RHYTHM & REVIEWS
‘Swing’ of things
Swing band Cherry Poppin'
Daddies will perform their second
campus concert of the school year
PAGE 7A
SPORTS
Pucks to fight ‘war’
Oregon and Oregon State will square
off in the 101st Civil War this weekend
SECTION B
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1997
TODAY
The Museum of
Natl i ral Huston ’ u ’ill
celebrate its lOtb
year in its own
building at 5:30p m.
WEATHER
Today
Rain
1 ligh 51. Low 42.
Weekend
Rain
I ligh 55. Low 47.
Tuition delay helps some reap tax credit rewards
Winter-term tuition will not be
due until after Jan. 1, 1998,
allowing some families to save
up to $ 1,500per student
By Nicole Kristal
Higher Education Reporter
While you planned to give relatives a
fruitcake this holiday season, the Univer
sity planned to give students a less perish
able gift: Winter-term tuition will not be
due until next year.
The University has made an adjustment
in the due date to help some parents and
students benefit from a 1998 tax credit.
The Hope Scholarship Tax Credit, part
of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, reduces
the amount of tax a family may pay by up
to $1,500 per year per student.
Financial aid associate director Jim
Gilmour explained that the payment delay
can help people when it comes time to pay
taxes in the future.
"The decisions people make now in
terms of when they pay their winter term
fees or when we apply aid to the winter
term fees may affect them a year and a half
down the line,” Gilmour said.
For this reason, Gilmour said, financial
aid will not be distributed until Jan. 1,
1998. Students have been given six weeks
notice of the new time of disbursement.
But not all students are eligible for this
tax credit, such as students who have com
pleted the first two years of their under
graduate studies.
To be eligible, individuals must also
pay taxes, be above a certain income level
and not have any tuition paid for by cer
tain types of grants or scholarships.
"Because there are so many factors in
volved and the fact that they haven't de
fined clearly who would be affected, the
prudent thing to do would be to tell stu
dents ‘Just wait to pay,’” Gilmour said. “It
doesn’t hurt anyone and potentially helps
quite a few people.”
A notice explaining the details of the tax
credit has been inserted in the tuition bills
going out this week.
Information about the tax credit can also
be found in the Financial Aid Office and
in the Business Office located in Oregon
Hall.
Gilmour said he believes the tax credit
will benefit many students.
“There are a lot of students who aren’t
eligible for other grant money or financial
aid that are going to be qualified for this
scholarship,” Gilmour said. “I think it’s a
good incentive for families to send their
kids to college. It's good any time Congress
does something to help students pay for
college.”
WENDY FULLER/Emerald
Brooke Welch, an interviewer for the Oregon Science Research Laboratory, conducts an anonymous survey Wednesday afternoon.
Finding answers to life’s questions
Survey research
During its five years of operation, the Oregon
Survey Research Laboratory has conducted
nearly 50,000 telephone and mail-in interviews.
Below are the number of completed surveys per
fiscal year.
SOURCE: Oregon Survey Research Laboratory
CARA STRAZZO/Emerald
The Oregon Survey Research
Laboratory conducts about
35 survey projects a year
on a vast range of subjects
By Michael Bumham
Community Reporter
Far within the depths of Prince Lucien
Campbell Hall is a group of researchers
that has determined the percentage of
Americans who feel there is a moderate
to high risk of an asteroid hitting the
Earth. If you want to know the answers to
just about anything else you’ve wondered
about, the Oregon Survey Research Labo
ratory could probably tell you.
In a 1,000-square-foot basement room,
more than 60 laboratory employees have
conducted nearly 50,000 research inter
views by phone in the five years the facili
ty has been in operation.
"Survey research is fun because it’s
both an art and a craft — and a science,
too,” said OSRL founding director Patri
cia Gwartney. “Usually we’re responding
to clients’ needs, but we might add things
of theoretical interest, too,”
The bulk of the facility’s work involves
designing and conducting surveys for se
lected target populations through tele
phone interviews. The OSRL serves as a
primary research tool for the University’s
faculty, students and staff, as well as for
other schools throughout the Oregon
State System of Higher Education, she
said.
According to Gwartney, who has also
been a sociology professor for 17 years,
OSRL provides social research services
for local, state and federal governmental
agencies and other research organizations
and individuals. Occasionally, OSRL will
Turn to LAB, Page 5A
OSSHE plans
for global
internships
Through the Global Graduates
program, students can earn
credit as interns for foreign
companies or governments
By Kari Thorene
Higher Education Reporter
The Oregon State System of Higher Educa
tion is starting to plan future funding for the
Global Graduates program, the only state-run in
ternational internship program in the country.
OSSHE started Global Graduates in 1995
on a $4,000,000, four-year federal grant from
the Department of Defense under the De
fense Conversion Act. The funds are specifi
cally "aimed at preparing U.S. citizens for
non-defense related employment,” accord
ing to the Global Graduates Web site. The
program matches qualified Oregon college
and university students with internships at
overseas businesses and governments.
Program administrators are working on
finding new funding mechanisms for the
program before the grant runs out, said Tami
Lanning, the Asia director of the Global
Graduates program.
“We’re looking at additional grants and
Turn to PROGRAM, Page 5A
Police will increase
patrols tlis weekend
The Eugene Police Department plans to beef
up patrols this weekend as a result of the Civil
War football game Saturday afternoon at
Autzen Stadium.
According to Sgt. David Poppe, five times
the normal number of officers will be on patrol
Friday and Saturday nights. ‘This will be a bad
weekend to break the law,” he said.
Also, Poppe said the Oregon State Police
will be conducting saturation patrols on the
Interstate and other local roads before and
after Saturday’s game.
Poppe warns against tailgating outside the
Autzen Stadium parking lots, which could
result in a ticket