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Still in the hunt *
The UO wrestling team is still in contention for the
Pac-10 title despite losing its top wrestler. PAGE 7
Representing every voice
The Emerald editorial board offers its pick for next
year’s ASUO Executive. PAGE 2
Since 1900 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon
Monday
February 26,2001
Volume 102, Issue 102
Weather
TODAY
high 57, low 25
University’s WRC membership stifled by board
■The State Board of Higher Education declared that OUS schools
must remain impartial in their affiliations
By Andrew Adams
Oregon Daily Emerald
In one quick session during its Feb.
16 meeting, the State Board of Higher
Education essentially ended the dis
pute over the Worker Rights Consor
tium, one of the most contentious and
politically divisive issues on campus.
The board adopted a policy that
would require all schools in the Ore
gon University System to conduct
business in “a straightforward and po
litically impartial manner.” This nul
lifies the University’s involvement in
labor monitoring groups such as the
WRC and Fair Labor Association, and
negates its own code of conduct for
businesses that are licensed to use the
University’s logo on merchandise.
Listed simply as “proposed hoard
policy on business practices” on the
agenda for the hoard’s meeting, the ac
tion received little attention until its
ramifications became clear.
The policy states that the seven OUS
institutions can only do business with
Turn toWRC, page 4
Laura Smit Emerald
Lysha Wasser, co-chair of the Multnomah County chapter of the Green Party, writes propositions from party members during the statewide
convention at Agate Hall Saturday. The event drew about 80 participants from around the region discussing a new focus on reform.
Greens to focus on election reform
The
statewide
Pacific
Green Party
convention
drew
member
support and
set party
goals this
weekend
By Aaron K. Breniman
Oregon Daily Emerald
Election 2000 left a bad taste
in the mouths of many Ameri
cans, and some called the after
math a failure of democracy.
Mirroring public dissatisfac
tion with the election, the Pa
cific Green Party announced
this weekend that the party’s
plan for the next two years will
focus on campaign finance re
form.
The statewide quarterly con
vention, held Saturday and
Sunday at the University’s
Agate Hall, drew an estimated
80 party members from region
al chapters of the Pacific Green
Party.
Represented at the conven
tion was a mix of members
nearly as diverse as the state’s
population itself. The Pacific
Green Party has long termed it
self “The People’s Party,” and
the variety of people in atten
dance seemed to verify that as
pect of the party.
From the young to the old,
newly political to politically
frustrated, members attending
the convention were optimistic
for the party’s future.
“If I felt that any other party
offered a truly democratic
process, I’d probably be in
volved with them,’’ Multnom
ah County Pacific Green Party
co-chairman Lysha Wasser
said. “Show me another party
that could make a 23-year-old a
co-chair of one of it’s biggest
chapters.’’
Turn to Green Party, page 6
■ Students respond to the recent state board
decision prohibiting the University’s involvement
with the Worker Rights Consortium
By Jeremy Lang
Oregon Daily Emerald
For the University students fighting to
improve workers’ rights, the issue is start
ing to sound like a broken record skipping
on the same themes of lacking student
voice and poor campus democracy.
Student activists and members of the
ASUO felt marginalized last fall when
University President Dave Frohnmaver
made the surprise announcement the
school would be a member of both the
Worker Rights Consortium and the Fair
Labor Association.
They disagreed when the administra
tion said legal problems barred the
school from paying its dues to the WRC.
Now, they are raising the same com
plaints after the Oregon State Board of
Higher Education passed a policy bar
ring the University from adopting a code
of conduct that sets guidelines for the
working conditions in which school
clothing is made.
“I’m obviously annoyed at many lev
els,” said ASUO University Affairs Co
ordinator Chad Sullivan, who camped
at Johnson Hall last spring in a demon
stration pushing Frohnmayer to join the
WRC originally.
Sullivan said he is again upset with the
way in which the decision was made. He
heard rumors of the proposed policy last
week, but when he checked the meeting
agenda, he didn’t see the policy because
of the wav it was worded.
“It's a carefully worded legalistic poli
cy land| a clear indication of politics
subverting human rights work,” he said.
“It’s so bohind-t lie-back. ”
Sullivan added the decision is anoth
er setback in the strides the student ac
tivism movement has taken since last
spring’s WRC protest.
In response to the protest, many peo
ple spent 10 days camped outside John
son Hall and became members of Uni
versity decision-making committees.
But Sullivan said the board’s decision
makes him feel that, regardless of how
hard students work, their voices are
seen as insignificant.
“This issue came to the table because
of student activism,” he said. "We were
told from so many quarters to be objec
tive, be rational, be on committees.”
Many students from the protest, in
cluding ASUO President Jav Breslow
Turn to Reaction, page 4
It’s a
carefully
worded
legalistic
policy [and]
a clear
indication
of politics
subverting
human
right work.
It’s so
behind-the
back.
Chad Sullivan
ASUO
University
affairs
coordinator
ASUO election primaries begin today, end Thursday
■ Changes to the election process this year include an extended voting
period and the lack of ballots or polling booths around campus
By Jeremy Lang
Oregon Daily Emerald
Instead of a single-day sprint to the
primaries, candidates in this year’s
ASUO election begin a campaign
marathon today that won’t end until
Thursday.
, , , Matt Swanson,,office manager for .the .
Elections Board, said he has high hopes
that the extended voting period com
bined with computer polling will push
voter turnout above the 10- to 15-per
cent marks of previous years.
Voting for ASUO Executive, Student
Senate and other committee positions
will be conducted entirely by compui-.
er via Duck Web 24 hours a dav for the
next four days. Duck Web voting has ex
isted for the past two years, but this will
be the first election without ballot vot
ing or polling booths on campus.
Although the voting period is longer,
the campaign itself has been shorter this
year. The first elections coordinator ap
pointed by ASUO President Jay Bres
low resigned before the appointment
could be approved by the senate. Swan
son said that with the shorter timeline,
the campaigning on campus has
seemed very quiet.
But many of the candidates fighting
for ASUO president and vice president
said they will he more visible during
the next four days, handing out fliers
and talking to students on the streets.
Candidate Nilda Brooklyn said she
wants to bridge the gap between mem
bers of student programs and the gener
Turn to Primaries, page.6.
AS! ‘0
ELECTIONS!