Vol .53 No 9
Eugene, Oregon 97403
Tuesday. July 21,1981
Just one for the road
Transients visit dorm showers
By ANN PORTAL
OdwEiiwrald
Oregon Jam and the Country Fair brought
more than money to the area, according to the
University security office
Security director Oakley Glenn says that tran
sients — concert and fair-goers who came to
Eugene with ' inadequate funds'' for food and
lodging — apparently used University dorms to
freshen up after the hot events
Most of the transients only wanted to use
dorm showers Glenn says, although some were
after free meals The transients, who entered the
dorms by following students, generally left when
asked he says
We can always point out that the Willamette
River is right over there "
Glenn says some transients were reported by
dorm residents, while campus security officers
spotted others Transients are easy to pick out
because they appear lost and don't look like
University students he says
They look like some of the normal students
we had a few years back
Gienn says the opening of the Autzen Stadium
parking lot to campers during Oregon Jam
prevented campers from spreading out around
the countryside However, some fans did sleep
under bushes on campus, he says
Last week, another group of transients ap
peared on campus to purchase tickets for the
Aug 16 Grateful Dead concert, Glenn says
A number of Grateful Dead fans camped all
night outside McArthur Court to ensure them
selves choice tickets, but campus security al
lowed the orderly Deadheads to keep their piece
of the block
Deadheads follow the group from city-to-city,
he said, and it would be difficult to break up a
waiting line for a University-sponsored concert
University Housing Director Dan Williams says
transients are a common problem in the sum
mer Eugene attracts a large number of hitch
hikers, bicyclists and train-hoppers because of
its location, he says
But housing takes special precautions on
concert days. Williams says, including a 24-hour
lockup of dorms
Glenn says there has been no problem this
summer with bike-tourists trying to stay on
campus He says he has reached an under
standing with cyclists in the past, and the word
has spread Although the University is a public
institution, it legally still is private property, he
says
(The University) doesn't belong to the gen
eral public — it's not a playground ”
rzr
Fake’ drugs inundate market, expert warns
By GINGER BARNES
CM th* EmeraM
Drug fraud — the practice of
selling over-the-counter phar
naceuticals in place of narco
tics — remains a growing prob
lem in Eugene, says a University
drug counselor
Jerry Beck of the University's
Drug Information Center says
drug buyers often pay a lot of
money on the street for drug
store or mail-order stimulants,
thinking they are purchasing a
more powerful substance
Pills or capsules that can be
purchased legally for five or 10
cents apiece are being sold on
the street as pharmaceutical
speed or amphetamines for
as much as $2 Beck says
Quantities of "fake cocaine
also are showing up at the
center for analysis, he says
According to Beck, this sub
stance contains a combination
of Ephedrine (a decongestant
stimulant sold over-the
counter) and a local anesthetic
such as Tetracaine or Procaine
The decongestant provides
the speed effect and the an
‘ What’s selling. . .
for $100 to $120 a
gram should be
going for $5 to $10.’
esthetic gives a numbing effect
that doesn't affect the central
nervous system
"What's selling on the street
for $100 to $120 a gram should
be going for $5 to $10 a gram,"
Beck says
Likewise, replicas of the
pharmaceutical Quaalude
Lemon 714s" that are being
sold on the street as “Lennon
714s" contain a combination of
two over-the-counter antihis
tamines that have a sedation as
a side effect
This is similar to what you
get in a sleeping tablet," he
explains
Beck says profit is the only
motive behind the substitutions,
and he says he encourages
people to call the center before
buying a drug they are unsure
about The center provides drug
analysis and identification, in
addition to educational and re
search services
Two other drugs, MDM and its
counterpart MDA (3.4-methyl
enedioxyamphetamine) are ap
pearing more often on the cur
rent drug scene, Beck says
MDM and MDA are derivatives
of safrole, an oil found in sassa
fras and nutmeg
MDA was popular in the
1960's, according to Beck, and
now is making a comeback
MDM, similar to MDA in effects,
was not seen until a few years
ago
‘Both MDM and
MDA are powerful
drugs and deserve a
lot of respect. ’
"Both are powerful drugs and
deserve a lot of respect and
caution," he says
Beck calls the effects of the
drugs "paradoxical While
they are supposed to bring on
feelings of relaxation, both con
tain amphetamine derivatives
that often produce amphe
tamine-like side effects, he says
“The user often reports an
increased feeling of closeness
to others, a strong desire for
communication and a lowering
of defense barriers
“This makes this an attractive
drug — often seen as a prob
lem-solving drug “
The "benefits" of MDA and
MDM always should be weighed
against the costs, Beck advises,
though little research actually
has been done on the drugs'
physical effects
The two drugs appear to be
particularly hard on the liver ar.d
immunology system, he says,
and if the drug user isn’t in good
health, there is a good chance a
cold or flu can follow
Women often experience a
recurrence of genital and urin
ary tract infections with MDA or
MDM use, he adds
Classified staff OKs contract, avoids strike
By ANN PORTAL
OtltolMnH
The University chapter of the Oregon Public
Employees Union overwhelmingly approved its
proposed two-year contract at last week’s election,
according to results released Monday.
The 429 to 76 vote prevented a strike by the
University’s more than 600 classified employees that
automatically would have been called if the contract
had been rejected
The new contract includes a $55 per month raise
retroactive to July 1 and an 11-percent salary increase
over the next 20 months for all OPEU members The
contract also includes free health and dental insur
ance and a “fair share" clause that requires all
classified staff to pay union dues, whether or not they
are union members.
According to final results. 85 percent voted in
favor of the contract at the polls last Monday and
Tuesday, with 80 percent of the University's classified
staff turning out for the vote
Beckie Bragg, president of the University OPEU
chapter, says she is ‘ a little surprised" both by the
high voter turn-out and the number who voted in favor
of the contract
"I think an awful lot of it had to do with the
economy." she says
Many classified employees were not pleased with
the contract, but they also felt that they could not
afford to strike, Bragg says
Around the state, all but two of the 45 OPEU
agencies combined to approve the $84 million con
tract by a three-to-one margin Only the Fair and
Exposition Center — which has 20 employees — and
the Division of State Lands — which has 13 employees
— rejected the contract
Ray Hawk, vice-president for administration and
finance, says he is not surprised that such a large
percentage of University OPEU members voted for the
contract.
Widespread publicity about the state s fiscal
blight and high unemployment in Oregon probably
influenced OPEU members to a large extent, he says.
Even though the salary increases contained in the
contract may not reflect those being odered in some
school districts, the fringe benefit package has been
improved, Hawk says
'It's a relief to know that something is settled,' he
says.