Emerald
Vol. 83, No 21
Eugene, Oregon 97403
Friday, October 2, 1981
Sunset on
summer
Photo by Bob Baker
For one shining moment, there was summer
The kind of weather that produced this beautiful
sunset Thursday will soon be just a memory. The
National Weather Service is claiming that clouds
will cover us today, bringing with them a chance
of rain today and Saturday. At the same time,
however, the temperature once again may
reach into the high seventies.
Club offers curious
a slice of academia
By LORELEI CALLAHAN
Of ttw Emaratd
Finding the right speaker tor
the right speech isn't easy.
Just ask Don Woodcock, a
graduate teaching fellow who
works in the Speaker s Club
Bureau, part of the University’s
community services office
“One woman called up from
the Mothers of World War II Ve
terans, and another was a lady
who wanted someone to
demonstrate to her group how
to make yarn flowers,” Wood
cock says
“Obviously, we could not fill
their requests ”
The bureau performs a “clea
ringhouse function," providing
community groups with instant
experts who speak on a variety
of subjects Volcanoes were a
particularly hot topic last year
The bureau also serves as a
referral service to other com
munity groups, he says
"If we can't meet the request,
we will try to refer a person to
the appropriate organization or
even give a suggestion for
another topic that we can
meet," Woodcock says.
Although most groups want
speeches on specific topic
areas, some just want to hear
about the University
Curt Simic, vice president for
public services, speaks to many
community groups about the
University's budget, a topic that
became popular during last
year’s legislative session.
“There is a lot of genuine in
terest and curiosity about the
University, and unfortunately
the media only is able to give
fragmented reports,” Simic
says
"It has been a great oppor
tunity to get out and talk about
specifics.”
Speeches by faculty members
help to flesh out the educational
skeleton the public sees, Simic
says
Local, statewide and regional
groups all contact the University
requesting professors to speak
to their groups
Contacting individual profes
sors could be difficult for groups
unfamiliar with the University's
faculty, so the bureau serves as
the go-between, Woodcock
says
All professors speak under
the auspices of the University,
he says
Professors are not paid to
speak to groups, but do it as a
public relations opportunity for
their individual departments
and also for the University as a
whole. Woodcock says
"It is rare to have a speaker’s
fee When a professor consents
to speak, it shows that the insti
tution is responsive to the com
munity at large.
"The only cost that should
incur to the group is the price of
the speaker’s lunch,” Wood
cock says.
The bureau requires follow
up procedures to be taken after
each speech. The speaker as
well as the community group is
asked to fill out a response form,
which helps in further
placements, he says.
Postal Service decision costs University
By RON HUNT
Ot*M EmaraM
The U. S Postal Service isn't helping to
stamp out inflation — it's adding a $50,000
headache to the University
University budget manager Ralph Sun
derland estimates that the Postal Service's deci
sion Wednesday to raise the cost of a first class
stamp from 18 to 20 cents will run the University
an extra $50,000 or so over the next year.
"Everything you buy will go up You just take
up your belt another notch." Sunderland says
In about a week, his office will know better
how to deal with the cost increase
The increase, decided by a unanimous vote
of the Postal Service board of governors, is the
first time the Postal Service has raised the rate
without approval from the Postal Rate Commis
sion — established in 1971 as a separate entity
The increase will take effect Nov 1
But neither snow nor sleet nor gloom of night
can keep the University from loathing the in
crease
"It's difficult for us to absorb any more costs
Personally, here are more charges when I can't
see service improving." says Bill McLaughlin,
business affairs director "We've absorbed terrific
increases (from the Postal Service) every time we
turn around "
Eugene Postmaster Al Bradford says the
20-cent rate will remain stable for almost three
years because of a labor contract signed on July 1
that expires in three years
"We serve the public better by stabilizing the
rates over the next two years or so" rather than
waiting for about 10 months and issuing a 22- or
23-cent stamp, Bradford says
But an aide for Congressman Jim Weaver
says the Postal Service should “simply tighten
their belt" rather than postal patrons’.
The Postal Rate Commission evidently felt
the same, rejecting three formal requests this year
for an increase to 20 cents
Two minutes after the increase was filed
Wednesday, a legal challenge was filed in the U S.
Court of Appeals by the National Association of
Greeting Card Publishers Other groups are also
expected to challenge the new rate
The increase is discriminatory because it
applies to some types of mail while other rates are
lowered or left untouched, says NAGCP head
Norman Halladay
But Bradford says any challenge probably
won't get far because the 1971 Reorganization
Act provides for a Postal Service veto
Financially, the Postal Service is on shaky
ground The Postal Service reports it has lost
almost $126 million in five months since the rate
was upped to 18 cents
Without the price hike, "the Postal Service
would have incurred continuing and dangerously
high operating losses for at least another year,”
says Postal Service board chairer Robert
Hardesty
A two-cent increase means about $1 billion
more per year for the Postal Service, according to
Bradford
THE LAND OF THE FREE
Graphic by Max DeRungs