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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 23, 1982)
Nuclear arms attacked Page 3 Oregon daily . - em era Id Tuesday, November 23, 1982 Eugene. Oregon Volume 84, Number 58 Hult Center name remains the same By Marian Green Of the Emerald The Eugene City Council named the performing arts center the Hult Center for the Performing Arts Monday night for the second time since it opened in September. To the surprise of almost no one present at the standing room-only meeting, the council unanimously reaffirmed its Sept 23 resolution, which named the center after Nils and Jewel Hult, at a $10-a-plate recognition dinner council ses sion on the eve of the center's gala opening The Hults donated a $3 million endowment to the center On staff recommendations, the council called Monday night's meeting to "moot a cit izen's group's lawsuit, which alleges that the council violated the Oregon Public Meetings Law when it named the center after the Hults, and to allow public testimony on the possible renaming. Although the council con sidered no alternative names, including the informal Eugene Performing Arts Centre tag, it did take an hour's worth of sometimes critical and emo tionally charged testimony Rachele Raia, a member of Citizens For Open Government, the 17-member group that filed the Nov 8 lawsuit, said she was disappointed that the council members "had their minds made up before they wa'ked into the meeting.” During the hearing. Raia told the council I feel like I should give you a moment of silence so you can fantasize about my tes timony.” "You already seem to know what Ive got to say,' she said, referring to the wording of the hearing's prepared resolution The resolution stated in part. Having considered the tes timony presented that hearing, the Council finds specifically that the findings and actions taken with respect to the (Sept 23 resolution) were and remain valid, appropriate and in con formity with prior accepted practices ” Raia said CFOG plans to con tinue its litigation. which she says wasn't made moot by the public hearing because it also attempts to recoup attorney's fees This is so disgusting, said Eugenean Diana Shoemaker, who said the hearing was her first real exposure to local poli tics here It was a real disappoint ment,'' Shoemaker said They say the name doesn't mean much, but it makes a big differ ence." On the other end of the spec trum, former mayor Les Ander son called the CFOG group's lawsuit and other citizens' cri ticism "petty and damaging" pnotos oy bod oa*er Emotions ran the gamut during Monday night's hearing on the Hult Center s name. to fundraising efforts "The damage has already been done, ' Anderson said Why be generous if only to have your motives questioned and your gift ridiculed7" Long-time civic leader Maurie Jacobs said the Hult name would be on top of that list" whether or not they made the $3 million donation because of their leadership in the perform ing arts center project, the Boy Scouts, the Salvation Army, the Red Cross and other organiza tions “I could go on and on and on," Jacobs said Virtually all the council members agreed the Sept 23 action could have been con ducted with more decorum, but none said they regretted their initial naming Public testimony at the two hour-long meeting also raised questions about the relationship between the council and the Eugene Arts Foundation, a semi-private, non-profit organ ization charged with fundraising for the local arts. The founda tion recommended to the coun cil that the center be named after the Hults. Council members Mark Lind berg and John Ball asked city staff and the foundation's Ex ecutive Director Benson Snyder about public access to founda tion information Snyder said minutes of the foundation board's meetings and other information not specifically dealing with possi ble donors is available to the council but only in special cases is available to the public. Reagan backs missile but calls for reductions WASHINGTON (AP) - Wielding both stick and carrot. Pres Ronald Reagan proposed Monday to deploy the huge MX missile in a string of Wyoming silos, then invited the Soviet Union to take several joint steps to abate fears of an accidental nuclear war It still takes weapons to prevent war." Reagan said of his option for the so-called dense-pack deployment of the MX, a missile he renamed the Peacekeeper' But he declared The United States wants deep cuts in the world s arsenal of weapons ' The president proposed that the superpowers begin that process with a concerted attempt to preclude the possibility of accidental conflict. On that score, he proposed they tell each other in advance of plans to test inter continental missiles or launch major military exercises, and suggested 'a broad-ranging exchange of basic data about our nuclear forces ' And in support of his proposal to exchange information about nuclear forces, Reagan said. The more one side knows about what the other side is doing, the less room there is for sur prise and miscalculation " We would prefer that the Soviets dismantle SS-18s (their intercontinen tal ballistic missiles) rather than we build more holes,” Reagan said in a written statement about his MX deci sion. But we can accommodate either and maintain stability The long-awaited MX decision, which faces a doubtful future in Congress, would have the United States deploy its first new intercontinental missile in 20 years But in his arms control speech Mon day evening, Reagan signaled to the Kremlin leadership that America would prefer reduction of nuclear arsenals to participation in a dangerous and ex pensive arms race The United States wants deep cuts in the world's arsenal of weapons/' Reagan said, but he insisted the Soviet Union won t bargain seriously unless its leaders are convinced the U S. is de termined to modernize its nuclear force "They would know we were bluffing without a good hand because they know what cards we hold — just as we know what is in their hand," Reagan said. The president accepted the Air Force recommendation to place 100 MX weapons in super-hardened launch silos spaced about 1,800 to 2,000 feet apart near Warren AFB in Wyoming. That plan called for spreading 200 MX missiles among some 4,600 con crete shelters stretching across the Utah and Nevada deserts and shifting missiles and decoys from site to site Physics professor Higgins receieves Tektronix grant By Ann Portal Of the Emerald A physics professor is the first Univer sity recipient of part of the $3.5 million "high-tech" gift announced last week by Tektronix Inc. of Beaverton. Richard Higgins, a physics professor who specializes in solid state research, said Monday that Tektronix has pledged to contribute at least $150,000 over the next few years toward his research on “lll-V compound" semiconductor devices. Tektronix, which manufactures elec tronic equipment, plans to award funds to at least five colleges and universities in the state. University Provost Richard Hill said he doesn't know whether the University will receive additional funds from the Tek tronix money but said more should be known by the first of the new year The exact amount of Higgins' gift still is being negotiated, but he expects it to comprise at least 25 percent of his sup port for the next few years A "multiplier effect” could make the final value of the gift far greater, said Higgins, whose research also is sup ported by the National Science Founda tion. National funding agencies such as NSF look for indications of local interest in research, he said, and the Tektronix money could bring in two to three times its original value in grants. "It's the difference between struggling along and being on the leading edge,' Higgins said. The professor, who has had a lengthy professional relationship with the Port land company, said Tektronix has very clear goals for its high-tech support According to Tektronix President Earl Wantland, those goals include improving engineering and computer science education, upgrading high-technology equipment in classrooms and develop ing lll-V research. At the University, the company expects “forefront research,” Higgins said. The funds will advance Higgins' re search in lll-V compounds, a relatively new area of solid state physics that should introduce the next generation of computers, he said. Using the lll-V compound, engineers will be able to build computers that can work 10 times faster than the current models, Higgins said. Higgins said the Tektronix gift came after months of communication with company representatives. “It would be a big mistake to assume it's a Santa Claus situation — someone coming out of the blue and tapping you on the shoulder," Higgins said. Tektronix funds specific research and specific groups of researchers, who must first convince the company they have something to contribute, he said. "People at the University should ex pect to have tough questions asked," Higgins said. "It's a real business ap proach."
