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Thursday, August 15,2002
Oregon Daily Emerald
Editor in chief:
Michael J. Kleckner
Managing editor:
Jenni Schultz
The
on campus
Representatives from the University’s
Yellow Jackets Volunteer Program will
begin recruiting new members in the fall
By Jillian Daley
Oregon Daily Emerald
They won’t sting you. These Yellow Jackets are actually
here to help.
The University’s Yellow Jackets Volunteer Program,
an assault prevention group made of students, faculty
and staff, will begin recruiting in the fall during Week of
Welcome.
The program began in the middle of spring term after a
rash of assaults against female students occurred around
campus.
Volunteers patrol campus in pairs, equipped with flash
lights, radios and their signature yellow coats. The pro
gram’s participants and creators agreed to the policy that
volunteers are not meant to intervene during a crisis situa
tion, they are meant to be the eyes and ears of the University.
Director of Public Safety Tom Fitzpatrick of the Depart
ment of Public Safety said that the idea was based on that
of a neighborhood watch, and that the mere presence of
uniformed patrollers might be enough to help deter future
attacks on students. DPS, along with the LGBTQA, and Al
pha Phi Omega, a service organization, were some of the
groups instrumental in jumpstarting the program, Vice
President for Student Affairs Anne Leavitt said.
Fitzpatrick added that budget constraints prevented
DPS from hiring more officers.
Some said the Yellow Jackets program might be a better
alternative.
“I just feel the campus community would be better
served by preventative measures rather than policing
measures,” University student Shane Cuddihy told the
Emerald on March 12.
The Yellow Jackets serve a different purpose.
“We look for any suspicious activity,” Yellow Jackets
student coordinator Meghan Madden said. “We also escort
students on campus or if people are alone they can walk
up and ask for an escort.”
Madden said their bright uniform attracted a few jeers
while the pairs went out on their shifts, but overall peo
ple have been grateful for their presence, and support
the program.
Madden added that, in spring term the program could
not fill all the time slots, so volunteers had to do double
shifts. About a dozen people helped kick off the program,
but it was around 25 strong by the end of spring term, she
said. Madden said the small turnout was probably because
of timing.
She hopes that by the beginning of fall term the group
will have an easier time recruiting people. Madden said
getting 100 people involved is the goal.
Night Ride, the co-ed version of Saferide (a women
only assault prevention service) which began this sum
mer, offers another means of keeping students safe. The
group’s existence began in response to complaints of vi
olations of the 1972 Title IX Higher Education Acts this
Adam Jones Emerald
After a short break, the infamous Yellow Jackets have returned to patrol campus.
past year. Title IX stipulates that
women and men should have equal
access to services. Night Ride is
aimed primarily at the lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender and minority
population, as these groups are often
victims of hate crimes.
Night Ride will also be recruiting
volunteers for the fall.
Contact the reporter
atjilliandaley@dailyemerald.com.
Group to hold how-to seminar for skeptics
Faculty members from the Center for
Inquiry Institute are holding a workshop
in hopes of dispelling current fads about
the paranormal
By Brad Schmidt
Oregon Daily Emerald
Beginning today, a handful of faculty from
the Center for Inquiry Institute will convene
at the University with doubters of the super
natural hoping to dispel current fads about the
paranormal and to discuss better communica
tion techniques for their skeptical beliefs.
The seminar, expected to draw about 60
people, is titled “The Skeptic’s Toolbox.”
“This workshop is a how-to for skeptics,”
Institute Director Austin Dacey said. “It’s a
hands-on course in skepticism.”
Running through Sunday, the seminar will
helf* participants investigate extraordinary
claims through the use of reason and evi
dence, Dacey said.
“We believe that normal explanations need
to be ruled out before others are examined,”
Oregon Health & Science University clinical
psychologist Loren Pankratz said.
First, participants will learn the basics of
skepticism. The focus will then shift to help
ing skeptics find better ways to explain their
views to the public and media.
“It will give you new debating techniques
(to use) on believers of the paranormal,”
Dacey said.
The event isn’t intended to be a rigorous ac
ademic seminar. Dacey said participants will
do a host of activities such as role playing and
added that the atmosphere should be fun.
“We have a lot of the same people who keep
coming back again and again and again,” said
University professor Ray Hyman, who has
been running the annual seminar since 1992.
This year, Hyman has shifted the focus of
seminar to presentation. Many skeptics, he
said, possess rude and confrontational traits
and don’t know how to argue their feelings
appropriately.
“We try to teach them to focus on the issue
and not the person,” Hyman said.
No undergraduate credit will be given for
participation in the seminar, but three credits
can be earned toward a certificate of profi
ciency from the CF1 Institute — a nonprofit or
ganization that defends reason and scientific
inquiry. The cost of the seminar is $198 per
person for CFI credit and $149 without. Food
and housing will also be provided at rates of
$215 for a single room and $195 for a double.
“It’s open to all,” Dacey said. “You don’t
have to be of a particular mindset to partici
pate.”
Contact the sports editor
atbradschmidt@dailyemerald.com. ‘ ' ' ' ' - - ■ '
Officials
to inspect
Autzen’s
sprinklers
Eugene Fire Marshal Mike Thrapp
says the investigations could start as
early as today and could take about a
week to complete
By Brad Schmidt
Oregon Daily Emerald
Preliminary investigations into alle
gations of faulty sprinkler installation
during the Autzen Stadium expansion
could begin as early as today, Eugene
Fire Marshal Mike Thrapp said.
After being invited to meet with
contractors, subcontractors, city in
spectors and University officials
Wednesday to form a “methodology
everyone agreed on,” Thrapp said the
fire department will conduct random
inspections — which will include ar
eas throughout the entire project as
well as those alleged to be in viola
tion — in order to produce an ade
quate test sample.
“We’re treating this as a partner
ship,” Thrapp said of the relationship
between the University and the fire
department. “I do the enforcement
and they want assurances it’s right.”
The sampling process could take
about a week, Thrapp said, adding
that it may take longer.
All dates remain speculative, how
ever. Ultimately, Thrapp said, the in
vestigation will be completed “when
(he’s) done.”
In the meantime, fire officials will
continue to monitor the ongoing con
struction at Autzen Stadium. Deter
mining if changes are necessary will
take place as each allegation is inves
tigated, Thrapp said.
“Right away, you’re going to start to
realize what your failures are and
your successes,” he said. “I’m going
to be taking note to see whether (the
allegations) are true or not.”
If inspectors find that additional
work is required, such changes likely
would not delay the stadium’s Aug. 31
reopening.
Thrapp said he hadn’t anticipated
beginning such an inquiry until next
week, but added that Cosco Fire Pro
tection, the subcontractor installing
the sprinkler system, is eager to begin
inspections immediately.
“To me, this is actually moving
faster than normal, considering the
magnitude of this project,” Thrapp
said. “I actually anticipated starting
next week.”
It is not yet possible to conclude
where the financial ramifications and
placement of responsibility will fall,
even if Cosco is found to be at fault.
“Usually, outcomes are determined
long after I’m out of the picture,”
Thrapp said.
The allegations — which include
improper sprinkler pipe installation
and inappropriate craftsmanship
— were first made public Friday
when an anonymous letter was sent
to city officials and local media.
The Emerald provided Thrapp with
the locations of improperly hung
Turn to Autzen, page 4