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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2001)
‘Bucks for Ducks’ sparks bright idea for EMU ■ EMU officials support the idea for solar panels on the EMU, even though their effect on the building is uncertain By Hank Hager Oregon Daily Emerald The proposed addition of solar panels onto the EMU building has garnered excitement for those in volved, but not everyone expects a smooth process for implementa tion. A lack of communication among those involved with the planning of the panels and the pos sible insignificant amount of ener gy produced by the panels may complicate matters. ASUO officials announced May 21 that solar panels for the EMU were the winning idea for the “Bucks for Ducks” campaign, which released money from the overrealized fund. The fund holds extra student incidental fee money that accumulates when enrollment is higher than expected.EMU direc tors have not been able to meet with Ben Gates or Jocelyn Eisenberg, the students who came up with the idea; therefore, no one really knows how the panels will affect the build ing. In addition, the EMU Board must still vote on the panels before anything can be done. Brian Hawley, an energy manage ment engineer for the Eugene Water and Electric Board, said the panels are a statement by the ASUO that it cares about the environment. “They’re making a commitment to a vision for a different future,” he said. Although Hawley has not met with Gates or Eisenberg, he said the school will not be able to get a sys tem that produces a high amount of energy with the $100,000 that will be allotted for the project. “Right now, you’re looking at about a 10 kilowatt per hour system for $100,000,” he said. “This is going to be a fairly insignificant portion. ” Hawley said the EMU used ap proximately two million kilowatt hours last year. He estimated that a 1 kWh system would produce rough ly 1,400 kilowatt hours for the en tire year. On a 10 kWh system, the EMU would receive roughly 14,000 kilowatt hours from the system next year. Based on last year’s estimate, that would not even represent 1 per cent of the total output needed for the EMU. But, he said, the future for solar panels may be improving. “Solar is the cleanest source of power we have, but also the most ex pensive,” he said. “[But] they’re pret ty nice and getting cost effective.” Hawley said those involved need to meet to discuss how to use the panels in the most efficient manner. “We need to coordinate how we get the biggest bang for our buck,” he said. Despite the lack of considerable change the solar panels will bring, Hawley they are absolutely necessary for the future, and their use in the EMU is the right step toward creating an environmentally safe campus. “We can’t keep burning fossil fu els and ignoring the environmental impacts of that,” he said. “I’m really glad students here have the vision and the foresight.” Ben Buzbee, vice chairman for the EMU Board of Directors, said he would have liked to have met with the planning committee before the announcement was made concern ing the panels. “It didn’t upset me, but there may be some problems that can arise with our budgeting,” he said. He said the budget for next year has already been set, and because of this, problems that could arise from maintenance and upkeep of the panels may push the budget even higher than expected. But despite the lack of communi cation between the board and the ASUO, Buzbee said he is in favor of the solar panels. “It has a lot of potential and we’ll see where it goes from here,” he said. Susan Racette, associate director and business manager for the EMU, said $80,000 has been budgeted for the building’s electrical needs next year. She said although she has not met with Gates or Eisenberg to discuss what the panels may mean for the future of the EMU, she is in favor of installing them. “Most of us in the EMU are in favor of doing what we can to save energy,” she said. “This fits right in with what we’re trying to do to conserve energy.” Dusty Miller, director of the EMU, said he is working to bring all groups involved together so that a plan for the panels can be set. He is in favor of placing the panels and said he be lieves everyone will agree. “I can’t imagine it not being some thing the board doesn’t want to do,” he said. Volunteer opportunities plentiful this weekend ■TheASUOand the Community Internship Program team up to sponsor a ‘community service day’ By Kara Cogswell Oregon Daily Emerald This weekend, University students will have the chance to offer their services to some of the most “needed” organizations in Eugene, ASUO Out reach Director Gabe Sitowski said. All day Saturday, the ASUO and the Community Internship Program are sponsoring a “community serv ice day,” during which student vol unteers can lend their hands to Womenspace, Food for Lane Coun ty, St. Vincent de Paul, the YMCA and the First Place Family Center. ASUO and CIP leaders are encour aging students to sign up for one of the several volunteer time slots throughout the day. Most shifts begin at 9 a.m. and last two to three hours. “Volunteering is definitely some thing everyone should do,” said Alex Dietrich, events coordinator for the CEP. “It helps complete the person.” And, Sitowski added, volunteer experience can also give students an advantage when applying for a job or an internship. Depending on the organization, students will be involved with a vari ety of service projects, Sitowski said. Those who sign up at Food for Lane County will work in the orga nization’s community garden. At Womenspace, an organization offer ing services to women who are vic tims of domestic violence, volun teers will help the group move into a new office. Jacqui Lomont, director of devel opment for Womenspace, said the group is fortunate the service day coincided with its moving date. “We’re very pleased to have this kind of assistance,” she said. Volunteers with St. Vincent de Paul will do gardening work at one of the organization’s housing proj ects, and at the YMCA, students will assist with the organization’s 150th anniversary celebration. At the First Place Family Center, which offers services to homeless or low-income families with children, students will give the center a fresh look with an all-day spring cleaning project. Tim Rockwell, assistant director for the center, said volunteers offer valuable assistance to the organiza tion. He added that because the cen ter has limited funding, there are not enough staff members to do all the cleaning and maintenance work that is needed. “Without the volunteers, there’s a lot of things that wouldn’t get done around here,” he said. While the ASUO has sponsored community service projects in the Interested in volunteering? Students can sign up at the ASUO or Community Internship Program of fices. Transportation will be provid ed if needed. For more information, contact the ASUO office at 346 3724. Source: ASUO Executive past, Sitowski said Saturday’s event, combining the ASUO’s efforts with those of CIP, is a first for the University —and it is one he wo uld like to see ex panded in the future. “Hopefully, this event will grow and grow, and get bigger every year,” he said. www.smithfamilybookstorc.com H Raw Taleivfc. The Oregon Daily Emerald is always looking for young writers who want to learn and grow at a real newspaper. For information on how to freelance for the Emerald call 346-5511. 2001 UO Summer Session Glasses Begin i June 25. BookYour Summer in Oregon Pick up your free summer catalog today in the Summer Session office, 333 Oregon Hall, or at the UO Bookstore. You can speed your way toward graduation by taking required courses during summer. University of Oregon Summer Session http://uosummer.uoregon.edu/
