* Enjoy your break!
The Emerald will
return Jan. 7
Oregon Daily
Emerald
Monday. December 15,1986
Eugene. Oregon
Volume 88. Number 73
Project Saferide
to expand service
to 13th Avenue
By Stan Nelson
Of the Rmcnrald
Project Saferide will expand its ser
vices beginning winter term, receiving
riders on the currently blocked-off sec
tion of 13th Avenue from University
Street to Kincaid Street.
The University Transportation Sub
committee unanimously passed a ten
tative motion Friday allowing Project
Saferide vans access to 13th Avenue un
til the end of the current academic year
The program will be assessed at the end
of the year to determine whether van ac
cess will be continued, said David Rowe.
University planner.
When implemented. Project Saferide
vans will enter 13th Avenue from the
parking lot adjacent to Johnson Hall and
exit at the intersection of 13th Avenue
and Kincaid Street near the Chiles
Business Center and Condon Hall.
The van service will run from 6 p.m.
until midnight winter term, and 8 p.m.
until midnight spring term to provide
greater accessibility for women enrolled
in night classes, said Shannon Meehan.
Project Saferide coordinator.
Access through 13th Avenue will in
crease the effectiveness of the shuttle ser
vices. Meehan said, and will enable a
driver to complete a van route every half
hour rather than the hour it takes now.
With the services of the second Saferide
van to begin winter term, access to riders
could be provided every 15 minutes, she
said.
Turn to Saferide, Page 6
A merry tuba Christmas
More than 2(H) tuba players of all ages gathered Saturday for the eighth annual Tuba Carol Concert at the
Eugene Downtown Mall's Center Fountain. The players produced more than the traditional “oom-pah-pah "
expected from a tuba: Listeners were treated to renditions of favorite holiday carols arranged bv former l Univer
sity student David Crosvenor.
Photo by Shu-Shing ('.him
US. stalls efforts
to stop arms race;
forum speaker says
By Tonnie Dakin
Of lh« Emerald
The question of whether humanity will be able to step
back from the precipice of nuclear annihilation dominated a
forum sponsored in celebration of the United Nations' Year of
Peace.
Most Americans have an idea of the devastation that
nuclear war would cause by looking at the destruction of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. said Karen
Talbot, representative to the United Nations for the World
Peace Council.
“We all have in our minds...the horrors of that
holocaust ...we know of the lingering effects on subsequent
generations.” she said. “Hut Hiroshima and Nagasaki live to
day . . .they have rebuilt."
If nuclear weapons are used again, the world would have
a nuclear winter that would destroy all life on the planet, she
said.
Certainly, the citizens of the United States, Soviet Union
and European countries are aware of the devastation that
nuclear war would bring. The citizens of Third World, less
advanced countries also are aware of the effects. Talbot said.
“The people in these countries are very much aware they
will not escape either. . they are aware that it means death
for them, too." she said.
If nuclear testing doesn't stop, the danger of the loss of
arms control or of nuclear accidents grows greater, she said.
“The genie is almost out of the bottle,” she said. "We
may reach the point of no return."
Although there was a chance to reach an arms control
agreement at the summit meeting in Iceland. President
Turn to Peace, Page 4
University employees complain
about forced holiday, Dec. 26
By (Jiris Norred
CM lh« Emerald
All University employees will
get to stay home on the day after
Christmas, whether they want
to or not. And many employees
are less than thrilled with the
extended holiday, said Kathy
Wittwer. Oregon Public
Employees Union
representative.
Wittwer said the OPEU local
is considering a group
grievance against the University
because the decision to close
the union's place of employ
ment for "lack of work" was
made by administrators who
don't have to do the work and
who didn't ask how much has
to be done.
University administrators an
nounced in a memo dated Dec.
4 that all University depart
ments. except for emergency
services such as the Office of
Public Safety, will be closed
Dec 26.
The closure may disrupt some
University employees’ holiday
vacation plans, cause them to
fall behind in their work, or to
forfeit a day's wages from their
December paychecks, Wittwer
said.
But the decision to close the
University was seen as a benefit
for most employees, said Jack
Steward. University director of
personnel services. Steward
said he recommended the
closure after consulting with a
number of other administrators.
“The president, on advice of
the vice president for ad
ministration after consultation
with the provost and the direc
tor of personnel services, has
determined that with classes
already in recess and with the
Christmas holiday occurring on
the previous day. work loads
will be so light as to meet the
terms and conditions of (the
Temporary Interruption of
Employment — l.ack of Work
provision) of the current OPEU
collective bargaining con
tract. . ." the memo reads.
"The main reason is just to
give people the opportunity for
a long weekend," Steward said.
Hut Wittwer said employees
have a floating holiday, with
which they could take a long
weekend if they want, but by
closing the University, the ad
ministrators are forcing
employees to use the floating
holiday on Dec. 26. "What has
traditionally been a floating
holiday doesn't float anymore,"
she said.
The memo advises employees
to use the floating holiday
known as Governor's Day or
vacation or compensatory time
to cover the Dec. 26 closure.
Governor’s Day can Ihi taken
either the day before or after
Christmas or the day before or
after New Year's.
But the employees had to
schedule their Governor's Day
time off well in advance so the
University would have enough
employees to remain open on
those days, Wittwer said.
"The union representatives
got calls from employees who
had already made plans for their
Governor's Day time off. and
now they’ll have to change their
plans or use some of their vaca
tion time, or get a smaller
paycheck for December,” said
l.isa Sieracki, OPEU represen
tative. Also, employees who do
not have holiday pay because
they have worked less than six
months or have used all of their
vacation and compensatory
time will be forced to take leave
without pay, she said.
"For example, if somebody
was planning to take Governor’s
Day on the day after New
Year's, now they're forced to
take another day off. and maybe
get behind in their work, and
they have to use a day they
could have taken some other
time." Wittwer said.
In addition, many employees
are complaining that the "lack
Turn to Holiday, Page 4