emerald
Vol 83, No. 68
Eugene, Oregon 97403
Thursday, December 10, 1981
State board meets on campus today
Tuition increases and pro
gram cuts are just two of the
items that come before the State
Board of Higher Education at
meetings today and Friday in
the EMU Dad's Room
The board also will consider
staff recommendations on a
4-percent budget cut requested
in September by Chancellor Roy
Lieuallen and will decide on
what's to be included in the
20-percent cut requested by
Gov Vic Atiyeh
One item in that cut is a pos
sible $20 tuition surcharge, to
begin winter term Also, an ad
ditional $10 to $25 surcharge
may be attached to tuition at
selected institutions and
professional schools, including
the University
Bob Watrus, executive direc
tor of the Oregon Student Lobby
said Wednesday the board may
discuss yet another proposal to
tack on a second tuition sur
charge of $50 per term begin
ning Winter 1982
Higher education officials
were discussing such a propo
sal yesterday in Saiem, he said
ASUO Pres Rich Wilkins was
furious over the proposal
"When will it all end?" he said
"Things are coming down
real fast," said Watrus, who en
couraged students to attend the
meetings and protest the in
creases
Today's meeting begins at 9
a m Limited time for student
testimony will be available
around 1 to 1:30 p m
Graphic by Max DeRungs
Students pay $1,200
in parking fines daily
By VANESSA KOKESH
Of tfw Emerald
No one likes getting parking tickets, yet
about 300 are issued on campus each day,
according to Richard Tanner, associate director
of public safety Some students have racked up
more than $200 in fines already this term, he
says
"The reason we have parking meters is to
provide a turnover of parking and to give
everyone a fair chance," Tanner says "We try to
regulate parking in a fair and firm manner."
The price of a campus meter violation has
risen 200 percent during the past four years, and
it now is cheaper to get a parking ticket in
downtown Eugene than on a University street
Since the parking program is self-support
ing and receives no money from the University,
fines have increased to compensate for the
rising costs of street and meter maintenance
and security officers' salaries, Tanner says
However, this is not the main reason for the
price hike, according to Bill McLaughlin,
University business manager and parking com
mittee member
"We don't want to collect a lot of money off
fines We just want people to pay attention to the
parking situation and try to get the fines to mean
something," he says
Making parking fines hurt the wallet a little
more is a way to discourage people from using
parking meters as permit parking places, he
says So far wallets are hurting to the tune of at
least $1,200 a day
Four campus security officers check park
ing daily at 10 am, 12 pm and 2 pm The
officers patrol different sections of campus each
week on three rounds of an hour and half each
Evening and night security officers survey the
University for illegal parking, but not metered
parking
The parking committee and campus plan
ning try to discourage automobile traffic and
encourage walking to campus, McLaughlin
says
The parking budget consists mainly of
parking permits ($18 per year) and fines that
subsidize parking as well as other programs
Parking revenues totaled more than
$300,000 last year Parking permits paid about
$100,000 and fines contributed $125,000 — the
largest chunk of the budget
McLaughlin says he would like more money
to come from permits than fines
Money in excess of the parking budget is
being put on reserve to construct a new parking
garage The most probable site for additional
parking would be at the site of the Alder Street
tennis courts, McLaughlin says
New courts would be built on top of the
garage The parking structure is not likely to
appear in the near future however, he admits
Campus security receives numerous com
plaints about parking tickets weekly, Tanner
says If students feel they have been unfairly
fined, they can take the matter to the campus
security appeal s officer
Commune’s leader
found guilty after
pleading no contest
EUGENE (AP) - The leader of
a religious commune was found
guilty on Wednesday of sodomy
and rape charges involving the
14-year-old daughter of another
commune member
Lane County Circuit Judge
Edwin Allen found Thomas
Brown guilty of the charges
after a non-jury trial. Brown ini
tially failed to contest the
charges stemming from the
Sept 15 incident
"I’m not going to contest
them," said Brown, who chose
to act as his own legal counsel.
"The discipline I live under does
not allow me to respond to the
specific charges."
But following a court recess,
Brown said he believed the state
would be able to prove its case
beyond a reasonable doubt. Al
len said the court had no alter
native but to find him guilty
The judge delayed sentenc
ing pending completion of a
pre-sentence background
report Brown faces a maximum
penalty of 10 years in prison and
a $5,000 fine
Allen also ordered Brown,
who had been free on bail, to be
taken to the Lane County Jail
and held without bail until his
sentencing date Brown object
ed, saying he could be counted
on to appear in court.
"There isn't the slightest
doubt that I'm making no at
tempt to defend myself or to flee
or to make myself unavailable,"
Brown said
Photo by Bob Baker
Thomas Brown
The former philosophy
professor organized the Christ
Brotherhood commune in
Eugene in the late 1960s and
then led its members to New
Mexico, Colorado and Montana
before returning to Eugene last
spring
The rape and sodomy
charges were filed against
Brown on Oct 19 after an in
vestigation by the state Chil
dren’s Services Division and
Eugene police that was prompt
ed by complaints from former
members
Fourteen children were taken
from the group's two communal
homes in October and were
placed into protective custody.
At least two since have been
returned to their mothers
Dorm thefts haunt
security, students
By ANN PORTAL
Of the Emerald
“Stepping out tonight? So is
your stereo," says one of sever
al warning posters issued by the
University’s Housing Depart
ment
Dorm thefts continue to be a
big problem this fall — big
enough to alarm students,
housing officials and campus
security officers
' Several'’ more meetings
between burglars and students
have taken place in dorm rooms
during the past two weeks, and
a housekeeper recently fright
ened off a man trying dorm
room doors in the early morning
hours, says Sgt Rick Allison of
the Eugene Police Department
The latest robberies occurred
in Carson, Earl and Walton dor
mitories, he says
Yet Marge Ramey, assistant
housing director, says “this
happens every year," and dorm
thefts probably aren’t any worse
this year
Students drop their guards,
forget to lock their doors, and
don't challenge strangers, she
says The housing department
will soon issue a brochure with
tips on securing rooms for the
holiday break, Ramey says
Some stolen items have been
found, Allison says, including
wallets, bikes and a $3,000 oboe
someone tried to sell at the "Buy
& Sell Center” located down
town Employees at the store
notified police that they had the
oboe, he says.
However, a larger number of
items are not being recovered
because they have not been
engraved, Allison says
To slow down thefts, the Res
idence Hall Governance Com
mittee — a student group — is
working with campus security
on a ‘‘mini neighborhood
watch” plan.
Continued on Page 3