Devil of a
An independent newspaper
http://www.dailyemerald.com
Friday, January 31,2003
Volume 104, Issue 89
Assembly to tackle stance on Iraq war
The University Assembly will
meet today to discuss campus
and community perspectives
on U.S. war efforts against Iraq
Brook Reinhard
News Editor
As the U.S. government marches
ever closer toward war in Iraq, Uni
versity faculty members have
steadily gained momentum in their
efforts to open a campuswide dia
logue on the Middle East. The Uni
versity Assembly convenes at 3
p.m. today in 180 PLG for an un
usual “town-hall” style meeting to
discuss the University’s response to
a potential war in Iraq.
It’s still unclear what exactly will
happen at this special assembly ses
sion. The assembly, which is com
posed of more than 2,000 members,
was disbanded in the mid 1990s in
favor of a smaller legislative body,
the University Faculty Senate. But
after a failed attempt to condemn
U.S. war efforts in Iraq at a Decem
ber senate meeting, the group voted
in January to call a non-binding
meeting of the assembly.
Today’s meeting will take place
under the watchful eye of University
President Dave Frohnmayer, who
has the power to control the course
of the meeting as assembly presi
dent. The authority is especially sig
nificant because the president has
consistently maintained that the
University should not take a stance
on the war in Iraq.
“Each of us has multiple opinions,
both within the campus community
and elsewhere, to express our views
strongly and immediately on the is
sues at hand,” Frohnmayer said in a
Dec. 1 letter to senators. “I object
only to the attempt of anyone for
any view on such matters to claim
that he or she speaks formally in the
name of the University or its govern
ing entities.”
Regardless of Frohnmayer’s views,
assembly members such as Profes
sor Emeritus Frank Stahl and Profes
sor Julie Novkov have been leading a
drive to condemn the war.
Stahl, who introduced the failed
December legislation to the senate,
has been working with the group
Concerned Faculty for Peace and
Justice to collect 508 faculty signa
tures in order to convene an official
legislative session of the assembly.
Such a meeting would allow the
group to speak as the official voice of
the University, overruling any other
action by the senate or even the
president himself.
“If educated people at places like
this University don’t speak loud
enough, there is no hope for this
country,” Stahl said.
Concerned Faculty for Peace and
Justice members plan to present a
petition, signed by more than 400
faculty members and administra
tors, condemning the war in Iraq.
The group tailored their statement
after an identical petition approved
by Oregon State University’s Faculty
Senate in December.
Spokesman and Professor Daniel
Pope said he hopes the effort, and a
Turn to Assembly, page 6
Special collections
mm
The Special
Collections
Department at the
Knight Library has a
wide variety of
unique collections,
including the sports
items: above, a
Universityfootball
in 1900; and below,
an old uniform
made out of cloth
and wood with a
football showing the
game results against
Washington in 1916.
Jeremy Forrest Emerald
Goldmine of history
The Knight Library’s Special Collections
and University Archives department
holds millions of artifacts, consisting
of rare and personal works and items
Craig Coleman
Freelance Reporter
Walk into the Special Collections and Uni
versity Archives reading room on the second
floor of Knight Library, and about the only
thing that stands out is the dust on the books
lining its shelves.
Hidden from plain view are many of the de
partment’s more intriguing holdings, such as
an affidavit written by Abraham Lincoln while
he was just another lawyer in Illinois, or the
journal entries of Abigail Scott Duniway,
which give a firsthand account of her 1852
journey on the Oregon Trail.
Because of limited space and concerns
about the preservation of these fragile arti
facts, most are stored away behind locked
doors and vaults. Yet all of them, from rare
books to old University sports memorabilia,
are accessible to the public.
All you have to do is ask.
“It would be nice to see more people, espe
cially students, use more of these resources,”
Turn to Collections, page 8
Legal Services provides citation aid
ASUO program offers assistance to
students with alcohol-related offenses
Caron Alarab
Crime/Safety/Transportation Reporter
Whether sharing a beer with an underage bud
dy or throwing a noisy party with free-flowing
booze for all, of-age students who provide alco
hol to minors risk hefty fines.
ASUO Vice President Ben Buzbee is sched
uled to appear in municipal court today to con
test a $350 citation for furnishing alcohol to mi
nors at a toga party hosted at his home Jan. 18.
According to court records, 16 percent of
cited individuals contest such citations, and
ASUO Legal Services recommends setting up
an appointment if police conduct ever comes
into question.
“Each case is unique,” Legal Services lawyer
Laura Fine said. “Any time one generalizes how
cases are handled, mistakes are made.”
Out of the 53 municipal court cases in 2002
for Furnishing Alcohol to a Minor, nine pleaded
not guilty and were set for trial. But some stu
dents may not know that the citation’s severity
— specified as a violation or a misdemeanor —
plays a key role in their ability to contest it.
In essence, Eugene Police Department offi
cers, and ultimately the city prosecutor, de
cide whether to cite furnishing as a violation
— a lesser offense involving a fine — or as a
misdemeanor — a more serious offense involv
ing the possibility of jail time. Despite what is
written on the citation, it is the prosecutor
who reviews all the police reports and decides
how the case will be filed, Court Administrator
Marilyn Nelson said. •
Located on the top floor of the EMU, ASUO
Legal Services offers the assistance of three sep
arate attorneys to students who seek immediate
council. Although students are welcome to seek
legal aid at any time, Fine said all legal questions
and concerns regarding police conduct should
be brought to their attention immediately.
“An increasing number of students are choos
ing to challenge the legality of police conduct,”
she said of her cases, “and the majority call to
come see us right away.”
If a person furnishes a place to drink, but
doesn’t provide the alcohol, it would likely be
Turn to Citations, page 8
Duck Call
will close
from lack
of usage
Beginning Feb. 14, Duck Call will no
longer be an option for those
students who register via phone
Andrew Black
Environment/Science/Technology
Technology has left its newest casual
ty: a dead duck.
As of Feb. 14, the Office of the Regis
trar is disconnecting the Duck Call sys
tem because of a decline in use during
the past three years and because of in
creased maintenance costs.
Since 1991, Duck Call allowed stu
dents to register for classes over the
phone. University Registrar Herb
Chereck said Web-based registration,
which started three years ago, quickly re
placed Duck Call as the most convenient
and efficient way to register for classes.
“We’re down to the point of less than 3
percent of a quarter of a million registra
tion transactions taking place through
Duck Call,” Chereck said. “We’re in a po
sition where if we wanted to update Duck
Call, we would have to make expendi
tures that we don’t want to make.”
Chereck said students the most affect
ed by the change will be seniors who be
gan using Duck Call as freshmen.
Senior Brynn Searles said she feels
more comfortable registering for classes
Turn to Duck Call, page 6
Weather
Today: High 53, Low 42,
rainy with slight wind
Saturday: High 50, Low 35,
showers likely, breezy
Looking ahead
Monday
A look at athletic scholarships
and ethnicity on campus
Tuesday
Peace of body, peace of mind
comes from the art of yoga