Ducks down WSU
in dual track meet
See page 7
Oregon Daily
Emerald
Monday. April 13. 1987
Eugene, Oregon
Volume 88, Number 100
Three student initiatives
voided by ASUO Court
By Carolyn I.amberson
Of the Kmorild
The ASUO Constitution Court dis
qualified three measures from the ballot
for the April 22-23 student general elec
tion, Friday.
Funding initiatives for the University
Athletic. Department and the University
marching band, and an initiative to save
the Riverfront Research Park construc
tion site were all disqualified because
the court ruled that the signatures
gathered for the initiatives were
unconstitutional.
However, ASUO President Steve
Nelson, with the support of Incidental
Fee Committee Chairwoman Jodie
Mooney and Student Senate Chairman
Randy MacDonald, will ask the ASUO
Elections Board to make an exception to
the constitution and place those three
measures back on the ballot.
The Court’s decision, written by Court
member Mary Kay Menard, was sparked
by a request from IFC member Bob
Baldwin. Last week. Baldwin asked the
Court to look into the constitutionality of
three issues.
Baldwin questioned the constitu
tionality of the IFC’s role and procedure
in placing the Oregon Daily Emerald's
funding measure on the ballot, and ask
ed the Court to declare the action un
constitutional because the IFC did not
get the wording of the ballot measure ap
proved by the Court beforehand.
He also asked the Court to declare all
measures placed on the ballot by the
ASUO Executive, the IFC and the Stu
dent Senate unconstitutional for the
same reason.
In addition, he asked the Court to
“declare as null and void any and all
signatures which have been. . .gathered
in support of any initiative measure, ex
cept where such signatures have been af
fixed to a petition in which the wording
has previously received the specific ap
proval of the Constitution Court.”
The Court agreed with Baldwin on the
final point, and nullified signatures
gathered by the marching band, the
Athletic Team Council and a coalition to
save the Riverfront Research Park con
struction site.
These groups cannot re-solicit
signatures because the Constitution re
quires all initiative signatures to be in
the hands of the ASUO Vice President
two weeks before the election.
There is. however, another constitu
tional route to getting these measures on
the ballot, Nelson said.
Nelson, Mooney and MacDonald, as
the heads of three branches of student
government, will join together in asking
the ASUO Elections Board to make an
exception to “give the students the
chance to have a say.” Nelson said.
“We feel that the Court ruled correctly
in this matter,” Nelson said. “But at the
same time, these three groups did
(gather signatures) with good intentions
and with the understanding they had the
approval of the Constitution Court.”
Nelson stressed he was not supporting
any of the measures by placing them on
the ballot, but was simply giving
Turn to Initiatives. Page 4
Raising the beat
African drummer Chata of Oho Addy and Kukrudu played for about
200 people Saturday night at the “Caravan for the forgotten" dance in
Condon School. The caravan consists of 20 Guatemalan refugees touring
the western states and Texas. The group is raising money to help the peo
ple of Guatemala.
Photo by John (iiustina
Two weekend fires
bum campus dorms
By Karen Engels
Of tin Emerald
Fires in two University dorms this weekend, one of which
may have been arson related, are still under investigation, ac
cording to campus security officials.
Both fires caused minimal damage. One was in room 204
Cloran and the other in a DeCou laundry room dryer. The
dryer fire appears to have been purposely set, officials said.
The dryer fire apparently started around 3 a.m. Sunday
when a DeCou resident was alerted by the laundry room
smoke detector. Clothes in a dryer were on fire. A resident
pulled the fire alarm and campus security, the Eugene police
and Eugene fire department units were dispatched.
The fire was extinguished in about 15 minutes, said Lindy
Holt, resident assistant for Dyment. Holt was on weekend du
ty for the Walton dormitory complex when the fire occurred.
Damages to the dryer were estimated at $50, according to fire
officials.
The clothes were damaged and the dryer is out of use. Holt
said. No damage to the room was reported, but the blaze is
under investigation by Eugene police. The north side of
Walton complex was evacuated for about 15 minutes. Holt
said.
The cause of the fire is unclear, said campus security of
ficials. but newspapers may have been ignited in the dryer
with the clothes, they said.
The Cloran fire apparently started at 7:31 p.m. Saturday on
a desk, spreading to curtains and the ceiling, according to
resident assistant Susie Wilcox.
Andy Cook and Shaun Notdurft, residents of the room,
were at a movie when the fire started. The room’s fire detec
tor sounded, a resident alerted Wilcox and another pulled the
fire alarm.
Turn to Fire, Page 6
District, teachers go back to table
Mediators say insurance benefits major stumbling block
By )anet Paulson
Of lh« Kmcralil
Bargaining teams for the Kugene School
District and striking teachers reconvened Sunday
at the Kugene Hilton to continue contract
negotiations.
Talks broke off Wednesday after negotiating
teams worked through the night in an unsuc
cessful effort to stop an impending teachers
strike.
State mediator John Vale met briefly with
reporters at 6 p in. Sunday to say he had “nothing
to say."
Vale remains optimistic about contract negotia
tions. "I’m always optimistic," he said. "They’re
still talking.”
Vale said he did not foresee a quick settlement
and indicated that the insurance issue must he
resolved first.
The school district has proposed raising the
teachers’ current $25 deductible to $100 per per
son, with a maximum deductible of $300 per
family. District spokeswoman (lay Campbell said
medical insurance costs have increased by more
than 500 percent in the past 10 years and are ex
pected to increase 27 to 30 percent in the next
year, thereby making the increased deductible
necessary.
The district also wants to delete from the
teachers’ contract the requirement to specifically
name Blue Cross as the carrier, in order to allow
competitive bidding for the school district’s in
surance business.
Union officials have expressed a willingness to
raise tin; deductible to $50, but they say that hav
ing the insurance carrier named in the contract is
the only assurance union members have that the
quality of medical benefits will be maintained.
Tom Doig, chief negotiator for the Kugene
Kducation Association teachers’ union, said the
insurance issue is a major hurdle in bargaining at
this point. He said tin; school district chose not to
accept the most recent proposal from the union,
School district chief negotiator Steve
Goldschmidt said he believes that the union has
given some thought to the insurance proposals of
fered by tht; district early Wednesday morning.
“It is important on the insurance issue that
whatever is agreed upon is consistent with the
community’s ability to pay.’’ he said.
Goldschmidt said another important issue to be
resolved is that of assignment and transfer.
The school district wants to be allowed to post
job openings outside the district on August 1.
rather than mid-August as is now done. The KKA
does not feel that change is necessary.
Principals of Kugene schools submitted plans
to the school district Friday outlining their needs
for staffing in order to re-open. Campbell said.
The school district is taking applications for
replacement teachers and will begin screening
applicants soon.
The district does not expect schools to open
anytime this w'eek unless a settlement is reached,
she said.