Thursday, June i t. IW) Weather forecast Today Friday Sprinkles Showers/sun High 67, Low 55 High 69, Low 50 Connecting with cash The University receives $100,000from the national computing firm 3Com to be used to better network connections/PAGE 3A I Dance the summer away Eugene offers a variety of dance classes in which participants can havefun staying fit/. PAGE 5 A An independent newspaper Volume 101, Issue 2 University of Oregon www.dailyemerald.com Public schools debated Ted Abram andJack Roberts clash in their views on public schools BySaraJarrett Oregon Daily Emerald What if school districts were a thing of the past? Government-drawn borders would no longer determine where children receive their primary edu cation, and without having to pay private-school prices, parents would decide where to send their children to school. Ted Abram, Executive Director for the American Institute for Full Em ployment, advocates changing Eu gene’s public school system to com ply with this notion. The opposing argument, however, is strong. Wednesday night, Abram faced Jack Roberts, Oregon Labor Com missioner, in a debate sponsored by Brainstorm Magazine on the is sue. Brainstorm’s goal is to ask the questions others ignore and to chal lenge the answers they receive, said Bridget Barton, managing edi tor for the magazine, in the debate’s introduction. Roberts defends the current pub lic-school system. The No. 1 prob lem in our schools, he said, is the baggage that students bring with thorn when they walk in the door. A quick fix, like Abram suggests, won’t solve anything. Instead, society should focus on improving schools, although Roberts doesn’t believe they are flunking like Abram claims. “I wouldn’t be sending my chil dren to public schools if they were,” Roberts said. Roberts also worries that giving parents a choice would “Balkanize our schools,” thus potentially mak ing the government subsidize reli gious segregation. “I trust parents a lot more than the political and bureaucratic sys Tum to DEBATE, Page 4A Catharine KendaU/Ememld Oregon Labor Commis sioner Jack Roberts speaks during “The Dime’s Worth of Difference Debate," Wednesday evening. (( The important thing is that we were able to resurrect Hoop Mania and give it a permanent site and a permanent date. >> Bob Josephson Sports director at Lane County Fairgrounds Previously held in the Gateway Mail parking lot, Hoop Mania is now part of the Freedom Festi val from July 3-4 at the Lane County Fairgrounds Con vention Center. A S* Photo courtesy of the Register-Guard Arter a year on the bench, Mama returns Hoop Mania, which donates proceeds to charity, is moving indoors at the fairgrounds By Jack Clifford Oregon Daily Emerald After the NBA Finals wrap up, Hoop Mania’s got next. Returning to the courts following a one year hiatus, the local three-on-three bas ketball tournament is back for its sixth pro duction — this time in new indoor digs. An outdoor event held in the Gateway Mall parking lot in the past, Hoop Mania has moved cross-town to the Lane County Fairgrounds Convention Center. In addi tion, the two-day competition is now part of the Freedom Festival, which takes place July 3-4. During the first four years, the number of teams participating grew from about 125 teams to 230, Hoop Mania director Andy Papendieck said. Numbers dropped the next year, however, despite an alliance with a national tournament coordinator. When the Gateway site was gobbled up due to construction on the expanded Cine mark Theaters, Hoop Mania found itself temporarily on the bench. The new location became available for use in early May, said Bob Josephson, sports director at the fairgrounds, and he foresees a fruitful affiliation with Papen dieck’s brainchild. Turn to HOOP MANIA, Page4A Torture survivors recognized A dinner will benefit political refugees who fled Latin America to the United States By Sara Lieberth Oregon Daily Emerald A perfect opportunity to think globally but act locally: A Eugene group is sponsor ing a benefit dinner and evening of cul ture Friday in recog nition of the United Nations International Day in Support of To ture Victims on June 26. Amigos de los So brevivientes (Friends of the Survivors), is a non-profit and volun teer-driven organiza tion that offers a num ber of outreach services to political refugees trying to make a new start in the United States. Its work focuses on those fleeing oppressive governments, specifical ly in Latin America. It was established in 1997 from a groundswell of support after the U.N. Gen eral Assembly officially proclaimed June 26 the day to honor victims of torture. German Nieto-Maquehue, executive di rector of Amigos, said his organization’s philosophy is not focused on mere charity, but on realizing that to help others is to help oneself. “It’s time we think in global terms,” he said. “When we talk about torture, we are talking about crimes against humanity, against all of us. Working for justice has a greater meaning if we’re doing it for our selves.” There are 17 Amigos centers nationwide. Eugene’s chapter is one of four on the west coast and the only one of its kind in Oregon. Showing support In December 1997, the U.N. General Assembly pro claimed June 26 the U.N. Interna tional Day in Sup port of Torture Vic tims in hopes of increasing aware ness about torture problems around the world.