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Bingomania argues the Eugene smoking
ban violates the 14th Amendment.
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sports
The Duck women look to ‘WNIT’ against
St. Mary’s today at Mac Court.
Page?
Tuesday, March 13,2002
Since 1 900 University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Volume 103, Issue 115
Oregon’s
budget woes
worsening
■Congress’ stimulus package
may mean more problems
for Oregon in the short run
By Brook Reinhard
Oregon Daily Emerald
Gov. John Kitzhaber may call
the Oregon Legislature back to
Salem for the third time this year,
thanks to worsening budget sce
narios and an economic stimulus
package passed by the U.S. Con
gress last week.
The governor issued his line-item
vetoes to the Legislature’s second
special session Tuesday, and will
announce his plan to balance Ore
at 11 a.m. today. He is
expected to call
the Legislature
back into ses
sion in June,
once the state’s
quarterly eco
nomic forecast
is released.
third spe
cial session will
probably be
called even if
KITZHABER the economic
forecast doesn’t
show a larger deficit because Con
gress’ economic stimulus package
will cause Oregon to sink hun
dreds of million dollars deeper
into debt.
State Sen. Tony Corcoran, D-Cot
tage Grove, said the state may see
even larger higher education cuts as
a result of Congress’ action.
“Higher education could be look
ing at more severe cuts — there’s no
question about it,” Corcoran said.
Congress passed the Job Cre
ation and Worker Assistance Act
of 2002 on Thursday. It provides
' 13 extra weeks of unemployment
insurance to states with high job
less rates and federal tax breaks for
business investment, but will like
ly strip $148 million of revenue
from Oregon’s budget over the
next two years. Oregon relies on
the federal tax structure to set the
state tax rates.
If a special session is called in
June, Corcoran said the Legislature
might try to amend Oregon’s tax
code so the new stimulus package
doesn’t hurt the state, but such ac
tion would require three-fifths ap
proval by the Legislature.
Brian Rooney, a regional econo
mist for the Oregon Employment
Department, said Oregon will be
hard hit by the new stimulus
package.
“In the short run, it makes our state
budget system more difficult,”
Rooney said. But he added that
in the long run, tax cuts may
encourage businesses to invest more,
Turn to Economy, page 5
As spring
dram closer,
thousands
of swifts and
other birds
will make
their homes
around
campus
er
ogetner
r
By Eric Martin
Oregon Daily Emerald
Thousands of swallow-like birds, or swifts, circumvent the
Agate Hall chimney each spring and autumn in a swirling
column of black climbing hundreds of feet in the air.
The avian circle is a sophisticated holding pattern that oc
curs as the birds enter the chimney’s confines to roost. The
gathering has gained national recognition in birding circles
as a premiere venue for viewing the Vaux’s Swift as it begins
or nears the end of its migration south. Peterson’s Field Guide
to Western Birds refers to the swift as “a cigar with wings.”
Dan Gleason, who works in a University teaching lab, said
as many as 15,000 to 20,000 swifts revolve around the
Turn to Birds, page 6
Rufous Hummingbird
1®
Students
criticize
fee forum
publicity
■ Many who wanted to discuss
proposed University fees said
the meeting was inaccessible
By Leon Tovey
Oregon Daily Emerald
While it didn’t draw much of a
crowd, Tuesday’s public hearing on
proposed University fee increases
did draw some heated criticism.
Fourteen people attended the hear
ing, which was intended to allow stu
dents, faculty and staff to voice their
opinions on a number of proposed
fee and fine increases for 2002-03 —
including a proposal from the Depart
ment of Public Safety that would al
low a fee of up to $5 to register bicy
cles. But students who attended the
hearing in the EMU Board Room said
the University did not do a good
enough job publicizing it.
“I couldn’t even find the room,”
junior Kiva Rice said afterward.
Rice came to object to the pro
posed bicycle registration fee, and
called the meeting “inaccessible.”
“I just saw the article (in the Emer
ald) this morning,” she said. “If this
was a more accessible meeting, I
think every single student who rides
a bicycle would have been here.”
Rice apparently wasn’t the only
person to find out about the hearing
late. ASUO President Nilda Brook
lyn said she didn’t even hear about
the meeting until after it was over.
Donna Chittenden, who presided
over the hearing, had no comment
about the accessibility of the meet
ing at press time.
Others had no complaints about
accessibility, but did take issue with
Turn to Fees, page 5
Former ASUO candidate runs for Oregon House
■ Executive candidate Gregory McNeill is
running unopposed in the primary, but will
face Floyd Prozanski in the general election
By Kara Cogswell
Oregon Daily Emerald
Sophomore Gregory McNeill is following the
lead of his former ASUO Executive running mate
Maco Stewart into a race for public office, but he’s
taking his political aspirations one step further.
McNeill, who lost his bid for ASUO president,
filed Wednesday as a candidate for the Oregon
house’s 8th district Republican primary. Former
ASUO vice presidential candidate Stewart is vy
ing to represent Eugene City Council Ward 3.
Although McNeill and Stewart remain in
contact, they won’t be campaigning together,
McNeill said.
“We’re helping each other out, but we’re run
ning separate campaigns,” he said.
McNeill is running unopposed in the pri
mary, but he will face Democratic candidate
Floyd Prozanski in the general election. Eighth
district Republican incumbent Cedric Hayden
is now running to represent the 7th district be
cause of legislative redistricting this year.
At 21, McNeill is barely old enough to run for
a seat in the state House of Representatives,
which is a large part of the reason why he is do
ing it, he said. Younger representatives could
do more to solve the problem of low voter
turnout among 18- to 24-year-olds, he said.
“Students need a more prominent voice in
the legislature,” he said.
A political science major, McNeill is the VP
Finance for Delta Upsilon fraternity. His past
government experience includes three years’
involvement with the student government at
North Marion High School in Aurora, Oregon.
He also participated in the 1998 Boys State
mock government conference.
McNeill’s platform will emphasize educa
tion. If elected, he said he would do things dif
ferently than other politicians who promise
money for education in their campaigns, but
once in office, budget money for schools that
goes mainly toward administrative expenses.
“When people get elected, they budget mon
ey for schools ... (but) it doesn’t actually make it
to the teachers and the schools,” he said. “That’s
something we’re going to strive to correct. ”
If elected, McNeill said he plans to take a lighter
class-load and distance education classes while
the legislature is in session. He realizes some peo
ple may not take him as seriously because of his
age, but he said he is up to the challenge.
“As a Republican in this area, it’s going to be a
real uphill battle,” he said. “But I think we’re
going to give Prozanski a run for his money.”
E-mail student activities editor Kara Cogswell
at karacogswell@dailyemerald .com.