The Friday Edition gets the last laugh Page 1B Oregon daily emerald Friday, November 18, 1983 Eugene, Oregon Volume 85, Number 54 Accounting students ace national exam By Paul S/ydelko Of the Emerald Statistics show University graduates pertormed well above the national average on the Uniform Certified Public Accounting exam. Statistics available for the first time to the University accounting department show University bachelor's degree students ranked second nationally in the practice section on the May, 1982 test. They scored ninth in the theory sec tion, department officials say. University graduates with master's degrees were ranked third and eleventh in the theory and practice sections. The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy ranked the 253 schools who had 10 or more candidates taking the exam. The department's quality is due to a "very rough screening process for entry and exit from both the undergraduate and MBA levels," says Paul Frishkoff, ac counting professor and former accoun ting department head. "We teach our students to think better than a lot of places do,” Frishkoff says. Although accounting professors generally do not teach directly for the CPA exam, students pick up exam-taking skills to merely survive the program, he says. "The accounting profession itself is rigorous, so you should expect rigorous training," says Sandra Mallon, an ac counting student who took this November's exam. Because old CPA exam questions are found in textbooks and classroom tests, students do get some orientation into what will be asked of them on the exam, Mallon says. Sydney Aiello, another accounting stu dent who took the exam a few weeks ago, says the department gave her a "good foundation" for the exam. Three years ago the department developed a special CPA exam review class, offered during the four weeks preceding the exam. The review class may give students the discipline needed to pass the exam, Frishkoff says. Aiello says she gained a special insight through the 60 hours of concentrated review class. Students learn which areas they need to specialize their studying in the weeks leading up to the exam, Aiello says. Gertrude Richmond has been tending the 300 or so ducks and geese who live in the Millrace for more than four years. She's a duck's best friend By Marianne Chin (X the Emerald There's one Eugene residenl who is worried about how the ducks will do this Saturday. But it's not the Oregon football team that Gertrude Richmond is concern ed about, it's the 300 or so ducks and geese who make their home in the Millrace off Franklin Boulevard. For the past four years, Trudy, as her friends call her, has been bringing food to the wild birds during her lunch hours and after work on weekdays. But today she leaves for a vacation in New Mexico and she's been worried about who will feed the ducks when she is gone for about 10 days. "A lot of people come when the weather's good, but not when it's rainy,” Trudy says. "It makes me feel terrible see ing them there needing food." Trudy was so concerned for the ducks that she phoned the Animal Foundation, an animal information organization with a wild bird program, and asked if they knew anyone who could feed the birds while she was gone. When they could suggest nobody, Trudy asked her friend Rita Simp son if she could do it. Simpson agreed, saying she "felt sorry for the poor things." "I hale to ask anybody to do it. It's so messy. My car looks like an old farmer's with grain and bread all over," Trudy says. To satisfy the hungry animals, Trudy buys day-old bread from Williams Bakery and cracked corn in 80-pound sacks. They eat about 20 to 25 pounds of food a day, according to her. She estimates she spends about $100 a month feeding the ducks. "I give them whatever I can. I have no new clothes, but then I don't need many," Trudy says. Dressed in old white overalls, Trudy can be found around noon carrying white buckets of feed and surrounded by screeching birds. "Come on boys and girls. Where's Limpy and One-Eyef" she calls. She doesn't hesitate to hand-feed the goose who is blind in one eye or the duck who can't walk. Trudy brought four ducks who had a disease c alled Bumblefoot to her home in Fall Creek. The ducks couldn't walk, so Trudy nursed them back to health with antibiotics and better nutrition, and even gave them DMSO, an anti-inflammatory medication. "Now they're all fine and living in my pond," Trudy says. Besides the ducks, Trudy also has three dogs, 12 chickens and six cats, "all very troublesome," at her home 20 miles out side Eugene. Many of her pets were strays she adopted. Trudy described one incident when she saw some kids throwing rocks at the ducks. "The ducks thought it was foetid so they didn't leave. Someone in a canoe fished out a duck that was killed by the kids. I was furious at those people. The mother was standing there and I asked her why she was letting the kids do that. I called the* security officers who gave them a good talking-to. It made my blood boil," she says. "I've always liked animals and wouldn't have minded being a veterinarian, but now I'm too old," says the 64-year-old animal lover. Trudy graduated from the University in I960 with a degree in sculpture. Because she will be retiring from her job at Bohemia, Inc. in Eugene next year, Trudy is worried about how the ducks will survive without her. "I won't be able to drive into town every day to feed them," she said. "If you know anybody who wants to do it . .. Employee strike fails to collar Greyhound By Michele Matassa Of the Emerald With contract negotiations still in a deadlock, Greyhound Bus Lines hired new employees and sent its "dogs" back out on the road Thursday, while striking drivers and terminal workers across the nation barked up a storm of protest. The first day of resumed service was "relatively calm and orderly," according to company spokesperson Leslie Klein, who works in Greyhound's headquarters in Phoenix, Ariz. "There have been a few incidents across the country, but 99.5 percent of our buses have run on time and without incident," Klein says. The Eugene terminal is running four buses northbound through function City, Corvallis, Albany, Salem and Portland, says Barry Poysner, a local Greyhound employee. Routes south of Eugene probably won't be added for another three months, which is the company's goal to resume full ser vice, Klein says. Northbound buses leave Eugene at 8 a.m., 11:05 a.m.( 2:20 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Southbound buses terminating in Eugene arrive here at 11 a.m., 3:25 p.m., 6:45 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Greyhound, along with Trailways Inc., is running all routes at half-price fare, Klein says. The reduced price is "an incentive to our passengers, to let them know we're back out there again," she says. "And a lot of people are taking advantage of it," Klein says. More than 2,000 passengers climbed aboard buses on the company's first 208 runs, she says. In Eugene, business is running smoothly, Poysner says. "A large amount of picketers" were harassing drjvers here but no major pro blems had occured," he says. Amalgamated Transit Union represen tatives are concerned about passenger safe ty and the reputation of the company, says Portland ATU officer Ed Perkins. "We're somewhat shocked that the com pany would risk the reputation we spent 50 years building as the premier carrier in the country. Already, there have been some very unfortunate occurrences in terms of damage to the public and passengers," Perkins says. Two buses on training runs were involved in accidents that killed one driver and in jured two people. It is unclear whether the accidents were caused by the bus drivers, according to news accounts. "Given the short course of training that these supposed replacements have had, there's a lot more to come. We re trying to make it very clear to the public that we're not driving," Perkins says. "We would encourage (people) not to ride if they have any respect for their ex istence," he says. "Our position is that Greyhound can run as many buses as they want all over the country as long as nobody rides them," Perkins says. He says the union usually trains drivers, but now "desk jockeys apparently are train ing them." Greyhound officials insist drivers are capable and bus rides today are as safe as they've ever been. Klein says 1,400 current employees walk ed off the picket lines and reported for work Thursday at 5 a.m. The company had to hire 1,300 new workers, she says. "We resumed operation today in 501 loca tions across the country using some of our current work force that have come back to work. Throughout the day we've been get ting additonal striking workers, voluntarily showing up at the terminals," Klein says. Meanwhile, if newly-hired temporary employees stay on long enough, they may become permanent, she says. "The longer they stay with Greyhound, the more firmly implanted they are with the company and, chances are, they will be on permanent," she says. Contract negotiations — which started up Tuesday morning but broke off late Thurs day — will continue, Perkins says. But he says they won't go quickly and he expects to see an "extended strike."