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