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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 2, 1986)
Villard Hall is having a birthday party! See the Friday Edition Oregon Daily Emerald Friday. May 2. 1986 Eugene, Oregon Volume 87, Number 144 Disaster kindles speculation among University faculty - By Chris Norred - Ol Ihr Kmrmlil ” ‘ •’ ' * ; T*he Soviet Union's nuclear reactor accident, and I In* subsequent radioactive clone).-’ lies sji.irjk. ed speculation among .tome University faculty alsnit the effects the disaster might: have upon health, politics and nuclear energy'. * ‘ . Thursday's .reports showed-t'hfj.chdid. cover-.J ing .a large-part of Eastern and'Nbrthern Europe. / • and possibly arriving in the United States within 0 the week. ' ■ • i Accurate information* on- this exact nature of. the accident.is essential for a complete analysis of the possible health effects, 'said Bill. lames., i health physicist at the .University's office of an*.." vironmental health and safety. . ° As of now. however, the official word com- " ing from the Soviet Union has been criticized as., slow, incomplete and undetailed - • ; European political leaders and the Western media have chastised the Soviets for failing.to,im mediately inform the world about the. accident Hut 'the isoviets- reluctance to immediately.” release details of. the accident is very understanr dahle and practical.'said |oseph Austin, instruc tor oft he University's SEARCH" course, "War in the Nuclear Age;"’ - ’ ’ ... •; % "The first priority is to get people out of the immediate area, and that's exactly'what it ap pears they did.” Austin said. "Had ihey- 'an nounced how terrible things were tie fore they got them out,.there would have been such a.panic: they wouldn't have been: able to save those •: people.. .V. .... "Supposing they had told everybody just, what had happened.- what would those.goverh mnnts In Europe do to head off those radioactive winds?" Austin asked. - * Hut the Soviet Union was negligent in the .. .-. . sense they were, not frank with their-pWn.people iir their allies; said professor Joseph Fiszman, .a . University political science professor. Fiszman has 'spent many years traveling in the Soviet: -Union.-.' * ■•••*. ’ . ■ . . ■ ... ' “ ">^e always, the:Soviet people are the last v ’to know.ancl the least to.know4’ Fiszman sa.id. . ■ l.t'is the fault of a system-1hat'doe's riot divulge its information'that we fear rumors and"analysef oft tlie situation, that are contradictory! Fiszman said? ‘ o- ' .. • ;' V\"The Russians generally tend"- to take chances," Fishman said. "They an; daredevils, there are no real safety indications When you travel on Soviet airlines, "they are doing things that from a safety point of view ought to be .taboo!"- • . ' "Th'e Russians have less .experience with »:*w:hnologv than we do. and we have accidents, so > imagine the problems’ they have!" Austin said. . 4 Americah offers of assistance in.fighting the nuclear reactor lire have not been accepted', a'nd it is unlikely.that the Soviets will accept the offer,’ Fiszman said.! . ‘ . r ."The U.S: hash natural instinct to offer help * in a disaster situation, but the Soviet Union will reject.it," Fiszman said, v • • ' Some European political leaders called for the Soviets to shut down all their nuclear plants until-international inspections could be carried out. But the Russians are not likely to agree with ;f this,' Fiszman' said,, V-°. „"The Soviet.Union has some economic.pro blems and has increasingly put their future stakes in nuclear-energy," he said. •; . ’• - ' . "Obyjously their scientific community came to the conclusion that nuclear power was a step '.into' the “future; They put good money and con - fidence in.it.” Austin said. Blood-red handprints on an anti-apartheid banner displayed at Wednesday’s GTE.rally symbolize the op pression of blacks in South Africa. An anti-apartheid rally,'originally scheduled for Thursday but canceled because of rain, will take place Tuesday at 12:30 in the EMU Courtyard. Photo by lames Marks • . ■ . ' ' : v. •. .. •• •• • >. .• c.. •. •; 1 Emerald editor chosen By Chris Norred IW I Hr £mt*r*ltj Th« Oregon Daily Emerald will undergo some .significant changes in the way it reports tin* news next year, said now editor Paul Sturt/. Sturtz’s selection as editor for the l‘J8t>-H7 school year was announced by the Emerald board of directors Thursday! night. "I would like to have a perfect blend between a newspaper that can carry late-breaking news but also has the flexibility to explore issues in a more comprehensive way,” Sturt/. »aid; r-. .*■ _ „ "No one but the Emerald can cover campus news as thoroughly," he said, "It is our responsibility to take advantage of that distinction. As a school newspaper, the Emerald should not be afraid to challenge the powers that he. and call them on their bluffs." I.engthier, in-depth news features will be the major emphasis of the paper next year. Other major changes in the paper will include a reduction in the number of stories from syn dicated news services and a more creative graphic design. Writers will have more freedom to experiment with style next year, he said. "I would like to see the paper have more spunk,” Sturtz said. "1 would like to have pimple open up the paper in the morning and he surprised.” Sturtz is presently the associate editor of community and political news at the Emerald and has four years of experience as a freelance reporter for the paper. Me also has worked as an intern research assistant at Mother Jones magazine and was formerly a contributing editor to Big Talk magazine, a now-defunct music and issues magazine that was based in Eugene. Fee committee refuses funding for another EMU staff position By Stan Nelson Of the Kmerald In a move to make the EMU more of a student-run operation, the Incidental Fee Committee eliminated funding of one staff position and denied funding for a second at an EMU budget hearing Thursday. The committee also approved a Club Sports trainer position. The I Ft' approved a 5 percent increase that will give the EMU about $1.3 million in student incidental fees. The Cultural Forum consultant posi tion was eliminated despite EMU Board and staff objections that the change would cause disarray. Many ASIIO and EMU programs pro vide similar services and could be con solidated. said Mary Kay Menard. ASUO assistant finance coordinator. 1'he $26,978-a-year position at the Cultural Forum is under contract for an additional three years and will have to be funded or bought out. FIMU staff members said. IFC members rejected an Outdoor Pro gram request for a half-time GTF stipend of $8,328 to coordinate program safety and outings. After three years of requests. Club Sports was appropriated a $3,565 sti pend for a part-time trainer. The stipend replaced a lodging stipend received by athletes in prior years. Club Sports was budgeted $4,878 to subsidize 1985-86 lodging costs. In other business, the committee discussed University President Paul Olum’s proposal to use surplus inciden tal fee monies for loans to GTFs who are subject to recent tax withholdings on tui tion waivers. “The proposal has the support of Chancellor William Davis and Chairman of the Board of Higher Education. Al Batiste. The State System offices have re quested advice as to the legality of this use of the Incidental Fee reserve, and we are quite hopeful that this use will be ap proved." Olum said in a letter to the committee. The proposal still needs the approval of the State Board of Higher Education and the IFC. he said. The biggest problem with the proposal is there is no guarantee the loans will be paid back, said 1PC Chairman James Ran dall. If one group is allowed to request an emergency loan, it could start a prece dent so that any struggling group of in dividuals could request loans, said Ar mando Morales, an IFC member. IFC member Ka-yin Siew called the proposal "an outrageous attempt by Olum. the administration and the State Board of Higher Education to deflect the heat they ignited when they decided to withhold the pay in the first place." Olum will meet with Randall, the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation President Chuck Hunt and ASUO Presi dent Lynn Pinckney on Friday to discuss the matter further. Randall said.