Grief roller coaster takes students for a ride
■The University Counseling
Center helps students cope
with grief in the wake of
Jill Dieringer’s death
By Lisa Toth
Oregon Daily Emerald
When a person experiences a
loss, a close friend’s first response
might be to limit contact with the
friend, avoid conversation about the
departed family member or treat the
friend with deference.
But University psychologists and
officials said these are just a few of the
myths associated with grief. The Uni
versity Counseling Center handles
situations ranging from break-ups to
divorced parents. But they mobilize
differently in sudden situations such
as the Feb. 9 death of 19-year-old
freshman Jill Dieringer.
Ron Miyaguchi, a psychologist
with the University Counseling Cen
ter, said the University deals with in
dividuals experiencing grief on differ
ent levels. When Dieringer died from
meningococcal disease, University
counselors and psychologists held
discussion groups to get a handle on
grieving students’ thoughts and ex
pectations, especially those who lived
with Dieringer in her residence hall,
those who were in her sorority or any
one who shared a class with her.
Shannon Curnutte, the resident
assistant in Cloran Hall where
Dieringer lived, said she is still
grieving over Dieringer’s death and
didn’t want to comment.
“We have an understanding of the
way the world works,” Miyaguchi
said. “The loss of someone very dear
to us generates different responses—
denial, numbness or shock — trying
to make sense of something that does
n’t make sense.”
“All those different feelings are
frequent of a person trying to cope
with a senseless event,” he said.
Miyaguchi said the pressure level
of an individual experiencing grief
varies with the intensity level of the
situation. Seeking professional help
is nqt necessarily better than dis
cussing problems with friends and
family, he said. But the chance to talk
to a certified psychologist offers infor
mation, analysis and advice.
In bereavement group situations,
Miyaguchi said the main focus is to
make sure the members support
each other. He said members in
group sessions can receive the edu
cation they need to understand
what they are experiencing emo
tionally and mentally as well as
what to expect in the future.
Miyaguchi said reactions such as
anger often surface some time after
an incident has occurred.
Feelings about Dieringer’s death
were stirred up again Wednesday at
Hayward Field during her memorial
service.“If the student had an oppor
tunity to deal with their feelings either
through the groups we offered or with
friends, they will probably be able to
handle the feelings that [came] up at
the memorial,” Miyaguchi said.
Miyaguchi classified traumatic situa
tions he deals with as either random
or predictable. He said predictable in
cidents include long-term illnesses
that individuals have more prepara
tion time to handle. But with situa
tions such as car accidents and unex
pected deaths, Miyaguchi said people
experience more shock because of the
rapid nature of the incident.
Sheryl Eyster, assistant dean in the
Office of Student Life, said the office
is continuing to work with students
who want additional support follow
ing Dieringer’s death. She said the
goal is to help students become more
comfortable with the unique nature
of how Dieringer died and the emo
tions that followed.
“Everyone experiences grief dif
ferently and goes through that jour
ney differently,” Eyster said.
Jon Davies, a psychologist with
the Counseling Center, added that
people also experience fears about
their own mortality.
“When loss happens, it brings up
a string of other losses,” Davies said.
“The idea isn’t for me to provide the
answers, but to allow people to ex
press the feelings they are having.”
After someone close to them dies,
Davies recommended that people on
the “emotional roller coaster” talk
about the loss of a loved one and be
supportive of each other. He said pro
fessional help is an option for people
who may be suicidal, experience con
tinual impairment at work or have no
support base to talk with friends and
family about their problems.
“The greatest fallacy about grief is
that people should be over it sooner
than necessary,” Davies said. “People
should take whatever time it takes to
get over the grief. People should
grieve at their own pace. ”
Guidelines to help
resolve grief:
• Allow time to experience thoughts
and feelings openly. There is no
time limit to the grieving process.
Each individual should define his
or her own healing process.
• Crying offers a release.
• Acknowledge and accept positive
and negative feelings.
• Use a journal to document the
healing process.
• Confide in a trusted individual.
• Bereavement groups provide an
opportunity to share grief with
others who have experienced
similar losses.
• If the healing process becomes
too overwhelming, seek
professional help.
Source: University Counseling Center
Lawmakers debate spending lottery funds on stadium
By Jessica Bujol
The Associated Press
SALEM — If you build it, they
will come. That’s the theory behind
Rep. Bill Witt’s proposal to entice a
major league baseball team to Port
land with a brand-new stadium.
But Rep. Charlie Ringo says the
venerable American institution is
n’t one that should be funded with
taxpayer dollars, especially in a
penny-pinching budget year.
Witt, R-Portland, has introduced a
bill that would allocate $150 million
in lottery-backed bonds for a baseball
stadium once an owner steps up to
the plate and a major league team
agrees to relocate to Oregon.
“We’re convinced that Oregon would
support a team, and it would create an
economicbenefitforthe state,’’saidWitt.
Supporters have already lined up
behind the bill and Ringo, D
Beaverton, said that’s one reason he
decided to speak out against it.
HB 2941 is being cosponsored by
35 representatives and 17 senators,
a majority in each chamber.
“I’m trying to turn the tide,” he said.
“Somebody in this building needed to
be a proponent for the taxpayer. ’ ’
Ringo said that despite the alluring
SportHill
Factory Clearance Sale
Running, fitness, ski and outdoor apparel
Four Days Only:
Wednesday, Feb. 21,7 a.m. - 6 p.m. • Thursday, Feb. 22,9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 23,9 a.m. - 6 p.m. • Saturday, Feb. 24,10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Save up to 70% on SportHill and XC
factory seconds, discontinued colors and
styles, sales samples, overstocked items
and prototypes.
• Running Shorts and Singlets
• SportHill Pants and Tops
• Coolmax T-Shirts
• Invasion Pants and Tops
• Wind Jackets, Vests and Pants
• Rain Jackets and Pants
• Fleece Jackets and Vests
• Mitts, Hats and Headbands
• XC Pants, Tops & Jackets
• And More
Wednesday, Feb. 21,7 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 22,9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 23,9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 24, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Where:
725 McKinley St., Eugene
Our warehouse is located at the
corner of 7th & McKinley St.
Weston W. 11th,
right on McKinley St.
Help Sporthill provide food for needy families in Lane County.
Bring at least 2 non-perishable food items
and get $2.00 off your purchase.
idea of having a major league team in the
state, the Legislature shouldn’t get in
volved. Lawmakers have more impor
tant things to do than work on bringing a
baseball team to Oregon, he said.
“I think it’s the wrong priority for
Oregonians,” he said. “We’ve got to
invest in things like education and
health care, not a baseball stadium. ”
But Witt said the money for a stadium
wouldn’t come at the expense of other
programs in the governor’s budget.
‘ ‘What We’re talking about here is us
ing lottery dollars, intended specifically
for economic development,” he said.
Because the $150 million has been
earmarked for economic development,
he added, it couldn’t be used for things
like education or health care anyway.
Four teams — the Minnesota
Twins, the Oakland A’s, the Montreal
Expos and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
— are primed for relocation, Witt
said. Because of that, he said this is a
unique window of opportunity to
bring baseball to Oregon. A new,
state-of-the-art ballpark would make
a solid case for Portland, he said.
‘‘We’ve been pretty much assured
that if public funding is in place and
private funding comes forward then
we’ll get a team in as little as four to
six months,” he said.
The stadium would essentially pay
for itself, Witt said, by generating rev
enue from things such as ticket sales
and hotel rooms for ballpark visitors.
Though proponents say the team
could be an economic boon, Ringo
said the opposite is true.
“The reality is somewhat different.
Spending all that money rarely has a
positive economic impact,” he said.
Setting aside $150 million would also
use up all of the lotteiy’sbonding capacity
for the next eight years, Ringo added.
“I’d hate to use all of that money
now. We might need it later,” he said.
011116
DANCE CLUB
endless possibilities
Money Grab @ 11:00 pm
• A
$2 Chinese Food Special
2222 Centennial
(Next to Autzen Stadium) 343
B I v d .
4 7 3 4