Students say campus crime reports may mislead iiM PORTLAND (API — Crime statistics compiled by Oregon colleges and univer sities may give stu dents a false sense of security. student groups say. A brochure from Portland State Uni versity. for example. says there were .19 burglaries and 41 oar thefts on campus between 1989 and 1991. But the brochure records only one aggravated assault, one drug-related arrest and one robbery during that three-year period And it reports Portland State did not have a single rope, liquor law offense or weapons violation on campus during that three-year period "Portland State appears to let this won derful place where nothing happens." said Holly Davoll, coordinator of the cam pus escort service based at the Women's 1 In ion Resource Center. Davoll has reason to suspect otherwise. The women’s center in 1992 recorded 2fi reports of public indecency or sexual harassment and reports of one assault, two robberies and two rapes on or near campus Davoll said she worries every night she walks in the dark from campus to her apartment and breathes "a great sigh of relief when I make it home.” So far this year, several serious crimes have been reported on or near the Port land Slate campus. In fanuary, a man with a gun forced a woman to turn her <-ar over to him after she parked it near cam pus. Early in February, a woman was struck twice in the face and once in the ( host by a man who walked into a women's locker room on campus. On Feb 20. a woman fought off a man who attempted to rape her in Lincoln Hall. Lindsay Desrocher, the university's vice president for finance and adminis tration. said the brochure contains accu rate statistics and reflects the presence of foot and bicycle patrols on campus. A new federal law requires colleges and universities to publish an annual summary of inaior crimes on campus. But even security officials admit they have trouble drawing meaningful conclusions from the statistics. They include only crimes that occur on property owned or controlled by the col leges and universities and that are han dled by campus security Crimes that affect students on their way to and from campus are not reported, though most of Portland State's 18.000 students are commuters. ‘ft doesn’t make students aware they should be taking precautions to be safe.’ — Jane Lesser. Oregon Student Lobby legislative director Crimes reported by the 1,500 students living on the Portland State campus are handled by the Portland Police Bureau and appear on the university's annual c rime report only if campus security learns about them, The campus crime reporting law "is something new, and it is not perfect." said Greg Parker, spokesman for the Ore gon State System of Higher Education. Students worry universities are using the new crime reports to improve public relations rather than help students take wise precautions. "It doesn't make studonls aware they should be taking precautions to I* safe," said Jane Lesser, legislative director of the Oregon Student Lobby, which represents students at state colleges and universities Many Oregon colleges' crime reports suggest students have little to fear Some of them reported zero incident* of violent (rime and few incidents of any other seri ous crimes in 1991 Lewis and Clark College in Portland, for example, reported only one burglary. Blue Mountain Community College and Western Baptist College reported no incident* of rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary or car theft, and no arrests for liquor, drug or weapons viola tions. In the same categories. Central Oregon Community College reported only one car theft, lane Community College reported one rape and one liquor violation, and Pacific University reported two burglaries and one liquor violation. Statewide. 31 public and private institutions of higher education collectively reported 16 rapes. 11 robberies and 69 assaults. Western Oregon State College reported five rapes, where all other colleges and universities in the state reported two or loss; 22 reported none. Western's high number probably resulted from efforts to encourage victims to report, said Lt. Brock Wallace of campus public safety. Oregon State University reported 190 liquor violations. 38 assaults and 31 bur glories. The University reported only 14 liquor violations, but 50 burglaries. Three rescue woman before car catches fire PORIT-AND (AP) — Passing motorists pulled a woman from her overturned car just moments Indore the wrack hurst into flames, but deputies say the woman has no memory of the accident or the three people who saved her life Deborah Cornelius-Poirier. 34. of Sandy was headed west on l! S Highway 2fi about 1.15 a in. Sunday when she lost control of her car. the Multnomah County sheriff s office said. The car rolled along tho shoulder of the rood, then ran nose first into a ditch, which flipped it upside down. The car slid another 135 feet on its roof before it rams to rest against a hank beside the road, wild Deputy Mark Mohsushima, One of three people who stopper! to help was an emergency room technician, who crawled into the wreck to check the dri ver's condition. Mahsushima said. A fire broke out in the engine comportment, and when the passorsby could not smother the Rre with dirt, they pried open tho car door and pulled Cornelius-Poirier to safety. The woman was token to Mount Hood Medical Center, whore she was found to be uninjured. “We couldn't believe it." Mohsushima said. “All she had was a couple of Band-Aid size cuts." Cairnelius-Poirier said she had no memory of tho accident. “She thought she was driving home." Mahsushima said. A breath test showed Cornelius-Poirier had a blood alco hol level of 0.22 percent, nearly three times the level at which a person is considered legally intoxicated in Oregon. The University of Oregon Career Planning and Placement Service presents SUCCESS SKILLS Bill mav lower leaal alcohol level SALEM (API - A hill to low er the blood alcohol level at which a driver is presumed to l>e drunk would make criminals out of social drinkers and do lit tle to reduce traffic wrecks, opponents said Monday "The only effect of lowering the blood alcohol content is to pul more drivers in legal jeop ardy," said Michael McCallum. spokesman for the Oregon Restaurant Association But supporters of the hill said that even mild levels of intoxi cation can impair driving ability and increase the chance of acci dents. "The new. lower level will ad as a deterrent to unsafe deci sions to drive after drinking for many Oregonians." said lane Aiken, a member of the Gover nor's Advisory Committee on DUU. The testimony came as the Oregon Senate Judiciary Com mittee opened hearings on a bill to set the legal standard at 0.04 percent, half the current stan dard of 0.08 percent. Officials say the 0.04 percent level, which would be the low est in the country, amounts to two or three drinks in an hour for most people. Paul Komain. spokesman for the Oregon Beer and Wine Dis tributors Association, said such an approach would give law makers the illusion that they're (.racking down on drunken dri ving In fact, Komain said, it wouldn't have any impact on hard-core offenders who drive "like bullets" down the high ways after drinking excessively. "We're sitting here talking about the social drinker and nobody else,” he said. "We would like to see you go after the real problem.” McCallum said Oregon and other states already have passed numerous laws cracking down on drunken driving and most people consider it socially unac ceptable to drink and drive. "The 0.04 plan is aimed more at curbing social drinking than at improving highway safety," We’re sitting here talking about the social drinker and nobody else. We would like to see you go after the real problem.’ — Paul Romain, Oregon Beer and Wine Distributors spokesman he said. "It would make casual, social drinkers fearful of being hrunded as criminals." But John Tongue, a Tualatin physician who supports the bill, said there's growing evidence that even mild doses of alcohol impair driving ability and that lowering the blood alcohol limit would save lives. "A 10 percent reduction in deaths and injuries overall I think is a conservative esti mate." Tongue said. A MOYER^ THEATRESIA STUDENT NIGHTS MOS