Oregon daily emerald., November 18, 1999, Image 1

. Thursday
November 18,1999
Volume 101, Issue 57
Weather
Today
RAIN LIKELY
RAIN
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
An independent newspaper
www.dailyemerald.com
Ducks pull away for victory
Oregon wipes away a mediocre first half with improved
defense and ball handling in the second half to earn a 94-76
exhibition win over the California All-Stars. PAGE 11A
Kicking the habit
The 23rd annual Great American Smokeout begins today.
Last year nearly 89,000people participated in the stop
smoking campaign. PAGE 9A
A place
/ to call
Homeless car campers are
scattered throughout Eugene
parking lots as part of a program
coordinated by St. Vincent de Paul
Society
By Darren Freeman
Oregon Daily Emerald
Near the roar of Oregon Highway 126
and beneath the glow of Autzen Stadium’s
lights lies a part of Eugene’s two-year-old
solution to locating the homeless.
Seven homeless people have made a
parking lot at the north end of Alton Bak
er Park their home, with the help of St.
Vincent de Paul.
In the summer of 1998, the city of Eu
gene decided to give the St. Vincent de
Paul Society $68,000 per year to find sites
for homeless car campers, said Mac Mc
Fadden, project coordinator of the St.
Vincent de Paul program. The program is
an alternative to Eugene’s 1983 categori
cal camping ban and the mid-90s central
ized homeless camp.
McFadden said the program has scat
tered homeless car campers throughout
Eugene in church parking lots, private
driveways and publicly owned lots, such
as the site adjacent to Alton Baker Park.
“ [Living in the parking lot] beats the hell
out of living in a tent under the bridge,”
said Stephen Bourne, who is living in the
southern-most trailer. “But this isn’t a zoo.
Try not to stare or throw peanuts. ”
In addition to the site’s outhouse,
which St. Vincent de Paul pays to have
emptied once per week, the car campers
can access showers, telephones, laundry
service, food and advice at St. Vincent de
Paul’s Eugene Service Station.
The nearby Willamette Science and
Technology Center [WISTEC] also provides
Turn to Homeless, Page 8A
Senators
still overrun
by problems
■ Confusion has plagued the
Student Senate during the past weeks
as it realizes it has broken more
ASUO rules regarding funds
By Jeremy Lang
Oregon Daily Emerald
The Student Senate spent much of
Wednesday night’s meeting working to re
solve the issues that have led to confusion
and multiple grievances in the past weeks.
ASUO President Wylie Chen announced
at the meeting that he will not take any ac
tion on former senator Autumn DePoe’s
grievance against summer senators Jessica
Timpany, C.J. Gabbe, Spencer Hamlin and
Jereme Grzybowski.
Student
Senate
Sen. Eric Pfeiffer
filed a grievance with
the ASUO Executive so
it could recommend
where DePoe’s griev
ance should go next.
He recommended
that DePoe or Pfeiffer
file the grievance with
the ASUO Constitution
Court if they think the
four senators deserve a
harsher punishment.
“Due to the nature of the grievance and
the sanctions already taken by the Senate, I
will take no further action on the griev
ance...” Chen said.
With the rest of the Senate abstaining
from voting, the summer senators officially
voted down a decision they made during
the summer to give $400 to Family Housing,
a non-recognized group. The allocation was
part of DePoe’s grievance, although the
money never reached the group.
Timpany said that this week was the right
time to make the decision.
“We realized that the paperwork could go
through and be done without any harm,”
she said.
Chen also informed the Senate that it
broke ASUO rules two weeks ago when it
allocated $400 to Students for Choice,
which the ASLJO Executive considers a
Turn to Student Senate, Page 5A
University students donate time, energy to read to kids in SMART program
■ Students find that volunteering to
read to children twice a week is a
rewarding experience
By Jessica Blanchard
lor the Emerald
Reading to a child is like planting an
imaginary seed and watching it grow. Some
University students are volunteering as
“planters” this fall at local elementary
schools. The students are volunteering an
hour a week at Maple Elementary School,
reading to children in kindergarten through
second grade as part of the Start Making A
Reader Today (SMART) program.
Jonnie Myers, SMART coordinator at
Maple and Centennial Elementary schools,
said the volunteers are providing an invalu
able service to the children.
“Think who encouraged you to read — a
parent, a teacher, someone who sparked
that interest in reading in you,” Myers said.
“Our volunteers do that. They help spark an
interest in reading in the kids.”
Children in the program are paired up
with an adult volunteer, who reads to them
twice a week for half-hour sessions. During
the program, children are allowed to take
home two books a month to start their own
home library.
Margot McDonnell, Maple Elementary
School’s principal, said the SMART pro
gram is a wonderful way to encourage stu
dents to read.
“[The program] is beneficial because the
kids have an opportunity to read one-on
one with an adult, in a non-instructional set
ting,” she said. “And of course, any oppor
tunity to read is increasing the child’s
opportunity to become a better reader and
have a positive experience with books. ”
The Oregon Children’s Foundation
launched the non-profit program in eight
Oregon schools in January 1992. The
Springfield School District joined the pro
gram in 1995, and the Eugene 4J School Dis
trict followed in 1996. The two programs
now serve an estimated 620 students at 13
area elementary schools, according to the
Oregon Children’s Foundation.
“The program started basically because
there wasn’t enough outside community help
coming in, and this is a great chance to be in
volved, whether you’re retired, working or a
student,” Myers said. “It’s a simple but won
derful program. All you have to do is read. ”
Many of the University student volun
teers said the experience has been a positive
one, for both them and the children. The
program allows them to combine their area
of study with community service.
“This is my third week, and I love it,” said
Anna Christovich, a freshman majoring in
elementary education. Christovich said
most other elementary education volunteer
Turn to Smart, Page 6A