Board improves campus safety By Daniel West Ckogon Ofrfy The ASUO Safety Affairs Hoard is having a major effect on this campus and other campuses around the country The Safety Affairs Hoard was developed to cre ate a campus that is safe for all students attending the University. The hoard also educates students on various issues such ns personal safety, safety resources, sexual assault and rape. The idea for a safety affairs board began under the direction of past-ASUO Executives Bobby late and Karmen Fore. They believed the concerns of safety on this campus hadn't been addressed liefore. There were several groups scattered throughout campus that dealt with this issue on a individual level. But I.ee and Fore came up with an idea to cre ate a position that would encompass all safety issues. The current board is headed by Troy Shields and a staff of interns. Shields and the staff cover a wide variety of to|> ics, from more lighting on the walking jwths to hate crimes, discrimination and rape. The board puts on many programs such ns Hate Free Week and Safe ty 101. ns well as distributing brochures and T-shirts that appear on and off campus, in the dormitories and in the EMU. Outside the University, safety affairs is influ encing many other campuses and pushing them to create a safer environment They have even lob bied at state and national levels for legislation that would create laws that increase the safety for all students across the United States. In fact, the Violence Against Women Act is an example of what safety affairs has been working on getting passed for the past couple of years. This act would greatly increase the penalties lor violence committed against women, ns well as stiffen the stalking laws in the United States The act spe< if ically calls for an increase in the penalties for rape and more funding for woman's resoun es, such ns battered women's shelters Under this new ni t. many violent crimes com mitted against women would be « onsidered hate crimes instead of gender bins Although the bill has not completely passed vet them are parts of it that have already been approved The Safe Campuses for Women A< t was passed in in conjunction with the reauthori/atton of higher education, whii h provides $20 million in funding for campuses across the nation to promote safety on campus Some of this money will go toward a national survey on violence against women on campuses The need for this bill was originated by Sen Joseph Widen He drafted the bill in response to a Dec 6, l'lWU, massacre yyliere a man entered a study lounge at a poly technical institute in Canada and demanded that all the men leave He then proceeded to open fire, and 14 women w ere killed Although the bill has (men passed, the funding has yet to lie provided. Therefore, the Safety Affairs Board is working hard this year to pass the violent e against women bill and fund the remainder of Biden’s bill "It affects every one bet ause it is a serious mat ter: it could lie your mother, sister, daughter or liest friend," said Shannon Wall, safety affairs executive assistant “Violence is more prevalent against woman We don't actually know how many women have been vie tuns of a violent ai t because only T><) percent of all assaults nr rapes are reported Currently, safety affairs is working on the for mation of a Student Advisory Board that w ill work directly with the students. “This student advisory board would give me more input on issues and concerns that the students have," said Shields, safety affairs chairman Also, this will give direction to what issues are most important to students on this campus Killer domestic cats focus of lecture By Jade Chan For the Oregon Daily Emerald "Killer Cats" — that means lions, tigers, jaguars, and cougars, right? Wrong. Killer cats also include Fluffy, Snowball and all other domestic felines, as those who attend today's lecture on cats in the University Museum of Natural History at 4:30 p in. will learn. Presented by naturalist Dan Gleason of the University biolo gy department, the lecture fcm.uses on the hunting instincts, methods and lifestyles of cats in natural and domestic settings and the impact that domestic NCWMri« '.M6 « & > <* <*«> Ur km f,tj$. tell uty rjl <> Ttr Wot-, CW l\ Ml/l I [ F C >n ( .impus • SO II I hI) L ( >/>« »! I U l\ tltl\ f !■(*