in the program from year to year without having to compile an entire new program. With the linotype process, the entire directory list was reset every year. Jackson is hopeful that in future years, the University will be able to distribute the directory in “late Oc tober or perhaps earlier.” The delay in getting the faculty and staff listings has postponed the publication of the student di rectories. Hal Smith, assistant di rector of the EMU, says the EMU annually distributes 5,000 stu dents directories. Included in the directories are the faculty and staff listings. Smith says Rice Directory Co. of Beaverton has contracted with the EMU to publish the directories for free. Rice is allowed to sell ad vertising space in the guide to cover its expenses. The student listings are com piled at fall term registration. Smith says Rice has had the stu dent listings since early October and has been waiting for the fa culty and staff listings since then. Willard Rice, owner and general manager, says his company re ceived the listings from the Uni versity, adding that the student di rectories should be available in approximately two weeks. 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