Oregon Daily TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1994 EUGENE. OREGON VOLUME 95. ISSUE 88 HU PHOTO Students at the University 's Oregon Institute of Marine Biology use the entire Coos Bay coast area as their classroom. Marine institute offers alternative education Courses: Students get unique lessons in Oregon Coast outdoor school By Julie Swensen Orugon Q&fy Enwfaid Imagine studying forestry while walking in the woods instead of learning the subject in a crowded classroom. Or examining a live marine spec imen straight from tho ocean rather than removing one from a jar of formaldehyde. Since 1973. the Universi ty’s Oregon Institute of Ma rine Biology has offered unique learning opportuni ties like this to University students of every major. The People and the Oregon Coast program offers courses such as biology, geography, land scape architecture and politi cal science, and its "class room" is the Coos Bay region. Instructors and students said this program has given them new ways of looking at things, and students have said that this program is one of the best things they've ever done, said Jerry Medler, an associate professor of poli tical science who has taught the program. "This is one of the most exciting programs at the Uni versity. and one of its best kept secrets." he said. Located in Charleston, about 120 miles southwest of Eugene, students attend lec tures in a 19th century U S. Coast Guard station auditori um that overlooks tin* water As part of their education, students go on field trips ev erywhere in the Coos Hay re gion. Medler said. Both professors and stu dents live on-site in a dormi tory. which allows partici pants to be active in the com munity. By meeting with community members from elected officials to salmon trollers. students luarn about the problems involving scien tific, economic and social as pects of fisheries, forestry, og riculture and tourism. Students also design their own research projects on top ics that affect the coastal sec tor. One student's project helped to initiate the selec tion of the nearby South Slough as the nation’s first Estuarine Sanctuary, and an other project stimulated the Charleston Seafood proces sors to enter the growing Pa cific Whiting fishery. Douglas Deur. a former stu dent in the program, used the opportunity to halt the Port of Bandon’s plans to build con dominiums on land that the Coquille tribe had considered Turn to MARINE, Page 4 Supporters rally for Amazon Housing: Tenants urge restoration, formation of student-run cooperative By Eric Buckhalter fcv (h# Oregon CX*t*\ (m&r&ki University family-housing tenants and supporters of the restoration of Amazon field a rally Friday and urged that Uni r \urslt\ offtc lvlIs oxplorv several alternatives tvefore making a final de willing to pay a higher tuition bused on tfieir ability to pay," Workman said He also said lie wanted to investigate the per ception that hieulty and stall at public < ullages and universities have a smaller workload than those in comparable positions at private schools. If there's any truth to this perception, people need to lake the initiative to reform higher edu cation from within,” he said Turn to BERKMAN, Page b GOOD MORNING Second tuition installments are due today, which includes one-third of assessed tuition plus any current or past-due bal ances. BERKELEY (AP) — Ivan Dickson bought second-hand clothes, never owned a refriger ator or a car, and refused to repair a leaking roof on his home. Friends, worried, gave him food and clothing to make ends meet. HIGH 50° t O w 28° Hut they would be surprised, learning after his death that Dickson, an avid hiker, had a gift of his own — a record $427,000 donation to the hast Hay Regional Park District. "Most people thought he was indigent." said longtime hiking companion William King "Hu looked like a street person, I guess you would say today, though he was always i lean — always shaven " Dickson died last year at age 95. His gift, the largest single cash donation in the park dis trict's history, can he used only for maintenance of its 50 parks and 75,000 acres in Contra Costa and Alameda counties by orders of Dickson's will.