Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (July 14, 1981)
Friends of the library's fountains, shown here in a 1938 photo, are trying to restore the fountains that were shut down in 1942 when their brass and copper was needed for the war effort. Fountains’ friends revive old basins For most people, the discolored copper plates and the cracked concrete pools in front of the University library have become part of the scenery — just a piece of the landscape as they rush off to class The old basins hold more than old rainwater and moss, however They are the remains of a group of three fountains that in years past sent streams of water into reflecting pools in front of the main library Little is known about the fountains They originally were installed in 1937, when the front area of the library was used for dances, with the band set up on the top of the stairs By 1942, however, times had changed America had entered World War II, and metal of all types was badly needed for military use The fountains' brass and copper were sacrificed to the war effort and the fountains flowed no more But now, thanks to the efforts of friends of the fountains, water again may flow in front of the library The University’s Classified Management Advisory Council has recommended that money from the Employees Benefit Fund be used to renovate the fountains The Employees Benefit Fund is made up in part by profits obtained from vending machines in administration offices on campus Money from the fund is used for various projects to benefit students and employees The fountain renovation is one such project However, Muriel Jackson, assistant to Vice-President for Administration and Finance Ray Hawk, says that the fountain renovation is still in the planning stage "We need to see how effective the renovation of the Class of 1913 fountain is before the University moves forward on the rest of the fountains," Jackson says Workers from the physical plant currently are working on the Class of 1913 fountain, located between Fenton and Deady Halls, in order to make its reflecting pool hold water Although no final cost for the project is available, Jackson estimates that $1,700 to $2,100 may be used in restoring the library fountains Classified staff may strike By ANN PORTAL Of Vm Emerald “Must we strike?” In May, 600 University clas sified workers wore buttons asking that question Today, the Oregon Public Employees Union continues its contract vote that will give University administrators an answer The stakes are high in the two-day election that began Monday and concludes today. If the proposed two-year contract is rejected by a majority of the 1,200 University OPEU members, they will go on strike before the end of the summer Results of the election will be released July 20 "A vote to reject is considered a vote to strike,” said Beckie Bragg, president of the Univer sity OPEU chapter and a member of the collective bar gaining team Bragg said the contract may be approved — by a "very nar row margin” — but the classified staff is geared up for a strike "There are some people that are real angry about the lack of settlement,” she said The strike would be the first among the University’s clas sified staff, which began collec tive bargaining in 1973 However, the Central Nego tiating Committee has recom mended that union members ratify the contract that includes a $55 per month raise retroac tive to July 1 and an 11 -percent salary increase over the next 20 months for all OPEU members. Workers in skilled trades would receive an additional 4-percent salary increase in July 1982. "I don't think this is a fantastic salary package, but I don’t think we’re going to get more,” Bragg told a meeting of the classified staff Thursday. "We feel that we squeezed every last drop out that we could.” The state originally offered OPEU members a total of $64 million for salaries and benefits Six months of "real tense” negotiations at the “central” bargaining table — which covers wages and benefits — and the "coalition” bargaining table — which covers higher education working conditions — increased the amount to the current level of $84 million, Bragg said The state also agreed — after receiving the results of a fact finders report — to pay the full cost of health and dental insur ance The University's union mem bership has risen from 32 to 60 percent of the classified staff in the last five months, Bragg said In addition to "Must we strike?” button day, the union rallied at the capitol in April, picketed at the University in May and marched at the capitol again in June. Bragg said participation has reached a level never seen before at the University, which is another reason members are frustrated by what they see as a poor result of their activities. The new contract includes a "fair share” provision that would require all classified staff to pay union dues, whether or not they are union members This clause was included because non-union members come under the same contract as union members, and are receiving the benefits of the un ion's negotiations, Bragg said Although there are nearly 17,000 OPEU employees in the state, each agency holds its own contract vote. So if Univer sity members vote to strike, they could be walking the picket line alone, Bragg said Even if 50 percent of the agencies vote to walk — and Bragg estimated that’s about how many might — that wouldn’t be enough to have a successful strike, she said. Yet Bragg told union members to vote their con science, as long as they know the consequences. “I was one of the people who felt there was a pot of gold out there. I don't feel that way anymore," she said. Enerqv class sparks interest When it comes to teaching about energy, a lot of elemen tary and junior high school in structors find themselves in the dark However, a University workshop in energy education for middle school teachers may have shed some light on the subject The three-week workshop, which ended Friday and was funded by the Department of Energy, was designed to help Pacific Northwest teachers in crease the energy awareness of their students University physicist David So koloff co-directed the work shop, which covered the laws of thermodynamics, energy con version and efficiency, and the basics of solar energy “Most citizens — teachers in cluded — are under-educated on the topic of energy," So koloff says BUY 1 GET 2 FREE (of equal value) on shirts, skirts, blouses and pants. Lazars Bazar 104 IV. Broadway 687-0139, 687 9766 dlOflfcfRIKD <TRUC<K5TOP /H I .11M. 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