Thursday, February 25, 1999
Weather forecast
Today Friday
Showers Mostly Cloudy
High 54, Low 45 High 50, Low 39
Bomb threat
A bomb threat temporarily baited a
lecture by’ Eugene anarchist John
Zerzan in Columbia //a///PAGE 3
Ready Freddie t
Freshman FreddieJones j
uses his reverse layin to turn
the Ducks around/PAGi 7
An independent newspaper
Volume 100, Issue 106
University of Oregon
www.dailyemerald.com
Court hears special election arouments
V^te
SPECIAL
ELECTION
r
Coordinator Taylor Sturges
defends her decisions against
Scott Austin’s accusations
By Sarah Skidmore and Jim Scripps
Oregon Daily Emerald
In a proceeding intended to clear the air
regarding the special election, Scott Austin
still found something that smelled foul.
“There are certain things in this election
that don’t smell right,” Austin said. “It just
doesn’t smell right. It doesn’t smell good
and I don’t like it.”
Wednesday night, a public Constitution
Court hearing was held to evaluate two in
junctions filed against ASUO president
Geneva Wortman and ASUO elections co
ordinator Taylor Sturges.
The injunctions, filed by Austin, ques
tioned the legality of the special election.
Wortman and Sturges asserted that the
special election was held to amend the
ASUO Constitution to streamline the
spring election process and that no special
treatment was given to any group.
In the first injunction, Austin states that
Wortman did not have the constitutional
power to call a special election. The second
injunction questions the legality of Sturges’
decision to extend the deadline for ballot
measure submissions.
In her closing statement, Wortman said,
“We are in no way abusing our power or vi
olating the constitution.”
Wortman defended her actions, saying
that as chief executive officer, it was with
in her duties to call a special election for
the good of the student body.
Austin argued that nowhere in the Con
stitution is such a power detailed.
“There are duties that I do as an ASUO
executive daily that are much more than
what is detailed in the ASUO Constitu
tion,” rebutted Wortman.
The Constitution states that a special
election is mandated when the seats of
both the vice-president and president are
concurrently vacant, when an executive
seat needs to be recalled or when a sitting
president is being impeached.
The special election deadline had been set
Turn to HEARING, Page 3
^ There are
certain things
in this election
that don’t smell
right. ...It
doesn't smell
good and I
don’t like it. ^
Scon Austin
Student activist
Magazine features UO bicycle taxi
Bicycling magazine focuses
on the University’s system of
alternative transportation
By Felicity Ayles
Oregon Daily Emerald
It is safe to say that in Eugene, as in any
college town, bicycles are a huge part of
life. For some people, they are the only
possible form of transportation.
That’s why the University tandem bi
cycle taxi is making national news this
month. The taxi was featured in an article
in the “transportation shorts” section of
Bicycling magazine.
“I’d never heard of tandem taxi service,
and I thought it would intrigue our read
ers,” said Scott Martin, “shorts” editor.
Martin said a freelance writer first
asked him about the topic and said it was
“a nice light topic with interesting impli
cations for transportation.”
Bicycling magazine has mentioned Eu
gene before as one of the “Best Cycling
Cities,’’but Martin said he didn’t know if
the magazine had ever mentioned the
University or any other pedal-powered
taxis before.
Martin said the article about the Uni
versity was an asset to the magazine.
“It was a good read and may open their
eyes to transportation alternatives,” he
said.
The idea for the taxi was first devel
oped by University Bicycle Coordinator
David Niles.
He piloted the idea for the taxi at the
1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and then
brought it back to the University and of
fered it to students, faculty and staff.
Niles said the taxi has been featured in
a few different magazines, and a local
television station once reported on it.
“It may be the widest circulation of
anything we’ve been featured in,” Niles
said of the Bicyling article.
The taxi has been around since spring
quarter 1997, when it began as a tempo
rary project. Based on the success of that
project, Niles said, he continued the taxi
service.
In the winter months, Niles said, the
taxi is not as busy as in the spring, but he
Turn to BICYCLES, Page 3
Courtesy
lira campus' unique tandem bicycle sendee has gained notoriety through an article in Bicycling magazine.
Court rules
OSPIRG’s
funding legal
Opponents contend that use of
student fees to fund the group
violates the First Amendment
By Kristina Rudinskas
Oregon Daily Emerald
An old debate over student fees has been
unleashed because of the 9th Circuit Court
of Appeals ruling Tuesday. The circuit court
upheld a lower court’s ruling that allows
student incidental fee money to fund OS
PIRG.
The court dismissed the appeal of a 1996
decision in Rounds vs. Oregon State Board
of Higher Education.
Plaintiffs and students from the Rounds
case argued they had ideological and politi
cal differences with the purpose of Oregon
Student Public Interest Research Group.
The plaintiffs also said student funds
shouldn’t be used off-campus to fund a
statewide group.
The appeal has been pending against the
University and ASUO for three years.
The ruling sets another precedent for stu
dent control over the incidental fee. The fee
finances ASUO programs, athletic tickets,
the EMU, the Student Health Center, stu
dent child care and other student services.
Student PIRGs are environmental, con
sumer and social advocacy groups that have
chapters on university campuses across the
nation.
“Today is a victory for students," said
ASUO President Geneva Wortman. “It’s a
victory for student control of student fees.”
Owen Brennan Rounds, the plaintiff, said
he believes the decision will send the issue
to the Supreme Court.
Rutgers University in New Jersey and the
New York State University have also had
cases pending against student financing of
a state PIRG.
“This is the first time our side has lost at
the circuit court level,” Rounds said. “This
sets a constitutional imbalance which sets it
up for the Supreme Court. ”
According to a brief by H.E. Fritz von
Carp, filed in 1995 as one of the plaintiffs in
TurntoOSPIRG, Page 4