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Double the fun *
Both men's and women's track teams secure wins
against the Huskies at Hayward. PAGE 7A
Monday
April 16,2001
Volume 102, Issue 128
Weather
today
Trick or treaty
More than 100 students gather to debate the issues
of a potentially new free trade agreement. PAGE 5A high 59, low45
3INLfc I 3UU UNIVERSITY OF UREG ON EUGENE, OREGON
Russell WeNer Emerald
Candidates square off in election
Inside
It’s better to be
safe than sorry
when it comes
to election
rules. PAGE 3A
■ Bringing their fellow students into the
fold of the ASUO is among the top
priorities of Executive hopefuls
Bret Jacobson and Matt Cook
By Emily Gust
Oregon Daily Emerald
As self-proclaimed “outsiders,” ASUO Execu
tive candidates Bret Jacobson and Matt Cook have
hit the campaign trail with a commitment to pro
fessionalism tucked in their pockets.
And promising a civil and respectable execu
tive office, they have built much of them cam
paign around initiating fellow “outsiders” into
the workings of the ASUO.
“We would behave as professionally and with as
much integrity as possible to leave the average stu
dent with a better impression of the ASUO,” Jacob
Turn to Jacobson, page 4A
■ Clearing up the misunderstandings
surrounding the Student Incidental
Fee is first on Executive candidate
Nilda Brooklyn’s ‘to do’ list
By Beata Mostafavi
Oregon Daily Emerald
The letters A, S, U, and O may not mean
much to the average student, but candidates
Nilda Brooklyn and Joy Nair said they plan to
show campus that the Associated Students of
the University of Oregon does have a purpose.
After working with the program for two
years, the candidates said perhaps the ASUO’s
function on campus has not been as clear as it
could be to outsiders.
“We haven’t been able to tell the average stu
dent, ‘Yeah, we’re working for you,’” Nair said.
Turn to Brooklyn, page 4A
Survey targets
minority voice
■A student survey was recently distributed to help
the administration assess campus diversity
accurately, with program alterations to follow
By Andrew Adams
Oregon Daily Emerald
Through looking at results from several previous studies, the
University administration already knows the demographic
breakdown of students on campus — almost 70 percent are
white — but a new survey aims to see what the campus at
mosphere is like for minority students.
Sponsored by the offices of the vice president and student
and multicultural affairs, a four-page survey was recently
sent out to a random sample of 5,500 students in an attempt
to see how diversity is viewed on cam
pus.
“What the purpose is is to get a snap
shot of what students and faculty really
think of the diversity atmosphere,” said
Chicora Martin, director of the Lesbian
Gay Bisexual and Transgender Education
al Support Service in the Office of Student
Life.
She said the survey is unique in that it
will get “to the heart of a lot of under
represented populations on campus,” by
focusing not only on ethnic minorities but also on those
with different sexual orientations and disabilities.
Martin said results from the survey will be compiled by
the end of final exams week and studied throughout the
summer. She said she was confident that by fall term 2001,
the results of the survey would be in and new diversity pro
grams would be implemented or existing ones would be
modified.
Minority students, Martin said, should then take advantage
of the survey.
“If they want a voice, it’s a great way to get a voice and
make change,” she said.
University Advocate and Director of Multicultural Affairs
Carla Gary said she was looking forward to a plethora of in
formation that the University could use to ensure an accom
modating campus.
“It’s a wonderful idea, and it’s a survey we’ve needed to
do for quite awhile,” she said.
Gary said there has been a growing “hostile environ
ment” in classrooms toward students who bring up diver
sity issues. She said she has heard that when students
bring up issues from a minority viewpoint, some students
respond with annoyance or are dismissive of those stu
dents.
With the survey, Gary said the University will be able to
Turn to Diversity, page 4A
Visiting professors contribute unique perspectives
I he university
is home
to several
professors who
have come
to campus
from across the
globe to share
their
knowledge
By Brooke Ross
Oregon Daily Emerald
Sansakrit Vichitlekarn left
everything he knew behind when
he moved from Thailand to Eu
gene in 1994. The visiting assis
tant professor of accounting, who
his students fondly refer to as
“Stan the Man,” said he had never
been far from his hometown of
Bangkok prior to the move.
“The first day here I felt it was a
culture shock,” he said. “But I felt
warmly welcomed and continue
to feel that way.’’Vichitlekarn is
just one of several University pro
fessors who travel from all over
the world to teach in Eugene.
While Vichitlekarn left his coun
try for the first time only a few
years ago, some professors spent
their childhood living on other
continents before moving to the
States, and others left the U.S. to
teach in another country before
trying out their teaching skills in
America.Vichitlekarn studied at
the University and earned both his
master’s and doctoral degrees. He
began teaching this year after grad
uating last summer. While he said
he has enjoyed his seven years in
Eugene, he is planning to return to
Thailand after spring quarter.
“I’d just like to go back to my
mother country,” he said. “But I’d
love to come back to the States
someday.”
He said because his country
helped pay for his schooling here,
he must go back and teach for 12
years, which is double the amount
of time he spent in school in Ore
gon. He already has a teaching po
sition lined up at Skasetsart Uni
versity in Bangkok.
“Once you know you’re going
back home, you miss it more,” he
said.
Although he is looking forward
to being home, Vichitlekam said
he will miss Oregon and the rela
tionships he’s formed, such as the
one with his host family, who he
lived with when he first arrived in
Eugene.
When his father passed away in
1997, Vichitlekarn said his host
mother in particular was very sup
portive.
“She took care of everything
and was willing to sacrifice her job
to take care of me,” he said.
Vichitlekarn said he will also
miss his students.
“I love being with them,” he
said. “I feel happy when I’m sur
rounded by them.”
However, the international di
versity among the University’s fac
ulty does not end with Vi
Turn to Professors, page 5A
Once
you know
you're going
back home,
you miss it
more.
Sansakrit
Vichitlekarn
assistant
professor of
accounting