Oregon daily emerald., May 14, 2002, Image 1

Commentary
Columnist Pat Payne finds contention with
last week’s anti-Green presentation in PLC.
Page 2
Sports
Oregon’s new mascot contenders plead
their cases before a panel of judges.
Page 5
Tuesday, May 14,2002
Since 1 900 University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Volume 103, Issue 150
Keep it uoder LOCK and CHAM
■ Despite education and
other precautions, experts say
the reality is it’s hard to deter
a determined bike thief
By Darren Freeman
Oregon Daily Emerald
The last time freshman Diana
Erskine saw her bike, it was
securely locked to a rack out
side Caswell Hall where she
lives.
The next day, Erskine walked past
the rack on her way to class and dis
covered that her bike was missing.
“Everything was gone,” she said.
Even the U-shaped bike lock, which
was looped around the bike’s frame,
its front tire and the rack, was gone.
Erskine was a victim of a campus
crime the Department of Public Safe
ty has been unable to curb: Each year
for the past decade, about 180 bicy
cles are stolen from campus.
That figure has remained high —
never dipping below 100 and peak
ing at 302 thefts in 1995 — and has
become a significant financial drain,
considering that bike prices regular
ly reach triple digits. Erskine said her
Specialized mountain bike had a re
tail value of $800.
The bike theft rate at the Universi
ty is the highest in the state. For
every 1,000 University students,
about nine bikes are stolen each year.
At Oregon State University, about
six bikes per 1,000 students are swiped
each year, and at other state campuses,
that figure is significantly lower.
DPS maintains bike theft preven
tion programs similar to those used
on other state campuses, but more
than half of the bikes swiped from
Oregon’s public universities in the
past three years were taken from the
University.
The unfortunate reality is that ed
ucation campaigns, registration
stickers and standard bike locks are
often no match for determined
thieves equipped with bolt cutters
and hydraulic-powered lock busters,
said Joey Ngan, director of Southern
Thomas Patterson Emerald
Some bikes suffer from ignominious fates. This sad specimen, robbed of its former glory, can be found languishing near the Knight Library.
Oregon University’s public safety of
fice in Ashland.
“It doesn’t matter whether you
lock it up or not. It doesn’t matter
whether you use a U-lock or chains
or whether you have nice bikes or
not,” he said.
Ashland has seen significantly
fewer bike thefts than the Univer
sity, with an average 15 bikes
stolen in each of the past three
years. The difference, Ngan said, is
that more people bike over the flat
terrain of Eugene than through the
hills of Ashland.
The University is a more attrac
tive target simply because there are
more bikes for thieves to choose
from, he said.
Turn to Bike theft, page 4
Bike theft on Oregon university campuses
EEBI UO j5.8% 1 OSU
Theft rate per 1,000 students
2001
MB..-. 2000
SOURCES: University public safety offices Oregon university System
Oregon State Universe was unaUte to totfteve 1999 records by presume
Data from Western Oregon University was unavailable by press time
Scott Abts Emerald
Tips for
stopping
bike
theft:
•Never leavea
bike unlocked
and unattended,
if even for a few
minutes.
♦Locktfie
bike's frame, as
well as its tires,
to a bike rack. If
onfyatireis
locked, thieves
will detach the
rest of the bike
from the tire.
•Always use
bike racks,
which are more
secure than
chains, posts
and frees.
•Remove
items, such as
bags and seats,
or lock them to
tbeb&e.
•Do not leave
room in the lode
for a prying tod.
•Lock bike in
a well-lighted,
well-traveled
area.
♦If a bike does
not havea
serial number
on the bottom
of the frame,
DPS will stamp
a driver’s
license number
onto the bike.
•Registers
bike with the
Departmentof
Public Safety.
SOURCE. DPS
Speaker pushes for contraception coverage
■ Lawyer Roberta Riley says
insurance companies are
discriminating against women
by not covering birth control
Caron Alarab
for the Emerald
The refusal of some companies to
pay for women’s contraception has
created a gaping hole in employee in
surance coverage for women nation
wide, said discrimination lawyer
Roberta Riley, who spoke to almost 30
students, faculty members and senior
citizens about non-legislative ways to
achieve contraceptive coverage at 4:30
p.m. Monday in 180 PLC.
Invited by Students for Choice and
Planned Parenthood and accompa
nied by two other guest speakers, Ri
ley shared in providing a wealth of in
formation to the audience, including
a brief history of contraception and
the future of employee insurance cov
erage.
Riley, 41, general counsel for
Planned Parenthood of Western Wash
ington, won a Ms. Magazine Woman
of the Year Award for her accomplish
ments on behalf of women last No
vember. She currently leads Planned
Parenthood’s Fair Access to Contra
ception project, which aims to per
suade every health plan in the nation
to cover the prescription contracep
tives women need to prevent unin
tended pregnancy.
“Roberta is a hero to me,” said fel
low speaker and Planned Parenthood
Public Affairs Director Kitty Piercy.
Senior anthropology major Kate
Phillips is co-director of SFC, which
organized the lecture and its prepara
tory workshop Monday and has been
“off and on” since its establishment in
2000. Phillips said SFC works very
closely with Piercy, the first person to
suggest bringing Riley to campus.
“Here at the University, students
have it easy when it comes to insur
Turn to Contraception, page 3
Gubernatorial candidate
to speak on campus
Gubernatorial candidate Ted Kuiongoski j
will visit the University today to stump lor i
the May 21 primary. ]
Kuiongoski wilt be at the EMU
Amphitheater from 1 ;30 p.m. to 2 p.m. in j
the event of rain, Kuiongoski will speak in
the EMU Ben Linder Room, according to ]
his campaign office. Supporters are also i
invited to bowi with the candidate later that j
even ing at Timber Bo wi bowling alley in i
Springfield.
KUIONGOSKI Kuiongoski is running against fellow
Democrats Bev Stein, Jim Hill, William Peter Allen and Caleb Burns I
in Oregon's primary. The winner will face the Republican nominee |
in the Nov. 5 general election.
' ' ■ —Bmkftefntmi