Monday
October 25,1999
Volume 101, Issue 40
Weather
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
An independent newspaper
www.dailyemerald.com
Reuben to the rescue
With Oregon’s postseason hopes probably at stake, tailback
Reuben Droughns carries 45 times for202yards and two
touchdowns to key a 44-41 win at Arizona. PAGE 7
Retaining minority students
The Peer Mentor Program is assisting students of color
who classify as ‘at risk’based on below-average high school
academics adjust to campus life. PAGE 3
President hospitalized, campus reacts
I_f m w:'1
FROHNMAYER
■ Dave Frohnmayer collapses while
attending a conference in Maryland
and is taken to a nearby hospital
By Stefanie Knowlton and Sara Lieberth
Oregon Daily Emerald
University President Dave Frohnmayer
suffered a sudden heart arrhythmia Friday
while attending a National Institutes of
Health conference in Bethesda, Md.
He received immediate medical attention
and was transported to Suburban Health
Turn to Frohnmayer, Page 4
Facts on arrhythmias
Arrhythmias are abnormal rhythms
of the heart’s electrical signal. An
arrhythmia can make a heart beat
either slower or faster than normal.
Symptoms of a heart arrhythmia in
clude palpitations, rapid heart ac
tion, fatigue and fainting.
Ventricuiarfibrillation, the most
serious type of arrhythmia, causes a
rapid heartbeat in the ventricles, and
the lower chambers of the heart
quiver and prevent it from pumping
any blood. The condition will result
in sudden death if nottreated imme
diately. Although the symptoms of
ventricular fibrillation and a heart at
tack appear similar, fibrillation is
when rapid beating prevents the
heart from pumping blood, while an
attack is a blockage of the flow of
blood to the heartthrough the coro
nary artery.
Source www.americanheart.org.
■ The University and the community
share their thoughts and wishes for
Frohnmayer and his family
By Jack Clifford and Ben Romano
Oregon Daily Emerald
The University and the community at
large expressed shock and concern upon
learning of University President Dave Frohn
mayer’s heart arrhythmia Friday morning.
“I’m absolutely in shock,” Lane Community
College President Jerry Moskus said, upon first
Turn to Community reaction, Page 4
Contesting authority
Jeffrey Stockton Emerald
Steve Heslin and other protesters put on a puppet show as part ot Friday’s campus rally against police brutality.
Group challenges validity of police
The Radical
Cheerleaders
and Future
Political
Prisoners of
America
protest the
need for
police in our
society
By Amy Jennaro
Oregon Daily Emerald
Amid signs that read “resist oppres
sion” and “freedom dies when the state
dies,” 10 people protested police brutal
ity Friday in the EMU Amphitheater.
The protesters, members of the Radical
Cheerleaders and Future Political Prison
ers of America (FuPPA), dressed in all
black and led anti-police chants in front
of a crowd of about 60 people. None of
the protesters were University students.
“We want no cops,” FuPPA member
Robin Terranova said. “They are only
here to protect property and people who
have power.”
The protesters brought in more than a
dozen speakers; some spoke about per
sonal instances of police harassment and
brutality. The group also protested the
way the cases for Robert Thaxton and
Mumia Abu-Jamal were handled in the
court system. Thaxton was arrested at a
June protest in Eugene for throwing a
rock at a police officer and was sen
tenced to seven years in jail. Abu-Jamal
was given a death sentence last month
for shooting a police officer in Philadel
phia.
Eugene Police Chief Jim Hill, one of
several police officers who lined the Am
phitheater to watch over the protest, said
the police department is doing all it can
to protect citizens and respond to their
grievances.
Hill said the police department has an
advocacy program through the Human
Rights Commission that enables citizens
to file complaints about the police. He
said the commission handles all com
plaints to make citizens more comfort
able “in case they don’t want to go direct
ly to the police.”
He said community outreach is impor
tant to the police department.
“It’s a big priority to be open with the
Turn to Protesting, Page 6
Air travel industry
set for year 2000
■ Being Y2K compliant
since June, the FAA expects
no scares in the air for the
start of the millennium
By Edward Yuen
Oregon Daily Emerald
The issue of Y2K has been
haunting society for months. As
the year is coming to an end and
students are planning to catch a
flight during winter vacation,
flying safety becomes a concern
for some students.
Computer programs may be
unable to recognize the change
of century and misread 2000 as
1900. That Y2K glitch may af
fect telecommunication sys
tems, radar processors and
communication processors,
which are necessary for naviga
tion, according to the informa
tion published on the Federal
Aviation Administration’s Web
site.
However, the FAA has been
Y2K compliant since June 30,
and the Y2K bug will not affect
the safety of flying or aircraft
operations, FAA spokesman
Mitch Barker said. He said the
FAA will have extra staffs on
duty for air traffic control on
Dec. 31, and it would stop
planes from taking off if neces
sary.
While students may not real
ize how computer systems af
fect their flying plans, Jessica
Troy, a senior in environmental
studies, worries about the prob
lem and made changes on her
traveling plan.
Troy plans to go back home
to Chicago for her winter vaca
tion. But because of Y2K , she
plans to return to Eugene on
Dec. 31, instead of coming back
later before classes start on Jan.
5.
Shane Ng, a junior in com
puter and information science,
said he will spend his time
With the year 2000 quickly ap
proaching, The Emerald will run
a weekly series every Monday
exploring how the community is
preparing for the effects of the
Y2Kbug.
with family in Hong Kong and
will not travel on Dec. 31 be
cause of Y2K. Ng plans to come
back on Jan. 4, despite what
happens on Dec. 31 or Jan. 1.
“I don’t know how an air
plane works with the comput
er,” he said. “And I don’t know
which part of the plane will be
affected by the breakdown of
the computer system.”
Various airline companies
have prepared for the low rider
ship and reduced services on
New Year’s Eve or on New
Year’s Day. International air
lines Virgin Atlantic Airways
and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
have canceled some of their
services on Dec. 31, according
to the information published
on their Web sites.
But Y2K will not affect the
Mahlon Sweet Airport, said
Bob Noble, assistant airport
manager of the Eugene airport.
He said the airport, as a divi
sion of the city of Eugene, is
Y2K compliant. However, he
said this guarantee does not ap
ply to other businesses in the
airport, which are independent
from the airport management.
Although the Y2K issue
causes some fears in airline
passengers, the effect is mini
mal in flight booking. Loren
Dethlefs, of All Ways Travel,
Turn to Air travel, Page 6