Oregon daily emerald., October 30, 2002, Image 1

http://www.dailyemerald.com
Wednesday, October 30,2002
of Oregon Eugene, Oregon'
Volume 104, Issue 44
Sweet bakery/ Page 10
ASUO voters approve all four measures
Results of the special election give
permission for changes to the ASUO
Constitution including more funds
for needed EMU building repairs
Caron Alarab
Freelance Reporter
All four of the ballot measures in this
week’s ASUO special election passed
Tuesday after votes were tallied at 5
p.m. and posted shortly thereafter.
Despite increased voter turnout — a
total of 468 students voted in the elec
tion compared with 422 in the 2001
special election — increased enroll
ment prevented the participation per
centage from rising. Less than 3 percent
r
of students enrolled at the University
cast a vote.
But that didn’t bring down the cele
brating ASUO members.
“I’m pleased we had even a slightly
larger turnout,” ASUO Elections Coordi
nator Andrea Hall said as ASUO Presi
dent Rachel Pilliod and others squealed
and shouted with excitement once the
results were posted at 5:05 p.m. outside
the office.
Each of the ballot measures will yield
a change in the ASUO Constitution, in
cluding Ballot Measure 6.15.1, which
funds all ASUO and EMU building and
equipment reserves for multiple student
programs.
Ballot Measure 6.15.2 gives the Ath
letic Department Finance Committee
the one-time exemption it needs to
prevent the Athletic Department from
charging students up to $50 per ticket
for home games held before the
academic year.
“I only miss games if I have to,” said
junior Sachiko Shimizu, an academic
coach for student athletes and one of
many football fans who would have
frowned at the idea of paying regular ad
mission for the two games.
“The fans are a big part of the athlet
ic program,” she said.
Considering the number of students
who wait in line every season to get free
tickets, Shimizu said the ASUO could
Turn to Results, page 5
>
Jeremy Forrest Emerald
Andrea Hall, Elections Coordinator, posts the election results.
Passion
to
pennies
Frustrated with Eugene’s lack
of job options, a University
sophomore turns her candle
making skills into a business
Jillian Daley
Family/Health/Education Reporter
University sophomore Dida Valen
zuela is no longer unemployed.
Jobless after moving from Portland
to Eugene earlier this year, she started
making candles — a craft she learned
at a Portland shop she worked at for
two years in high school.
Valenzuela said there are not
many student jobs in Eugene, and
she needed something to help sup
plement her loans.
Now, Valenzuela doesn’t have a
boss. She has her own business, Fire
fly Gandies, a booth she runs at the
Eugene Saturday Market.Starting
Firefly Gandies was a move that took
a lot of courage for someone new to
town who had no experience running
a business.
“I was really scared, to tell you the
truth,” said Venezuela who is interest
ed in elementary education.
The 8-by-8 space she rents for $10
a day accommodates two short tables
covered in thick, black cloth, where
Turn to Results, page 5
Mark McCambridge Emerald
Dida Valenzuela, owner of Firefly Candles, wicks candles in her back porch factory.
Event to focus
on partying
responsibly
Students can learn about their rights and responsibilities
when partying at an event hosted by ASUO from 5 p.m. to 6
p.m. today in the EMU Amphitheater.
ASUO Community Outreach Coordinator Jesse Hard
ing said with riots occurring on Halloween in 1996, 1997
and 1998, ASUO wanted to host an event that would
encourage students to party responsibly this Thursday
"We want students
to know their
responsibilities so that
they do not overstep
their boundaries and
their rights
Jesse Harding
ASUO community
outreach coordinator
an Oregonian who has been involved with law enforcement
for 30 years, will discuss student rights, and Department of
Public Safety Sgt. Lynn Brown will speak about police ex
pectations of students.
Harding will also talk to students about what can be ex
pected from the Eugene Police Department this Halloween
and during future events.
Members from ASUO Legal Services will be available to
advise students, as well.
In case of rain, the event will be moved from the am
phitheater to 150 Columbia.
— Danielle Gillespie
“We want stu
dents to know their
responsibilities so
that they do not
overstep their
boundaries and their
rights,” Harding said.
The event will in
clude several speak
ers and will be an
open forum for
students to ask
questions or share
concerns.
George Schneider,
Weather
Today: High 48, Low 23,
sunny with light wind
Thursday: High 50, Low 25,
clear and breezy
Looking ahead
Thursday
One campus intersection
raises safety concerns
Friday
Dia de los Muertos events
rise up this weekend
Measures would update building safety
Two measures spur debate on where
money will come from to give public
buildings better earthquake protection
Jan Montry
Oregon votes 2002
Campus/Federal Politics Reporter
Oregon voters will have a chance to decide on
two measures this year that would provide pub
lic education buildings and emergency service
buildings with earthquake protection.
Ballot Measure 15 would amend the Oregon
Constitution, giving the state power to issue gen
eral obligation bonds to “retrofit or reinforce”
Dublie education buildings to withstand earth
quakes. This would include state universities; el
ementary, middle and high schools; education
service districts; community colleges; and simi
lar public education buildings. The measure also
limits the state from using the bonds to go into
debt more than .2 percent of the real market val
ue of all property in the state.
For repayment, the measure directs the Ore
gon Legislature to repay all costs related to the
bonds — including principal and premium —
from taxes, lottery proceeds, tobacco settle
ment funds or other sources of revenue besides
property taxes.
Seven university presidents — including Uni
versity President Dave Frohnmayer — co-signed
a statement in favor of the measure, adding that
most buildings owned by state government are
on the campuses of the seven universities.
“When the big earthquake hits, we must be pre
pared,” they said in the statement. “Tens of thou
sands of university students in our laboratories,
auditoriums and classrooms need protection.”
They added that investment would pay off in
numbers of lives saved if an earthquake were to
strike — one possibly as strong as magnitude 9.
While the ballot language said property taxes
may not be used to repay the bond debt, Oregon
Earthquake Awareness said in a statement the
possibility exists for other tax increases.
“The statement that Ballot Measure 15 will
not raise taxes is not necessarily correct; since
Section 2(1) permits repayment of the general
obligation bonds from the ‘General Fund, in
cluding taxes ... levied to pay the bonds,’” the
group said. “You don’t get something for nothing
Turn to Measures, page 5