Newsroom: (541) 346-5511
Room 300, Erb Memorial Union
PO. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
E-mail: editor@dailyemerald.com
Online edition:
www.dailyemerald.com
Thursday, August 8,2002
Oregon Daily Emerald
Editor in chief:
Michael J. Kleckner
Managing editor:
Jenni Schultz
A new spin on
an old favorite
The annual Lane County Fair is set to begin
Tuesday and will feature traditional activities,
as well as a few new ones
by Jenni Schultz
Oregon Daily Emerald
When Noble Wheeler was a young man in 1922, he
began showcasing chickens at the Lane County
Fair. Since then, the fair has grown into some
thing catered to more than just farmers, but to Wheeler,
farming and agriculture are still “what the fair is all about.”
The 89-year-old farmer is now the sheep and swine su
perintendent, and he estimates that 225 sheep and 25 hogs
will be shown at this year’s fair, which begins Tuesday. He
remembers when the fair was centered around farming and
agriculture, but he concedes that “things have changed” and
the fair might “need the other stuff, too.”
Aside from the bustle of agricultural attractions at this
year’s fair, there will be auditions for the “got milk?” cam
paign, a real stagecoach from Wells Fargo, midway games
and rides, fried food, wine tasting and more.
“There are quite a few new and different things this year,”
fair spokeswoman Carrie Matsushita said. She particularly
stressed the talent show and the National Dairy Council’s
mobile “got milk?” contest.
There will be two winners of this national competition;
one will be a guest on MTV’s “Total Request Live” and the
other will be featured in an ad in Rolling Stone magazine.
The annual Dress-Up Parade for Dairy Goats is Saturday
at 5 p.m. Yes, that’s right, owners and goats don costumes
and compete for the Best Dressed award.
Dairy goats superintendent Shirley Gardner began the pa
rade a few years ago after seeing a similar contest at a fair in
Idaho. Gardner, an fair veteran of 31 years, will be supervis
ing approximately 300 goats this year.
Her area will also feature a goat cheese contest and a
demonstration on how to separate goat milk, which is hard
er to do because it is not homogenized, she said. She may
also chum some fresh butter.
The fair will run Tuesday through Aug. 18. Fair hours are
11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11
p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
Courtesy photo
In addition to traditional fair attractions, the event also
features a full schedule of concerts. From Three Dog Night
to Foreigner, musical waves will fill the main stage every
evening. For reserved seats to the shows, ticket prices range
from $10.50 to $14.50.
Daily admission is $8 for people age 16 and older, $6
for children ages 6 through 15 and free for children age 5
and younger. Season passes are also available for $14, or
for $10 with a Bi-Mart card. For more information, go to
www.atthefair.com.
The price won’t be a deterrent to Wheeler. He’s one 89
year-old who will definitely be at this year’s fair. And as for
next year?
“As long as I’m healthy and able to do it, I will,” he said.
Contact the managing editoratjennischultz@dailyemerald.com.
UO to increase energy fee $5 per term
Despite students’ efforts to conserve
energy on campus, the school’s
energy fee will increase this fall to
$20 per term
By Jillian Daley
Oregon Daily Emerald
The University’s energy fee will in
crease this fall to $20 per term, up from
the spring term fee of $15, despite the
“Doin’ it in the Dark” student-led con
servation effort this past year.
The ASUO campaign, led chiefly by
former ASUO President Nilda Brook
lyn, lowered the energy fee from the
original proposal of $30 per term, but
she had hoped to eliminate the fee.
The fee was originally inspired by
Oregon’s move to ration energy to allevi
ate the California energy crisis in 2001.
The state also had, and continues to
have, lower-than-normal levels of avail
able energy. Eugene Water & Electric
Board officials said that the decreased
availability and increased use of energy
continues to cause prices to rise.
“EWEB found it necessary to raise
rates three times in 13 months: April
2001, November 2001 and May 2002,”
EWEB spokesman Steve Hill said.
EWEB contracts with the University
for energy, so when EWEB’s rates go up,
it affects the University.
“The terms of that contract allow the
rate of the contract to be adjusted when
EWEB raises its rates,” he said.
Campus energy fee
Scott Abts Emerald
Brooklyn says it is the use of the money
that seems unfair, not the fee collection.
“I think that one important aspect is
that when the energy fee was collected,
it could be used for anything under fa
cilities, so it wasn’t slated just for energy
costs,” Brooklyn said.
She said that the energy fee is an un
necessary and unwelcome addition to
student costs.
“If we have to get an energy fee, then
what exactly does our tuition pay for?”
she said. Brooklyn said the fee makes lit
tle sense when students are already
shelling out so much money per term.
Vice President for Student Affairs
Anne Leavitt explained that Provost
John Moseley is keeping the energy fee
separate from tuition because of its un
desirable quality.
“If the Provost had his way, he’d do
away with it. He keeps it separate from
tuition and other things because he’d
like to get rid of it,” Leavitt said.
The Oregon University System ap
proved the energy fee levy at the Univer
sity’s request. OUS spokesman Bob
Bruce said the fee increase lessens the
University’s financial burden.
“Tuition covers instructional costs
and a small part of operating costs,” he
said. “The ongoing costs of operating
campuses continues to rise, and the uni
versities have to pay for that.”
Bruce also said that a number of other
universities have energy fees.
However, Washington courts deemed
the energy fee illegal in recent proceed
ings, which Brooklyn said makes the
practice questionable.
Despite reservations about the fee,
Brooklyn worked with the University to
limit the financial impact on students,
and the campaign succeeded in reduc
ing energy usage. Yet the price of energy
continues to go up, hamstringing efforts
to eliminate the fee.
The ASUO conservation efforts re
duced energy use from between 11 and
15 percent, but energy costs for the Uni
versity still went up by $1 million,
which is discouraging, facilities direc
tor George Hecht said.
“The cost of those unprecedented in
creases have been passed on to the stu
dents,” he said.
Contact the reporter
atjilliandaley@dailyemerald.com.
Kitzhaber kills
Legislature’s
budget plans
The governor decides to veto a bill package designed
to balance the state budget while maintaining K-12,
community college budgets
ByJanMontry
Oregon Daily Emerald
Gov. John Kitzhaber announced Wednesday night that
he will veto a bill package aimed at balancing state budget
shortfalls while maintaining K-12 and community college
budgets.
House Bill 4056 and Senate Bill
1022 would allow schools to update
their budgets before the coming
school year unless the Legislature
decides to override Kitzhaber’s
vetoes at a session Aug. 16.
“These two bills — and particular
ly the second one — are symptomatic
of what is wrong with politics today:
avoiding difficult political choices
and postponing action on important
public needs,” Kitzhaber said.
However, local school officials
expressed dismay that Kitzhaber
would veto a package allowing
them to prepare for next year.
Marie Matsen, vice president of
college operations for Lane
Community College, said LCC will
have to cut $8 million if the veto is
upheld in the Legislature. This
comes after a $2 million cut LCC has
already made for the current year.
Together, the two bills would
provide $367 million, but they
could create budget problems in the
future. The bills will not affect the
University’s budget.
House Bill 4056 is designed to
allow Oregon to sell cigarette tax
funded bonds to provide financing
for education in the next school
year. The debt incurred would then
be paid back over the next six years.
“In short, (House Bill 4056)
directs us to educate our children
today by borrowing from their
schools tomorrow,” Kitzhaber said.
Senate Bill 1022 would allow K
12 and community colleges to
move state payments into the next
biennium, essentially forcing edu
cation to borrow money from the
next budget cycle.
“This maneuver is not materially
different from a corporation taking
future projected profits and show
ing them on today’s book in order
to give the shareholders an inflated
picture of the financial health of the
business,” Kitzhaber said.
While a veto would give the
Legislature another chance to draft
a package that Kitzhaber could
accept, officials from Eugene
School District 4J are worried about
how they will begin the school year
without a finalized budget.
4J spokeswoman Barb Bellamy
said a complete veto of the package
would mean an $8.2 million cut from
their budget. This cut, along with a
$4.7 million cut if Measure 13 fails in
September, will result in $12.9 mil
lion cut from the 4J district alone.
“Once we begin eliminating teachers, we begin elim
inating classes, and that’s not something you want to
be doing in the middle of a school year,” she said.
If Kitzhaber’s veto survives the Legislature in
August, he will call a fourth special session in
September.
Veto
.
that.
m nail!
R-Oaitas:
“The govern
actions this
evening 1
funding ever
made to our !ir
put
Contacttherepoiteratjanmontry@dailyemerald.com.