Oregon Daily
Emerald
‘Short Eyes’ is tall
on realistic performance
See Page 6
Tuesday, January 21, 1988
Eugene. Oregon
Volume 87, Number 80
McDonald Theatre renovation defies trend
Photo bv lunita AI Noitof
The McDonald Theatre Associates, a group of
California investors, plan to renovate McDonald
Theatre and the stores in its building this spring.
Students around state
honor King’s birthday
Although few state college students had
Monday off from class to honor slain civil rights
leader Martin Luther King. Jr., many students had
the opportunity to celebrate his birthday by atten
ding lectures, readings and rallies.
Students at Lewis and Clark College were
asked to join members of the college's South
Africa Action Group in fasting for the day to
remember King and to protest the college's in
vestment In South African businesses.
Several members of the group are fasting the
entire week to draw attention to current civil
rights struggles. The group also is sponsoring
silent vigils throughout the week.
"The student body has been very supportive
of the fasts and silent vigils." said Molly
Stureges. a member of SAAG.
Storages said the group has gained increased
support the past two weeks because of a recent
decision of the college's Board of Trustees on Jan.
6. The board decided the college would continue
doing business with South African companies
that follow the work-place reforms known as the
Sullivan Principles.
Aside from anti-apartheid activities, two lec
tures and several human rights movies were
presented to the college's students in honor of
King.
Speakers also lectured at Portland State
University. Western Oregon State College.
Southern Oregon State College. Oregon State
University and the Oregon Institute of
Technology, in addition, a film series about King
was offered at PSU.
"1 think there's a general feeling of the
students here that it was important to recognize
him today," said Lee McKnight, president of the
Associated Students of Portland State University.
McKnight joined with other student leaders
in leading a student boycott of classes, but
despite their efforts most students attended
classes, she said.
By Scott McFetridge ;•
(>( Ihr Imrrald . .
After 50 years in operation, the McDonald Theatre
has showcased itg share of star attractions. Qn May 8,'
1925. when tho theater opened, it was Gloria Swanson,
starring in "Madame Sansfiene." and today it is Robert
Kodford and Meryl Streep, appearing in one of the
year’s biggest films, "Out of Africa." .
First-run films still play at the McDonald, located
at 1010 Willamette St., but the building has become
more of a financial liability in the last decade, says
larry lawrence, a development specialist with the
Eugene Development Department. < '
1 "It's economically more feasible to operate four or
five of the shopping mall cinemas as it is to operate and.
maintain one of the old theaters.” Lawrence says.'
"There’s just not a lot of money in old theaters."
Because of this financial liability, nearly all of the
theaters that competed with the McDonald in the 1920s
and 1930s are gone. Once well-known theaters such as
the State, the Furs, the Meiligand the Rex. all have been
destroyed, and the trend will continue with the
removal of the Mayflower Theatre this spring.
But through a joint effort by the McDonald Theatre
Associates, a group of California investors, and the city
of Eugene, the McDonald Theatre will not meet a
similar fate, says Rich Weinman, downtown project
coordinator. The city loaned the group $90,000 to buy
the structure, which it did at a total cost of $691,500.
The group plans to renovate the facade of the
theater, now covered by plywood and corregated metal
sheathing. The theater associates also plan to renovate
stores located in the building, most of which are va
cant. Kinko’s Copies already has agreed to open a new
shop in the structure. Weinman says.
If the California group presents a feasible plan for
the restoration of the building's facade, Weinman says
• the city.htis agreed to loan the. group $90,000.more to
_ &i(f renovation; ’ . • ' »■"
• v ’“(The theatre associates) could see what was com
ing,". Weinman says. “They could see that.Willamette
Street has been reopened and that the athletic c}ub
(across the street from the McDonald) was bringing a lot
of people into the area. I think they’re banking on a
good investment.” • • °
The McDonald Theatre was not Eugene’s first
theater, but it was by far the city’s most elegant. Accor
ding.to the May 9, 1925. Eugene Morning Register, the „
‘ ‘theater's grand opening was an exciting event for many
•area residents.
“Very probably the eyening meal was a hurried af
fair in niore than one block in the city, for everyone was
interested and movie fans were agog,!’, the paper
reported. ....
’ “The placards and the signs and the ads said
‘Gloria Swanson in Madame Sans Gene.’ But the
throngs of interested Eugene folk who waited in the at
tractive-lobby of Eugene’s new playhouse last night
didn’t care a rap for Gloria and her devil-may-care
role,” the Register story said. “They went to view the
newly opened theater and to take in its colorful and
unique detail; to enjoy its comfort and its beauty; to
revel in the pleasure of seeing a picture produced in a
setting artistic and up-to-date.”
o But five decades of use have taken its toll on the or
nate structure. The hond-painted .murals on the interior
of the theater have been painted and plastered over; the
four chandeliers have been replaced with tnodern fix
tures. the Wurlitzer organ has been given away and the
orchestra pit has been filled with sand and covered.
However, the original stage, designed for both live
theater and films, remains intact, and the organ grills
Continued on Page 9
Groups unite to prevent problem
‘Date rape’ task force planned
By Mary Lichtenwalner
or Itw Emerald
An idea for a task force to prevent
acquaintance rape or "date rape”
on campus is becoming a reality.
Sgt. Chuck Tilby. of the Eugene
Police Department, said Monday.
said.
Although acquaintance rape may
occur on campus. Housing Director
Marjorie Ramey said the issue
shouldn't be blown out of propor
tion without adequate statistics.
"I don't want this to be seen as a
‘We probably never will be able to quantify it ac
curately because of the stigma of reporting it. ’
— Sgt. Chuck Tilby
Representatives from various
campus organizations met Monday
to discuss the possibility of forming
a steering group to direct a propos
ed project addressing the issue of
acquaintance rape. Tilby said the
task force should be formed by mid
February.
Although it is difficult to tell
what the statistics are of such rapes
committed on campus, Eugene
police officer April Norman said
prevention of acquaintance rape has
become a popular topic on cam
puses nationwide. Norman is
assigned to patrol the University
campus.
“There's just no way to tell how
many people have been victims,"
Norman said. She said that she
knows of only two such accounts on
the campus.
Lien Shutt, coordinator of the
Women's Task Force, said the
reason that statistics are not helpful
in this area is that date rape doesn’t
get reported very often.
"We probably never will be able
to quantify it accurately because of
the stigma of reporting it," Tilby
response to a huge problem. It's a
national concern and not a crisis on
campus," Ramey said.
Prevention will be the task force's
goal and education will be the tool,
Tilby said. Education will be
distributed campus-wide through
preseniaiions at freshman orienta
tion. dormitories, fraternities,
sororities and classrooms.
Norman said the program will en
courage women to take self-defense
classes, and may offer assertiveness
training for men and women. Con
tinuity and momentum is crucial to
keep the task force alive, she said.
"I don’t want it to get going and
then die when I get transferred off
campus," she said.
The group drew up a list of possi
ble task force members, which in
cluded representatives from
women’s and men’s groups on cam
pus and in the community, as well
as various campus service
organizations.
Norman said she is amazed at the
amount of enthusiasm the Universi
ty administration and community
has shown for the project. She said
that while she was at a national con
ference given on the issue, many
other directors of such university
programs said they were discourag
ed at the lack of support they receiv
ed on their campuses.
"I’m very excited to see so much
interest for it here on campus.”
Norman said.
Shutt said the Women's Task
Force will present a rape awareness
symposium in February that will
focus on date rapes and marital
rape
The group will meet again next
Monday to decide what groups will
be represented in the task force.
r
Sgt. Chuck Tilby