Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 5, 1981)
Historic status draws neighbors9 concern By CHARLENE BELL Of The Emerald A proposed historic landmark district in the South University Neighborhood may cause problems, say some South University Neighborhood As sociation members. Neighbors are concerned that a historic designation would in clude strict guidelines on the maintenance of existing struc tures in the area — as well as the construction of new buildings — to maintain the neighborhood’s historic quality. SUNA members submitted a petition to the Eugene Historic Review Board last October that called for the granting of histor ic status to the landmark dis trict. The petition, signed by 70 percent of the area's property owners, proposed that the area along University and Potter Streets between 8th and 23rd avenues be granted historic status to prevent further con version of property to high-den sity student and multi-family housing. The neighbors claimed the nostalgic charm of the area warranted status as a historic landmark. The guidelines would regulate decisions such as ex terior finishes, house color, height, design and landscaping. The degree of restriction would vary according to whether the building is con sidered historically significant, compatible, or incompatible with the area, as determined by the review board, according to city staff member Judith Rees. A historic preservation specialist for Eugene, Rees has worked closely with SUNA members on the project since October. The guidelines were not es tablished until after the original supporters had signed the peti tion. Now some supporters fear the regulations would be too restrictive. As a result, a group of re sidents circulated a second pe tition opposing the proposed status. The group is headed by attorney Akin Blitz, an area re sident. The petition was presented to the review board and has since been the subject of much atten tion — not all of it good, ac cording to some residents. “The dissenting groups didn't base their protests on a lot of accurate research,’’ says re sident Dan Childress. Childress, an architect, was a member of the original commit tee that drafted the proposed design regulations. He says he forsees no problems with the guidelines that some residents are protesting. The protest grew out of disa greement escalated by “more vocal residents, ’’ Childress says. “People don’t seem to be concerned about preserving the neighborhood anymore, or else they are worried about too much government invol vement.” I ne original proponent don’t want to force the proposal down everyone’s throats. We’re at the point now where we just want to remain friends.” To complicate matters even more, the city staff says some of the signers of the opposing pe tition felt coerced to sign. A neighborhood poll will be taken to determine each property owners’ position on the proposed designation, Rees says. “The regulations for the University area are less restric tive than those of the East Skin ner Butte area,” she says. The East Skinner Butte area currently is the only Eugene neighborhood with historic sta tus. “The city staff felt all along that a consensus had been reached with the residents. However, the board will act ac cording to the neighborhood consensus reached after the poll,” Rees says. The review board then will The quickest way to get emergency money. An emergency stop for repairs can wipe out even the best-heeled traveler. Luckily, all you need is the price of a phone call to get you the money before your car gets off the lift. Here’s what to do when you need money in a hurry. 1b Call home. Report the situation, and tell the folks they can get emergency cash to you fast by phone. 2 a Ask them to call Western Union’s toll-free number, 800-325-6000 (in Missouri, 800-342-6700). anytime, day or night. They charge the money and the service fee to their MasterCard* or VISAt card. A Western Union Charge Card Money Order, up to $1,000, will be flashed to the Western Union office or agent nearest your emergency. 3 b Pick up your money—usually within two hours—at the local Western Union office or agent. There are 8,500 nationally, except in Alaska. Conveniently, about 900 locations are open 24 hours. It’s that easy. Be sure to remind your parents about our toll-free number. It’s all they need to call Western Union to the rescue. •The MasterCard name is owned by Interbank Card Association. ♦The VISA name is owned by VISA International. Western Union Charge Card Money order. I I lU'W U I Ml IMiMW V • » —' *• ■ — city council, which has the power to designate historic sta tus, she says. A meeting will be held on May 20 at Edison School for SUNA residents to discuss the results of the poll and to ask questions. Committee can waive rules for graduation When graduation nears, students sometimes find they haven’t meet all the requir ements. But that doesn’t neces sarily mean another term of school. The Academic Requirements Committee meets each term to determine exceptions to the University’s graduation criteria. The committee, which con sists of eight faculty members and three students, devotes 90 percent of its time to reviewing student petitions for exception to graduation rules, sayschairer Lewis Ward, a mathematics professor. When students realize their transcripts may be deficient, they should confer intially with their counselors and the student administrative services at Oregon Hall, Ward advises. "Many problems can be han dled administratively, but un ique situations often end up in front of the Academic Requir ements Committee,” he says. The written student petitions are considered in executive session — the student never ap pears in person, Ward explains. For that reason, student peti tions must be well documented, with comments from instructors and counselors when appro priate. Academic advisors can help students prepare tneir pe titions. "The committee is hard nosed as a rule,” Ward says. “We are very skeptical of the rationale behind a petition, but we try to understand all the factors involved and reach a fair decision.” The committee frequently decides on elaborate petitions concerning lower-division and upper-division course requir ements or the comparability of a course at one university to a similar course in the University curriculum. In other cases, the request is as simple as asking permission to drop a course after the term deadline. "We want to be sensitive when a hardship really exists,” Ward says of the committee’s approach. Ward says the committee’s load grows as the school year progresses, becoming par ticularly heavy late in spring term. Students should keep track of their academic pro gress and have a degree analy sis done occasionally to help pinpoint potential problem areas, he says. Resumes Make a great impression with resumes copied or printed on your choice of paper at Eugene Print We otter quick, convenient service — or a self-service copier — with finished copies that will help you put your best foot forward! XDk. EUGENE PRINT Two locations: 2387 West 11th, 686 9799 20 East 13th, 484 2601
