Oregon Daily_ _
Emerald
Tuesday, January 26, 1988
Eugene. Oregon
Volume 89, Number 86
Library plan
garners input
By Betsy Clayton
Emerald Reporter
The inadequacy of the current Eugene
Public Library and reactions to a final
draft proposal on its future resurfaced at
a Monday City Council public hearing.
Many community members commend
ed the Future of Our Library Committee
on its draft that outlines a plan for a
larger, $16.4 million library and a $6.6
million parking structure to be built op
posite the Broadway Street entrance to
the downtown pedestrian mall.
Other residents, however, discussed
problems with the parking cost and
site selection. Mary Benson of Eugene
said, “The $23 million includes the
price of the parking garage. I believe it's
doomed to failure on the bond ballot.
The price is out of reason for today's
Eugene."
Committee member Jim Saul told the
council the city should proceed with the
construction of the 115,000-square-foot
structure to meet the needs of the com
munity. In addition, it should strongly
consider the location on the south side of
Broadway Street between Lincoln and
Charnelton Streets.
The site selection on Broadway receiv
ed the highest score of all the locations
considered for the new library, said Jim
Robertson, of Robertson Sherwood Ar
chitects. The site is large enough to ac
commodate the proposed size, close
enough to downtown commercial activi
ty, accessible by vehicles and buses and
already under public ownership, he
said.
Parking posed a difficult issue for the
committee, committee member Julie
Aspinwall-I.amberts said. "We con
sidered multi-level parking and surface
parking. Surface parking would take two
square city blocks and that did not seem
reasonable," she said.
The per capita circulation of the
library is very high compared to other
cities the size of Eugene, consultant Dick
Turn to Library, Page 8
Tradition
Hsiao-Wen Chang, vice president of the University's Chinese Stu
dent Association, pauses during a ceremonial march Monday from the
EMU Courtyard to Gilbert Hall to fashion her warrior costume depic
ting an ancient Chinese female warrior. Several members of CSA and
the Hong Kong Student Association donned such traditional clothing
and made the short trek as part of festivities leading up to China Night
on Jan. 31 at the EMU Ballroom. “Traditional to Modern ” is the theme
of the program, which will feature exhibitions, dinner and
entertainment.
Photo by Andy Cripe
Student Senate
debates health
class necessity
By Kelvin Wee
Emerald Reporter
The future of required health educa
tion dominated Monday's Student
Senate meeting, as University represen
tatives and senators dashed over the
merits of health education.
At issue was a proposal to support the
School of Community Health's attempt
to preserve the University’s health
education requirements. Currently, all
students are required to take one course
in health education.
Also at stake is the University’s sub
sidy of about $30 million in federal
financial aid for offering health
education.
"That’s contingent on if there is
substance abuse education made for all
students, and the health requirement
fulfills that," said |ody Ellingson. a
School of Community Health student
representative. "If it were axed, then we
would not get that money."
The proposal is in response to a
Special Semester System Curriculum
Committee proposal that would remove
health education as a graduation require
ment when the University switches over
to the semester system in 1 ‘190.
Senators discussed the quality of the
health classes and how the classes can be
improved. Current health classes,
senators believed, were either too lax or
repetive of high school curriculum.
Aftor 20 minutes of debate, the
senators decided to postpone taking ac
tion until additional information about
the proposal is available.
Also discussed at the meeting was a
proposal by University faculty member
Mike Ellis that seeks to delay the Univer
sity’s 1990 conversion to a semester
calendar.
Senate Chairwoman Karen Frymoyer
told the senate the proposal had the sup
port of other faculty members in colleges
Turn to Senate, Page 5
Students offer their time and friendship as role models
By Jennifer Carlin
Emerald Contributor
A few years ago Jeff Brew
watched from the window of his
Springfield home as a young
boy was kicked out of his house
by an angry mother. Brew had
seen the child before, walking
alone to and from school.
Brew, 21, a history major at
the University, remembers feel
ing frustrated and helpless at
what he saw that day. After talk
ing with a friend at a summer
youth conference, he decided to
become a Big Brother volunteer.
Brew applied for the position
in 1986 in an attempt to per
sonally address some of the pro
blems facing today’s youth.
Eugene's YMCA Big Brother/
Big Sister program matches
children in the 4-J district’s
elementary and middle schools
with volunteers who are willing
Jeff Brew and Josh Glines
to share their time, skills and
resources. Many of the children
in the program are in need of
friendship and adult role
models.
The local program, operating
since 1966, is funded directly
by the 4-J School District. It is
primarily run as a mentorship
and friendship service to assist
children who are at risk of not
succeeding in school.
Brew's “little brother." )osh
Glines. 13. had been on a Big
Brother waiting list for nearly
two years. Brew examined the
boy’s background files, spoke
with his mother by phone, and
eventually decided to
anonymously observe Glines at
school one day. That's when the
two first met.
"He was really excited.”
Brew recalled. "He was talking
a mile a minute, and he wanted
to show me everything."
Excitement was also a big part
of the first meeting between ten
year-old Persephone Fletcher
and her "big sister." Danielle
Arigoni.
Arigoni, 18, a freshman at the
University, applied for the pro
gram last September after atten
ding a meeting during New Stu
dent Orientation. She and Flet
cher met earlier this month.
Arigoni said she became a
volunteer partly because she
has a ten-year-old sister whom
their mother is raising single
handedly.
"It's hard because single
Persephone Fletcher
and Danielle Arigoni
parents do not have much time
to spend with their children,"
Arigoni said.
According to Hob Holden,
director of Eugene's Big
Brother/Big Shier, the mujority
of children in the program come
from single-parent homes, Thu
youngsters often have low self
esteem and lack a positive adult
role model in their lives, he
said.
Teachers and counselors
recommend possible candidates
for the program based on such
indicators as the child's social
interaction in school.
Lori Hemphill, a counselor at
the Harris-French Bilingual
School, 1150 E. 29th Ave., said
she recommends a child only
after consulting other teachers
and counselors and discussing
the benefits of the program with
the children and their parents.
Turn to Program, Page 5