Blazers beat Sonics
in first round
of mini-series
See page 8
Oregon doily
emerald
Thursday, April 21, 1983
Eugene, Oregon
Volume 84, Number 137
Semesters?
Survey shows students favor quarters
About 62 percent of the
students prefer the quarter
system to the semester
system, according to a ran
dom survey of 96 students
conducted by the Emerald.
•‘You don’t get to take
enough classes with a
X
...
Tim Howarth: ‘You
don’t get to take
enough classes with a
semester system’
semester system,” says Tim
Howarth, a political science
major.
Tony Michaels, a math
graduate student, favors the
quarter system because ‘‘you
get to learn more subjects.”
“Semesters are too long,”
says Dana Deardorff, romance
languages major. “If you are
stuck in a bad class with a bad
teacher, then you are stuck for
half of the year.”
But 38 percent of the
students favor a semeter
system.
“I like the rhythm of the
semester system,” says Trish
Wheeler, a dance major. "It
gives you time to learn and not
constantly study for exams.”
“Personally, I always
wonder if I really learn
anything winter term,” says
Dan Allen, chairer of Student
University Affairs Board.
That students support the
status quo does not surprise
administrators.
“Students always favor
what they know the best,”
says Shirley Wilson, acting
dean of students.
A 1980 report compiled by
Maradel Gale says “without
the ability to compare, student
support tends to flow to the
calendar with which they are
most familiar.”
The Emerald survey was
conducted by randomly selec
ting names from the student
directory. The survey con
tacted 96 students, 52 men
and 44 women.
If students are forced to
have a semester system, 86
percent prefer the early
semester system while 14 per
cent prefer the late semester
system, according to the
survey. The University faculty
approved the traditional (late)
semester system.
“Late semesters penalize
——.i as
Trish Wheeler: 7 like
the rhythm of the
semester system’
students,” says Paul
Apfelbeck, a graduate elemen
tary education student. As an
undergraduate, Apfelbeck at
tended a university on the ear
ly semester system.
Apfelbeck does endorse the
concept of semesters,
1_
Lanie Barry: ‘(The
weather argument) is
ridiculous ’
however.
‘‘You can get to know more
professors and interact with
them,” he says. ‘‘You have
true learning with semesters
instead of cramming at the
library the week before an
exam.”
Barb Bromley also favors
the early semester system. “I
don’t want to study over
Christmas break.”
“I’m not surprised students
prefer the earlier semester
system,” says Joe Hynes,
assistant dean of the college
of arts and sciences. “I always
had confidence students were
not stupid.”
Hynes says the last few
weeks of classes after
Christmas would have a “lame
duck” feeling. He also said
student would have problems
lAi
because of the “term papers
you told yourself you would
write over Christmas and
didn’t."
“The whole world is going
toward the early semester
system," says Hynes. “We are
going the other way. This
Tony Michaels: ‘you
get to learn more sub
jects (in the quarter
system)’
Graphic by Shawn Bird
thing we voted in is a
neanderthal."
In 1967-68, about 76 percent
of institutions were on the
traditional semester system,
with 3 percent using the early
semester system and 16 per
cent on the quarter system, ac
cording to Gale’s report.
By 1979-80, only 6 percent of
institutions used a traditional
semester system, 24 percent
were on a quarter system and
53 percent were using the ear
ly semester system.
In the survey, "early" was
defined as beginning in the
first week of September.
“Late” was defined as mid
September.
In a 169-124 vote, the Univer
sity Assembly approved the
late semester system to take
effect in 1985. Now, the State
Board of Higher Education
must approve the proposal,
(see related story below)
Under the system adopted
by the University Assembly,
fall semester would beg*n in
mid-September. Students
would get two weeks of vaca
tion in late December before
Continued on Page 3
Story by Sandy Johnstone
Photos by Mark Pynes, Dave Kao
Judge halts herbicide spraying in Suislaw forest
By Harry Esteve
Of tha Emerald
A Eugene judge Wednesday ordered
the U.S. Forest Service to stop all her
bicide spraying in and around the
Siuslaw National Forest, saying the
Forest Service has not done enough
research on possible health risks.
U.S. District Judge Robert Belloni
issued the order to halt the controver
sial spraying in response to a law suit
filed two years ago by anti-herbicide
activist Paul Merrell of Tidewater, Ore.
In his opinion, Belloni said the forest
service and the Bureau of Land
Management "did not do any actual
research on the health effects of using
the listed herbicides in the area.”
Instead, forest officials illegally
relied on research already completed
by the Environmental Protection Agen
cy, Belloni said. Throughout the suit,
Merrell contended the EPA’s research
was fraudulent and full of “gaps” and
“scientific uncertainty."
The injunction prohibits spraying of
pesticides from within 25 miles of any
boundary of the Siuslaw National
Forest, said Merrell, who has been try
ing to halt spraying for the past five
years.
At an emotional press conference
held Wednesday afternoon in the EMU
forum room, Merrell appeared elated
over the decision. As friends and sup
porters cheered and poured cham
pagne on his head, he wiped tears from
his eyes ar d hugged his wife, Carol
Van Strum.
“People have really suffered out
there," Merrell said. “We hope that this
is the beginning of the end of that
suffering.”
Merrell contended that herbicidal
spraying was responsible for a series
of birth defects and miscarriages suf
fered by residents around the Siuslaw
National Forest.
Van Strum was on campus as part of
Earth Week activities to give a talk on
the lawsuit and to announce the
release of her book, "A Bitter Fog,"
which chronicles the couple’s battle
against herbicides.
Merrell, a Vietnam veteran, said he
has spent 1 Vi years in hospitals for
what he claims is the damage resulting
from the spraying of Agent Orange
defoliant during the war.
He filed the lawsuit against the
forest service and the EPA in April 1981
and has acted as his own lawyer
throughout the litigation.
The U.S. attorney representing the
Forest Service, Tom Lee, would not
comment on the judge's injunction or
on whether the federal land agencies
would appeal the decision. Forest Ser
vice officials in Corvallis also declined
to comment.
Merrell said he expects the Forest
Service may appeal, but said the deci
sion marks the first time since 1978
that no spraying will take place while
the issue is settled in court.
An added effect of Wednesday's
decision is that other government
agencies can no longer rely on EPA
research on herbicide safety, Merrell
said. He added that the decision, by
setting a precedent, may prohibit
federal agencies from spraying
anywhere in Oregon.