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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 15, 2002)
Wednesday, May 15,2002 Since 1900 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon Volume 103, Issue 151 “I like hitting people. ” — Kasche Brooks, sophomore Smoker competitor Jonathan House Emerald Kevin Kevebede, right, talks some smack to his opponent, Eric ‘Killer Bee’ Wilson, center, during introductions of the boxer pairings for the Smoker tournament. Kevebede and Wilson will represent the heavyweight division in the Smoker and will fight in one of fifteen matches tonight at McArthur Court. Float like a butterfly, sting like a greek ■The Smoker, an amateur boxing charity event, is sponsored by the Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council By John Liebhardt Oregon Daily Emerald As her term as ASUO vice president rushes to a close, Joy Nair is ready to let out some steam and kick some ass. Today, in front of the expected 2,000 screaming fans, she will get her chance. Nair is one of the 30 contestants in the Smoker, an annual amateur boxing event held in McArthur Court where wannabe student pugilists enter the ring and punch each other in the name of charity. “I’m so ready, it’s the only thing on my mind,” Nair said. The Smoker will consist of nine matches between men and six matches between women boxers. Because the event is not sanctioned as a tournament, each boxer will fight in only one match. The event, sponsored by the Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Council, is a fundraiser for the Lane County YMCA Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. Tickets can be purchased at the EMU ticket office for $6 or bought at the door for $8. Doors will open at 5 p.m., and the fights will get under way at 6 p.m. Last year’s event raised $3,000, but IFC Vice President of Programs and Community Service Todd Brink said he hopes to bring in at least $10,000. Many boxers admit they have never boxed before and are strictly doing it for the spirit of charity. However, with ring names like “Bizzel fo’ shizzel,” “Chewy” and Nair’s own moniker, the “Fijian Fighter,” today’s matches could recreate the spirit of the great Muhammad Ali and George Foreman fights of the past. “I’ve wanted to do this for the past two years,” junior Phillip Lopez said. Lopez said he is most excited about boxing in front of the screaming fans at Mac Court. “That’s pretty exciting, as opposed to (boxing) in the backyard,” he said. However, some boxers admit they just want to kick some butt. “I like hitting people,” sophomore Kasche Brooks said. “I have quite a bit of experience. I have quite a few brothers.” Many of the boxers have been working out, sparring with one another trying to prepare for their matches. Rory Baarsted, a coach at West Eugene Boxing Club, has been helping the boxers train and prepare for their fight. Each fight will consist of three one minute rounds separated by a one-minute rest period. Each boxer will wear head gear and a mouthpiece and use 12-ounce gloves, which is normal weight for boxers more than 156 pounds. Baarsted said no matter the weight class, 12 ounce gloves pack a lot of punch. “They’re going to feel it,” he said. The event will be scored by three judges, and a referee will officiate each match. Each boxer will also have a coach in his or her corner. Brink said the judges are sanctioned by USA Boxing and will be judging matches the same as any amateur boxing event. The judges will look for clear violations, such as hitting below the belt or to the back of the head. They will count each legal hit as a point, and in case there is no knockout, the boxer with the most points will win, Brink said. Doctors will give each contestant a pre- and post-fight physical exam, and emergency medical technicians and ambulances will be standing by, Brink said. While the ambulance is the last thing on most boxers’ minds, veterans of last year’s fight said the fight is much more strenuous and stressful than it sounds. The 1-minute rounds “are definitely longer than they sound,” senior Jacob Hale said. “You Turn to Smoker, page 3 Fighting for a cause Tonight's Smoker is expected to raise $10,000 for chanty. Here’s a look at other top greek chanty fund-raisers: • Anchor Splash, sponsored by Delta Gamma sorority Tuesday, raised money for Aid to the Blind. Final totals were not available, but Director Erin Hickey estimated the event raised more than $5,000. ♦ Derby Days, sponsored by Sigma Chi fraternity in October, raised about $10,000for the Children’s Miracle Network ♦The Mr, Greek contest, sponsored by Alpha Phi sorority, raised more than $5,000 iast year for the Cardiac Care Unit at Sacred Heart Medical Center, Totals from this year's event, held in April, have not been calculated. • “Kasanovas” of Karaoke, sponsored by Chi Omega sorority in April, raised about $2,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. • The Fie Social, sponsored by Pi Beta Phi sorority in February, raised about $2,000 for Links to Literacy **~tKana Co&sw&ll Finalists for OlIS’ top job visit UO ■ OUS chancellor candidates Peter Hoff, Warren Fox and Richard S. Jarvis begin a series of visits to Oregon’s seven campuses By Serena Markstrom Oregon Daily Emerald The three top contenders to re place the most powerful higher ed ucation official in the state began a tour of the Oregon University Sys tem campuses Tuesday with a visit to the University of Oregon. The finalists, Peter S. Hoff, War ren H. Fox and Richard S. Jarvis , are vying to become the next chan cellor of the Oregon University Sys tem, replacing Chancellor Joe Cox. Each candidate has his own itin erary, which includes visiting all seven universities in the system this week. They made appearances to speak with members of the press at the University Knight Law Center Tuesday morning. A State Board of Higher Educa tion selection committee plans to make a decision by the end of May. Warren H. Fox Part of Warren H. Fox’s job as executive director of the Califor nia Postsecondary Education Commission is heading a statewide agency responsible for making budget and policy deci sions for California’s colleges and universities. One of his priorities as OUS chancellor would be to keep higher education accessible. “California and Oregon are still good bargains when it comes to tuition levels,” Fox said. As the leader of the seven OUS schools, he said he would empha size partnerships with presidents of the universities, as well as build stronger relationships with com munity colleges. “There’s so much to do in high er education, we need to be part ners,” said Fox, who before mov ing to California was the vice chancellor for academic affairs in the University and Community College System of Nevada. Peter S. Hoff Peter S. Hoff has been the presi dent of the University of Maine since 1997, and taking the job as chancellor would require him to switch perspectives. “The chancellor job, more than anything else, is to rally support,” Hoff said, noting that a president’s job is to advocate for his or her indi vidual school but not necessarily the system as a whole. A priority for Hoff as chancellor would be striking a balance be tween access to education and quality of education. “In order to have a truly enlight Turn to Chancellor, page 3
