EDITORIAL
Step back and
rework Amazon
The University is upset with the architect, the archi
tect is upset with the University and the students are
upset with everyone. The Amazon student housing pro
ject is spinning, in an uncontrollable path, out to sea.
There is a great deal of money at stake, let alone peo
ple’s homes. The people living at Amazon have created
an environment that is very livable to them, and they
should be incorporated in the refurbishment of Amazon.
The availability of low-cost student housing makes high
er education easier to attain for low-income families.
Indeed, it is one of the few ways for low-income students
to afford a higher education.
The objective of the University is to provide a similar
living environment but in a refurbished setting. This
idea has been overwhelmed with politics and bad com
munication since the project l>egan. Costs are rising dras
tically, and if they continue to increase they will ulti
mately be passed onto the residents. These residents are
already living on a low income, with half of their budget
going to rent in some cases. Any rent increase could
eliminate their potential to attain a degree.
The lines of communication have become dogged, the
intended goal of the University has been lost in poli
tics. and the tenants just want an affordable place to live.
It is definitely time to take a step back and ro-evaluate.
The students are asking for a moratorium on the imme
diate demolition and rebuilding of Amazon until a clear
public policy regarding the importance of low-cost hous
ing has been established. Furthermore, they would like
to have this policy approved by the Amazon tenants.
Engineers from a local architecture firm have stated
that the current structures can be safely occupied until
June 1996. The more students the University continues
to evacuate before that date, the higher the loss in rev
enue. So far. 37 units are empty, resulting in the loss of
roughly $7,000 dollars a month. Time is not of complete
essence, and the benefits of restructuring could be
extremely positive to the entire project.
The relationship with tho architect. Christopher
Alexander, and his firm CES/TE, must also be reworked.
It seems the working relationship between tho Universi
ty, the students and the architect has been severely dam
aged. Tho student group that was created to achieve this
relationship was disbanded in the spring of 1992 after a
confrontation erupted between Alexander and tho stu
dents. Nothing can be achieved until there is a possibil
ity of working together.
Although an immediate moratorium will further delay
the intended completion date of tho project, it may ben
efit everyone in the long run. The plan, as it exists now.
can t continue and be called a success. There have been
too many mixed signals and inflated costs. Amazon
housing provides a service to the students and tho stu
dents provide a service to the community. One can not
exist without the other.
, Emerald
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COMMENTARY
Police try to educate bicyclists
By Dennis Baker
I would like to respond to an
article in the Oct 1H edition
of the Emerald "Bicyclists
must obey trnffii rules." i
believe the article was well writ
ten and is an excellent tool for
continuing the education
proc ess at the University, as it
relates to bi< vi le safety and the
enforcement of traffic violations
I read several times in the arti
cle that bicyclists were unaware
of the Oregon laws regarding the
rules of the road. When I came
to the University nearly two
years ago, I attended several
meetings where University stu
dents were targeted and “pic ked
on" when it came to such
enforcement 1 listened to stories
and examples of incidents
where Eugene police officers
issued citations to students who
were out-of-state or from large
cities w here bic.yt le enforc e
ment was all but non existent
I believed then, as 1 do now .
that ignorance of the law is no
excuse. However, 1 believed the
students brought up some very
good points. I believe the law
enforcement community also
has some responsibility to edu
cate the greater c ommunity, par
ticularly when concerns are
raised about perceived negative
impacts on it.
1 decided to do what 1 could to
inform students at the Universi
ty about bicycle issues. The
campus police officers and I
developed several ways to go
about it. First, campus police
officers developed several pam
phlets relating to bicycle safety,
security and enforcement. A
wallet-size card was also devel
oped with the help of local west
University businesses. This card
is kept by the bicycle owner in
case his or her bicycle is stolen,
so all of the necessary informa
tion about the bike is available
for the police. Thus the chances
of recovering the bicycle are
increased.
I believed that just handing
out more pamphlets for students
to possibly throw away was not
enough. The officers began an
aggressive campaign to further
educate students We were pre
sent at the summer IntroDlJCK
tions, where parents and now
students attended and where the
topic of bicycles was discussed.
1 also gave presentations at the
new student orientations. Police
officers explained bii y< le laws
at Greek meetings, housing ori
entations and several Campus
Community Relations Task
Force meetings We had a booth
at the Street Faire called "Ask a
Cop." which was staffed by
police officers who have made
hundreds of contacts relating to
bicycles on campus. Last year,
as well as this year, members of
the Eugene Police Traffic Unit
spent the entire first week of
school issuing verbal warnings
to bicycle riders who violated
traffic laws on or near campus.
Hundreds of warnings were giv
en to students
It is also noteworthy to men
tion that the Office of Public Safe
ty at the University has worked
closely with the Kugene police in
this pro* ess of educating the pub
lic about bicycle safety
Campus security officers reg
ister student bicycles and also
staff tables around campus at the
beginning of each term for this
purpose. While registering bicy
cles, campus security officers talk
to students about theft preven
tion and campus regulations con
cerning bicycles. In addition, they
inform students about the impor
tance of obeying the traffic laws
of this state. They also stress the
fact that bicycle violations are
enforced in Eugene, and explain
why.
If some of the
public resents
traffic enforcement
as a means of
protecting people
from injury and
death, I cannot
apologize for that.
The whole purpose of this
effort is to address student con
cerns and diminish the "Us vs.
Them" attitude that always
seems to prevail when police
officers do enforce the laws (as
in the letter to editor. ‘‘Bikers vs
EPD," ODE. Oct. 20.)
I know that no matter how
hard the police attempt to edu
cate the public, not all of the
public will he reached. I believe
it is important that the students
at the University know that the!
police officers out there are not
there to destroy our relationship
with the community, but In* part
of it. If some of the public
resents traffic enforcement as a
means of protecting people from
injury and death. I cannot apol
ogize for that. The Eugene police
will remain committed to pro
viding the University communi
ty with a full range of services
including education, prevention
and, yes, enforcement.
I encourage students to feel
free to approach the police offi
cers they see on cuimpus and ask
any questions they have regard
ing this matter. Even if it is not a
bicycle question, feel free to talk
with thoso officers or call me at
the Office of Public Safety. 346
2905.
Dennis Baker is a sergeant
with the Eugene police depart
ment. University Campus Detail
CRANK IT UP.
RHYTHM ANDREYEVS.
FRBATSHTHE EMERALD