Local agencies disappointed
Reactions strong against UYA cut
Reactions are strong to the
University’s recent decision not to
supply matching funds for the
University Year for ACTION
(UYA) student volunteer program.
‘‘I feel that it’s criminal that
they’re not going to refund the
program,” says Bill Uhlhorn, direc
tor of Eugene Emergency Hous
ing, Inc., a non-profit organization
which funs the Family Shelter
House and the Pearl Street tem
porary housing facilities, which
are currently served by four UYA
volunteers.
“Concerned faculty, sfudenfs
and community members axe
being urged to write or call Uriivere
sity Pres. William Boyd in support,
of continued funding for the UYA
program,” adds Maureen Sfevin,
CSPA senior and UYA yolurtteer
spokesperson.
UYA students are'placed m
community agencies for 12
months of learning/work experi
ence to develop new programs or
expand existing services at vari
ous agencies for low-income per
sons. Volunteers work 32 hours a
week, attend weekly seminars
and special workshops with UYA
instructors, and earn 48 to 60
hours of credit for the year.
Volunteers receive a living al
lowance of $215 a month, medical
insurance, a federal civil service
credit of one year and a “chance
to take... knowledge out of the
classroom and put it to use in the
community.”
Some of the agencies served by
UYA volunteers include Lane
County Juvenile Corrections,
Kaufman Senior Center, the 4J
school district, area community
schools, the Eugene, Springfield
and Cottage Grove Employment
Divisions, and the University Child
Care and Development Center, to
name just a few.
The Family Shelter House
served families in need of
emergency housing for up to two
weeks, rape and abuse victims,
women who are mentally and
emotionally disturbed and
seniors, according to Uhlhorn.
The UYA students provide sup
port and counseling for women in
crisis situations, and have been
working to develop a rape crisis
network with Womenspace.
Uhlhorn feels that the UYA
program is a "healthy mix” of
theory and practice and has “a
tremendous staff in terms of trying
to find that balance" between the
two.
A year’s commitment is a “con
siderable investment” of time for
the average 20 year old, says Uh
Ihom, “when you consider the al
ternatives. Most students are
much more carefree,” he adds.
The UYA staff provides inten
sive seminars, readings and con
sultations to help students see
problems and integrate them into
their studies, says Uhlhorn, who
got his masters in CSPA six years
ago and spent four years as a
group-home parent with his wife
before his two years as director of
Emergency Housing. Uhlhorn
worked with three UYA volunteers
last year and has four this year,
with two serving the Family Shel
ter House and two at the Pearl
Street apartments, helping men
tally and emotionally disturbed
people learn social survival skills.
The UYA students are respon
sible for the day-to-day operation
of the facilities, help with shop
ping, cooking, social and recrea
tional activities, and are expected
to act as any paid staff member,
says Uhlhorn. This provides a bet
ter program for the clients and for
the community in general.
Agencies benefit from the UYA
program by saving the cost of hir
ing specialists. Uhlhorn says
operating expenses for the two
housing facilities are $60,000 a
year, requiring a minimum of 10
people. It would cost his agency
$26,000 to replace four UYA stu
dents.
"It’s cheap labor,” says Uh
Ihom. “We pay $70 a month per
student to the University which
then pays $215 a month to the
student.” This works out to about
$1.68 an hour for UYA students
compared to $4.23 an hour for a
non-UYA social worker.
If UYA students are not availa
ble next year, Uhlhorn says they
would definitely have to close one
of their facilities and cut back on
the services in the other.
But Uhlhorn says the money is
secondary to the learning experi
ence UYA provides for the stu
dents, a sentiment shared by UYA
volunteers working in areas rang
ing from Headstart to the Lane
County Employment and Training
(CETA) Division.
Marcine Anderson, compliance
officer for affirmative action griev
ances against CETA, says that
since June a UYA student has
worked with her on Equal Educa
tional Opportunity training ses
sions, has helped her develop a
computerized system for gather
ing affirmative action data on
CETA participants, and “generally
does what she doesn’t have time
to do.”
Anderson is “really pleased”
with the UYA program because
she gets a “staff person who does
quality, professional work for a
committed amount of time." An
derson, who graduated in CSPA,
says that in relation to her own
experience with field placements,
“You can’t get that kind of know
ledge out of books.”
According to Anita Runyan, di
rector of the UYA program, the
University came up with the extra
money needed to continue UYA
after letters of concern from vari
ous agencies and students were
sent to the administration after the
community learned about last
year’s discontinuance decision.
The UYA advisory committee
hopes that a similar situation will
occur this year, says Runyan, but
(Continued on Page 9)
services gear down with summer courses
By TODD ADAMS
Of the Emerald
Though summer session ends
this week, not all campus life wtH
expire between now and the start
of fall session classes the first
week of October.
Most summer courses end Fri
day with the conclusion of the
fi
eight-week session, but 11-week
classes last until September 1.
Oregon Hall will retain its regu
lar office hours, from 9 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. Monday through Friday all
summer.
The Erb Memorial Union will
remain closed on weekends, but
building hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4
p.m. weekdays have been set
through September 10.
The EMU will further curtail its
hours September 11-17. The
cafeteria, other food services and
the Recreation Center will be
open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oregon Wil
derness Supplies will be open 10
a.m. to 4 p.m.
Regular building hours will re
sume September 18.
The University Bookstore, al
though not open on Saturdays
until the second or third week of
September, will remain open
weekdays from 8:15 a.m. to 5:30
p.m.
The University library will re
main open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. week
days and Saturdays through Au
gust 26 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Football season ticket sales are
reported to be ahead of last
summer's pace at the athletic tic
ket office located at McArthur
Court. Regular office hours of 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. will be in effect.
The student health center will
also remain open through the
11-week course session ending
September 1.
Tl
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uo
BOOKSTORE
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