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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 1982)
Friday, February 19, 1982 Eugene, Oregon Oregon daily emerald Volume 83 Number 106 Photo by Bob Baker Jam-up to log-on VDTs A three-hour wait to use the computers at the University computing center has given some students a terminal headache Robert Paschelke, a senior in math, was waiting Thursday afternoon to use a com puter terminal for a class program assign ment due today Paschelke had been on the waiting list for two and a half hours and was third from the top at 4 p .m. There were 18 names after his "This is caused by what I would term the insensitivity of the computer science department,” said Paschelke as students squeezed past him to the computer room One student, already at a terminal, said he had been there since 11 a m and had to wait an hour and a half before actually getting to use the terminal. "I worked from 11:30 p.m. to 4 a m when security came and chased out," said Chris Flake, a senior in computer science "I II probably be here until 4 a m again " There are two sections of CIS 315 with 1,000-line assignments due today, said Paschelke "That's comparable to a 7,000 word essay that you have to go over space by space Paschelke says that he thinks the assignments for the classes should at least be staggered to provide better access to the computer. "If you wait until the last minute there’s a big glut of people," said Damon Slye, a junior in computer science Paschelke didn't share Slye's philo sophy "I'll probably work eight hours today," Paschelke said. "That’s after 50 or 60 hours already." "I hope this sets a fire to somebody’s ass," Paschelke said about the conditions in the computer center Board hires law office as defense in bias suit By Ann Portal OfttM Emertk) A Philadephia law firm hired to defend the State Board of Higher Education against a federal class action sex discrimination lawsuit is the same firm that provides legal counsel for a national women’s facul ty group The 350-member firm — Morgan, Lewis and Bockuis — is the firm re tained by the American Association of University Women, and might have been asked to provide legal help for the women faculty members involved in the suit, according to Katherine Eaton, head of the University's government research library and president of the AAUW’s board of directors. The lawsuit has been filed on behalf of all female faculty in the state's eight public colleges and universities The suit alleges that the state system dis criminates against women faculty in pay, promotions and other em ployment considerations Eaton says the AAUW has assem bled a fund for legal advocacy in cases such as Oregon's, and that if funds were awarded to the Oregon case, the Philadelphia firm might have been hired as legal counsel for the plaintiffs Now, there is no way the AAUW would consider hiring the firm for advocacy work, she says, although the firm was paid more than $30,000 last year for consulting Eaton, who is not one of the suit's plaintiffs, says the hiring of the firm "seems inconceivable” to her. "I certainly have some strong feelings about the state system hiring a firm which is outside the state and which is a tremendously expensive firm," she says. Marla Rae, executive assistant to Attorney General Dave Frohnmayer, says the decision to hire the firm was made by Frohnmayer's office, after consultation with the chancellor's office The firm was chosen from about 10 firms, and will serve only as a con sultant in the case, she says Lawyers in the state attorney general's office will still be the case’s trial lawyers, she says. Rae says the firm is on a contract with a set time limit and a ceiling of $50,000 for services and $5,000 for expenses “Their credentials are incredibly strong in the field,” and will save the state time and money on research, she says The state system's assistant attor ney general, Jerry Casby, says he will remain the attorney of record for the case. He says the firm was hired to try to resolve the case as "cheaply and efficiently” as possible. Anna Penk, an associate math professor at Western Oregon State College and a plaintiff in the suit, says she is not worried by the hiring of the firm, but she says she is angry that “they got Goliath to come and club their little David. ” If the state system has good statis tics that prove they are innocent, "why are they worried?" she asked Residence hall crime spurs safety program By Harry Esteve Oi the Emerald Every day, a University residence hall is vandalized, or a room is burglarized, or a student is assaulted And every time criminals get away with it, students pay — one way or another. Until now it’s been too easy for vandals and criminals to get away with dormitory crimes, says Sgt Rick Alli son of the Eugene Police Department But a plan is in the works that Allison says may help put an end to easy dorm crimes — a plan that could help lessen the frustration felt by security officers, housing officials and student victims “Project Be Safe’’ is the latest proposal initiated by the Residence Hall Governance Committee as part of a constant struggle to hold down the University crime rate Under the project, each dorm complex would elect a student “safety representa tive” who would be responsible for maintaining an anti-crime program in each dorm. The project is modeled after com munity “neighborhood watch" programs, which Allison says have “drastically reduced crime rates in parts of Eugene ” In a typical University crime, a prowler will break into a residence hall early in the morning when students are either taking showers, eating breakfast or sleeping. The prowler walks quickly down the hallway, stopping at each room to check for an unlocked door Finding one, the prowler opens it, reaches inside to a dresser or a desk, snatches a wallet or a purse, and continues down the hall This is the kind of crime that often hurts students the most, Allison says. It is also one of the easiest to prevent. That is why student safety repre sentatives are necessary, he says. Under the six-point project, student safety representatives would: • Provide police with information on vandalism and crime patterns in their residence halls • Help crime victims to report crimes • Promote “Operation ID” — an engraving program that permanently marks property for identification. • Give educational seminars on security and safety to dorms during winter term. • Inform residents of the procedure for prompt reporting of suspicious safety-related activities. • Provide a weekly activity report to the housing department on safety matters “Project Be Safe" already has been approved by the Residence Hall Governance Committee, and is now awaiting final approval by the advisory boards of each dorm
