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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 1978)
Seven days and counting to register to vote By KATHLEEN MONJE Of the Emerald Procrastinating students who want their say on the death pen alty, state money for abortions and Oregon taxes—but haven't registered to vote—still have a chance. A spokesperson at the Lane County Elections Board says late registrants have until 8 p.m. on Nov. 7, the day of the election, to get their names on the voters' list. But since the polls close at 8 p.m. and lines at the Elections Board office are always long, she en courages registering before the last minute. Today is the last day to register a little nearer to home. ASUO Vice President Jeff Warren says his of fice, in Suite 4 downstairs in the EMU, all accept voter’s registra tion forms until 5 p.m. The ASUO provides the forms. Workers for Ballot Measure Number 7, the one prohibiting state funds for abortions, are manning a voter’s registration table in the lobby on the EMU first floor, right behind the Fishbowl. But today is the last day they're allowed to register would-be vot ers, too. Starting Nov. 1, everyone must register at the elections office, at 175 W. 8th Street. Any mail-in re gistration forms must be received by Nov. 1. By Oct. 26, elections officials had tallied 157,248 registered voters in Lane County—more than ever before, says Elections Director Don Penfold. He expects up to 2,000 more eligible voters to register before the general elec tion. Local issues such as the meas ure to recall County Commis sioner Archie Weinstein have made people more eager to vote, Penfold says, and the property tax limitation issue has increased voter interest, too. ‘‘Our voters' registration is ordi narily about a tenth of the state's entire registration,” Penfold says, “but we may have exceeded that percentage." In the break-down by political party affiliation , the Democrats in Lane County have a definite edge by almost two-to-one. The total number of registerd Democrats is 88,857. Republican registered voters numbered 48,380 on Oct 26, re flecting the GOP's lower strength state-wide. Almost '17,000 people in the county registered as non partisans, which means they didn’t want to be affiliated with any political party. Independents, who are members of the minor Socialists, Libertarians, Com munists, Nazis and others — boast a total of 3,034 registered voters. Minority groups object to office relocation By JIM ALLEN Of the Emerald The EMU Board’s decision to relocate four student offices within the building has left r Arabs, Iranians say EMU Board ‘singled’ them out two minority groups less than joy ous. Members of both the Iranian Student Association and the Arab EARLY BIRD SAVINGS *rOFF PHOTO GREETINGS COUPON GOOD FOR $1.00 OFF ANY ORDER OF 25 &rore PHOTO GREETING CARDS COUPON REDEEMABLE WHEN ORDER IS (PICKED UP LIMIT ONE COUPON PER ORDER I ^ VALID ENTIRE MONTH OF OCTOBER. 1978 j Oregon Photolab 1231 Alder 2538 Willamette 485-0661 485-6897 Student Union have voiced strong disapproval of the Oct 10 choice, which moved the Office of Student Advocacy from its location in the EMU basement to more spacious third floor rooms. Iranian and Arab student un ions, as well as MECHA, the Chicano student union, now oc cupy those offices. The move was initiated months ago, when OSA Director Don Chalmers asked for more suitable facilities for his attorney-client conversations, saying the OSA's current offices made keeping a confidential relationship difficult. After studying several propos als, the EMU Board voted 5-1 to move the OSA into Rooms 333 and 334, and to place the other programs in either the rear half and reception room of the OSA offices, the front half of that same office, or the Piano Practice Room located near the International Student Lounge. The EMU Board has allocated almost $5,000 for minor altera tions to the rooms involved, and plans to make the move during Christmas vacation. During the waiting process, the Arabs and Iranians can only sit and stew “We think we've been singled out,” says Baker Hasan, director of the Arab Student Union. "The OSA did have a legitimate calling, but at certain points Dusty Rhodes (EMU Board chairer) was not very cooperative. We said we would cooperate with the board, but the new rooms are not really ade quate.” Rhodes disagrees, saying he and other board members tried to make a fair decision. “We explored every single al ternative,” says Rhodes. “The rooms the Arabs, Iranians and MECHA now occupy are the onty big space available. In fact, the rooms they are being moved into have more square footage per room. There is no way to meet everyone's needs.” Ahmad Mebarez, member of the Iranian Student Association, also had some strong feelings about the situation. “I didn't know Dusty before the meetings, but my feelings were t DUFFY’S ANNUAL $ HALLOWEEN m PARTY P Featuring- Ron Lloyd T\ \\i Pumpkin carving contest 7 Prizes for best costumes /§ - • y- , ■ »-* /i -•. - * \ Tuesday Oct 31st, 9:00 PM ‘ that he acted in a biased manner,” says Mobarez. “If they're going to move us, at feast give us space comparable to the work we do. We understand OSA's position, but the EMU Board should have done more research.” Rhodes says the decision was one of priorities and that the "OSA has greater potential.” "Their (the Arabs and Iranians) actions merit some space but have a low priority," he says. "Their political actions could go on without any space at all.” "MEChA (the other minority program involved in tfre shuffle) has a higher priority for office space.” Rhodes continues. "They have outreach and do more for the University." Mobarez cites his group's politi cal activities as one of the reasons for the relocation. “I think the board's decision had something to do with the fact that we are one of the most politically active groups on campus," says Mobarez,’ “but I don't want to make any direct allegations." The Arab Student Union will have occupied three different places during the last two years, and Hasan objects to the move partly because "the board didn't even consult us on the situation." “It was forced upon us," says Hasan. "Dusty brang the issue back to life at each meeting. The Iranians had a legitimate proposal for the relocation, but it was just brushed off." Rhodes is just as bitter about the opposition his plan has faced during the last month. "We have bent over backwards in order to please as many people as possible," says Rhodes.
