Senate sends Riverfront recommendation to Frohnmayer
The University Senate pushes for
restrictions on the highly
debated research park
By Sarah Skidmore
Oregon Daily Emerald
Following a year of intense debate and
research, the University Senate approved
a recommendation for the development of
the Riverfront Research Park on Wednes
day.
The senate’s recommendation urges
University President Dave Frohnmayer to
impose various restrictions on the devel
opment of the research park. These restric
tions would permit the building of the re
search park, but not in the River View area
near the Autzen Footbridge.
Additionally, any future development of
the River View area would be required to
undergo thorough scrutiny before the area
could be developed, according to the reso
lution.
The senate recommendation was the re
sult of serious deliberation over an earlier
recommendation from the Riverfront Re
search Park Review Committee. After
modification and approval by the senate,
the recommendation was sent to Frohn
mayer, who will make the final decision.
"I think all sides of the issues were aired
articulately and effectively,” University
Senate President Jeff Hurwit said. “How
ever, I am concerned the senate passed a
resolution that the president cannot fully
accept.”
Frohnmayer said he wholeheartedly
supported the committee’s recommenda
tion. But the senate’s recommendation
contains two major deviations from the re
view committee’s original recommenda
tion.
Frohnmayer is still deliberating over the
senate’s recommendation.
The recommendation mandates a set
back of 100 feet vs. the original 35-foot set
back. This could cause logistical problems
in possible sites because of the proposed
increased density of buildings, said Diane
Wiley, a planning associate for University
Planning and member of the design com
mittee.
Another deviation includes prohibiting
development of the River View area in the
future without serious deliberation.
Preservation should be considered the
“highest priority," according to the resolu
tion.
“1 understand people’s concern and val
ue the discussion, but we closely exam
ined the issue and I believe we came to a
solid conclusion,” said Theodore Palmer,
chairman of the research committee.
“I believe that some of the people who
are opposing it are not as well-informed,”
Palmer said.
Although the recommendation has been
submitted, deliberation within the senate
will still continue. Frohnmayer said he
will wait to make any final decisions until
the senate finishes its discussion.
“This is an ongoing process,” Frohn
mayer said. “There is no immediate plan
to develop.”
While some of the original committee
members are unhappy with the revisions
made by the senate, other parties are op
posed to the research park as a whole.
“The research park promises to do noth
ing for us for as scholars,” said Frank
Stahl, a biology professor and long-time
opponent to the research park. “Even if
they could, it would be dubious if it would
enhance our scholastic environment.”
In addition to the academic perspective,
the visual and physical worth of the land
is invaluable, Stahl said.
"It should be snuffed right where it is,"
he said of the research park.
Discussion of the Riverfront Research
Park will continue at the next University
Senate meeting on Jan. 13.
SETA
Continued from Page 1
student appointees to sit on. She
said approving Brown to the seat
was an error because she had al
ready sent out a letter approving
another appointment to the com
mittee.
“Because the person who tradi
tionally sent out the material for
appointments retired, there has
been a mix-up about which com
mittees have ASUO-recommend
ed appointments,” Hubin said.
“Unfortunately this is one of the
committees that we accidentally
solicited names for when we
shouldn’t have.”
ASUO officials are skeptical of
the motives of the administration
in repealing the appointment.
While officials from the commit
tee and the president’s office say
that it was a simple clerical error,
ASUO President Geneva Wort
man, Vice President Morgan
Cowling and some senators be
lieve the action is an attempt to
subvert the ability of student gov
ernment to appoint people to com
mittees.
“We feel like the administration
is trying to override the ASUO by
ignoring the precedent that has al
ways been followed,” Constitu
tional Court Justice Jeremy Gibons
said. “Traditionally the ASUO ex
ecutive reviews applicants for cer
tain student seats and recom
mends them to the administra
tion.”
This format has been followed
for other committee appointments
for at least 20 years.
According to Brown, after ap
plying for a seat on IACUC, she
was called by Wagner and told
where and when to go to the first
meeting.When the meeting start
ed, she introduced herself and
told of her affiliation with SETA.
She left the meeting believing that
her position was secure.
When she arrived home that
evening, there was a message from
Wagner on her machine informing
her that there had been an error
and that the person who had for
merly held the student seat on the
committee had actually been reap
pointed in May.
Feeling that she had been un
justly removed from the commit
tee, Brown filed a grievance just
before Thanksgiving. Student
Senator Autumn DePoe and Gi
bons are handling the grievance.
Hubin, who handles appoint
ments for committees, said that
the ASUO appointment process
does not apply to certain commit
tees, including IACUC.
Will Davies, an associate profes
sor of philosophy and five-year
chair of the committee, is also call
ing the confusion a clerical error.
"To the best of my knowledge,
we had already confirmed the for
mer occupant of the chair,” he said.
Joan Haab, a graduate biology
student, was chosen by the admin
istration to continue on the com
mittee this year. Haab is out of the
country doing research and ad
ministrators are not sure whether
she is aware of her reappointment.
Until Haab returns to the Universi
ty, the student seat on the 1ACUC
will remain empty.
“If the student who has been
chosen cannot even be here, that
means that there will not he a stu
dent on the committee until she
gets back,” Cowling said. “Our ba
sic goal is to get Sarah Brown back
on the committee.”
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