Wednesday, January 8,2003 Since 1900 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon Volume 104, Issue 73 OSA to discuss Pilliod’s possible recall Rachael Pilliod is defending her position as OSA chairwoman and is accused of partisanship and disregarding OSAs bylaws Brook Reinhard News Editor The Oregon Student Association Board of Directors will discuss recalling chairwoman Rachel Pilliod from her leadership position on the board at the group’s monthly meeting on Saturday. Pilliod, who is also the University’s ASUO president, represents more than 70,000 stu dents statewide as OSA chairwoman, and is now fighting to defend herself against allega tions of political partisanship and disregard ing the OSA’s bylaws. “She’s not a fan of following the rules,” board member and Oregon State University Student Body President Bridget Bums said. “I don’t think she understands the weight of her position and the privilege she has.” Burns, who is spearheading the charge to remove Pilliod from her leadership posi tion, said she has secured support to recall Pilliod from at least four OSA-member schools, which include the seven Oregon University System schools and Lane Com munity College. Pilliod said she’s not worried about a possible recall. “I’m confident I’ll be board chair for the rest of the year,” she said. At least one OSA representative must sup port the motion for a recall. If a motion is put into writing and given to each OSA member, the group will have one month to decide on a course of action. A recall vote would only pass if it garnered at least a two-thirds vote. If Pilliod was re called, she would still retain her position as one of OSA’s 16 voting members, but would not be allowed to serve the remainder of her term as chairwoman. The ASUO president said she appreciated the “strong personalities” and different per spectives of board members, but questioned the timing of the recall. “I think it’s important to hold student leaders accountable,” she said. However, “whatever conversations take place this weekend, the thing that needs to be prioritized is we stu dents need to be united. This is one of the worst legislative sessions we’ve ever faced.” But Pilliod is likely to Pillinrfl meet with a divided OSA board Saturday. While Southern Oregon University member Danielle McNeill was strongly in support of Turn to Pilliod, page 5 Theatrically speaking Danielle Hickey Emerald Above, actresses Ashley Apelzin (left) and Sue Schroeder-White (right) rehearse for the play "Ruthless" on Tuesday night, which is due to come out in three weeks at the Actors Cabaret of Eugene on the corner of 10th and Wi I lamette. The men on the left, of the Arena Theatre's Second Season, rehearse for"Picasso at the Lapin Agile." Courtesy Staging Eugene Actors across Eugene get ready to showcase an array of plays and presentations for 2003 Ryan Bornheimer Senior Pulse Reporter Cuckoos and mockingbirds. Bob Fosse and Ingmar Bergman. William Shakespeare and Steve Martin. Make no mistake — 2003 is shaping up to be a very interesting year on stages across Eugene. Students need look no further than the University itself. Currently, the Arena Theatre’s Second Season is re hearsing Steve Martin’s “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” slated to run Jan. 15 to Jan. 25. The award-winning come dy tells the story of an imaginary meeting between Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein. Though University Theatre Develop ment Director Joe Gilg describes the coming year as “business as usual,” the season will bring special events and landmark presentations. For instance, “Ship of Fools,” a show devised by students and faculty marks the University’s 1,000th production. The play will run at the Robinson The atre from May 30 to June 1. The fall staging of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” will run in conjunc tion with the University’s Ken Kesey Symposium in November. The University also will continue its annual Mad Ducklings Series, a collec tion of plays for children performed at outdoor venues throughout summer. Beyond the University, Willamette Repertory Theatre artistic director Kirk Boyd said he is especially excited about the possibilities. “There’s no art form that can speak to the human heart the way theater does,” Boyd said. “We have the oppor tunity to reach people visually, emo tionally, and intellectually.” Continuing its first season as a Turn to Theater, page 7 ASUO makes cuts, increases in group funds During budget hearings Monday, the ASUO Programs Finance Committee decided on revised budgets and funding for student groups on campus Jennifer Bear Campus/Federal Politics Reporter The ASUO Programs Finance Committee heard five hours of budget proposals Monday night, granting some student groups increased funding and making severe cuts to others, such as a 41.33 percent budget decrease for the European Student Association. Sara Henderson, an ASUO programs controller, said the determining factor in reducing ESA’s budget was the group’s lack of spending last year. PFC Chairwoman Kate Shull added that they decided to allocate only $318 to the group because the committee did not have accurate spending pat terns with which to base their decision. She said in the pre vious year, there was an unpaid telephone expenditure re ported by the group. Dance Oregon, on the other hand, was one of the few groups that enjoyed a financial victory at their budget hearing. Bri anne Groh and Lauren Bracey, two dancers representing the group, asked PFC to give money for the American College Dance Festival, a new expense on their budget. In previous years, all of the group’s fundraising was invest ed in the dance festival, and Dance Oregon would accept cuts in other areas to raise the $200 it wanted for the event. The group managed to convince PFC of its financial need and was given the requested money, receiving a total budget of $3,116, a 10.96 percent increase. Some groups fought hard for more funding, even while privately acknowledging they didn’t expect to get it. PFC denied the Associated Students for Historic Preser vation’s petition for increased funding, appropriating a $1,090 budget to the group for 2003-04, a 15.3 percent de crease. President Carin Petersen, Secretary Heather Good son and Treasurer Jessica Engeman acknowledged the group’s past difficulties, but argued ASHP is in the process of rebuilding and needs the expanded budget to continue improving the program. However, PFC pointed out that in previous years the group Turn to PFC, page 6 Weather Today: High 47, low 35, clouds and fog Thursday: High 48, Low 35, fog becoming sunny Looking ahead Thursday Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey tells the city what to expect for 2003 Friday Restaurants have cleaner air, but how is the smoking ban working? Meeting focuses on child custody A public conference Friday will allow a discussion of child custody issues surrounding rights for mothers in prison Andrew Black Freelance Reporter Prison is supposed to be a tough and lonely place. But for incarcerated mothers who lose custody rights to their children, the loss can be more agonizing than even the darkest prison cell. Women represent the fastest grow ing prison population in the country, and the majority of them are mothers. The Department of Justice estimates that more than 125,000 children in the United States have moms in prison. Mothers imprisoned longer than 15 months not only lose their freedom, but they often lose their children. To address child custody issues faced by imprisoned mothers, a free public symposium sponsored by the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics and the UO Women’s Law Forum will be held Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. in Room 175 of the Knight Law Center. Turn to Meeting, page 5