Work begun on weakened Autzen footbridge
. Workmen Iwyan Monday to reinforce a weakened Autzen
Stadium ftxitbridge that carries thousands of Duck fans to tali
football iiames. • '
By Mary Lichtenwalner
Of th« Kmrrald
Beams laid across the
milirace Monday were the first
steps made in repairing a
deteriorating wooden foot
bridge usually traveled by
University football fans, said
Harold Babcock, Physical Plant
director.
Engineers who examined the
bridge said it could have
collapsed.
But while repairs are now be
ing made, football fans walking
to the Civil War game in
November had to take a dif
ferent route.
That didn’t deter fans from at
tending the game, however,
said Herb Yamanaka, Universi
ty athletics events manager. “I
think everyone got there who
wanted to go." he said.
The bridge was blocked off
before the game when the
Oregon Bridge Engineering Co.
recommended that the bridge be
closed for repair. OBEC was
commissioned to study the
bridge’s condition to see if it
could lie used as an alternative
route when repairs are to be
made later this year on the
bridge by the duck pond.
The engineers discovered that
the bridge's supports were bad-"
jy deteriorated, Babcock said.
“It definitely' "needed atten'
Grounds tor consensus exist
case
Siiuit) Univereity students and the Oregon,
. State Board of Higher Education voted in T977 for
the divestiture of University funds from- com
panies, doing business inSouth Africa, the issue
has'dragged interminably. • •'
* ..'*!* has been eight long, years since the move
for divestiture was'.initiated and nothing has been
accomplished. The time has come when progress
can and should be made- .
Apartheid is wrong. Both sides on the
divestiture suit agree on that The question is how
to tackle this provoking and thorny moral ques
tion This is where both sides disagree, but there
is room for consensus. The task before the sides is
to find the grounds for such agreement.
To date, the only common ground between
students and officials in the Chancellor's and At
torney Genfenfi's offices has been In a court of
Reporter’s notebook
A decision on the matter could come as early
as this term. But regardless of the outcome of the
ASUp’s appeal of the divestiture suit, both sides
will still have to work together.
• • /If the ASIIO prevails, state officials, par
• . ticiilarly the Chancellor's office and the Attorney
General's office will have to cooperate and stop
. “hindering.the divestiture process.
They have already made the State Board look
inept by showing its inability to implement its
stated policy of divestiture in eight years. Most
importantly, the State System is losing credibili
ty. When the Chancellor's office — the ad
ministrative arm of the State Board — seems fp be
working in opposition to board policy, the
credibility of the whole is damaged.
The Attorney General’s office is in obvious
opposition to the Board's policy. But state of
ficials should reach some sort of an agreement on
divestiture. Either they should move it expedient
ly through the appropriate channels of govern
ment or ask the State Board to change its policy.
At some point it is necessary to stop this in
cessant and expensive political infighting and
decide on a policy. But it should be decided, not
ignored and delayed in hopes that it will go away.
On the other hand, if the AStJO loses its ap
peal. as it lost the original lawsuit, it should con
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Hmonn hailv I'moralil
aider an alternative policy of partial divestiture
oh the basis of the Sullivan Principles instead of
moving the case into h higher court. •
The Sullivan Principles are a set of voluntary
guidelines protecting' the .rights of blacks who
work for American businesses in South Africa.'
Under this mandate, divestiture would occur on
ly from tho.se American companies that refuse to
uphold the rights of blacks in their South African
operations.
Richard Wasserman, an assistant to the At
torney General who has helped handle the state's
case against the ASUO. indicated in December
that partial divestiture on the basis of the Sullivan
Principles would not violate the prudent-person
rule and thus might be allowed.
Based on Wasserman's statement it appears
the ASUO might be able to gain the support of
state officials, who control the power in this state
and actually achieve a limited divestiture.
A policy of complete divestiture could be
reserved if conditions ip South Africa worsen or
fail to improve in a given time ’
It is a tack that is worthy of consideration.
The ASUO has spent enormous sums of student
money fighting legal battles for a cause — com
plete divestiture — that might never be won.
In addition, the amount of broad based sup
port for complete divestiture at the University has
not been tested since 1978. It.could be that a
significant portion of the University community
does not feel complete divestiture and its resul
tant damage to the South African economy is the
best or only way to bring about the end of
apartheid.
Finally, there seems to Iks a general consen
sus among all parties that state monies should not
be used to support the morally offensive policy of
apartheid, but eight years of squabbling over how
to do it is enough.
However, it is not as easy as it sounds,
because in order to make progress on the issue,
both sides, students and state officials might have
to compromise and cooperate.
However, if all involved parties would recon
sider their past actions and motivations, progress
could be made.
The alternative is that the students of the
University and the government of this state con
tinue to fight each other instead of the morally
reprehensible, degrading policy of apartheid.
By Gary limenez
tion,” he said.
Babcock said the bridge was
not a victim of neglect, but the
Physical Plant was merely
unaware of the condition. ‘‘It
was definitely working alright
— at least it wasn’t falling
down.,.but it was faulty, the
engineers didn’t have to look
very hard to see that,” he said.
The temporary repairs to im
prove the supporting of the
bridge should cost less than
$5,000, Babcock said. The foot
bridge should be back in use
within two weeks, Babcock
said.
The Physical Plant did not
schedule a specific time to com
plete the repairs, he said. “But
we’ve not created any bad situa
tions by not doing it sooner.”
he said.
If the University decides that
a new bridge should be built, it
could cost between $50,000 and
$100,000, he said. That funding
would come from the Physical
Plant maintenance dollars.
Currently, temporary repairs
are the extent of the im
provements the Physical Plant
is supplying for the bridge.
The Physical Plant requested
$40,000 from the State Board of
Higher Education in the sum
mer to repair the bridge by the
duck pond. When the poor con
dition of the alternative bridge
was discovered, the plans to im
prove the bridge were put on
hold, Babcock said. Repair
plans for the bridge are now be
ing reviewed by the OSBHE,
and the bridge repairs should be
up for bid within the next ”
month, he said.
The east footbridge was clos
ed to motorized vehicles about
10 years ago, Babcock said.
(gs^Coffee Bean of the Month
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HEALTH INSURANCE
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For details call 686*3724
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UO STUDENTS fr
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Term 1986
Through Friday January
10.* 1986 we will be refun
ding $1.99 to subscribers in
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