PFC begins task of recalling approved budgets ■The Career Center receives the largest cut so far while LTD’s budget remains intact By Danielle Gillespie Oregon Daily Emerald On Thursday, the ASUO Programs Finance Committee made a $150,000 budget cut to the Career Center for its largest reduction in funding thus far in the budget recall process. The Career Center’s budget dropped from the $334,788 it was previously awarded to $184,788 for the 2002-03 year. “We decided not to cut programs as much as ballot measures because they have other sources of funding,” PFC member Nadia Hasan said. The Career Center has a fee elimi nation fund previously allocated via ballot measure for a new building that was never constructed. The fee elimination fund is generated by a $3 per student, per term fee, and has been used the past five years as a funding source for the Career Center. Career Center director Larry Smith said, “I want to work collaboratively and be a good steward of PFC money, but reductions stay there year after year, and I don’t want to designate valuable programs.” PFC voted against cutting the Lane Transit District’s budget at this time be cause it is a service to many students. “If any student does not use any other part of the incidental fee, they will use this service,” PFC member Joe Streckert said. The University Counseling and Testing Center received a $14,022 budget cut, changing its budget from $277,751 to $263,729 for the 2002-03 year. PFC made a $2,500 cut to the Campus Recycling budget, giving them a new allocation of $113,126, down from its previously awarded $115,626. PFC also reduced the United States Student Association’s conference line item because PFC believed the group could do fundraising for conferences, giving them a new budget of $1,100, down from its original $2,500. Asian-Pacific American Law Student Association received a budget reduction of $733 in its stipend, changing its budget from $2,223 to $1,450. Asian-Pacific American Student Union budget decreased as well, from $14,589 to $13,607. PFC also reduced the Coalition Against Envi ronmental Racism’s budget from $15,993 to $15,494. The Pre-Dental Club was granted a budget of $261 for the 2002-03 year, a 25 percent decrease from the 2001-02 year. Model UN received a budget of $1,620 for the 2002-03 year, a 45.2 percent decrease from the 2001-02 year. The PFC voted unanimously against DELTA-GSO’s appeal be cause the group missed the budg rt submission deadline for the 2002 03 year, and it did not use the mon ey previously allocated to its budget until the end of last fiscal year. E-mail reporter Danielle Gillespie atdaniellegillespie@dailyemerald.com. Gov. Kitzhaber announces further cuts in the education budget ■a aay Detore the Legislature plans to meet, Kitzhaber said the recession is causing even more spending cuts and tax increases By John Liebhardt Oegon Daily Emerald Student leaders reacted with sur prise to Gov. John Kitzhaber’s an nouncement Thursday calling for an additional cuts to higher education. Speaking one day before the Legis lature will meet in a special session to balance Oregon’s budget deficit, Kitzhaber said the deepening reces sion has forced him to call for even more spending cuts and ask for addi tional tax increases. The state’s deficit is now estimated to be between $750 $830 million, but Kitzhaber warned that it could hit $930 million. Kitzhaber s new proposal called for $10.1 million in cuts “in educa tion, primarily in universities and other education services.’’ Jon Coney, the governor’s spokesman, said the complete de tails for the new plan had yet to be worked out, so he could not specu late on how much of the cuts will hit the Oregon University System. John Wykoff, legislative director for the Oregon Student Association, said while he was surprised at the announcement, he believes the gov ernor may be forcing legislators to understand the full extent of the dire fiscal straits afflicting the state. “These cuts are nowhere near as bad as all the budget cuts , but he is raising the stakes a little,” Wykoff said, referring to an earlier proposal in which Kitzhaber outlined nearly $830 million in program cuts, which would cost the OUS $8 4 mi 1 lion. Kitzhaber s latest proposal also included $17.3 million in ad ditional cuts in human services and $3.1 mil lion in cuts to public safety. He also urged the Legislature to limit a tax de duction for sen ior citizens’ medical ex penses. The deduction allows all people over 62, regardless of their income, to deduct all medical and dental expenses. Since early January, both the gov ernor and different members of the Legislature have created proposals to balance the budget deficit. Each of these plans has proposed cuts to the OUS. The plan by the bi-parti san legislative budget committee, a group of two Democrats and three Republicans, calls for $526 million in program cuts, including $48.5 million for OUS. Kitzhaber's previ Students for Choice start monitoring protesters ■Though clinic protesters are usually peaceful, escorts provide a reassuring presence By Diane Huber Oregon Daily Emerald Anti-abortion protesters at Eu gene’s All Women’s Health Services are mostly men over 50 who wear rosaries and pray softly as they sway back and forth on the sidewalk bor dering the clinic parking lot, Stu dents for Choice co-director Lauren Manes said. The protesters are usually peace ful, but Students for Choice mem bers wearing yellow vests that say “pro-choice escort” will stand on the sidewalk to make sure the pro testers don’t threaten patients who come to the East 11th Avenue clinic for an abortion. The group monitored protesters for the first time last week as part of a training session, Manes said. For privacy reasons, she declined to say what day. During that day, the pro testers were very nonconfrontation al, she said. Students for Choice are instruct ed to have minimal contact with protesters and patients. If protesters cross into the parking lot, the stu dent escbrts have been told to say, “This is private property. You need to leave immediately,” Phillips said. Depending on the severity of the situation, the escorts have cell phones they can use to call the po lice, she said. Students for Choice members said escorts’ presence is important so that women feel safe coming to the clinic, even when the protesters remain nonconfrontational. “We stay as long as the protesters. We’re mainly there as security and support and to be a presence for the patients,” Students for Choice co director Kathryn Phillips said. The protesters aren’t allowed to cross the sidewalk and go into the parking lot, and they usually obey the rule, according to clinic staff. The most extreme act of protest was when the protesters blocked the driveway to the clinic and gave pamphlets to the blocked drivers. Before Students for Choice mem bers began training to be clinic es corts, Willamette University Stu dents for Choice members drove to the Eugene clinic to monitor pro testers, Phillips said. The clinic that offers abortions in Salem rarely has protesters, she said. Willamette University Students for Choice member Nat Okey and a woman in charge of security at the Turn to Abortion, page 5A ous plan recommended $414 mil lion in program cuts, including $44.5 million for the OUS. “I hope through this process that the governor and the Legislature will understand that it is in die best inter est to insulate the university system from these cuts,” said Tim Young, a student representative to the State Board of Higher Education. Before Thursday, higher education funding had been partially spared during the informal budget negotia tions between the Democratic gover nor and the Republican-controlled Legislature. Most of the disagreement between the two parties centered on the governor’s plan to raise certain taxes and the legislators’ plan to raise revenue by spending money from the Common School Fund and the Health Care Trust Fund. The governor’s revenue propos als include repealing Measure 88, passed by Oregon voters in 2000, which allows Oregon taxpayers to deduct federal tax payments up to $5,000 on their Oregon taxes. He also proposed raising taxes on most beers and wines by 5 cents a glass iind Annual Craft Center Family Album Show art exhibit featuring the artwork of Craft Center Staff Opening Reception: Monday, February I I, b OOpm - 7:00pm Show Dates: February 9 - February 24 Hours: 7:00am-1 1:30pm monday-friday 10:00am-1 1:30pm saturday-sunday Erb Memorial Union Add I McMillan Gallery Craft Center I 3th Ave. S University St. -—- 346-436 i Take a FREE Practice Test at Kaplan’s Test Drive and find out. Saturday, February 16 University of Oregon MCAT: 9:00am-12:30pm DAT: 9:45am-12:15pm GMAT: 9:15am-12:00pm GRE: 10:00am-12:30pm LSAT: 9:30am-12:30pm Lunch will be offered at the Eugene Kaplan Center from 12:30pm till 1:30pm. A Pan Course Seminar and Test Drive Results begins at 1:30 at the Center. To register, call 1-800-KAP-TEST or visit us online at kaptest.com/testdrive today! Seating's * limited! (ffi) 1-800-KAP-TEST kaptMt.com/tMtdrive •Test names are the registered trademarks of their respective owners. Kapien is authorized under federal law to enroll non-immigrant alien students. and called for a 30-cent per pack in crease to the cigarette tax. Thursda\ he increased his cigarette tax pro posal to 50 cents a pack. Many Republican lawmakers have taken a no-tax pledge during this elec tion year and are bracing for a long fight over the governor’s tax plans. “I’m not looking forward to (the special session),” said state Sen Gary George, R-Newberg. “It is gr ing to be World War III. ” E-mail community editor John Liebs .uit atiohnliebhardt@dailyemerald.com Premier Travel 1011 Harlow j 747-0909^^ [Student Travel Experts f Where oh where has myittiedoggone? Find him with an ad in the ODE classifieds • 346-4343