20% cut threatens local economy
Area could lose $18 million in campus revenue
By DONALD COULTER
Of Vw Emaorid
If the State System of Higher Educa
tion is forced to cut its budget by 20
percent next year, 800 professors and
170-180 classified employees across the
state will be out of work, while remaining
system employees will have to forgo
scheduled pay increases
In addition, 10,000 students will be
denied enrollment, and several profes
sional schools and one or more of the
state's eight institutions will have to
close
In other words, a 20-percent cut would
have an almost unimaginable effect on
higher education in Oregon
“Moving to this lower level of service in
a single year virtually would destroy the
system." Chancellor Roy Lieualien said
last week of the 20-percent cut
Not to mention the far-reaching effects
such a cut would have on the local
economy
“It would gut the University — to have
to close professional schools, depart
ments, access to thousands of students,
and the layoff of tenured faculty," says
Stoddard Malarkey, a University English
professor
"And if you had to lay off classified
staff, it would surely compound prob
lems in the local economy It's a gloomy
picture "
At present, no one can say exactly how
many will be affected at this university by
Gov Vic Atiyeh's proposed across-the
board cuts But several local analysts are
predicting that the consequences of a
major cut will be grim for Eugene s
economy
One of those attempting to translate
that impact into dollars and cents is Curt
Simic, University vice president for pub
lie services Although he emphasizes
that none of his estimates are concrete at
this point, Simic is using a figure of $6
million to reflect the University cut
Estimating that money spent by the
University community "turns over" at
least three times, Simic says the loss in
revenue for Eugene would be $18 mil
lion The effect would be similar to the
layoff of 900 loggers earning $20,000 a
year, he says
Don Mason of the Eugene Chamber of
Commmerce says the impact of a
20-percent cut would be far-reaching
because the University community uses
many goods and services in Eugene
He says a similar cut by another major
employer in the area — for example, if
Weyerhaeuser were to lay off thousands
of employees in one chunk — would not
have the dramatic effect that the
proposed University cut would
This is because University students
and employees are well-spread through
out the area, Mason says Therefore the
goods and services they consume touch
all aspects of the community
Margaret Hallock of the State Em
ployment Division says a 20-percent cut
would be a "painful, irreversible mis
take " She says the short-term effects of
increased unemployment and a loss of
revenue in the area would be "nothing in
comparison to the long-range effects" of
losing skilled workers, researchers and
educated members of the community
Neighborhood plan
gets mixed reviews
By RICHARD BURR
Of (iM Imaratd
The Eugene Planning Commission’s
version of the West University Refine
ment Plan satisfied University interest
but stirred up disagreement within
other sectors of the community
The plan, which received commis
sion approval Nov 30. is designed "to
improve the area physically for people
to live work, and conduct business in,”
says Jody Miller, a professional planner
who worked on the plan
The West University area covers
about 200 acres, cordoned off by
Franklin Boulevard and Broadway
Street to the north, the University to the
east, 18th Avenue to Patterson Street
and 19th Avenue to Willamette Street to
the south, and an uneven boundary
along Willamette. Pearl Street and 11th
Avenue to the west
The West University Neighborhood
Center withdrew its support of the plan,
calling the changes unacceptable, says
WUNC member Harold Lannom, who
helped draft the original plan
"Quite a few changes’ altered the
intent of the original plan. Lannom
says
"Housing has lost tremendously
because changes in wording have
turned it into a commercial study " he
says
Lannom says the Planning
Commission's version does not allow
for interphasing — transforming hous
ing areas to residential-professional
zones to commercial areas
Lannom says one example of this
failure is the area bordered by 13th and
18th avenues and High and Hilyard
streets The residential area is ‘pock
eted off” by commercial areas, in
creasing the chances that the area may
turn into a ghetto, he says
The commission made too many
concessions to "limited economic in
terests” such as medical clinic expan
sion, Lannom says Mixed-use zones
also were changed to commercial
areas, he says
But Ed Mahn, the planning director at
Sacred Heart General Hospital, says
“it's a fair plan "
Mahn, also a Eugene Area Chamber
of Commerce member, says the plan
balances the need to protect existing
residential areas with the need for some
commercial expansion
"I think the plan gives balance to the
commercial, residential, and health
care needs of the community — the
entire city — and that's the role the
commission plays,” says Commis
sioner Robert Barkman
Barkman says the area Lannom
mentioned is a mixture of commercial
and residential uses and is zoned cor
rectly
The plan does not affect the Umver
sity adversely, Barkman and Lannom
agree
"We haven't done anything to affect
the positions of the University," Bark
man says "In fact, the closer we moved
toward the University, fewer modifica
tions were made by the planning com
misssion "
University concerns were to "main
tain quality in the neighborhood," to
preserve the opportunity for future rea
sonably priced housing in case of
University expansion and to protect
University interests in case property in
the area was granted to the University
University Planner David Rowe says
"We don't believe we ll be expanding
in the area " Rowe says "We're not in
the market
"We re not a big monolithic organ
ization that's not sensitive to the com
munity "
Until the plan receives final approval
from the Eugene City Council, the
neighborhood cannot start projects
such as curb cutting and low-level
lighting, says Mary Kay Crumbaker,
president of the West University Neigh
borhood
The plan comes before the council
Jan 25 Lannom says the organization
will attend a city council study session
Jan 13 to get an idea what the think
ing is ”
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