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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 1998)
University adds Judaic Studies major By Tricia Schwennesen Oregon Daily Emerald It’s not just a religion. It’s a cul ture with a history, art, folklore and philosophy. Judaism played an instrumental role in the development of west ern civilization, and students will now be able to major or minor in Judaic Studies. A $1.5 million gift established the financial basis for a new Judaic Studies program, which will be available to students in fall 1999. “Students are already inquiring about how they can major," said Richard Stein, chairman of the University Judaic Studies com mittee. “The gift is the real key. Without private money this pro gram could not have started.” The gift from the Harold and Ar lene Schnitzer CARE Foundation will help fund the interdiscipli nary program in Judaic Studies. The program brings together about 20 courses the University already offers, such as Great Re ligions of the World and Histo ry of Western Art, with topic oriented courses including Jewish Writers and Jewish Folk lore and Ethnology. “We couldn't have created this program without the classes we al ready have,” Stein said. “One of my goals is that by creating this program we could stimulate facul ty and students to study new areas within their own work. ” For the courses already offered, content on Jewish history and cul ture will be integrated into next year’s curriculum. “Lots of students who are not in the program will experience at least a part of the program,” Stein said. Stein compared the current course offerings to a “doughnut or a bagel with no center. ” The outer workings are present, but there is no director of the program and no curriculum set in stone, he said. The search for a program direc tor has been nationally advertised, and Stein said he hopes someone will be hired by spring term. It is not often that a university adds a new program, and some times it can take up to three times as long to get a program approved as it did in this case, Stein said. “Academic processes are slow, but this moved rather quickly,” Stein said. “Even though we all wanted it to happen overnight, we should be impressed that it hap pened as fast as it did.” Students and faculty are enthu siastic about the program, and scholars believe Judaism is a gen uine, vital area for intellectual re search and study, Stein said. The 1996 conference “Ethics af ter the Holocaust” was a catalyst for getting the program approved, said Stephen Stem, a graduate stu dent in philosophy who served on the Judaic Studies committee. The conference drew many Jew ish scholars from across the coun try and rekindled the interest of students and faculty for a Judaic Studies program. Stem said he saw a need to get a program for undergraduates that would propagate greater under standing of the Jewish tradition. “There was another civilization besides the Greeks and the Chris tians,” Stem said. “The Jewish civ ilization contributed to western civilization.” Postal worker takes mayor, council hostage By Larry Gerber The Associated Press RIVERSIDE, Calif. — An armed postal worker who once worked for the city took the mayor and two council mem bers hostage Tuesday, then waged a gun battle with police when the officers heard shots fired. Five people, including a policeman and the gunman, were wounded. The shooting began at about 8 a.m. as the City Council was preparing to meet in a City Hall annex, some 60 miles east of Los Angeles. Joseph L. Neale Jr., 48, barged into the council lounge and locked the door, police said. "He basically took them hostage, detained them at that location,” Chief Jerry Carroll said. Details were sketchy, but po lice eventually managed to barge their way into the room. Councilman Chuck Beaty was hit in the face and shoulder and was in critical condition. Councilwoman Laura Pearson was hospitalized with a hip wound. Mayor Ron Loveridge was grazed by a bullet, and Council woman Terri Thompson was treated for unspecified pain. The extent of the gunman's injuries were not known. Two officers were also shot. One was hit in the lower abdomen and is in critical condition. The other was spared injury because of his bulletproof vest. Neale had a part-time job with the city’s parks depart ment but was fired in 1994. He sued the following year, claim ing he was discriminated against on the basis of age and race. Neale is black. In his lawsuit, Neale said he was fired because he com plained of the lack of opportu nities for minorities in the com munity, specifically blacks and Hispanics. Et uls An informational meeting on the Study in Mexico 1999 program will take place today at 4 p.m. in room 152 of the Education Building. &heck out Rhythm 0 Reviews every FRIDAY in the Oregon Daily Emerald. It's your weekly entertainment resource. « GALAXY for New & Used Macintosh Powermac Powerbook Computers also for Repairs Parts, Upgrades 345-1817 www.galaxyhp.com De+' t [oAtfX to 50% off great travel packs! Eurailpasses issued on the spot! Plan early for Thankgiving! Travel (.ounVil CIEE: Council on Inttnutional Educational Exchange 877 112 East 13th Street, Eugene 1222 East 13th Street, EMU Building, Univ. of Oregon, Eugene [54l]-3+4-2263 www. counci (.travel .com A GIFT FROM THE HEART Laura (josytmeraia Heidi Ambler, a senior English major, goes under the needle to donate blood Tuesday at the Lane Memorial Blood Bank blood drive. The drive will continue today in the EMU Fir Room from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 77-year-old astronaut rehearses launch By Marcia Dunn The Associated Press CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A beaming John Glenn arrived for launch rehearsal Tuesday, his first in decades. The 77-year-old senator was accompanied by the six astronauts who will blast off with him later this month aboard space shuttle Discovery. He flew from Houston in the back seat of a training jet piloted by his commander, Curtis Brown Jr. Glenn stood quietly and swatted away mosquitoes as Brown addressed the crowd of reporters. When asked how it felt to be back, Glenn replied, “Great! Great!” and flashed a thumbs-up. Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962. In three short weeks, he’ll become the old est person in space by 16 years. During the nine-day mission, Glenn will submit to a variety of medical experiments so NASA can com pare the effects of aging with the effects of weight lessness. This week’s simulated countdown is one of the last big training sessions before the Oct. 29 launch. The entire crew will climb aboard Discovery on Fri day for the final portion of the test, which will end with five seconds remaining on the clocks. “The practice countdown always marks a big mile stone in our training,” Brown said. “[We] get to get into the real vehicle, see the real equipment again, so we’re very excited about that." Countdown tests typically draw little press inter est. But more than 50 journalists lined Kennedy Space Center’s runway for Tuesday’s crew arrival and scrambled for prime vantage spots. Glenn isn’t the only attention getter. The crew in cludes Japan’s first woman in space. Dr. Chiaki Mukai, and Spain’s first astronaut, Pedro Duque. ©regoa^jEmerattr The Oregon Daily Emerald is published daily Monday through Friday during the school year and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc., at the University ot Oregon. Eugene, Oregon. A member of the Associated Press, the Emerald op erates independently of the University with offices in Suite 300 of the Erb Memorial Union. The Emerald is private prop erty. The unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable bylaw. NEWSROOM — tt6-7Sll Editor In chief: Ryan Frank Managing Editor Laura Cadiz Community: Mike Hines, editor. David Ryan, Felicity Ayles Entertainment: Mike Burnham, editor Amy Boytz Higher Education: Ten Meeuwsen, editor Sarah Skidmore, Tricia Schwennesen In-depth: Nicole Garton, Eric Collins Perspective: Jonas Allen, Kameron Cole, editors. Amy Goldhammer, Stefanie Knowtton, Vince Medeiros. Ashley Bach, columnists. Giovanni Salimena, Chris Hutchinson, illustrators Student Activities: Kristina Rudinskas. editor. Laura Baker, Peter Breaden Sports: Joel Hood, editor, Rob Moseley, asst, editor. Tim Pyle, Scott Pesznecker, Allison Ross Copy Desk: Sarah Kickler, copy chief. 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