Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 7, 1978)
Abducted rock turns itself in to Pres. Boyd The Museum of Natural History’s missing imitation meteor landed on Pres. Wil liam Boyd’s driveway Monday, after a nine-day disappear ance. The meteor was apparently unloaded from a pickup truck. “I heard something around 4 o’clock,” said Boyd, "but I thought it was my neighbor un loading from an elk trip.” The meteor, a model of a meteorite found at Oregon City in 1902, is 8 feet long, 5 feet wide, 3 feet thick and weighs in excess of 300 pounds. On discovering the meteor, Boyd called Campus Security for help. Initially Campus Sec urity misunderstood Boyd and sent out one man to pick up a parking meter. Security eventually straigh tened the mistake out, and two more men and a pickup truck managed to remove the meteor. Boyd said that although he was temporarily delayed for work, the meteor was only a minor distraction. The meteor has been mis sing from the Museum of Natural History since Hal loween. A note delivered to the EMU Grievance Center Friday indicated the meteor theft was part of a plot. The imitation meteor was donated to the University in the early 1900s, and the University has spent much of the time since then trying to figure out what to do with it. It was dis played on the porch of McClure Hall until the building was de molished. The meteor then spent 15 years in hiding, and in 1968 it was remodeled and stuck in front of the Museum of Natural History, where it remained until Halloween. The crime began with an im itation suicide, intended to dis tract security officials. Mean while the meteor was lifted by thieves with an undeclared mo tive. Monday at 7 a.m. the group, which calls itself “Meteorite Cleaning Service,” called the Oregon Daily Emerald offices to say the meteorite “has landed at Pres ident Boyd’s.” Sociology enough to design their own cur riculum, says department member Gordon. The faculty should control staff develop ment, he says, because they have a long term interest in the depart ment, while students only have a transient interest. As for the abolition of the execu tive committee, Gordon says, “It was just another layer of people in the department structure.” Johnson, a University faculty member for 21 years, says he had been a strong supporter of student power in the past and that the de cision to reduce graduate student power was a painful one. Johnson says Administration approval was not needed for his actions. “In fact," Johnson says, “If we had to rely on the administration in these matters, there is a strong likelihood there would be no stu dent representation.” Last spring, Johnson says, Paul Olum, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, vis ited the department, and was shocked that graduate students were allowed active participation in the department. "And he couldn’t believe we would allow undergraduate participation," says Johnson. But not all of the department is happy with the new department head's changes. “Johnson has exacerbated the tension already present in the de partment,” Van Houten says. Tension arose last spnng dur ing a department squabble over hiring, when a liberal faction of the faculty favored hiring Marxists to fill any of three existing vacancies in the department. A conservative faction contended there were al ready enough Marxists in the de partment and opposed the hiring of any additional adherents of that ideology. In department meetings, the six graduate students present com prised a liberal voting bloc that placed the conservatives in the minority. Oregon Daily Emerald, ,, (Continued from Page 1). The conservatives opposed what was meant to be a final com promise resolution passed by the liberals, which called for the hiring of a Marxist and two non-Marxists, all on three-year term renewable contracts. “We had a reputation of being a very liberal department, ” says Joe Canali, graduate forum officer and general-department meeting rep resentative. “But now we’re prob ably the phoniest department on campus. We have input now, but no power.” Joan Acker, associate sociol ogy professor, says she doesn’t think any of the changes have im proved the department. “I’d advise graduate students to get their degress and get out of here,” she says. Photo by Patrick SuMvan “Excuse me, Pres. Boyd, was that a meteor or a parking meter you wanted moved?” 7tta6e tfoctn ooot ouCcCom tqedftmertt! And Mot fa** 30 fo 50% WE HAVE KITS FOR: b Down Parkas Rain Parkas Day packs Duffel bags Mt Parkas Knickers ^ Gaiters the kits made m America bueveruone shirt a Pullover Parka Eugene Votojuum OfetotfifcCiuuC 27th & WILLAMETTE ST. *345-6224 Free front of Store Parking Bring this ad and get 33Vs% OFF LIST PRICE of any new GUITAR in our store when purchased with its case at the regular price. A note from
