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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 1982)
Oregon daily _ _ emerald Wednesday, October 6, 1982 Eugene, Oregon Volume 84, Number 24 Bad times halt high-tech dreams By Sandy Johnstone Of the EnwraM Third in a three-part series examining the role of the University and high-technology industry, what advances are being made and what problems the University and Eugene face in making a high-tech dream become reality. Several economic barriers are blocking high-tech's path to Eugene, according to some University officials "The anti-development men tality or attitude that used to prevail in Lane County — the no-growth syndrome — dis couraged a lot of companies,-' says Robert Berdahl, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. "I know Hewlett Packard considered moving here but decided not to come into Eugene at this time ." Berdahl says the no-growth climate is changing Theodore Palmer, math department head, blames high interest rates "No matter where a company relocates, it must borrow mon ey So most companies are staying put,'1 Palmer says He also cites geo graphical remoteness from centers of com merce and industry as another obstacle to high-tech develop ment Inadequate funding keeps the University from realizing its full potential, says Frank Stahl, biology pro fessor It's shortsighted that the University is so low on the priority list.'' Stahl says "High tech will not come to the state if they (the state) continue to treat the University badly " • The fundamental problem is we are so seriously under funded." agrees Ber Udiu. i r»t? uuuyci nad uccru tui so radically in the last three years it is very difficult to build up departments like computer science that are important to high-tech." He estimates that the Univer sity loses the equivalent of a medium-sized department each year High-tech: finding (he future Pari 3 u a up iu me oiaic oyoic111 iv decide whether they want quality education in Oregon They must realize it requires the same type of funding it requires elsewhere," Berdahl says. “I'm not bellyaching These are the plain facts — not excuses " Salaries are the crux of the matter "The trouble is the salary scale is not keeping up with salary increases elsewhere Under such circum stances people who leave are the good people," says Palmer ‘ The best people in any department can get a job elsewhere for considerably more money '' Better facilities would help the Univer sity hold on to its facul ty and attract new professors, says Art Farley, head of the computer science department. "It's very hard to get people — although the quality here is very high," he says. “We iicuvj a i ic*y oiait- wi ii iu ui v to do quality research We've never had that.” Farley says his department faces different problems than other University departments "We have not actually lost any faculty but we have double the enrollment in undergraduate classes '' The department already is seeking a new department head for Fall 1983. but locating the right person may be difficult Farley says although there are about 600 jobs available for computer science Ph D s na tionwide, only about 150 people are qualified to fill them Research nationwide has ex perienced tightening purse strings, but University research hasn't been hit as hard, says Berdahl ‘ The reduction of federal dollars for research has been very critical nationally," says Berdahl "Sciences at this un iversity have been of such a quality that they have not really lost out They are competing successfully even in the declin ing support for research at the federal level." Increasing red tape forces professors to spend more time filling grant applications and less time conducting research, says Stahl The biology department has been able to get federal money, but “when a lot of people want money they spend too much time fighting for the money and too little time actually working." Emerald photo This Eugene postal carrier might be delivering an award letter to a student who moved and forgot to tell the University Moving? Leave an address By Doug Levy Ot th* Emerald Each year, hundreds of University students make the dean's list, but as many as 50 of them never find out Each year, several students are selected for mem bership in the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa, but some never learn of their selection and consequently don't become full-fledged members Each year emergencies arise that require a student's attention, but he or she cannot be contacted Why? Because students fail to update their ad dresses with the registrar's office, says Bob Bowlin, dean of student affairs. "There are always a significant number of people who don’t find out about these honors," Bowlin says. “There is no way these people can become aware of their honors if we don't have their current address " Approximately 400 students make the dean's list each term, and Bowlin estimates that 30-35 do not find out about (or gain first-hand knowledge of) their selec tion. He adds, "That is a conservative estimate I would say the number is more like 50. "When students make the dean’s list, we send a letter out to their parents, a letter to their high school if it is in Oregon and a letter to their community college of transfer. When a student has to find out about his selection from one of those sources, he'll usually say, What are they doing over there?’ ” A Phi Beta Kappa membership, Bowlin says, is a significant achievement and the University is the only state institution associated with the organization. Yet many students do not receive a letter acknow ledging their membership, and they lose out on that membership by not responding to the letter. But the biggest hazard of not updating an address, says Bowlin, is an instance where a student must be Continued on Page 2A U.S. court jury convicts pacifist CLEVELAND (AP) — A federal court jury on Tuesday convicted Mark Arden Schmucker, a Mennonite college student, of failing to register for the military draft. He was the third person convicted of the charge in trials this year. The eight women and four men on the panel deliberated one hour and four minutes before returning the verdict in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Ann Aldrich. Schmucker, a 22-year-old student at Goshen College in northern Indiana, was allowed to remain free on the same $2,000 bond set at the time of his arraignment. Sentencing was set for Oct. 19. The maximum penalty is five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He testified he could not register for the draft because his religious convictions and upbringing conflicted with the law. The Mennonite church, which came to the United States in 1870, historically has been known as the "peace church," Scnmucker said Mennonites are pacifists who do not believe in military service. Part of his motivation in not registering was to impair the government’s ability to prepare for military involvement, Schmucker said. Schmucker is the third man in the nation to be tried for failing to register for the military draft Benjamin Sasway, the second to be tried, was sentenced Monday to 2Vi years in a federal facili ty. Sasway was convicted of failing to register under the law signed by former Pres Jimmy Carter Enten Eller, the first to be tried, was convicted in Roanoke, Va., on Aug. 18. The 21-year-old Laverne, Calif., native was ordered to perform 250 hours of community service and to register within 90 days. Sasway received no order to register from U.S. District Judge Gordon Thompson, and Sasway’s attorney said that his client might be charged all over again under the government's theory that failing to register is a continuing offense.
