Oregon Daily Emerald TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1992 EUGENE, OREGON VOLUME 94, ISSUE 68 Students air concerns over housing proposal j Eligibility requirements concern several students By Sarah Clark Emerald Reporter The Office of University Housing is di gesting testimony about proposed family housing eligibility requirements, and housing director Nile hue) Eyster said lie expects to make a final decision winter term. The testimony was taken at a Dec 3 hearing in the EMU. Some students at the hearing praised the proposal for letting students who are not married — such as homosexual cou ples — have the same opportunity for family housing as students who are mar ried. However, some said the proposal should specifically recognize domestic partnerships. Many students objected to the propos al’s emphasis on financial need. The pro posal would give students with financial need higher priority than for students without financial need, even if the latter have children. Others objected that undergraduates applying for family housing would have to be at least 21 years old. Eyster said he is deciding how to pro cess the testimony. The family Housing Board will be involved in the prtx ess, he said He may enlist the help of other peo ple, too. hut he said he has not decided on a format. "Even though the Input (at the hear ing) was very controversial and repre sented a number of different perspec tives, 1 think there's a pattern,” Eyster said "I think we can use that input to make something that will work lor a number of different constituencies " Eyster did not specify which parts of the proposal he will change, saying he is "still open to guidance." However, Eyster said family housing The housing is so inexpensive, it constitutes financial assistance Mictiael Eyster, University housing director needs new eligibility requirements, be cause Students w ith financial need should lie ,i higher priority for family housing than students without financial need. Current requirements don't specify financial need. "The housing is so inexpensive, it con stitutes financial assistance.” Eyster said "It seems to me it's only fair to have this based on need.” Students at the hearing who have chil dren said they should have top priority for family housing, even if they don't have financial need University Housing has not yet defined "financial need," Eyster said. Housing plans to work with the Office of Student Financial Aid to create a definition, he said The proposal defines "financial need" as students who qualify for financial aid, but Eyster said that is a mistake Some students will still In: classified as having financial need even if they aren't eligible for student financial aid, Eyster said For example, some students can't get their parents to sign a Financial Aid Form, which they need to apply for aid, he said Other are disqualified under government technicalities, he said Eyster said students who have chil dren will lie more likely to have "finan cial need” than students without (Ini dren, "It s going to continue to lie primarily families that live (in family housing)," he said Small Frosty to go Bfe._i_ Ph0*O Irr Jo" P**Ukf There may not have been enough snow in the Eugene area early Monday morning to build tile-size snowmen, but someone loll this wee tyke on the back of a car parked