MCC, Women’s Law Forum get budget hikes
■ThePFC granted the
Multicultural Center an
increase in advertising funds
By Lisa Toth
Oregon Daily Emerald
The Programs Finance Commit
tee reconsidered the Multicultural
Center’s budget Tuesday night, and
in the process the MCC received a
7.6 percent increase in its budget.
The MCC was originally recalled
before the PFC because of adjust
ments made to line items in the
group’s budget. But MCC Director
Erica Fuller also asked the PFC for
an increase in the MCC’s advertis
ing budget.
Last year was the only year the
MCC had a rollover in its advertis
ing budget, so PFC members were
reluctant to give the MCC an in
crease in advertising funds for next
year.
“The money wasn’t misspent. It
wasn’t used efficiently,” Fuller said.
“I dare to say if I were here next year
that wouldn’t happen again. We will
not be able to do anything with
$250.”
PFC member Lawrence Gillespie
wasn’t willing to give the MCC the
$825 it was asking for, but he was
willing to make a compromise
from the original $250 the MCC
was granted.
“As much as I know they need it,
it’s been our policy that if a group
doesn’t use it, it is cut,” Gillespie
said. “I would be in favor of giving
them half of what they had last
year.”
But PFC member Marie Brink
felt $250 was enough to sustain the
MCC.
“It can get you started, and then
you can use fundraising,” Brink
said.
Before the PFC finally approved
the motion to grant the MCC a
$415 advertising budget, Fuller
spoke in favor of the decision.
While she recognized that a cut
might be in order, she thought ad
vertising funds would be crucial
this year and next year to allow the
MCC to publicize its upcoming
events.
“Some people don’t even know
what the MCC is. People of color
don’t even know,” Fuller said. “We
need to increase our visibility and
right now that is primarily through
advertising.”
The Women’s Law Forum ap
pealed its original budget of $4,474
and left the PFC meeting with a
new budget of $4,732 because a
work study position was converted
to the stipend model.
The stipend model will pay stu
Hearing Results:
Multicultural Center
First Hearing $75,535
Reconsidered $75,691
Women's law Forum
First Hearing $4,474
Appeal $4,732
dents a monthly flat rate in place
of the hourly wages provided
through work study.
The mission and goal statement
for the Korean Student Association
was also approved Tuesday be
cause it was not approved during a
previous appeal.
Jon House for the Emerald
Charmaine Coleman accepts a Special Recognition Award at the Black Student Union
sponsored ‘Celebrating Black Achievement Night.’
Eric Englund
Scholarship
$2,000 to enable a
University of Oregon
graduate to pursue
graduate studies at the
U of O or elsewhere in
American literature or
history or a related
subject. Apply to the
English Department
by March 30.
STUDENT TRAVEL
Achievement
continued from page 1
Beginning with the vocal
stylings of Olivia Callier and the
UO Gospel Singers, the enthusias
tic nature of the event drew audi
ence shouts and standing ovations
throughout the night.
When asked why she believed
the recognition night was impor
tant, junior biology major Bola
Majekobaje replied, “A lot of
times we don’t get to honor those
people who’ve made a big impact
on the community, and on me.
I’m privileged to be presenting
tonight.”
Following the opening musical
presentation, Rayna LuVert ad
dressed the importance of black
ancestry and her own personal
feelings towards her grandparents’
survival of oppression.
The student honorees, mostly
seniors, were a large part of the
achievement night. They included
Daniel Valle, Kim Hutchinson, Glen
Banfield, Mike Callier, Jamila Sin
gleton and Tanya Thorsteinsson.
Valle was pleased to have been
recognized along with those stu
dents he had spent his last four
years of school with. “To be hon
ored by our peers is very inspiring
to me,” he said. Valle is the ASUO
International Student Advocate
and a member of the BSU.
It A lot of times we don’t
get to honor those people
who Ve made a big impact
on the community, and on
me. I'm privileged to be
presenting tonight.
Bola Majekobaje
junior,
biology JJ
Other recognition came from the
Black Women of Achievement. Se
nior Dionna Hancock, senior
Humu Kim Jabbie, grad student
Khaleelah Hancock and graduate
student Taryn Tarver were the re
cipients of the Black Levelheaded
African Queens United for Excel
lence (B.L.A.Q.U.E.) awards.
An eager crowd watched the
recognition of Vivian Barnette, Ba
hati Ansari, Kevin Fuller and Char
maine Coleman. Each of these re
spected members of the community
has contributed to the advancement
of both minority and non-minority
students.
Fuller, a Harvard graduate who
works for The Oregonian, used the
words of Malcolm X in his accept
ance speech. He compared black
adults like himself to lions and
black students to cubs.
“If the cubs are proud of the
lion,” he said, “then the lion has
done his job.”
The evening ended with a speech
from Margret Carter, the first
African-American woman elected
to Oregon’s House of Representa
tives. She encouraged every indi
vidual in the audience to never give
up on his or her goals of becoming
educated and changing the commu
nity. Carter ended with a tri
umphant song that urged each per
son to help “somebody who is going
wrong.”
“Do not let anything stand in
your way. When hurdles come,
they are meant to be moved,”
Carter emphasized. “Each of us
must take control of our lives.”
Energy
continued from page 1
sale energy market costs.
Stier said the BPA, which pro
vides half the power used by the
four Northwest states, is now hav
ing to buy power at $300 per
megawatt hour that used to cost
$30 per megawatt hour. This is the
cause for Bonneville’s rate increas
es, which will take effect this fall.
“The rate increases could have a
significant effect on the region’s
economy,” Stier said.
Stier said the problems will only
get worse in the next two years,
with Bonneville having to decide
between environmental concerns
and energy production.
“Our agency could be broke by
this summer,” Stier said.
DeFazio expressed his concerns
and shared his goals with a gather
ing of about 50 people.
His short-term goals included
seeing that the wholesale market
rates, which have risen from 3
cents per kilowatt hour to 30 cents
per kilowatt hour, become more
reasonable and that more support
comes from Congress.
His long-term goal is to repeal
deregulation. In 1992, Congress
passed the Energy Policy Act, which
gave states the right to deregulate
their energy markets, giving energy
companies control of power produc
tion.
Several politicians, including
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., blame
California’s deregulated market for
the energy crisis.
Historically, Oregon, California
and Washington provide energy
for each other during each state’s
peak months of use. Washington
and Oregon have the greatest need
during the winter months, but
since the energy crisis ensued, Cal
ifornia has been taking energy
when normally it would be pro
viding energy.
We're already
providing the best service
at the lowest cost possible,
so the businesses that
might want to go into the
market will only find
higher prices.
Mat Northway
manager of energy
management services,
EWEB T
“California’s deregulation has
triggered a huge, speculative market
for wholesale energy,” DeFazio said.
Oregon passed its own deregula
tion bill during the 1999 Oregon
legislative session, which will go
into effect Oct. 1, 2001.
Oregon’s deregulation bill gives
Oregon energy consumers who
have a 30-megawatt energy de
mand, such as small and large
businesses, the option of direct ac
cess to the wholesale energy mar
ket. This would give businesses
that are customers of investor
owned utilities the option of by
passing these utilities and possibly
paying less for their energy.Pub
licly owned utilities, such as
EWEB, are not required to offer
this option to their customers.
Northway said if a large company
were to come to EWEB and ask to
buy from the wholesale market,
the board would vote on it.
If EWEB allowed that company
to buy directly from the market, it
would have to give every company
that uses the same amount of ener
gy the same option.Northway, the
manager of energy management
services for EWEB, said with the
way the market prices are now,
there won’t be any businesses
wanting to buy directly from the
market any time soon.
“We’re already providing the
best service at the lowest cost pos
sible, so the businesses that might
want to go into the market will
only find higher prices,” Northway
said.
DeFazio expressed concern for
any form of deregulation, whether
it directly affects a city or not.
“If we have some severe weath
er, or anything that would create a
necessity for reserve energy, in a
deregulated market the private
power companies decide how
much to charge for that reserve en
ergy,” DeFazio said. “It opens the
market up for profiteering.”