Tuesday, January 12, 1982
Eugana, Oregon
Oregon daily
Volume 83
Number 76
University funding a top priority
Mayor vows to keep city livable
Gut Keller
Photo bv David Coray
By Marian Green
Ot the Emerald
The notion of keeping Eugene a livable and
economically viable community kept popping up
in Mayor Gus Keller's State of the City address
Monday night
"Throughout our history we have made on
going commitments to livability in this communi
ty," Keller told the sparse audience of about 50 at
City Hall
Keller said treatment of community issues
such as land use, local services and intergovern
mental relationships will determine "how many
strides we re able to take in the direction of
making Eugene a prosperous and pleasant place
to live "
Calling his address an agenda for action,”
Keller said Eugene also will be "profoundly in
fluenced this year and in the years ahead by the
state of the State "
He pledged that the council will monitor the
Legislature's effects on the city's goais The top
three goals noted are
• Stabilizing funding for the University,
which Keller called our number one priority ”
• Encouraging economic diversification and
development efforts
• Planning strategies to boost the cultural
arts and tourist industry
Keller said the state's planning ability is
critical because the federal government policies
are "setting off chains of economic dominoes that
are falling across the country.”
The uncompleted Metropolitan Wastewater
System, which may end up costing the cities of
Eugene and Springfield $20 million over the next
20 years, is one of the "big dominoes," Keiier
said
"We can no longer take one step and let the
federal government cover the rest of the distance
We have got to plan to cover the costs of keeping
this city running both now and in the future "
After outlining some of the problems facing
the city, Keller noted several positive steps taken
in 1981.
An economic diversification plan to help "in
putting Eugenians to work and bolstering our
economy" is one noteworthy stride, he said
Related to the plan is the 1978 bond issue
that is making the Performing Arts Center a
reality, as it nears completion set for September,
he said That center, he said, will be a boon to the
city’s employment
"So far, the project has created almost 300
construction-related jobs, and’the Hilton has just
hired some 225 personnel to run the hotel," he
said
Major crimes declined by almost 5 percent in
1981, chiefly because of cooperation between
citizens, neighborhoods and the police depart
Continued on Page 3
Groups signal
reawakening
of ‘politicking’
By Mike Anderson
Ot tttt E mar aid
Somewhere between radicalism and apathy lies a
brand of campus politics that has been dormant for
more than a decade
But the reorganization of both the University
Democrats and the College Republicans indicates
mainstream politics are reactivating on campus as an
alternative to both of those extremes
According to representatives from both groups, a
new type of political activism is surfacing and pumping
lifeblood back into groups like their own The College
Republicans disappeared from the University in 1964,
and the University Democrats faded away shortly after
the last presidential election
At present, there are approximately 15 active
University Democrats and about 20 active College
Republicans Both groups say many other students
are involved and associated with their group, and both
claim to be diverse, moderate groups appealing to
many types of students
We are not committed to one theory or one
policy,' says David Ridenour, chairer of the College
Republicans
"You can belong to a party and be diverse We
Republicans just believe that the principles of
democracy can be accomplished in a better way ”
Trish Frolander, a senior journalism student and
chairer of the University Democrats, says the club was
designed to get students involved with politics.
"We re an educational group as much as a poli
tical group," Frolander says "We re not here to
dictate dogma but to provide information "
The new bloomers . ..
Getting people involved is the first step, she says
"The political party comes later "
The University Democrats are associated with the
party at county and state levels, and the University
group reflects the ideology of the party as a whole.
Frolander says
Because the club is new, University Democrats
will concentrate on registering voters, distributing
pamphlets, sponsoring speakers and other activities
to promote student awareness
The environment, the economy, the Equal Rights
Amendment, civil rights, higher education, and human
services are among the prime concerns of the group,
she says
The University Democrats believe that Reagan’s
Graphic by Max DaRungs
economic policies have failed the country, Frolander
says
Democrats are not necessarily against big busi
ness, but they believe business must operate in the
best interest of the people, member Lonny Johnson
says
"The problem is not big business," says Johnson,
a senior business major, "but big people, or big
pockets of power Business must be controlled for the
benefit of the people ”
Politics is an ongoing process, and the University
Democrats will continually campaign, not just every
four years, Frolander says
"Politics isn't formed around the candidates
Continued on Page 2