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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 17, 1995)
EDITORIAL Williamson, Kelton choice for ASUO Student! will bo faced with a number of choices for ASUO Executive. But while the number of tickets run ning might be high, the choice far students is clear. Jennifer Williamson and Zac.h Kelton are the best qual ified and most experienced candidates for ASUO presi dent and vice president. Williamson and Kelton demonstrate the professional ism and commitment necessary to effectively run stu dent government at the University Both candidates have experience in a number of ASUO offices and boards However, their commitment to the students does not end with official titles in Suite 4 Williamson has worked with Projet t Saferide ami the Women's Center, while Kelton has served as a Psychol ogy peer advisor. The candidates have experience in the community and University that extends beyond student government. Williamson and Kelton articulate reasonable and real istic solutions to University issues. While very able to discuss their own positions on issues, the two also know how to listen. Williamson and Kelton have each visited a number of constituencies not normally canvassed by those running for ASUO, including Family Mousing complexes and the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology. Talking to small groups, they explained, is one way of involving the vast majority of students who don't other wise involve them selves in campus politics The two candidates have made i ommuntcaUon a cen tral point of their platform Williamson and Kelton have pledged to make themselves available to the public. From ensuring that the ASUO continues to publish their newsletter Reflections to promising to hold coffee and doughnut meetings with students, it is clear that Williamson and Kelton will Ixi representatives of the stu dents — not just of ASUO. Williamson and Kelton pledge to fight raises in tuition and cuts in financial aid -— both timely issues for whic h effective student lobbying on the University, state and federal level could make the difference between contin uing in college or not. The candidates are also dedicated to ensuring that the education that students do pay for is a quality one. Williamson and Kelton are looking into ways to ana lyze the current tenure process, to ensure that students have the opportunity to comment on professor perfor mance — and for the remarks to mean something Williamson and Kelton also understand that part of education is learned from those outside of the classroom and will work to recruit and retain students of color, as well as gay. lesbian and bisexual students. Along that line, they pledge to work closely with student-funded programs and work with the heads of such organiza tions. knowing that these groups also contribute to the growth of students. Vote for Jennifer Williamson and Zach Kelton for ASUO Executive April 19-20. Their experience and plans for the University will give students an effective team that is ready to stand up for and represent students at the University. 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J,* .-t Yee Newsroom 34$<5SH D<splay Advertising Business Office 34&-S512 Classified Advertising Rosa 3Ab^37t2 WMJ4J 2 17 )4> SAme OLD RAT. ■ COMMENTARY Education crucial to water safety waiter Spring and vuoimar day* normally in< it«? notion* of ding white-water adventures in the mind* of many University students A ( old b«M<r. inner-tube or small raft and an ar< ossible river ore often all that is needed to prop erly waste a warm, lazy after norm However, for thousands of people annually, these elements combine to c reate a deadly for mula. Eugenes Willamette and M« Kenzie rivers, not to mention numerous swift-water tribu taries. are tome of l ane Coun ty's most Inviting yet dangerous w a rm- w a ter play g ro und s. Though free and unrestricted, white- water danger zones such as the rapids under the Autzen footbridge have claimed the lives of numerous people rang ing from while-water experts to former University basketball player Jesse Nash "Most casual users of rivers and swift streams are unaware of the extreme danger associated with their use," said Tim Hirr, public Minty information dirw - tor for the < ity "We normally don't hear from the white water experts who take the time to know the rules and ways of the river," he said "Our usual victims are the peo ple who take an inner-tube and a six-pack and make their way down to the banks of the Willamette “Rivers are very inviting to be on, but very deadly to be in “ According to facts compiled by the City of Eugene and Res cue .1 International, a worldwide organization dedicated to edu cating and training white-water rescuers, nearly 7.000 drown mgs and 70,000 near-drownings occur each year in the United States In the Kugene-Springfield area, five to 10 drowning* occur each year, in 1004 alone, the city’s water-rescue team responded to 14 emergency tails. Unfortunately, alcohol plays a major role in more than one-third of annua! drowning* nationwide OK, we've ail heard that alco hol and water don't mix (the exception being a gin and tonic waterj, ana rivers are «xtr«mel\ dingnroui, yet people continue to drown or be injured in or on Itxal waterways each year What can be done' What will prevent University students and local residents from drowning or being injured in the local area? The answer is education and prevention. When venturing toward a swift water area, always: • Tell someone when- you are going • Learn about t ubic feet per second (cfs), how rating systems are designed and what they indicate about moving water. Look daily in the front section of The Register-Guard for current cfs levels. • Have a Coast Guard approved personal flotation device (pfd) if you are on or within to feet of moving water Remember. 00 percent of river in < idents occur on or from the shore. • Know your area! Foot entrapment can be caused by natural obstructions or by debris in a river. One man drowned under the Autzen footbridge when his leg caught on an aban doned bit yde on the river bot tom • Avoid low head dams such as the one located just east of the Interstate 5 Willamette overpass. A man-made hydraulic "keeper’* hole is created by backwash just downstream from all low head dams; the best waterway users avoid these obstacles These "keepers" are consistent, hold nearly everything that enters them and make r»*M ue extreme ly difficult. • Remember that risers are made of laminer layers, the fastest of which are near the sur face This quick water is the most dangerous on a river and the easiest to enter If you are heading tow ard the river, it is just as important to remember what never to do • Never go into the water alone • Never enter moving water without scouting upstream and downstream for boaters and obstacles • Never use alcohol before going into the water. Alcohol signtticantly lowers the body s ability to ward off hypothermia, and with local rivers fueled by glac ial runoff, water tempera tures stay at or about 50 degrees. Body temperature is quickly lowered in 50-degree water, making swimming very difficult • Nc.*ver swim under river ohjei ts Fallen trees or debris — known as strainers — work as magnets for floating objects If you can't avoid a strainer, get on top of it. • Never tie on to anything. A common example is a riverboard secured to an Autzen footbridge pylon. Ropes work as nooses in moving water • Never stand in swift water deeper than knee-deep. Finally, if you are in trouble in moving water, remember that pushing the "panic button" insures loss of clear thinking and increases the c hanc.es of fatality The following times arte the most common and easy to remember "what to do" sugges tions if you find yourself in swift water: • Stay in the down-river posi tion (on your back, feet pointed downstream) to defend yourself against obstacles while allowing you to swim with your hands • Be aware of helical currents. These currents are subtle, move diagonally and push objects toward the center of the river where the current is strongest Helicals make reaching the bank—and rescuing a victim— very difficult • When possible, swim at a 45-degree angle against the cur rent until you reach the shore. This article c ertainly is not the "do all; be all" of white water safety, but with increasing num bers of local drownings each year, these tips are some of the most helpful and easy to remem ber when promoting water safe ty If you would like more infor mation about local white-water safety, call the Water Rescue Team at the City of Eugene, or Resc ue 3 International at (BCM)) 45-RESCUE. Remember: expect the best. prepare for the worst Seth Walker is a commercial riv i*r guide, certified swift-water rescue technician mid student at the University
