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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1978)
Vol. 79, No. 111 Eugene, Oregon 97403 <a L'.: 1 Wednesday, March 1, 1978 3i 3 Waitin ’ for rain Photo by Erich BoekoMde Dormies donned their springtime duds in honor of the rare appearance of Oregon sunshine. Seating sp'ace was scarce Tuesday as worries were canned in hopes of some preseason color; however, patchy clouds and a slight chance of rain are predicted for today. Officials push for housing office audit By MARY BETH ALLEN Of the Emerald If the Amazon Community Tenants (ACT), the Office of Student Advocacy (OSA) and ASUO Pres. Gary Feldman all have their way, the University housing of fice may be in for a major fiscal and perfor mance audit. Proponents of the audit are hoping to get Jim Weaver, fourth district congressman; Gov. Bob Straub; Norma Paulus, secretary of state and County Commissioner Jerry Rust behind their cause. Ron Eachus, a staffer at Weaver's Eugene office, says “We have received a number of letters from people in the Ama zon Housing Project generally asking us to help with the audit.” He points out that it is “basically a state matter, and says plans are Deing made to transmit the matter to the governor’s office “with an indication (from Weaver), that an audit does seem appropriate.” Close to 100 letters that ACT members have mailed to the congressman's office have "called (Weaver’s) attention to the ob viously strong feeling on the part of the Amazon residents that an audit is approp riate,” Eachus says. “There are enough questions surround ing the (Amazon) building reserve fund and the accounting system (that the office uses) for the dormitories, where it would be help ful for ti.c housing office, ACT and the stu dents to have an audit of the housing office operation,” says OSA Director Don Chal mers. Ideally, an audit of the office should come from the University itself, Chalmers feels. “The University would be best served if it went aneaa on its own volition ana accomp lished these two audits quickly,” he says. Chalmers feels a fiscal audit, involving an examination of the office’s books is neces sary, in addition to a performance audit, which would scrutinize the office’s “man agement structure, use of personnel, ad ministrative structure and working relation ships.” A report submitted by the Portland ac counting firm, Haskins and Sells, was commissioned last summer by the Univer sity administration and finance office to re view the married student housing opera tion. It stated there are “significant weak nesses in the married student housing fi nancial and accounting procedures,” ac cording to Chalmers. He says the report speculated the same weaknesses may be evident in the dormi tory system. heidman says, i nere is a real question as to whether the housing office is a good faith operation.” He is hopeful that Weaver will decide to intervene. Feldman would like the housing office books open for “periodical, scheduled re view.” He favors formation of an agency made up of representatives from ACT, the dormitories, the ASUO and the University, which would have jurisdiction over the housing office. Paulus’ office, which handles all state audits, has not yet planned an audit. A rep resentative of her office says, "Nothing has been finalized. Nothing has come through my office as of yet.” The representative says, “A special audit may or may not exist — I kind of doubt it. Of course, the final boss is Norma Paulus.” Registration procedures eased for CEP By RICHARD SEVEN Of the Emerald The University wiii be making registration much easier for Eugene-Springfield resi dents interested in enrolling in the University’s special Community Education Program (CEP) next term. CEP students can be admitted at re duced tuition rates and without participating in formal admission procedures. The program, initiated last term, will allow interested residents to register by mail or in person at Oregon Hall beginning March 13, or at the regular registration session. Assist. Registrar, Chris Munoz, says these “baby steps’’ are part of the University’s attempts to further its reach out into the community. “Higher education’s thinking has changed; you can see it across the nation,” says Munoz. “Universities will have to keep up more and more with mid-life changes. It’s up to the Universities to provide oppor tunities and encourage older people to change their lives in terms of employment, enrichment or whatever.” Through the program, persons of any age or background who are not seeking University degrees can take up to six hours of course work per term at reduced rates. The work can later be applied as transfer credit. Munoz says the 300-500 persons who benefit from the program don’t hurt regular students' chances to get classes. “Because the number of students we’re dealing with is so small, it won’t hurt our regular students,” says Munoz. He also points out that courses offered to CEP stu dents are first approved by the departments and schools and then by Vice-Provost, Robert Albrecht. Area residents participating in the special pre-registration March 13-24, will be as sured of getting their classes, according to Registrar Wanda Johnson. Johnson says mail-in forms for pre registration will be made available in a CEP supplement in the March 13, Eugene Register-Guard and at the registrar s office, Room 220, Oregon Hall. The regular CEP registration session will be held during the University’s regular spring term registration period between 6:30 and 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29 in McArthur Court. About 600 people registered last fall through the program as compared to 589 people this term. CEP students also are eligible to register for any of the University’s morning classes in which they meet prerequisite require ments.
