Mews
APASU members participate in the
Big Brother/Big Sister program.
Page 3
Sports
Oregon beats the Huskies to go 16-0
at home and stay atop the Pac-10.
Page 9
http://www.dailyemerald.coni
Monday, February25,2002Since 1 900 University of Oregon ~ Eugene, Oregon
Volume 103, Issue 103
Residence hall gun scare
draws Eugene police
■ EPD officers, arriving armed
with assault rifles, discover the
weapon in question is a BB gun
By Leon Tovey
Oregon Daily Emerald
A student loading a BB gun in his
residence hall room caused the Eugene
Police Department to evacuate the
Hamilton and Walton residence hall
complexes Friday afternoon — and
caused rumors that something more se
vere had happened.
Shortly after 2 p.m., a student re
ported seeing another student loading
a weapon in a Robbins Hall room,
EPD spokeswoman Pam Alejandre
said. Officers armed with assault ri
fles responded to the report and im
mediately closed Agate Street be
tween 13th and 15th avenues, and
evacuated Hamilton Complex and
part of Walton Complex.
Eugene police did not file charges,
but Gaye Vandermyn, associate direc
tor of communications, said the Stu
dent Conduct Committee and Univer
sity housing officials plan to address
the issue of what the student was doing
with a BB gun in his room — a viola
tion of the Student Conduct Code and
housing regulations.
Hundreds of students congregated
in the courtyard behind Carson Hall,
and rumors of an armed student with
hostages soon circulated around
campus.
“The cops said to us that there was a
hostage situation and we had to get
out,” University student Nick Taylor
said. Taylor, who is a resident in Bean
Turn to Gun scare, page 8
Kara Cogswell Emerald
Eugene police
cordon off
15th Avenue
at Agate Street
on Friday
afternoon in
response to
a report that
a student
was loading
a weapon
in the nearby
Hamilton
Complex.
Photo Illustration by Jonathan House and Russell Weller Emerald Source: LTD spokesman Andy Vobora
LTD considers cuts to popular University routes
■ In the face of an economic downturn,
LTD looks at cutting frequency on some
routes while eliminating others altogether
By Brook Reinhard
Oregon Daily Emerald
Lane Transit District will reduce its budget by $1 mil
lion next year, which will likely change two popular stu
dent routes and decrease hours for late-running buses.
LTD is holding an open house Feb. 28 for public input,
and their board will make a final decision March 20.
Ridership is growing on LTD buses, but the economic
downturn has decreased payroll tax revenue, which sup
plies LTD with a large portion of its income, and left the
service with a $2.5 million deficit.
LTD spokesman Andy Vobora said the cuts are far
reaching enough to eliminate the entire 78 route, which
connects the University to the West Eugene neighborhood
— and at least 380 students who live at the University’s
Turn to LTD, page 8
Bus 78 may go
Budgetary measures may cause the elimination of route 78, which provides a direct connection
to the University for at least 380 University students living in Westmoreland Family Housing
11th Ave.
14th Ave
78 UO/Oak Patch
□ LTD Park & Rides
Sacred
Heart
13th Ave
Westmoreland
0 Family Housing
Willamette
Christian
Center
18th Ave.
Westside
Christian
Church
Sr
Lighthouse
Temple
\ve. §
University
ot Oregon
Source: Lane County Transit Department
Rtmell Weller Emerald
This week’s
election will
pit Pilliod
vs. Ritchie
■Voter turnout did not reach
ASUO’s goal, but was better
than last year’s showing
By Danielle Gillespie
Oregon Daily Emerald
ASUO Executive candidates Rachel
Pilliod and Ben Buzbee will face off
against Sean Ritchie and Jason Babkes
after the two tickets won Friday’s pri
mary election.
Pilliod and Buzbee took 541 votes,
and Ritchie and Babkes nabbed 403,
but none of them were among the can
didates eagerly waiting outside the
ASUO office for results to be posted
Friday night. Pilliod said she and
Buzbee did not attend the ASUO post
ing because they wanted to be respect
ful of the other candidates.
“We are very pleased with the results
and excited with next week’s elections
and greater voter turnout,” Pilliod said.
Babkes was at a basketball game
when he heard the news of his chance
to advance to the general election,
which starts Wednesday and runs
through Friday.
“I am happy that we won, but there is
still a lot of work ahead of us,” he said.
Haben Woldu and Oscar Arana
placed third with 385 votes, missing
second place and a chance to advance
by only 18 votes.
As for the candidates waiting outside
the ASUO office, many went home visi
bly disappointed from the end results.
“I’m not shocked. It was the two can
didates that I expected to win going into
the last day of election,” presidential
candidate Eric Bailey said. “I am glad
Turn to Elections, page 4