Wednesday, January 15,2003
Since 1900
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Volume 104, Issue 78
Voter participation
Mark McCambridge Emerald
Paul Griffes signs a clipboard solicited by ASUO Co-Multicultural Advocate Maddy Melton designed to give the ASUO staff a better idea of
how many students and faculty have voted or are registered to vote.
A collection of pledges
ASUOs goal is to make contact
with students in person and by
phone before the special election
Jennifer Bear
Campus/Federal Politics Reporter
University students breezing by the
EMU can expect to be waylaid by vote
pledge gatherers during the next few
weeks as ASUO launches its campaign
to motivate students to vote in the up
coming special election.
Measure 28, a three-year, $725 million
income tax increase, was referred from
the Oregon Legislature’s summer ses
sions. The measure is controversial be
cause of the debate over whether it will
help solve the state’s budget problems.
ASUO staff members are mobilizing
to inform the University community
about this issue because many student
services depend on the final outcome of
Measure 28. If it fails, there will likely be
deep cuts in education, social services
and public safety. One result will be in
creased tuition — students will have to
pay a surcharge of 810 per credit for win
ter and spring terms in order to help bal
ance the resulting 86.5 million budget
shortfall. But if the measure passes, in
come tax rates will be affected, causing a
0.5 percent increase for single and joint
filings and a 0.33 percent increase in
corporate tax rates. The Legislature pre
dicts Measure 28 will cost the average
Oregon taxpayer an extra 8114 per year.
ASUO intern Rebecca Shively said
the main thrust of ASUO’s campaign is
n’t to influence students’ decisions on
Measure 28, but simply to get them to
participate in the special election.
“Our goal is increasing voter
turnout, not advocating one side or the
other,” Shively said. “We’re intending
to be unbiased.”
ASUO State Affairs Coordinator Adam
Petkun said the vote pledge drive is one
way student government can reach stu
dents and encourage them to vote. He
added that ASUO’s goal is to make 2,000
face-to-face and 2,000 phone contacts
before the special election Jan. 28.
Turn to Pledges, page 8
PFC awards
big increase
to law group
The ASUO Programs Finance Committee met with
groups Monday for budget hearings; NALSA was
awarded the largest budget increase for next year
Jennifer Bear
Campus/Federal Politics Reporter
The ASUO Programs Finance Committee swayed from one
extreme to another in awarding budgets for the 2003-04 school
year at Monday night’s meeting, granting increases as great as
230.33 percent for some groups and cutting funding by as much
as 61.49 percent for others.
The Native American Law Student Association was the big
budget winner of the evening, taking away $991, a significant
jump from their funding of $300 for the 2002-03 school year.
However, the final funding increase was tiny compared with the
original Executive Recommendation for the group — $5,035, a
1,578 percent increase. The committee was shocked after hear
ing the suggested budget and immediately launched into delib
erations on how to cut down the monolithic increase.
The contributing factors for the huge budget boost were
the addition of a telephone, a program director’s stipend and
increased funding for events. NALSA representatives argued
the group was desperate for an expanded budget because of
its active role in organizing events, such as bringing in the
Navajo Supreme Court this year. They added the group did
not receive enough funds for 2002-03 and had to raise about
$4,200 independently.
PFC was torn between the desire to reward NALSA for its
fundraising efforts and the need to practice restraint, as it is
only the second week of budget hearings and many programs
are still waiting to get their cut from student incidental fees.
Several PFC members said they weren’t comfortable granting
such a substantial increase because 2002-03 was the group’s
first year as an ASUO-funded program.
“We’re all saying that (an increase) is warranted, but the way
that we work is on a little more of a glide path,” PFC Programs
Appointee Joy Nair said.
However, PFC At-Large James Tilford argued that even
though NALSA is new in terms of ASUO funding, the group has
existed for several years. Despite limited evidence in the
ledgers, Tilford said NALSA has shown it is fiscally responsible.
“The group has dealt with several issues, and they have been
established for several years long before they came to ASUO for
funding,” Tilford said.
In the end, PFC whittled down the first suggested budget of
$5,035 to $991, which was still the largest funding increase any
program has received thus far.
While NALSA enjoyed a hefty funding raise, the Minority
Law Student Association’s budget plummeted to $620, a 61.49
percent decrease, a reflection of PFC’s decision to not fund the
group’s payroll. MLSA was awarded program directors’ stipends
for 2002-03, but the group hasn’t filled out payroll paperwork
yet, so stipend checks have been piling up.
Turn to PFC, page 4
State plans health insurance cutbacks
The Oregon Health Plan may suffer cuts
and eliminations of several programs
as soon as February 1 if Measure 28
fails in the upcoming special election
Oregon votes 2003
Aimee Rudin
Family/Health/Education Reporter
Health insurance is a luxury that many Orego
nians take for granted. Students at the University
are often covered under their parents’ insurance
plans; faculty and other University employees are
usually covered through the University’s policy.
But for as many as 400,000 Oregonians, insur
ance could become their biggest concern.
State Ballot Measure 28 contains funding lan
guage that would affect the Oregon Health Plan,
* Vfche-state'funded. insurance program-for low-in
come individuals and families that was created
in 1989. If Measure 28 fails at the polls Jan. 28,
the proposed cuts would be implemented Feb. 1.
When the Oregon Legislative Assembly bal
anced the budget for the fifth time in 2002, OHP
was included in a $313 million state budget re
balancing package to temporarily fix Oregon’s
budget deficit. The Assembly sent this package
to Oregon voters for their consideration in the
form of Measure 28.
State services and departments originally cut
from the Medicaid program — the program the
OHP was modeled after—would be reduced once
again if Measure 28 failed. But this time there
would be no excess funding to create a new health
care package capable of meeting residents’ needs.
Many of the people covered by OHP are either
not eligible for or cannot afford a health insur
ance alternative.
“I have no other insurance options,” said Kath
leen Ehli, a University senior in the humanities
department. “I rely
solely on financial aid.
Right now, I pay less
than $10 a month for
coverage.”
Ehli said she does
not see a doctor regu
larly. However, in the
event of an emergency or serious illness, she
counts on OHP to cover her medical bills.
“I have OHP in case I get hit by a truck or
something—it’s for emergencies,” Ehli said. “If I
got cut out of it, it wouldn’t be a huge problem.”
For healthy individuals such as Ehli, the pro
posed cuts may not immediately affect their per
sonal well-being. But others in the Oregon health
care system could have more problems.
To meet funding shortages, state officials
would eliminate programs in OHP that serve
the elderly, school age children, the mentally
Turn to Measure, page 12
Measure 28
A 10-part series
examining the
budget implications
of the Jan. 28
special election.
Weather
Today: High 45, Low 30,
cloudy with morning fog
Thursday: High 47, Low 33,
patchy fog in the afternoon
Looking ahead
Thursday
Martin Luther King Jr. is still
relevant to many on campus
Friday
How are Oregon alums faring
one year after graduation?