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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 1998)
LECTURE Women urge peace Galia Golan and Zahira Kamal spoke on the importance of women to the Mideast peace process in a speech Tuesday PAGE 6 SPORTS Golf team in last place The women ’sgolf team shot a 22-over-par 310 at the NCAA Championships, which left them last in the 19-team field PAGE 7 THURSDAY, MAY 21, 1998 -1 TODAY USC Professor Lynn Spigel ivill speak on art and TV at 3:30 p.m. in 333 Gilbert. WEATHER Today Cloudy High 63. Low 45. Tomorrow Partly Cloudy High 65. Low 50. Continuing Education Life-lone learners The University’s Learning in Retirement program is a chance for retirees to satisfy their educational needs By Amalie Young Higher Education Reporter Imagine a classroom where most stu dents are there not to fulfill a last-minute requirement or to inflate their GPAs but because they want to learn. Courses offered through the Learning in Retirement program, such as Mayan civilization, Flemish painters or consti tutional law, draw crowds of curious and eager students 55 and over. “Students ask more questions; they’re taking the class because they want to,” said Paul Holbo, professor emeritus in the history department and a founding member of the organization. “Faculty find it refreshing when students have strong opinions and they participate.” UR began operation in 1992 and is af filiated with the continuing education department. It was established to meet the educational interests of the growing number of retired men and women in the area. The organization has a great deal of au tonomy as a self-supporting, cooperative and member-led organization that de pends on its members to organize and fa cilitate many of its courses. Ideas for courses are submitted to the Curriculum Committee for evaluation. Members pay a yearly fee of $100 that gives them access to all courses offered by LIR, use of the University library sys tem and a discount at the University Bookstore. LIR enables members to access some of the University’s resources, but it also provides a close community that is im portant for those who have lost a spouse and need the human contact, said Les Conley, an LIR member who takes cours es and facilitates an open discussion group called “News and Views.” “One could easily get isolated in re tirement,” he said. “Many of these peo ple had a social life on the job and their colleagues meant a lot to them.” George Mattox, a retired Eugene busi ness owner who participates regularly in Turn to UR, Page 4 AMANDA COWAN/Emerald Members of the Learning In Retirement program listen while Les Conley talks about politics last Thursday morning. Students back faculty with letters Organizers of a letter-writing campaign are hoping Gov. Kitzhaber will budget for increased faculty salaries By Chris Kenning Student Activities Reporter University faculty — who are among the lowest paid professors in the country — are getting help from student organizations concerned that as more qualified faculty members leave for financial reasons, the quality of education will drop. The Oregon Student Association, the ASUO and eight other Oregon universities are hoping to get Gov. John Kitzhaber to in clude funding in the next state budget to raise Oregon’s university faculty pay to the national midpoint by inundating his office with letters from students. Currently, Oregon university faculty are ranked 44th out of 50 states in pay when contrasted to comparable institutions. For example, on a per capita basis, Oregon uni versities are dead last in pay out of 11 west ern states. Uregon state schools are notoriously known for not paying faculty well,” said ASUO President Bill Miner. Only Alabama and Idaho provide less money to a state uni versity system on a per capita basis. Today, Rep. Susan Castillo will join “Ac cess to Quality” campaign organizers at a table in front of the University Bookstore in an effort to get as many student letters writ ten as possible. The letters, which will in clude personal stories by students who have been influenced by a particular pro fessor, can also be written and dropped off at the ASUO office. The groups hope to gather 500 letters. Organizers said sending letters to Kitzhaber is the first step in a critical cam paign that will include lobbying the Legis lature in January. "If you can’t offer competitive salaries, you’ll lose the good faculty you have; you’ll also not get the talented new teachers,” said campaign organizer Matt Swanson. “Next year there is a projected $1 billion surplus in the state budget, and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be used for higher education,” Swanson said. University President Dave Frohnmayer, who supports the effort, said the number of Turn to BUDGET, Page 4 Women’s march symbolizes the fight against sexual violence Tonight’s Take Back the Night march and events ivill include speakers, singers, self-defense workshops and testimonials By Chris Kenning Student Activities Reporter The 20th annual Take Back the Night march, an event that has come to symbolize the fight against sexual violence, begins tonight at 9 p.m. in the EMU Amphitheater. The march underscores women’s right to live in a community free of fear and violence, said Rebecca Farmer, one of the event’s orga nizers. “The women of the campus and the com munity will not tolerate sexual violence,” she said. "We’re here to break the silence and send a clear message.” The march is orga nized by Sexual Assault Support Services and the ASUO Women’s Center. Take Back the Night, which attracted more than 500 participants last year, will be gin at 6:45 p.m. in the amphitheater, where along with speakers, singers and testimoni als, there will be informational tables and self-defense workshops. Sign-making mate rials, candles and arm bands representing as sault survivors will be available for partici pants. At 9 p.m. the march will begin, continu ing downtown to the area of Eighth Avenue and Oak Street. Free transportation will be available for those unable to march. As the group convenes downtown, the drumming group Womyn at Play will per form. Once all marchers arrive, there will be sev eral short plays, more speakers and a speak out, during which women, and later men, can briefly say how they are feeling or tell about experiences with sexual assault. "It’s a really powerful experience,” said Farmer, who has attended the march for sev eral years. “There are so many women out there supporting each other; it’s a really em powering feeling. ’’ Event speakers will include Lynn McKin ney, who will address violence against Turn to MARCH, Page 4
