Oregon Daily
Emerald
City sets goals
for legislature
See Page 4
Thursday, December 11, 1986
Eugene. Oregon
Volume 88. Number 71
Fixing nature
Two city of Eugene employees prepare to stand this
30-foot-tall Dutch Elm in front of the Delta Gamma sorority
house at 8 o'clock Wednesday morning. This $416 tree
was paid for by the sorority and is one of 14 trees the city
is planting in the West University Neighborhood to
replace trees killed this summer by Dutch Elm Disease.
Photo by Michael Wilhelm
Independent-status changes
may cost students money
By Chris Norred
Of th« Fmftrold
Nearly half the University's
undergraduate, independent
students, may lose their in
dependent status for financial
aid purposes when new federal
criteria take effect next year.
The new criteria will include
two major changes in the defini
tion of an independent student.
Those two changes will
define an independent student
as one who is 24 years old or
older by Dec. 31 of the year for
which the aid is sought, or one
who "was not claimed as a
dependent by a parent or guar
dian for income-tax puposes for
the two calendar years
preceding the award year and
demonstrates total self
sufficiency.. by
demonstrating an annual total
income of $4,000,” excluding
financial aid income, for each of
those two years.
Students may also qualify as
independent by meeting other
criteria such as being a graduate
student or married student, a
veteran, an orphan, a parent, or
an exception to the rules as
determined by a financial aid
administrator.
The changes in the
independent-student definition
could potentially affect 48 per
cent of the University’s
undergraduate students who
qualify as independent under
the present rules, said Ed
Vignoul. director of the Univer
sity’s Office of Student Finan
cial Aid.
Of the 2.746 undergraduate,
independent students who
received financial aid at the
University this year, 1.324 or 48
percent do not meet the 24 year
age requirement.
A few of those students
would not be affected by the
changed definition because
they also meet one of the other
criteria by which they can
qualify as independents.
Vignoul said.
The other major change in
student financial aid programs
has already been implemented.
Guaranteed Student l.oans now
require applicants to complete a
Financial Aid Form needs test
to determine eligibility.
Under the old rules of the
GSL program, a needs test was
not required and students
whose parents made less than
$30,000 a year could replace the
expected parental contribution
with the GSL, Vignoul said.
Turn to Changes, Page 12
Jury favors sporting goods store
in Brathwaite trial proceedings
By Dennis Fernandes
Of IlM KnwraM
A Lane County jury ruled in favor of a
downtown sporting gooffs store in a suit charging
that the store did not adequately secure military
type weapons.
The verdict, handed down Wednesday morn
ing in I,ane County Circuit Court, culminates a
three-week trial in which Sharon Brathwaite
sought more than $1.7 million as part of a lawsuit
against Anderson's Sporting Goods, 199 W.
Kiglith Ave.
Anderson’s was accused of not adequately
storing the display weapons that were stolen in a
pre-dawn burglary on Nov. 12, 19H4, ami used in
the shooting death of Brathwaite's husband,
former University student and two-time Olym
pian Christopher Brathwaite.
Former University student Michael Evan
Feher broke into Anderson's at about 4:10 a in. by
smashing the glass front door of the store with a
baseball fiat
He then reportedly stole two semi-automatic
weapons — a (k>lt AR-15 and Reuger Mini-14 —
and stationed himself atop the rim of Autzen
Stadium. From there he shot Brathwaite as he was
jogging on Prefontaine's Trail near the stadium.
Feher also shot at former University wrestler
Rick O'Shea who was leaving the weight room
underneath the stadium. Although Feher's shot
missed, O'Shea did suffer injuries from shrapnel
Feher committed suicide a short time later.
Springfield Attorney William Wiswall. who
represented Brathwaite, claimed the theft was a
direct cause of Brathwaite's death because Antler
son’s did not "improve" security measures after
four similar burglaries that had occurred since
1980
William Cowling, the Medford attorney
representing Anderson's, contended that Ander
son’s lived up to security obligations with a silent
alarm system, which aided in the direct ap
prehension of three of the four burglars in those
prior attempts.
The four-woman, eight-man jury deliberated
for seven hours over two days before reaching its
verdict, ludge Douglas Spencer polled the jury
and found it 10-2 in favor of the defendant.
Anderson's owner Harvey Fox wept with
relief after the verdict was announced.
"It's been a long ordeal for everyone.” Cowl
ing said.
He told reporters afterward that the valid
point was. "the jury felt security was adequate,
and the blame was rightly placed.”
Hrathwaite, although disappointed, believes
she "made a point” and said the suit was filed as
"a matter of principal" and not for monetary
reasons, she said.
"I think people are more aware of this issue
now. and I hope this caise will affect security deci
sions in the future." she said.
Wiswall said they would consider an appeal
but he didn't think they would actually pursue it
He also disclosed that Hrathwaite was award
ed $9(HM>f)() by the Fuller estate in an earlier, out
of-court settlement He added that Aetna In
surance Corp. is appealing that decision, and
results of that process should In- available soon.
Riverfront Research Park draws
debate over classified research
Hy Stan Nelson
Of I hr Knwrrld
Administrators response to th«» University
Senato's request for comment on the Riverfront
Research Park dominated the majority of the
Senate meeting on Wednesday.
Faculty concerns arose over the riutum of
research to be conducted at the park There is
currently a ban on weapons research, but
because classified research is not allowed on
the University campus, some faculty members
believe a ban on classified research should also
be applied to the research park.
Faculty members have stated correctly
that research flourishes best under open
research conditions, said John Moseley,
University vice president for research
"Unfortunately, the reality is regardless of
whatever we do there will be a lot of secret
research in this park in the form of proprietary
research,” he said, referring to research a com
pany chooses to keep secret even when it is not
required by the government to do so.
"It is truly impossible to develop a park
that transfers the University's restrictions.” he
added.
The University does allow businesses that
sponsor research on campus a short period of
time to seek a patent, he said. Without the op
tion to protect its own research, businesses
will not develop at the park, Moseley said.
"I arn personally confident that given the
Iran on weapons research and the general
tenure of this community . the chances of a
company actually wishing to locate in Kugene
in order to do classified research is essentially
zero,” Moseley said.
Ambiguity arises in the interpretation of
what a lain on weapons research actually
means, said Frank Stahl, biology professor and
proponent of a classified research ban at the
park Any resultant researi h from the Depart
ment of Defense funding could lie considered
weapons research if the research has transfer
capabilities. Stahl said.
The University faculty passed a resolution
in 1966 that removed classified research from
campus. Allowing classified research to lie
conducted at the research park, which the
University supports by assisting in its crea
tion. is hypocritical. Stahl said.
The Strategic Defense Initiative funds the
same type of basic research as does the Na
tional Science Foundation, said University
President Paul Olunt. basic research can Iks ap
plied to both business and military, and
sometimes it is difficult to make a distinction,
he said. Olum believes the University and the
city can distinguish between the two.
Olum agreed with faculty concerns that
there should be an individual, possibly a
member of the Riverfront Research Park
Research Advisory ('.roup, to assess ques
tionable classified research conducted at the
park, he said.
Faculty members opposing classified
research at the park should oppose the whole
idea of the park and reject the whole idea of the
park. Olum said.
Six to nine months are necessary to
develop a master plan for the development of
the park. Moseley said. Once the plan is
developed, then the City of Faigene can pro
ceed with the infrastructure of lighting,
Turn to Research, Page 6