Torch continued from page 1 States boycotted the games. After learning his Olympic dream had ended, Scott moved to Rome with several members of his church and worked for three months building houses after an earthquake. Sandy Serpas of Eugene said she is “overwhelmed” by the opportu nity to carry the torch. “It’s amazing to see so many peo ple show interest in this,” Serpas said. “It’s amazing to know I’m part of something so big.” Serpas’s parents died when she was young, and doctors have told her that she probably had a stroke when she was born, leaving her with a speech disorder and occa sional motor skill difficulties with the right side of her body. She has worked for U.S. Bank for 23 years, and is currently a district operations manager. She was also single while raising her daughter, Christy, now 31. “Those people are what the relay is all about,” Walker said. “They represent what it means to sacrifice and inspire.” The torch itself represents “a fiery icicle in motion,” Walker said. The torch is 33 inches long, weighs 3.5 pounds and is made of glass, copper and silver. The torch’s fire is enclosed in glass, in keeping with the theme of the games, and Walker said rain will not extinguish it. “We took it through a torrential downpour in Louisville (Ky.),” Walker said. “We should be able to handle the rain in Oregon.” Torrey said relay organizers as sured him rain would not extin guish the torch, but if the rain threatens the flame, “we have great umbrellas here.” Last year, prominent members of the International Olympic Commit tee received criticism when inves tigators discovered the members had accepted bribes, such as cash and scholarships for children, from Salt Lake City officials in exchange for choosing the city to host this year’s Winter Olympics. Despite the controversy, the torch has lost none of its luster, Tor rey and Walker said. “The manner in which Salt Lake City acquired the games has caused the image of the IOC to lose luster, but the torch has and continues to rise above those things,” Torrey said. “Our focus is on the torch, the games and the athletes them selves,” Walker said. “The torch is still the symbol it’s been since it was created. We’re hoping for an Olympic Games as fantastic as the relay has been.” E-mail community reporter Marty Toohey at martytoohey@dailyemerald.com. Arabic continued from page 1 Hindi/Urdu, Thai, Swahili, Turkish, Portuguese, Cantonese and Nepali. The Arabic program has the largest enrollment this term of the self-study languages. Chris Holman, an instructor for the program whose experience with Arabic includes serving in the U.S. Army as an interrogator and Arabic linguist, said that while the sudden increase in Arabic study is partially due to the events of Sept. 11, there are additional reasons stu dents participate in the program. “I'm part Lebanese,” senior Gabrielle Kary said. “My family is in Lebanon, and I want to be able to communicate with them. I've always wanted to learn Ara bic, so this term I enrolled in the program.” With increased interest in Arabic language courses, Middle Eastern and terrorism studies and Islamic religion classes, the University and OSU are expanding their ability to accommodate students. • O’Connor said the University is planning to hire an Islamic scholar who will teach Islamic Religious Studies. • International studies Professor Anita Weiss is currently teaching a seminar on issues relating to the at tacks. “In the Wake of September 11: Issues and Concerns” explores Profile continued from page 1 new members to decide budgets based on the group’s previous spending patterns and to remember “the big picture” — how the budg ets they set affect the incidental fees students will pay next year. “We need to keep in mind that the decisions we make affect stu dents’ pocketbooks,” she said. “And in some cases even their abil ity to go to college.” Executive appointee Erin Foote Pursell, 21 and a senior political science and environmental studies major, is vice chairwoman of the committee. She said she likes being a member of PFC because she is in a position to help groups achieve their goals. Pursell has volunteered as a driv er for Project Saferide and has led campaigns for OSPIRG. She said people shouldn’t be con cerned that her budgetary bias will lean toward those groups. She said she cares about those programs and wants them to manage their money well, and she is likely to be harder on them than other members. When deciding budgets, she said she tries to balance the group’s past spending with what the group needs to achieve its goals. “I have noticed myself being fur ther to the left than other members — just in terms of taking a chance on groups,” she said. Member-at-large Russ Tkebucha va, 21, spends a minimum of 15 hours a week in PFC budget hear ings, works 30 hours a week as a cashier at ShopKo and is taking 16 class credits this term. He said the extra time he spends in PFC is worth it to him because he wants “a hand in how our mon ey is spent.” The experience will help him prepare for a career relat ed to accounting and economics. Tkebuchava said he has attended many group events and meetings but does not consider himself a member of any program included in the PFC budget. “When (a hearing) starts I kind of disregard any past relationship I’ve had with the group and look objec tively at the budget,” he said. “We’re accountants.” Programs appointee Joe Streck ert, 21, said he decided to join PFC because he wanted to work in stu dent government and “thought PFC would most directly involve me with the most number of students.” As a member of Model United Nations, the junior political science major prepared the group’s PFC budget request. In high school, he worked for a bankruptcy lawyer, preparing debt documentation. Streckert, who was elected to PFC by the ASUO Programs Council, said he is “always willing to give groups the benefit of the doubt.” PFC Senator Nadia Hasan has been involved with several ASUO groups, including the Muslim Stu dent Association and Students of the Indian Subcontinent. Last year, she was an ASUO intern. The 19-year-old sophomore busi ness major ran for PFC because she wanted to improve the relationship between the ASUO and the groups it governs, she said. “A lot of students feel like the ASUO is out to get them, and I guess I just wanted to see what it was like from the other side.” E-mail student activities editor Kara Cogswell atkaracogswell@dailyemerald.com. Review continued from page 1 On Tuesday, MEChA members requested a nearly 15 percent in crease for 2002-2003. But based on the group’s past spending habits, PFC instead voted to decrease MEChA’s budget by 0.24 percent. PFC cut the group’s Ganas ac count, which funds MEChA’s mid dle school mentoring program, from $400 to $200. Earlier this year, the group acknowledged mis spending funds from the account last year. Receipts from a June 2001 end-of-the-year Ganas party showed the group spent money on food, which is not an approved ex pense for the account, as well as games and a $22 set of golf balls. During the hearing, PFC mem bers also questioned the group’s spending from the films account, which is meant to be used for pur chasing documentaries and other educational videos, video rentals, and film development costs. A re ceipt dated June 8, 2001, showed the group made a $117 purchase from Face the Music with some of the money from its films account. “If I had seen (the receipt), I would never have approved it,” ASUO Accounting Coordinator Jennifer Creighton said. Sibley, who was an ASUO con troller before joining the Commen tator staff, approved the purchase. PFC kept the funding for the films account at $75, the same amount allocated for 2001-02. PFC members said they did not want to penalize the group for a mistake made by a former member. The Minority Law Student Asso ciation received the largest increase in last week’s PFC hearings, jumping from $1,616 in 2001-02 to $2,463 for 2002-03. PFC increased funding for MLSA partly because the number of minority law students has in creased. MLSA is also adding a new co-director position and expanding its events and programs. Black Women of Achievement received the sharpest budget cut last week. PFC members voted to cut the group’s budget from $4,499 for 2001-2002 to $3,809 for 2002 2003 — a decrease of 15.34 percent. Madden said the group had signifi cant budget rollovers in previous years, and members had asked for a funding decrease in some areas of the budget. Hearings scheduled for Tuesday include the Interfraternity Council, Jewish Student Union and Recre ation Sports. Groups scheduled for Thursday include the ASUO Women’s Center, the Student Insur gent, Project Saferide and the new Night Rideprogram. Saturday’s hearing schedule includes the Uni versity Counseling and Testing Center and the International Stu dent Association. E-mail reporter Danielle Gillespie at daniellegillespie@dailyemeralci.com. Oregon Daily Emerald WORLDWIDE • exclusive online polls www.dailyemerald.com topics including the causes of the attacks and the history of the Arab/Israeli conflict. There are more than 80 students enrolled in the seminar. • Oregon State University's phi losophy department is implement ing an Islamic Religious Studies course beginning spring term, and there is an expected increase in the number of students who will par ticipate in the Arab and French study-abroad program, OSU histo ry Professor Jon Katz said. University political science pro fessor Jane Cramer , who participat ed in the “After September 11” teach-ins fall term, is teaching a class called “Terrorism, Weapons, Mass Destruction and Non-Prolifer ation” spring term. Cramer said that while Islamic studies have not been a top issue, the focus has shifted since Sept. 11. “There is an overwhelming in terest to study these subjects,” Cramer said. “Islamic and Middle Eastern studies are receiving greater national interest by both students and faculty.” Katie Ellis is a freelance reporter for the Emerald. 11---11 eatre iefil®atinee|or >" j|} tMuxiliary of stai&$£ League 111 «|l|f Eug|p for B^^it tickets) Jackets: cets:1||6-4363 iter- 6P-5000 X Office^46-4191 >f Perforriiance 0rt)y THEATRE - Sports Bus. Marketing - Adidas »- Public Relations - KVO Pub. Rel. >■ Consumer Prod. - Black & Decker >■ Market Research - Ragatz Assoc. 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