City Council undertakes task of redistricting
■The 2000 Census shows that
Eugene’s eight wards have
grown unevenly, and new
districts must be drawn
By Aaron K. Breniman
Oregon Daily Emerald
Certain sections of Eugene are
growing rapidly, and it’s time once
again for the City Council to ad
dress those population variations.
During a Wednesday work session,
the council voted 7-1 to work out
that redistricting itself, rather than
leave the job to a subcommittee or
public task force.
The projected 2000 Census data
presented to the City Council dur
ing the work session reaffirmed two
things about the city and its current
wards: Eugene population growth
greatly exceeded growth projec
tions in certain wards, and ward
boundaries will most likely under
go massive change to ensure equal
representation.
Ward 3 Councilor Bonny
Bettman, whose ward includes the
University and much of the West
University neighborhood, said the
effect redistricting will have on stu
dents hinges on how the new lines
are drawn. But she also mentioned
that the redrawing of the lines will
attempt to ensure equal representa
tion among students.
While official figures from the
2000 Census will not be available
until June, early estimated figures
show that the population of Eugene
has increased by slightly over
25,000 residents in the past decade.
Wards 5 and 6, which are both lo
cated in north Eugene, saw the
largest population increases with
nearly 9,000 and 6,0000 people re
spectively, according to the figures
supplied to the City Council. Dur
ing that same time, the population
in Ward 3 increased only bv about
400.
Most of Wednesday’s discussion
regarding the redistricting process
was centered on facilitating public
input.
“There is going to be significant
change this redistricting process,”
Jim Croteau, the city of Eugene’s
principal planner, told the Council.
“We are recommending a more ex
tensive citizen involvement
process.”
Public information will be avail
able about redistricting from the
city of Eugene Web site and the city
manager’s office.
“With regard to the process, I
want to make sure we get public
comment at the right time — before
its too late,” Ward 8 Councilor
Nancy Nathanson commented.
The Citizen Charter Review
Committee recommended that the
City Council place instant run-off
voting, or IRV, on the ballot. How
ever, the exact ballot — either May
or November — remains uncertain.
The committee also recommended
that the City Council consider and
discuss the feasibility of increasing
the number of wards from eight to
10.
Instant run-off voting, committee
Chairman Jon Belcher said, would
have many advantages. He de
scribed the cost implications of a
single election and how IRV could
eliminate the possibility of “spoiler
candidates,” as Green Party candi
date Ralph Nader has been called
during the aftermath of Election
2000.
IRV involves voting for candi
dates using a preferential ranking
system.
“I don’t think [the system] is bro
ken,” Belcher said, “but it does
need some fixing.”
Mayor Jim Torrey solicited the
individual opinion of committee
members in attendance after Belch
er addressed the council.
“Our community is growing
more diverse socially and political
ly,” committee member Ken Tol
lenaar said. “I think IRV is a way to
accommodate these larger charges
within the community.”
UO, OSU scolded by Senate for 2001 Civil War date
■The University Senate
worries the December game
compromises academics
for lucrative network deals
By Hank Hager
Oregon Daily Emerald
For just the second time in Civil
War history, the Ducks and Beavers
will square off on the football field
in December, and some on campus
don’t like it.
The University Senate approved
a resolution April 11 that essential
ly scolded the athletic departments
of both schools for scheduling a
game so close to Finals Week.
“It’s a huge distraction from what
is first, which is academics,” said
James Earl, English professor and
senate president.
Earl said he is not worried about
the short term effects of the deci
sion, but said it could be a problem
if games are regularly scheduled
this late.
He said senate members were
concerned because the University
administration had sent a letter to
all academic departments remind
ing faculty to respect Dead Week,
and right after this, the date of the
game was scheduled at the end of
the week.
Scheduling athletic events dur
ing important academic times at
the University is not always avoid
able, said Dave Williford, assistant
athletic director of media services
for the University. He said the Ath
letic Department has a policy of not
scheduling games during Finals
Week, but sometimes it just can’t be
helped.
“The University of Oregon, be
cause it is on a quarter system, is
handicapped,” he said. “It’s still
something that is completely out of
our control.”
He said games that are controlled
by the NCAA, such as the basket
ball tournaments in March, cannot
be changed to dates that fit the Uni
versity’s needs. Those dates are de
cided upon beforehand and do not
take into account the schools that
participate.
He said if a situation arises where
University teams are required to
play games on the road during a pe
riod of test taking, there are differ
ent ways to accommodate the stu
dents.
Williford said professors are con
tacted by the Athletic Department
to reschedule tests if possible, and
if the student-athlete is not able to,
a proctor will travel with the team
to administer the test.
He added that freshmen athletes,
as well as all athletes who do not
have a GPA of 2.0 or above, are re
quired to attend a study hall
throughout the year.
Dan Williams, vice president
for administration, said the lure of
lucrative television rights revenue
and national exposure prompted
the date change for the Civil War.
But, he added, changing the date
of the game took serious consider
ation.
He said he understood the sen
ate’s concern that the game may
make Finals Week seem unimpor
tant, but the advantages of playing
in December had to be taken into
consideration.
“The advantages far outweighed
the risk,” he said.
He said athletic directors normal
ly schedule pre-season games, but
during Pacific-10 Conference play,
the games are scheduled by confer
ence officials.
Earl said the payments made by
the networks to push the game to a
later date shows that athletics is play
ing an increasing role in college.
The date change is “a big red flag
telling us athletics is so big now it
is encroaching on academics,” he
said.
Earl said the importance for
sports channels to show games on
TV every day of the week puts even
more stress on student-athletes and
has a direct affect on their studying
habits.
He said the senate’s resolution is
a message to the University to mon
itor what happens in their schedul
ing.
“We were sending what we think
is a shot across the bow,” he said.
400 officials prepare
for McVeigh execution
By Rex W. Huppke
The Associated Press
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — From a
command center in the federal pen
itentiary, officials will oversee near
ly 400 state, local and federal law
enforcement officers during the
days leading up lo Timothy
McVeigh’s execution.
The command center will open
May 9, a week before McVeigh is
scheduled to die by lethal injection
for the 1995 bombing of the Okla
homa City federal building, which
killed 168.
The number of officers in the
area will grow as the execution date
approaches, Warden Harley Lappin
said at the prison Wednesday. All
30 schools in Vigo County will
close that day, along with all coun
ty and federal courts in Terre Haute.
Some law enforcement authori
ties and residents have expressed
fear of some kind of terrorist attack
wherf'McVeigh is executed May 16.
“At this point in time, we don’t
have any indication that any organ
ized group is planning any sort of act
in support of the tragedy at Okla
homa City or in this case the execu
tion of Timothy McVeigh,” said
Robert Reilley, special agent in
charge of the Indianapolis FBI office.
Lappin said news organizations
are expected to begin setting up on
prison property between May 9 and
May 11. By May 12, all roads onto
prison grounds will be guarded and
all vehicles will be checked.
The day before the execution,
death penalty activists will be al
lowed to park at two different Terre
Haute parks. Buses will take pro
testers to the prison grounds at
midnight on the day of the execu
tion, which is scheduled for 7 a.m.
EST.
There are currently nearly 200
law enforcement officers in Vigo
County. More than 200 additional
officers, including FBI agents and
federal marshals, will join them,
Lappin said. The Bureau of Prisons
will also send in more than 150 ad
ditional personnel, bringing the to
tal prison staff to about 650.
Despite preparations for the exe
cutions, the prison has been run
ning smoothly, Lappin said.
“We’re communicating quite a
bit with the inmates, they watch the
news every night, they know exact
ly what’s going on,” Lappin said.
“They know that for a period of
time during this execution, they’ll
be locked in their cells, and they
understand why.” '.* -
CONGRATULATIONS
Women’s Club
Volleyball players:
Lisa Dohrmann
Carli Halligan
Jessica Mae Van Ourkerk
Heidi Swanson
Nicki Daman
Kristin Layne
Annie Pogue
Stacey Terry
Sara Sanzone
Tina Austinson
Coach: Cody Banner
011599
NIRSA
National intramural and Recreational Soorts
NATIONAL
jqiale Qub
CHAMPIONS!
Championship Game
UO vs. Purdue
Kansas City, MO
April 13-15