Going pro ■
Angelina Wolvertand teammate Jenny Mowe
were selected in the WNBA draft PAGE 7
A call to action
Former Black Panther Party leader Elaine Brown
discussed racism in America Friday night PAGE 3
Monday
April 23,2001
Volume 102, Issue 133
Weather
TODAY
high 57, low 47
Travis Geny for the Emerald
High school students from Oregon and Washington hit the race course at Lane Community College Saturday in the
sixth annual Electron Run. The students designed and built their own electric cars.
Race gives students a charge
■ Portland General Electric’s sixth
annual Electron Run teaches students
engineering and design skills
By Sue Ryan
Oregon Daily Emerald
Pit crews scrambled off the track. Drivers
flipped their switches.
“Let’s go,” yelled starter Kerry Ibsen as he
dropped the green flag.
The electric cars rolled forward as Portland
General Electric’s sixth annual Electron Run
began at Lane Community College Saturday.
After three heats, the team from Willamette
High School emerged the victor. This is the sec
ond consecutive year that Willamette High has
placed first in the Eugene run, which included
18 teams from as far away as Battleground,
Wash.
“It looks like a race, but it’s a learning envi
ronment,” said Richard T\imock, PGE’s educa
tional specialist.
PGE has sponsored the races for eight years
to give students a place to show off their engi
neering skills and test their cars. Saturday’s
event was the third race of five for the 2001 sea
son and was held during Earth Day weekend.
The program lets students design and build
electric cars to explore industry and engineer
ing careers. The program also fulfills part of the
state’s requirements for the Certificate of Ad
Turn to Electric cars, page 4
Students can ‘Get Connected’
at ISA’s International Week
■The International Student Association
has a week of culture planned for
campus, starting with today’s Africa Day
By Lisa Toth
Oregon Daily Emerald
Persephone Shon and Corinne Erceg stayed up
all night. But it wasn’t because the two Interna
tional Student Association members were cram
ming for a test. They were putting the final touch
es on the script for International Night.
A celebration of international heritage and diver
sity from countries around the world begins today.
International Week, the ISA’s largest event, will
showcase people, exhibits and activities from
Africa, North and South America, Asia, Europe and
the Middle East. ISA intends for the week to bring
awareness about the University’s international
community to students, faculty and community
members. The week will culminate Sunday during
the 38th annual International Night, which will
take place in the EMU Ballroom.
“International Week is to get everyone pumped
up about International Night, and every continent
will have their own day,” ISA Publicity Director
Kimberly Franklin said. “This is their way ofgiving
something back by sharing their
culture with the community. ”
Franklin said while only 10
percent of the campus comprises
international students, those stu
dents want to use the week to
show the campus their interna
tional identity and culture.
Bai-Yu, co-director of the ISA,
said the ISA chose this year’s
theme, “Get Connected,” to suggest students con
nect with each other through technology. The In
ternet, chat rooms and messenger services bring
people from around the world closer together, she
said.
ISA co-director Andreas Georgiades and a team
Turn to International, page 5
Fate of tuition hikes
rests with presidents
■ The State Board of Education has asked the
presidents of OUS schools to help decide how much
tuition will increase
By Brooke Ross
Oregon Daily Emerald
The State Board of Education asked all seven Oregon Uni
versity System presidents to determine how much of a tuition
increase, within a 2 to 5 percent range, will be needed for the
2001-2003 biennium at its meeting Friday, meaning some uni
versities may experience a smaller tuition increase than origi
nally anticipated.
Although nothing was finalized at the meeting at Western Ore
gon University in Monmouth, the board approved a plan to give
all seven schools within the Oregon University System a 2 to 5
percent range in raising tuition for the next two years.
Tom Anderes, OUS vice chancellor for finance and admin
istration, said implementing this plan depends on the out
come of the state budget. The most recent budget estimate is
expected to increase higher education funding by $45 mil
lion. Anderes said that if this funding comes through, tuition
increases may not be as high as expected.
“Most universities are in the position that if we get the $45
million back, we’d be looking at the lower end of this range,”
he said.
But Anderes said funding is still uncertain, so using a range in
stead of one set increase amount will help save money while
also giving each individual school exactly what it needs.
“We don’t know at what level that $45 million will be dealt
with,” he said. “The universities have different needs, so we’re
looking at this range to give them opportunities for flexibility.”
University presidents said they support the plan because it
gives each school some leeway.
Turn to Tuition, page 4
I
When I
have
students
bombard
ing me with
questions
about their
tuition
increasing,
my response
it to look at
the
Legislature.
Geri
Richmond
board
member,
OUS
V
Everybody knows his name
R. Ashley Smith Emerald
Woody Harrelson greets cheering fans at the Erb Memorial Union Amphitheater Friday
afternoon. During his speech, Harrelson discussed Simple Organic Living’ and the impact
of powerful corporations on the environment.
Woody Harrelson addresses packed amphitheater
While sun-bathing in Hawaii, ac
tor Woody Harrelson felt himself be
ing nudged off his rock by a wet dog
named Wookie. The scene reminded
Harrelson of what is happening to
the planet: People are being ‘nudged
off the rock by Wookie’ — the giant
corporations that are stealing the
earth’s resources.
“We the people have been wook
ied off the rock,” Harrelson declared.
“And what I’m going to talk about is
how we can wookie ourselves back
on.”
About 1,500 people crowded the
Turn to Harrelson, page 4