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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 1978)
Top priority’ program underway Neuroscience research director selected By MICHAEL BRAND Of the Emerald After more than a year of prep aration, the Interdisciplinary Re search Program in the Neurosci ences, one of University Pres. Wil liam Boyd’s top priorities, is be coming a reality. Michael Meneker, presently teaching at the University of Texas, has been selected as the program's new director, says Russell Fernald, associate pro fessor of biology. “He’s a gifted experimentalist, a committed and innovative teacher, and an extremely per sonable fellow,” Fernald says. Meneker will be at the Univer sity this week to work out details of the position. “It’s really a leap of faith to get a director with a clear perception for the potential development,” Fer nald adds. Fernald, who heads the prog ram director search committee, has been working since the spring of 1977 with other biology, chemistry and psychology faculty members in organizing the prog ram. "It was during this time that we achieved a fundamental philosophical agreement on the goals of the program,” Fernald says. “The philosophy of the neuro sciences program is to integrate and coordinate neuroscience re search and teach across discipli nary lines,” he adds. “It's rare among academic de partments that they open them selves up to interdisciplinary ef forts. We anticipate that by fully utilizing the talents that exist in those three departments, we will produce something of more value to the university community then by simply appointing people in biology,” Fernald says. Fernald cites the University’s nationally acclaimed Molecular Biology Institute, which is also an interdisciplinary effort, as a model of what the neurosciences pro gram may someday become. Besides the overwhelming support of the faculty, Fernald says that University Pres. William Boyd and Provost Paul Olum have been “extremely supportive and encouraging toward the prog ram.” “It’s really an act of courage on the president’s part in his willing ness to support it,” Fernald says. In his University Assembly ad dress earlier this month, Boyd used the neurosciences program as an example of how the Univer sity will push ahead towards excel lence in spite of budget reduc tions. Boyd adds, “There’s a number of our science faculty who are convinced that the area of neuroscience is an area that needs investigation now; the time is right." Boyd says that the University already has faculty doing re search in this area, and the Uni versity plans to build on this strength, moving from “quality to national distinction.” “It (the neurosciences program) is such a top priority that even though we do not have external funding, we will reassign internal resources,” Boyd says. Femald says he understands that the University is not in the fi nancial position to offer the prog ram any substantial funding at this time. “We are counting on doing the whole program on independent and federal grants,” he adds. The neurosciences program, which deals with all aspects of the nervous system, will open next fall to both undergraduate and graduate students. While stu dents will still major in one of the three cooperating departments, they will be encouraged to partici pate in neuroscience classes and research projects. Fernald says that the program hasn’t increased the number of faculty available, so it will train the same number of students, but will do so more effectively and will in volve more undergraduates in the process. The neurosciences program got its start during the spring of 1977 when the biology department’s Future Faculty Ap pointments Committee made a long-range plan for filling upcom ing vacancies. The committee recognized a core group of present faculty who were already interested in neuroscience and contributed one chemistry and three biology positions to enhance the program’s development, Fernald adds. Renters get rebate funds Being a renter has its dis advantages. There always seems to be someone who's playing Aerosmith at volume 10 next door. Doors slam in the wee hours and carpet stains conjure up visions of never seeing a cleaning de posit again. There are also advantages to renting — and one of them is the rental rebate which most renters should be re ceiving in the mail today. The Oregon Department of Revenue issued rebate checks totaling $92,027,760 to Oregonians this year. The average amount received per person was $205. In 1977 the Legislature changed the annual check mailing date to October to provide property tax payers with extra cash before the November tax deadline. The Legislature also increased the maximum refund amount for homeowners to $655 and for renters to $328. Persons qualified to re ceive a rent refund — anyone who rented an apartment, house or room last year — but neglected to file may still apply for a refund. OSL bides time waiting on campus pay decision By JIM ALLEN Of the Emerald The Oregon Student Lobby has taken an active part in the minimum wage battle on the col lege campuses this year, but now it has to wait. The Office of Education in Washington, D.C., is still consider ing a request by the Oregon State System on Higher Education to pay some students less than the minimum wage of $2.65 an hour, but OSL Executive Coordinator Dan Garner expects a decision soon. “They should decide sometime soon, but you never know for sure," says Gamer. “The Office of Education has promised to re evaluate the waiver.” The OSSHE requested the waiver earlier this year in the face of rising costs, due to both inflation and a sharp increase in the federal minimum wage. The minimum wage, which stood at $2.30 less than a year ago, is scheduled to advance to $2.90 on Jan. 1,1979. Garner is upset with the office of education’s handling of the mat ter. “ After the state system’s re quest for a waiver,” says Garner, “the Office of Education simply granted the waiver and then began to look into evaluating the request. They asked Lemman (OSSHE vice chancellor) to pro vide his justification after giving him the waiver. ‘‘If justice were served, the waiver would have been granted only after the reasons for the waiver had been evaluated,” says Garner. ‘‘The Office of Education is put ting the burden of proof on us,” continues Garner. “The burden of proof should be on the OSSHE to Oregon Daily Emerald show why they deserve a waiver. They should be able to demon strate some exceptional circum stances, but there aren't any.” Garner says the state system is questioning the legal authority of the education office to set a minimum wage, but he feels the most important factor here is the “prevailing rate criterion.” The prevailing rate criterion is a non-binding standard, which re quests a university to pay its work-study students a rate com petitive with that paid by compet i ing private businesses. “The Office of Education should revoke their waiver,” says Garner, “but most likely they will be too gutless to buck the state system. Students have never been paid less than the minimum wage be fore, they’ve always been paid at least the minimum.” if the Office of Education sides with the state system, the OSL will adopt a two-pronged attack, work ing both with the state Legislature and the education office. Until then, the wait continues. PERMS $2.50 OFF Perms by Lisa and Jan regularly $30 now $2.50 off with this ad. 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