Lane County censors nude s wimming
ByHEimSWILLIWGER
Howard Leighty dislikes being told to keep his
pants on — particularly by people who use the figure of
speech literally
Leighty, founder of Lane County Free Beaches, an
organization of nude sunbathers, prefers to enjoy the
sun unhindered by clothes But he's having a difficult
time getting residents in the Buford Park area to see
things his way
One of Leighty's favorite sunbathing spots is a
swimming hole surrounded by the 118-acre Buford Park
arboretum
The small body of water is rapidly becoming the
target of controversy among arboretum users, nearby
residents and nude sunbathers who view the swimming
hole as a haven
Recently, the Arboretum Society hired armed
security guards to patrol the area and chase away
sunbathers
Arboretum Pres David Wagner claims nude sun
bathers are driving away users of his arboretum, and
that if nudity doesn 't cease in the area, the arboretum is
in danger of losing a substantial amount of private
contributions
"We've already lost thousands of dollars in con
tributions because of the nudity." he says And con
tributions keep the arboretum open
Wagner says sunbathers largely have cooperated
with demands to keep their clothes on "There's only
one or two people who take it as an infringement of their
rights," he says
But Leighty claims he gathered more than 300
signatures in si* hours at the swimming hole when he
circulated a petition asking county commissioners to
hold a public hearing on the issue
Leighty was one of about 15 concerned citizens
and "free beachers" who met Thursday and decided to
ask the county to designate certain areas as "clothing
optional "
According to a 1976 Lane County law, exposure of
genitals on public (and in some cases private) property
can result in a $1,000 fine, 30 days in jail, or both
But Leighty calls the ordinance vague and too
broad If taken literally, it could actually mean that
showering in a high-school locker room is illegal, he
says
Lane County Sheriff David Burks admits "You
could interpret it that way — but we don’t interpret it that
way."
He also says the part of the ordinance regarding
nudity on private property may be "unconstitutional,"
but it doesn't invalidate the entire ordinance.
However, the sheriff's department doesn't attempt
to enforce the law if it’s applied to private property, he
says
Burks says he’s received some complaints from
residents in the Buford Park area Although about 12
citations for nudity recently have been issued there,
"nude swimming is not a high priority on my list as far as
enforcement goes," he says
Leighty says the law that governs nudity violates
the First Amendment
"People who object to nudity do so primarily
because of their religious training," he says. "By
enforcing their views on the rest of society by using
police power of the state, what they've done is establish
their religion."
Leighty says there’s nothing inherently lewd about
nudity "In fact, it's traditional in America." he says
And another thing that's traditional in America is
freedom."
But Leighty says that his real concern is that county
officials who have the power to designate "clothing
optional" areas have yet to do so
"There needs to be places where people can go to
be free, and there also needs to be places people can
go if they object to nudity "
Until such areas are designated, however, all
Leighty can do is keep his pants on.
Or else
Graphic by Max OeRungs
Non-union staffers protest mandatory dues
By ANN PORTAL
WlnfawM
Is it fair to ask non-union
members to share the cost of a
union they don't belong to?
The Committee to Rescind
Fairshare doesn't think so —
r
ana it tninics a majority of the
University’s classified staff may
agree
The committee, composed of
staff who do not belong to the
Oregon Public Employees
Union, is petitioning the state to
remove the "fair share" provi
Only behind-the-stage
Dead tickets remain
Anyone wishing to see the back of Jerry Garcia's head
should have no problem getting tickets for Sunday's Grateful
Dead concert
However, frontal views are sold out, according to the
athletic department ticket office As of Tuesday afternoon, the
only tickets remaining were balcony seats behind the stage
Tickets cost S7 50 and $8 50, and can be purchased at the
athletic department, Everybody's Records and Meier & Frank
The concert will begin at 7:30 p m Sunday in McArthur
Court
sion from tne OPEU contract
ratified in July
Fair share requires union
dues to be withheld from all
classified employees' pay
checks — whether or not the
employee belongs to OPEU
The dues — $9, $11 or $13,
depending on the employee’s
salary — will be deducted for the
first time from September pay
checks
“A lot of people are really
upset up it," says committee
member Susan Himmel, a clerk
in the physical education dean's
office
Non-union staff never
received an opportunity to vote
on fair share, Himmel says, so
her committee is exercising an
OPEU contract provision that
allows classified staff at each
state agency to call for a vote on
fair share
As it reads now, only clas
sified staff whose religious
beliefs prohibit contributing to
unions can avoid the dues.
Himmel says many non-union
classified employees didn't
know about fair share until they
saw a letter notifying deans and
department heads of the new
deduction.
“That’s basically what’s upset
most of us — that none of us
have known about it," she says.
Contributing to a union they
don't belong to concerns com
mittee members more than the
money being deducted, Himmel
says. Classified staff are told
when they are hired they don’t
have to join the union, she says.
"Most of us feel that the union
is wonderful — for those who
believe in it.
"I feel that I am being forced
to support the union or leave.”
However, Jeff Schrader, bus
iness agent at the Eugene
OPEU office, says that although
classified staff do not have to
join the union, the union legally
must handle all classified staff
grievances — whether or not the
individual belongs to the union.
In addition, non-union
members receive all benefits
negotiated for union members,
he says. Non-union members
may earn their raises, but the
union negotiates them,
Schrader adds.
"They don't pop out of
heaven,” he says.
To institute an election, the
committee must collect peti
tions signed by 30 percent of the
University's 1,200 classified
workers.
The petitions will be available
Aug. 31 through Sept. 4, and
Sept 8 through Sept. 11 at var
ious campus locations, includ
ing outside the EMU and at the
Gerontology Building, 1627
Agate St.
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