How ‘bout
them Ducks
Oregon tennis'Chris
Russell is honored as
the Pac-10's Coach of
the Year, and senior
Guillermo Carter is
recognized as first
team Pac-10. PAGE 13
The Flash
Cartoonist makes
fun at the University
John Callahan, a nationally
syndicated cartoonist, visited
the University Tuesday to talk
about life as a quadriplegic
celebrity. Members of the
University's Disability Project
Committee sponsored Calla
han’s visit, which attracted a
crowd of more than 300.
Callahan is known for his cut
ting-edge humor and over
the-top illustrations that poke
fun at all groups. PAGE4
ASUO Constitution
Court moves
The judicial branch of the
ASUO has finally found a per
manent home in Room 20 of
the EMU. The Constitution
Court has been working out
of various locations, with no
consistent locale for storing
documents. Projects in the
works for the newly settled
judiciary group include cre
ating a Web site and new fall
term office hours for the jus
tices. Students with griev
ances, questions or ballot
measures they wish to pres
ent would have an easier
time accessing the court.
PAGE 5
Gas measures could
impact roads
Oregon Ballot Measures 80
and 82 could have an impor
tant impact on roadways and
highway policing if voters ap
prove the initiatives in the
May elections. Measure 80
seeks to amend the Oregon
Constitution to give state and
* local governments the ability
to use money from the cur
rent 29 cent gas tax to fund
training for more patrol offi
cers. Measure 82 would in
crease the current gas tax by
five cents, and would ex
change trucking weight and
mile taxes for a diesel tax.
PAGE 6
Weather
Today Thursday
high 55, low 44 high 57, low 39
'V.^ Oregon Daily m
Emeral
Wednesday
May 10,2000
Volume 101, Issue 149
—Q—o-!—b—e_w ft h ^
www.dailyemerald.com
University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon
An independent newspaper
■ udve rronnmayer ana
Wylie Chen share their
ideas and rejections
W*th the announcement
tf 3 Mm CEO Phil
Cnighfs displeasure at
the University’s decision to join
the Worker Rights
^ Con
aortium three weeks in the past,
University President Dave
Frohnmayer and ASUO Presi
dent Wylie Chen have had time
to reflect on the tumultuous
months that have divided the
c§mpus over the issue of sweat
slop labor.
Frohnmayer and Chen, inter
viewed separately, revealed to
tie Emerald how the past
, month has affected them as
presidents.
Community members, stu
dents and alumni have attacked
Frohnmayer’s and Chen’s presi
dencies since Knight’s decision
to end all personal donations
to the University. His reac
tion stemmed from the Uni
versity’s pledge of mem
bership to the WRC, an
organization with the
goal of monitoring
working conditions in
overseas factories
where university licensed ap
parel is manufactured. Frohn
mayer made the final decision
to join on April 12 after a vote
of the University Senate and a
10-day occupation of Johnson
Turn to Presidents, page 3
all photos by the
Emerald
The two presi
dents reveal their
thoughts on the
events stemming
from the Universi
ty’s decision to
join the Worker
Rights Consor
tium, including
protests at John
son Hall, Nike CEO
Phil Knight’s with
drawal of dona
tions and heated
public commen
Dave Frohnmayer, University president
Apparel industry defends its labor record
Businesses
claim labor
monitoring
groups aren’t
necessary and
companies are
providing
valuable jobs
By Darren Freeman
Oregon Daily Emerald
While supporters of the
Worker Rights Consortium have
recently been the most outspo
ken voices on the labor rights
issue, many members of the
business community firmly
maintain that American-based
international corporations are
not exploiting lesser developed
nations and that labor monitor
ing organizations aren’t neces
sary.
“We’d be stupid not to do the
right thing,” Russell Athletic
spokeswoman Nancy Young
said. “We have a set of global
standards, which in some cases
is more stringent than anything
the [labor
monitoring
organiza
tions] have
come up
with. It’s jpst
good busi
ness.”
The WRC,
which the
University joined April 12, and
other labor-rights monitoring
organizations are intended to
make American corporations
comply with basic labor stan
dards in foreign countries
Young said that employees of
companies making products for
Russell Athletic are at least 15
years old, are paid the mini
mum wage of their countries
plus overtime pay and are not
subjected to corporal punish
ment or unsafe working condi
tions.
“Our concern is for the peo
ple who work for us and the
people who work for our suppli
ers,” she said. “It’s our number
Turn to Industry, page 7
Our
concern is
for the
people who
workfor
us...
Nancy Young
Russell Athletic
spokeswoman
Forum seeks cure for medical error deaths
Experts
in the field
have known
that there
a re serious
health care
problems.
John Rother
Quality Forum
board
member
I
■A non-profit organization is studying the health-care
industry, hoping to reduce the 50,000 to 100,000 deaths
which are attributed to medical errors each year
By Adam Jude
Oregon Daily Emerald
As one of nine experts select
ed to design a report on the
quality of the country’s health
care, Judith Hibbard, Universi
ty professor of planning, public
policy and management, be
lieves many improvements
should be made in the medical
field.
A recent increase in the
awareness of problems in the
medical field has prompted the
creation of the National Health
Care Quality Forum, a non
profit organization that studies
the medical industry. Board
members of the forum chose a
panel of health policy experts
to establish a national system
that will improve conditions.
One of the major concerns of
the forum’s panel is the number
of deaths that are caused by
medical errors. More Ameri
cans die every year — an esti
mated 50,000 to 100,000 — as a
result of health-related errors
than in automobile accidents,
Hibbard said.
The Quality Forum seeks to
cut the number of medical error
deaths and injuries in half in
the next five years.
“Experts in the field have
known that there are serious
health care problems,” board
member John Rother said. “Peo
ple are not getting the care they
need.”
Often, the medical errors are
a result of faulty prescription,
Hibbard said. But in most cases,
it is not the fault of an individ
ual; the necessary tools are not
always used or are not avail
able.
“Even when we know some
Turnto Errors, page 10
Study
Medical mors
cause an estimated
50,000 to 100,000
American deaths
each year.
The National
Health Care Quali
ty Forum seeks to
cut erroneous
deaths by 50 per
cent in five years.
Nearly one in five
Americans do not
have health insur
ance.
SOURCE: Institute of
Medicine