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Since 1 900 University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Volume 103, Issue 128
Suspicious device’ found outside of Oregon Hall
■The tennis ball-shaped object,
which was destroyed by a robot
called a ‘disrupter,’ resembled ‘ball
bombs’ found in Portland in 2000
By Jeremy Lang
Oregon Daily Emerald
The Eugene Police Department used
a robot rover to destroy a “suspicious
device” outside Oregon Hall on Thurs
day afternoon. EPD spokeswoman Pam
Alejandre said the device was designed
to look like a bomb, but it wasn’t an ac
tual explosive.
Police moved a crowd of onlookers
hundreds of feet away from the building
before the robot destroyed the device at
2:15 p.m., creating a “pop” sound like a
small firecracker, which some people
believed to be an explosion.
Department of Public Safety Lt. Joan
Saylor said an Oregon Hall employee
called DPS at 12:37 p.m. about a suspi
cious device laying in the strip of grass
outside Oregon Hall between the curb
and the sidewalk.
Saylor described the bomb as a tennis
ball-shaped sphere wrapped in black
electrical tape with a small cord coming
out of it. Saylor said the shape matched
that of six “ball-bombs” found by Port
land police in 2000. One of those bombs
killed a Portland police dog.
EPD and DPS corralled Oregon Hall
and the University Health Center with
yellow crime-scene tape. Saylor said
people in both buildings were moved to
back rooms and hallways but were not
evacuated. Parts of Agate Street and
15th Avenue were also blocked off, in
eluding the entrance to the University
on Franklin Boulevard. Traffic ways
were completely reopened by 2:30 p.m.
EPD deployed a metallic, four
wheeled robot vehicle called a “dis
rupter,” which Saylor said blasted a
high-pressure stream of water to de
stroy the object. Before the object
fired, officers moved people back to
the steps of Carson Hall and behind
the health center.
Over a loudspeaker, an officer an
nounced, “Fire in the hole. Fire in the
hole. Take cover. Take cover,” then
came the small popping sound.
Shortly after, EPD officers ap
proached the object and began investi
gating it for clues. But Alejandre said
the destroyed object produced no leads.
“Unless someone comes forward I
Turn to Device, page 3A I
Let’s go dancin’!
m
Adam Jones Emerald
Under the approving gaze of country legend Garth Brooks, Carol Morrison (right center) demonstrates a dance called ‘Temptation’ for the line dancing
club on Monday evening at their weekly meeting in Rock ’N’ Rodeo.
Boot Scootin’
■Country line dancing
offers fun and exercise
for devotees who
frequent Rock ’N’ Rodeo
By Lisa Toth
Oregon Daily Emerald
eel, toe, shuffle shuffle —Stomp! It’s
the repetitive patterns of line dancing
JL JLthat can make the head spin and the
feet dizzy. But more advanced dancers add
their own interpretive styles to basic routines
such as “Tush Push” or “Power Jam. ”
More than a country music staple, line
dancing is a form of exercise for people of all
ages and abilities, from the senior citizens at
Willamalane Senior Adult Activity Center to
the western-clad country lovers at Rock ’N’
Rodeo. Rock ’N’ Rodeo, a line dancing club
started in 1993, is putting a new twist on old
traditions on Monday nights.
Carol Morrison, an instructor of five years
who lives in Eugene and runs a craft busi
ness during the day, said she loves dancing
at night. She said a large crowd of college
students usually hits the bright dance floor
Turn to Dancing, page 3A
Campus greek chapters turn alcohol-free
■Announcement to greek system
initiates alcohol-free housing
By Kara Cogswell
Oregon Daily Emerald
By next year, all greek chapters must
have alcohol-free housing if they want
to continue to be affiliated with the Uni
versity. This announcement came as a
surprise to greek system student leaders
at a meeting Wednesday night.
“We knew we were going to have to go
dry eventually, but it came on so sudden
ly,” Kappa Sigma fraternity president Jor
dan Sezler said. “It was pretty much a
shock to everyone who was there.”
While the decision may have been
unexpected by some members, admin
istrators and Greek Life advisers and
alumni have been considering the
change for the past year, Associated
Vice President for Student Affairs Anne
Leavitt said. Students have been in
volved in that discussion in the past as
well, she said, but current chapter pres
idents may not have because of
turnover in student leadership.
As it is now, all the University’s soror
ities, but not even half the fraternities,
have alcohol-free housing. This dispari
ty has created a confusing social policy
and a “double standard”, within the
greek system, Leavitt said.
1 he social policy is completely mys
terious now to students who are living un
der it,” she said. “It’s too hard to enforce.”
In May, she said, University President
Dave Frohnmayer plans to write a letter
to national fraternity offices advising
them of University policy. Chapters that
do not comply will not be able to re
ceive Greek Life services or participate
in Greek Life events and councils.
The University will work with frater
nity members to educate them about the
new policy and help them make the
switch to alcohol-free housing, she said.
E-mail student activities editor Kara Cogswell
at karacogswe|l@dailyemerald. com.
Russell Weller Emerald
iugene Police officers carefully examine the ‘suspicious package’
ollowing the robot-aided destruction early Thursday afternoon.
Safety issues rise
from plans to offer
more late classes
■With lower-cost afternoon and evening classes
proposed to start fall term, issues concerning more
students on campus after dark are cropping up
This is the last
In a three-part
series about
campus safety
Today:
The University's
tuition incentives
for students taking
late classes may
increase the
number of students
traversing campus
after dark.
Thursday:
The University,
the Department
of Public Safety
and the Eugene
Police Department
have increased
campus patrols.
Wednesday:
The history of
reported attacks
against women
on campus.
By Kara Cogswell
Oregon Daily Emerald
If the administration’s tuition in
centives proposal is approved by the
State Board of Higher Education as ex
pected this month, beginning fall
term, additional classes will be of
fered at a discounted price in the late
afternoon and early evening.
As a result, the number of people on
campus during those hours is likely to
double next year—and more students
will be leaving their classrooms after
dark, the time of day when most recent
attacks on campus have occurred.
But whether more students on cam
pus in the evening is a cause for con
cern or a step toward making campus
a safer place remains unclear.
University Provost John Moseley
believes having more people in the
area will make it less likely for an at
tacker to find someone in an isolated
location. Campus safety advocates
and student government leaders
agree, but they say it remains to be
seen whether safety issues related to
the later scheduling will arise.
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The tuition incentives proposal is aimed at maximiz
ing classroom capacity and providing more choices for
students. With enrollment rising again next year, the Uni
versity needs to use all the time and space available for
classes, Moseley said.
“We’re going to have to pretty much use all of our class
room capacity all day,” he said.
Typically, the number of students on campus drops
significantly after 2 p.m. each day, but with discounts
offered next year on classes beginning at 3,4 and 5 p.m.,
Moseley said he expects to see twice as many students
on campus in the late afternoon and early evening. Dis
counted courses will generally be large classes, in the
50+ range, because scheduling availability of large class
rooms is limited earlier in the day.
Although classes beginning at 4 and 5 p.m. may end af
ter dark in the winter months, Moseley said having more
students and faculty members on campus later in the day
will actually increase safety, because attacks are less likely
to take place in populated areas.
“Having more people on campus makes for a safer envi
ronment in and of itself,” he said.
Turn to Saftey, page 4A