University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
An independent newspaper
Volume 98, Issue 101
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21,1997
INDEX
Opinion 2
News 4
Rhythm & Reviews 5
Sports 9
Classifieds 10
Comics 11
TODAY
Architect Jack Travis
will deliver a lecture
at 5 p.m. in Room
177 of Lawrence
Hall.
INSIDE
The Oregon men’s basketball team beat No. 13
Arizona for the first time in 13 games
The Oregon women’s basketball team moves into
third place with an 85-81 win at Arizona
WEATHER
Scattered showers.
High 50. Low 35.
Suspect
charged in
shooting
■ DRUGS: Police believe the
18-year-old suspect implicated in a
shooting and robbery last Saturday
night was involved in a drug deal
By Jennifer Schmitt
Community Editor
A man who turned himself in to the Dou
glas County Sheriff Thursday is being
charged with the shooting that occurred
last Saturday night at 13th Avenue and
Mill Street.
According to a release from the Eugene
police department, the 18-year-old man,
Michael Brendan
Shields, told sheriffs
deputies he was in
volved in a robbery
and shooting. Shields
was taken to the Lane
County Jail and
charged with First De
gree Robbery and At
tempted Murder.
SHIELDS
Police believe last
Saturday night’s rob
bery was related to a drug deal. The victim,
a University student, was shot while trying
to stop a suspect who was being chased by
another person. According to the press re
lease, when the student stepped into the
path of the suspect, the suspect fired at him
and ran away. The victim was not involved
in the drug transaction.
Shortly after the incident, Officer Steve
Williams, who was one of the officers that
responded, estimated the victim was shot
from about 20-25 feet away by a handgun
that shot .4 shotgun shells. He said the
wound had pellet holes, which indicates it
was a shotgun shell rather than a bullet.
Earlier in the week, Sacred Heart Nurs
ing supervisor Carol Hartley said the stu
dent suffered from a flesh wound and but
suffered no internal injuries. The victim
has been released from the hospital.
SARAH KEECH/Emerald
Students from Oregon’s colleges and universities rally during Lobby Day outside the capitol building in Salem.
Students visit capitol for Lobby Day rally
SARAH KEECH/EmeraW
ASUO President Matt Scotten and Western Oregon State College
Student Body President Denyse Moore speak at the capitoi.
By Sarah Keech
Higher Education Reporter
SALEM — About 200 college students
from around the state swarmed the state
capitol on Thursday to participate in the
fourth Lobby Day. Students heard Gov.
Kitzhaber speak at a noontime rally and
then spent the afternoon lobbying state leg
islators on issues affecting their daily lives.
Students from University of Oregon, Ore
gon State University, Portland State Uni
versity, Eastern Oregon State College, West
ern Oregon State College, Oregon Health
Sciences University, Oregon Institute of
Technology, Southern Oregon State Col
lege and 16 Oregon community colleges
spent the day with the Oregon Student As
sociation (OSA) learning about the issues
that will affect college students during this
legislative session.
Meeting at 9:30 a.m., the students were
trained about the issues on the OSA agenda
Turn to SALEM, Page 3
■ SALEM:
Amid student
cheers, Rep.
Deckert said
the Oregon
legislature
needs to
‘show me the
money’for
higher
education
New associate dean position added to help with multicultural issues
■ UNIVERSITY: The administration’s
decision to add the position is the
result of a recommendation made
by the Race Task Force
By Amy Palanuk
Higher Education Reporter
By next fall, students of color will have
someone new to turn to for support and as
sistance.
A new associate dean of student life has
been created by the University to assist stu
dents of color and to promote a greater
awareness of multicultral interests.
The dean will help create a welcoming,
safe environment for students of color, said
Wes Morrill, dean of student life.
The position is the result of recommen
dations made by the Race Task Force com
mittee to the University administration.
The task force was formed after two
racial instances last April and May left
many students of color on campus discour
aged on where to turn for support and ser
vice in the administration, said Morrill.
The committee of six students and six
University staff members came to the con
clusion that a full-time position was need
ed to help aid in multicultural affairs on
campus. After months of extensive meet
ings, the committee's results were present
ed to the University administration.
“The administration accepted the recom
mendation wholeheartedly,” Morrill said.
The new full-time position is expected to
be filled by as early as July 1,1997.
Duties for the new associate dean will in
clude facilitating communication on cam
pus concerning race, assisting in diversity
recruitment and retention on campus and
serving as an information source for issues
related to race and diversity in the Univer
sity community. The position will also re
spond to reports of racially motivated in
timidation and incidents on campus. In
addition, the new dean will co-chair the
President’s Council on Race and work
with student groups to develop and pro
mote educational and social programs on
campus.
Other recommendations made by the
task force include increasing the space for
the Multicultural Center in the EMU and
adding a permanent University staff mem
ber in the Multicultural Center office.
"The University administration ap
proved the increasing of space for the cen
ter, but the addition of a permanent posi
tion for the center was placed on hold,”
Morrill said.
After meeting with the task force, Dan
Williams, vice president for administra
tion, responded to the recommendations
made by the committee.
“I am extremely pleased with the process
and outcome of this committee,” Williams
said. “This was a thoughtful and produc
tive process which provided a valuable op
portunity to develop solutions to problems
and concerns raised by our students of col
or.”