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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 1996)
Peak ascent featured in slide show ■ CLIMB: Corvallis woman is the only American to reach the top of the world’s 13th tallest mountain By Christian Hill Community Reporter McKenzie Outfitters is offering an event that might satisfy the ap petite of the most avid winter sports fanatic. The store is hosting a slide show of Heidi Howkins’ ascent of the world’s 13th highest moun tain tonight beginning at 7 p.m. The Corvallis climber is the only American this year to ascend the 26,360-foot Gasherbrum II peak, part of the Karakoram range in the country of Kashmir. She is also only the second female to summit the mountain since climbing the peak began in 1956. Howkins said she left Oregon on Memorial Day and reached the mountain’s base camp on June 14. Two American teams consisting of 14 members traveled to the mountain. The first expedition lasted from May to June. Her ex pedition began in June and lasted until late July. Howkins said she reached the summit on the morning of July 29, the end of a 36-hour marathon to the peak to make the weather window. “It was wonderful,” she re called. “It was a very slow motion kind of experience . . . You feel like you’re walking on the moon." While Howkins was the only American to reach the summit, nine other people from countries such as Spain, Ukraine and France also surmounted the peak. As for her future plans, Howkins said she just received an invitation to climb the third high est mountain in the world, Nepal’s Mount Kanchenjunga, in March. She said she hopes to be come the first female to reach the summit of that peak. Howkins said she hopes aspir ing climbers participating in the event “get a sense of what’s possi ble.” She also said the people ob tain a sense of “inclusion” in the company of other climbers. “This is an informal communi ty event we’re not charging for,” said Cassie Curtis, one of the event’s organizers. Curtis said McKenzie Outfitters became involved with Howkins when she approached the Eu gene-based business for a spon sorship to help purchase some of the expensive mountain-climbing equipment. Curtis said the slide show will last approximately an hour. After ward, Howkins will answer ques tions from the audience. Curtis also said Howkins will bring along some of the gear she used during the ascent. Army instructors face charges in Missouri ■ SCANDAL: The military says the incident is not related to the charges made against five men in Aberdeen, Maryland five days ago FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — In the second Army sex scandal in less than a week, three instruc tors at one of the nation’s biggest basic-training posts faced charges Tuesday of sexual misconduct with young women recruits. The charges were announced five days after a sex scandal broke at the military’s Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. The three male soldiers at Fort Leonard Wood face charges ranging from consensual intercourse to inde cent assault, or touching. Army regulations ban sex ual relationships between commanders and subordi nates. The recruits were 21 years old on average and were undergoing basic training. The Army did not say when the charges were filed. One court-martial was to begin Tuesday; the others will be conducted within the month, it said. A Pentagon spokesman said there was no connec tion between the Fort Leonard and Aberdeen cases. The Fort Leonard cases came to light before the Army set up a hot line for reports of sexual misconduct, said Lt. Col. William Harkey. The Army did not identify the Missouri soldiers except to say that all are non-commissioned officers and that one or two are drill sergeants. Other allega tions of misconduct at Fort Wood were also under in vestigation. At the Army Ordnance Center at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, the Army last week charged four drill instructors and a captain with raping, sexually harassing or otherwise having improper relation ships with at least a dozen young women recruits in their first weeks of training at Aberdeen. The men were suspended along with 15 other in structors. The Army said trainees at Fort Wood are told their first day on the base how to report harassment or un comfortable situations involving other soldiers. On Tuesday, the Army allowed reporters to speak with a group of Fort Leonard trainees who have been in the military for about six weeks. None of the women said they felt sexual pressure or harassment. “My drill sergeants are very, very helpful to us,” said Pvt. Sheila Stanton, 20, of Frostproof, Fla. “They train us hard, they treat us as equals to the males. They’ve never done anything to make us feel uncom fortable.” An angry Pvt. Eric Beckham said the accusations had tarnished others. “Our drill sergeant has a black mark on him be cause of what some people did or they did not do,” said Beckham, 21, of Abilene, Texas. “It’s not right.” About 25,000 soldiers pass through the Missouri base each year, making it the second-largest of four posts where the Army conducts its basic training. Only Fort Jackson, S.C., is larger. The post’s main mission has been to train officers, non-commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers in engineering skills. The Army is adding a military po lice school and a chemical warfare training school, which will add 5,500 people to the base by 1999. Women make up 25 percent to 30 percent of each class of trainees. “We have found that’s an ideal mix for males and females to complete their training under ideal condi tions,” said Brad Rose, a base spokesman. When the Aberdeen scandal broke last week, the Army asked that anyone who had been a victim of sexual misconduct call a special toll-free number at the base near Baltimore. More than 2,000 calls had poured in by Monday afternoon. Gen. John Shalikashvili, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Army had to assume such im proper conduct was taking place elsewhere. He said officials are looking all across the Army, particularly at its training centers, to root out sexual wrongdoing. A little more than 10 percent of the calls to the hot line were deemed serious enough to refer to the Army’s Criminal Investigative Division. Army investigators at Aberdeen have said they plan to interview as many as 1,000 women who were trained at the post since the beginning of 1995, a process that could take months. EDITOR’S NOTE — The Army hotline is 1-800 903-4241. PARS adds variety to class schedule ■ OPTIONS: Students can earn credits outside of the traditional classroom setting By Laura Cadiz Higher Education Reporter Want to learn how to survive an avalanche? Take Avalanche Safety. What about shooting pool? Take Billiards I. Or just wanting to relax? Take Medita tion I. These classes and more are available courtesy of the Physi cal Activity and Recreation Services (PARS). And with winter registration starting in less than a week, it’s time to start thinking about which classes to take. PARS was developed in 1990 as a result of the College of Human Development and Performance shutting down. The program incorporates physical education, recreation al activities and intramurals. Allen Mather, a visual de sign major and marketing and promotional director for PARS, said one of the benefits of the program is it offers "weird courses” for credit. These courses include trampoline, juggling, SCUBA diving, snow camping, table tennis and yoga. The courses incorporate exer cise with managing stress and nutrition, which Mather said are main concerns of students. “The department is really there for students,” Mather said. “It’s there to serve us.” Karla Rice, director of PARS, said the most popular classes are currently weight training, aerobics, outdoor pursuits and yoga. Depending on the class es, zero to some experience is necessary. This term, 3,100 stu dents are enrolled in PARS classes. Being a self-funded program, PARS course fees range from $37 for classes such as fencing and Aikido, to $374 for classes such as snowboarding and ski alpine. "Measure 5 pretty much cuts us away,” said Michael Strong, co-director of Outdoor pur suits. "We have to generate money somehow.” History major Erica DeBois is in her second year of PARS classes. She has taken wilder ness survival, snow camping, ice climbing and kayaking and believes the classes are worth the fees. “It’s a burden [the fees],” she said. “But in relation to how much a class like that would cost with a guide program, it’s a lot cheaper.” For now, Rice said the de partment is doing fine with ex penses, but added, “Every pro gram has an increase in expenses ... as inflation goes up. To help attract interest, areas such as volleyball, basketball and weight lifting have male and female only classes avail able. Single gender courses were created about three years ago. “Some areas we felt warrant ed men only or women only programs ...” Rice said. “Women like to be able to get into a single gender situation... they feel more comfortable. ” Aside from the physical as pect, DeBois said leadership skills are also gained. “It provides another way of looking at the wilderness and learning from it,” DeBois said. “It will impact my life and help me become a better leader. ” A non-credit option is avail able for people who want to take the classes, but don’t want or need credit. This way, facul ty members and people off campus can take PARS classes. In such cases, people can sign up through the PARS office, rather than DUCK call. “The idea is to try to offer ac tivities and events to interest the general population,” Math er said. A proposed plan to consoli date engineering education into a state-wide college will be the main focus November 15 when the Oregon State System of Higher Education meets at Portland State University. It will consolidate competi tors Oregon State University and Portland State University’s engineering programs in re sponse to Oregon’s demand for more qualified employees. Oregon’s high technology com I__ panies hire 80 percent of its en gineers out of state. Oregon is among the top five in the nation in economic growth with high technology. — Compiled by Tamyra Howser HflHfls restaurant I I I Korean & Japanese Cuisine Low Fat Low Calories Brown Rice Available. 1219 Alder St. Across the Street from Sacred Heart Hospital More than 15 New Dishes! TRY ONE TODAY! [I I OFF ALL DISHES OVER $3.75* 'Expires Nov. 17, 1996 HAPPY HOURS Mon-Fri 3pm-5pm Every dish $1.00 off ■ I I I I LAZAR'S BAZAR 57 W. 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