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Row your boat/ Page 5
Tuesday, November 19,2002
Since 1900
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Volume 104, Issue 58
Want to get buzzed?
George Dudley cuts
Hideki Tomeoka's
hairatKampus
Barber Shop at 851 E.
13th Ave. Tomeoka
is an eight-year
customer at the
barbershop, just
one of the area
establishments that
have carried on
an age-old tradition
in an era
of cosmetology.
Jeremy Forrest Emerald
Shear tradition
Barbershops have survived
cultural change thus far,
but are they on the way out?
Ryan Bornheimer
Senior Pulse Reporter
Mark Twain once said all things change
except barbers — “the way of barbers,
and the surroundings of barbers.” These
days, it’s still possible to wander into a lo
cal shop to find a guy named Floyd wield
ing a pair of electric clippers like some
thing out of a Norman Rockwell painting.
But TXvain may have been a litde upset to
see that in the age of cosmetology, the
barber may be a dying breed.
Barbershops have weathered a storm
that began in the 1960s when buzz cuts
and flattops gave way to long locks and
mop-tops. These cultural mainstays con
tinue to thrive as unique social gather
ings, but the question remains: Are the
days of barbershops numbered?
There are few businesses in Ameri
ca’s ever-changing society that have
maintained their traditions as long as
barbershops have.
According to local barber Steven Vil
hauer, the reason for the ongoing success
of such establishments is clear: “It’s a
place for men to hang out and get a sim
ple haircut by someone who knows how
to use a set of clippers,” Vilhauer said.
Dan Spencer, the owner of Jack’s Bar
bershop at 1754 West 11th Ave., says it
may be a little more complicated than
that. He compares his job to that of
a bartender.
“It’s not just about getting a haircut,”
Spencer said. “It’s about the cama
raderie with customers, being able to
help people, encourage them, listen.”
Linda Martin, owner of Four Comers
Barbershop at 2652 Roosevelt Blvd.,
has been cutting hair for 20 years. She
says she enjoys freedom of self-employ
ment the trade offers, as well as the re
lationships she builds with her clients.
“You get to see kids grow up,” Mar
tin said.
The atmosphere of barbershops may
be a big draw for many patrons.
“A person won’t go where they’re not
comfortable. Our place is laid back, not
stuffy,” Vilhauer said.
Barbershops have had to evolve over
the years. And in an age of dye jobs and
complex chemical work, barbers con
tinue to battle salons for clientele.
Martin said there was a time when
people would be willing to wait two
Turn to Barbershops, page 8
Split senate
might herald
compromise
With a new governor and a shuffled Legislature,
some experts say Oregonians could look forward
to the benefits of‘better compromises’
Ken Paulman
City/State Politics Reporter
When the Legislature convenes in January, Oregon will
have a Democratic governor, a Republican-controlled House
and an evenly divided Senate. How this will affect Oregon
government, however, has yet to be seen.
After prolonged attempts to resolve the state budget cri
sis resulted in five special legislative sessions last year, some
are anticipating that the Senate’s shift from a 16-14 Repub
lican majority to a 15-15 tie could make matters worse.
Experts, however, say the political makeup of the Legisla
ture is not necessarily a reliable indicator of things to come.
University political science Professor Jerry Medler, who
teaches a course in Oregon government, said the dynamics
of the Legislature depend more on individuals than political
affiliations.
Medler said the divided Senate could result in more grid
lock, but that the added balance of power could have the op
posite effect.
“You might get better compromises and better deals out
of a divided government,” he said.
Brenda Erickson, a senior research analyst with the Na
tional Conference on State Legislatures in Denver, said be
cause the American political process is structured around
majority rule, a divided chamber sometimes has to change
the way it does business.
“It’s not going to be their preferred method of doing
things,” she said.
Erickson said a division of power can diminish the impor
tance of partisanship, which often results in better legisla
tion being passed. Although people anticipate gridlock in
such a situation, it often doesn’t materialize, she added.
“Normally the reaction is, ‘Well, it turned out better than
we thought,”’ she said.
Michael Redding, associate vice president of governmen
tal affairs for the University, said the division of power may
have an effect on the way the Legislature operates.
“Compromise is always part of the process, but I think it’s
going to be more critical next session,” he said.
Redding echoed Medler’s contention that the increased neces
sity of compromise may actually encourage bipartisan coalitions,
which he said could make the Legislature more effective.
Either way, Redding said the University’s approach to the
state government does not change based on the
Turn to State, page 8
Weather
Today: High 60, Low 38,
morning clouds, partly sunny
Wednesday: High 55, law 38,
foggy, afternoon clearing
Looking ahead
Wednesday
Seeing the world in all its full
color glory — through
novelty contact lenses
Thursday
Time again to kick the habit,
celebrating with a Smokeout
■ ' . '' : ■
Butterfly expert to tell about flutter hunting
Traveled butterfly authority Robert
Michael Pyle will speak today at the
Knight Library to promote his new book
Jennifer Bear
Campus/City Culture Reporter
Stealthily crawling through a field of wild
flowers, a 9-year-old boy with dirty knees and
hair peppered with pollen searches for a but
terfly to catch.
Students may remember the thrill of bug hunt
ing as a child — summer days spent stalking the
wilds of the backyard, eyes alert for the flutter of
wings and the heart-pounding excitement of cap
turing an elusive butterfly.
The University community will have the
chance to relive such memories today when au
thor and butterfly expert Robert Michael Pyle vis
its the University to promote his new book “The
Butterflies of Cascadia.” The author will be
speaking and signing copies of his book at 7 p.m.
in the Adelaide Church Memorial Reading Room
in the Knight Library.
Pyle has been obsessed with collecting since he
was a young boy, but his first love wasn’t butterflies.
Growing up in Colorado, Pyle said he devoted his
free time to collecting seashells. However, when he
was about 11 years old, Pyle realized there was a
shortage of seashells in Colorado, but it had a sur
plus of butterflies to study.
“It was a ease of being interested in everything
around me, like most kids are,” Pyle said.
That boyhood hobby led Pyle to a lifetime ca
reer of working with butterflies as a lepidopterist
— a person who specializes in the collection and
study of butterflies and moths. He even worked as
a butterfly conservation consultant in Papua New
Guinea, home to the largest butterfly species in the
world, the Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing Butterfly.
Pyle was hired as an ecologist to devise a strategy
for preserving the endangered species, which can
Courtesy photo
grow to be as big as dinner plates.
Brian Juenemann, author event coordinator at
the University Bookstore, said community mem
bers should be able to appreciate Pyle’s presenta
tion even if they’re not avid butterfly watchers. He
Turn to Butterflies, page 8