An independent newspaper
Off to a good start
Oded Teig reached the finals in the Oregon tennis
team’s first tournament of the season. PAGE 7
Turn up the volume
Soromundi Lesbian Chorus will hold a benefit
concert to support opposition to Measure 9. PAGE 6
Since 1 900 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon
October 10,2000
Volume 102, Issue 30
Weather
TODAY
high 60, low 45
the Q4)eb
aranication
Despite advancements of online technology, many
students and professors still prefer face-to-face contact
By Simone Ripke
Oregon Daily Emerald
In this age of information technology, e-mail and the Internet
have made their way onto college campuses and class syllabi to
change communication between professors and students.
That doesn’t mean e-mail has replaced office hours. E-mail
enables students to get a quick question answered late at
v. night, and many students are able to print notes off the
Web. However, most people agree there is nothing quite
like a face-to-face conversation.
Arthur Farley, a professor in the computer and
information science department, said he uses the
Internet to manage a class Web site and to post
lecture notes online. He said he thinks e-mail is a
useful tool to ask simple questions.
“It does provide another channel for in
teraction that wasn’t there before,’’ he said.
“[But] it is not as full of a channel as when
you’re talking to a student in person.”
Victor Bliss, an undeclared sophomore,
agreed, saying that although he appreci
ates professors posting notes on the Web,
he still likes to go to professors’ office
hours when he has questions about a class.
“If I’ve ever e-mailed a GTF or a professor, it
was to arrange a meeting,” Bliss said. “I’d rather get
help in person.”
Despite the tools at hand, many professors would rather
help a student in person as opposed to writing an impersonal,
faceless e-mail.
Turn to E-mail, page 4
r
mm
Measures will
affect funding
■ Proposed tax reform Measures
91 and 8 would decrease
government spending as well as
education funding
By Darren Freeman
Oregon Daily Emerald
Two tax reform measures on the Nov.
7 ballot that would cut billions from the
state budget have supporters clamoring
for smaller government and opponents
warning about suffocated programs.
Ballot Measures 91 and 8 would over
haul Oregon’s tax system and reduce
funding for the state’s universities, K-12
schools, emergency services and health
programs.
“The effects would be immediate and
drastic,” said John Coney, a spokesman
for Gov. John Kitzhaber, who has spo
ken against the measures. “The meas
ures are very, very significant.”
If passed, Measure 91 would allow
individual and corporate taxpayers to
deduct all federal tax payments from
their state income tax returns. Current
ly, federal tax deductions are limited to
$3,000, and corporations receive no de
duction at all. Measure 91, sponsored
by Bill Sizemore’s Oregon Taxpayers
United, would eliminate the deduction
limit and offer the tax break to corpora
tions.
The projected impact would be a $1
billion cut in the state’s annual income,
Turn to Taxes, page 5
C l The ef
fects would
be immedi
ate and
drastic. The
measures
are very;
very signifi
cant
John Coney
spokesman for
Gov. John
Kitzhaber^^
Kevin Catame Emerald
Chief Chad Smith, principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, speaks Monday evening at the law school.
Maintaining cultural legacy
Chief Chad
Smith speaks
about law
beingatoolto
effect social
change
By Lisa Toth
Oregon Daily Emerald
Before beginning his presenta
tion, Chief Chad Smith, the prin
cipal chief of the Cherokee Na
tion, was presented with two
gifts.
Native American Law Stu
dents Association members Bri
an DeSoto and Mike Haller of
fered Smith a twist of natural
tobacco and a necklace made of
dentalia. Haller said the dentalia
shell is found off the Oregon and
Washington coasts, and it was
used by Native Americans in
trading.
Smith began the public lecture
on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. in
the Knight Law Center. There
were approximately 200 people
in attendance, ranging from pro
Turn to Chad Smith, page 3
Dan Brunell Emerald
Lynn McDougal of the Institute of Cognitive and Decision Sciences. The Institute is dedicated to researching
the brain and understanding basic human thought.
‘Neural Net’ catches waves
■ Researchers on campus are using a
Geodesic Sensor Net to track brain
response and mood disorders
By Eric Martin
for the Emerald
In the depths of Straub Hall, researchers
in the Brain Electrophysiology Lab (BEL) are
using advanced measurements of brain ac
tivity to show how mood disorders motivate
the brain’s interpretation of daily events.
It would make sense that a depressed per
son could see things in a negative way. But
through the measurement of electrical waves
emitted by the brain, researchers for BEL have
determined that moods have a direct effect on
other cognitive processes in the brain, such as
attention span and memory.
“We’re looking at different brain functional
ity as a function of depression,” said Lynn Mc
Turn to Brain, page 4