Forum covers education, crime concerns
Attendees discussed local
building, housing, alcohol
prevention and more at the
West University forum
Caron Alarab
Safety/Crime/Transportation Reporter
The West University Neighbor
hood Forum met Tuesday night, with
more than 60 area residents, proper
ty owners and business owners com
ing together to address neighborhood
issues with city officials and enforce
ment officers. While the event cov
ered four major areas of concern, ed
ucation and communication were
the main topics of input among atten
dees and presenters.
“I’m excited,” Assistant City Manag
er Jim Croteau said toward the end of
the event. “And not only with the num
bers, but with the level of interest.”
A table was designated for each of
the areas of concern — neighbor
hood building; neighborhood hous
ing; alcohol prevention education;
and crime, enforcement and sanc
tions —determined by the West Uni
versity Task Force.
During the open house at 5 p.m.,
attendees trickled in while officials,
officers and community members
chatted over Pegasus Pizza and soda
provided for the occasion.
At about 5:30 p.m., University Associ
ate Vice President of Institutional Affairs
Jan Oliver announced the first discus
sion session and encouraged attendees
to make time to visit each table.
Croteau led the neighborhood
housing table and took a broader look
at demographics and the current
condition of the community. He ad
dressed concerns regarding apart
ment building development in peo
ple’s “backyards” and the
dramatically low number—less than
one percent — of property owners
who live in the area.
Neighborhood program manager
Richie Weinman headed discussion
at the neighborhood building table,
which addressed the tasks of estab
lishing a neighborhood association,
increasing the owner-occupied ratio
and promoting ongoing cleaning ef
forts in the area. University student
and West University Task Force
member Jackie Reed has been coor
dinating a neighborhood clean-up
day — set for May 10 — to address
the issues of property maintenance
and area appeal. Reed said she was
glad to see such a high volume of
ideas generated at the forum.
“I didn’t know what to expect,”
Reed said. “But to see so many peo
ple talk about a neighborhood they
love is great.”
Associate Director of Student Life
Sheryl Eyster managed the alcohol pre
vention education table, which focused
on better communication with student
residents in the neighborhood. Eyster
also mentioned the fact that prevention
is not exclusive to alcohol, adding that
substance abuse and addiction signifi
cantly affect local crime and safety.
At the crime, enforcement and
sanctions table, discussion topics in
cluded the expressed need for a police
bike patrol, the migration of greek par
ties to private property and how party
hosts are treated when they call the
Eugene Police Department. Oregon
Liquor Control Commission officer
Pete O’Rourke said authorities will
continue monitoring the registration
of kegs and other measures to ensure
Caleb Fung for the Emerald
Ward 3 City Councilor David Kelly, along with EPD officers, West University Task
Force Members, students and community members discuss housing issues at the
West University Neighborhood Forum.
safe partying while trying to imple
ment better education efforts.
“Kids are going to be kids,” he said,
“but we need to get the information to
them on what the consequences are.”
The forum came to a close at
about 7:15 p.m.
“I think the diversity was a suc
cess,” Oliver said. “We had people
from all different interests who were
all focused on this one area.”
Contact the reporter
at caronalarab@dailyemerald.com.
Fraternity
continued from page 1
included in the University’s en
dorsement standards for fraternities
and sororities. If a greek house
failed to comply with the endorse
ment standards — like Pi Kappa Al
pha and Sigma Nu, the two fraterni
ties that did not sign a
substance-free compliance agree
ment — they would be disaffiliated
from the University.
Interfraternity Council President
John Hannam said forcing fraterni
ties to go dry was a good idea, but
many greek members were against
the ban, and he added that their op
position has not been reconciled.
“I feel like alcohol is still a recruit
ment tool at some houses,” Hannam
said. “It’s just been downplayed more
and kept more secretive.”
Hannam said his own fraternity,
Delta Sigma Phi, has been sub
stance-free since it was first found
ed because members did not want
to make alcohol the sole priority of
their fraternity. He added that
while the ban hasn’t caused frater
nities to dry out entirely, it has lev
eled the playing field for recruit
ment. The handful of fraternities
that went dry on their own don’t
have to compete with the other
greek houses’ huge alcohol bashes
now when trying to entice new
members to join, Hannam said.
Faryl Kagan, a member of Sigma
Phi Epsilon, said the ban has re
quired fraternities to rely on group
activities where fraternity brothers
actually have conversations with
new recruits instead of just throw
ing keg parties. Activities such as
“putt-putt golf’ night and games of
“broom ball” have replaced the
mindless partying that used to be a
fraternity mainstay, Kagan said.
“The things we used to do, that
weren’t as cool because we were
partying all the time, are now really
important,” he said.
However, Kagan added the ban
hasn’t stopped fraternity members
from drinking alcohol; they just take
it off-campus now. Many greek hous
es rely on “live-outs,” members with
off-campus housing, to provide an
appropriate party atmosphere. At
Sigma Phi Epsilon, Kagan said there
are two members over 21 with an off
campus apartment who host a senior
night party at least once a month.
Panhellenic Council President
Alicia Lindquist also said the alco
hol ban has pushed fraternities and
sororities in the right direction by
forcing them to initiate quality,
structured recruitment efforts.
However, Lindquist acknowledged
that while alcohol is no longer the
main focus in greek life, it still plays
a significant role. Lindquist said
many greeks are involved in “pre
funking,” meaning they go to a live
out and drink before attending their
greek-sponsored function.
“People still party as much; they
just have other ways of doing it
now,” she said.
Director of Student Activities Gregg
Lobisser said students have told him
that drinking is still being done at
greek houses, but there are fewer and
smaller parties, and greek members
haye taken steps to self-monitor and
control drinking in the houses.
“Endorsement standards have
not stopped alcohol consumption in
fraternities, but it has resulted in a
dramatic drop in consumption,” Lo
bisser said.
He added the changes that have
occurred indicate that safer living
environments are being created in
the greek system.
“Anytime you start a process like
this, it’s hard to stay on course with
your commitment,” Lobisser said.
“It is true that they have some prob
lems, but they also do some won
derful things.”
Contact the senior news reporter
Indictment
continued from page 1
“The government’s made some
choices here,” Veralrud said, specu
lating that perhaps the Department
of Justice hoped to find more sym
pathetic jury members outside of
Oregon. “The question should be
asked, ‘Why there?’”
Most of Harris and Mohtadi’s busi
ness operations were still shut down
Tuesday. No one answered phone
calls at the warehouse or at Univer
sal Glass, 55 N. Seneca St., the busi
ness’ distribution center. Two of the
businesmen’s three Web sites, Ghet
toweb.com and Smokelab.com,
mmm.
were not working.
However, their retail shop Higher
Source re-opened Tuesday, one day
after U.S. Marshals raided the store.
According to Hugh Glass, an em
ployee at Higher Source, marshals
seized water pipes, glass pipes and
hookahs, destroyed a security cam
era, disconnected the remainder of
the cameras and turned off all elec
trical appliances in the store.
The marshals “stormed in with
guns ablazing,” Glass said.
Deputy Marshal Eric Wahlstrom
said he didn’t know why security
equipment was damaged, saying the
Drug Enforcement Agency was run
ning the operation.
“I’m not sure why or what was
done in the store,” Wahlstrom said,
although he did speculate that the
reasons could be for evidence, or that
there were undercover operatives.
DEA officials could not be
reached for comment.
Displaced glass blowers and their
families, however, had plenty to say
about Monday’s raids.
Dave Querubin, a glass artist who
worked for Jerome Baker Designs,
said he wondered why the govern
ment has not treated liquor store
owners the same way it treated Mo
htadi, Harris and their employees.
“Why is it such a harsh reality
when a kid gets his hands on a glass
bong, but not a harsh reality when a
kid gets his hands on a glass bottle
of whiskey?” he said.
His wife, Donna, agreed.
“We all have families, we all have
kids,” she said. “And now we don’t
have jobs.”
Veralrud said he thought the gov
ernment’s charges had little merit.
Even if Mohtadi was convicted, Ver
alrud said he doubts his client would
serve more than a year in prison.
Right now, the lawyer said he’s work
ing on changing the trial location
from Pennsylvania to Oregon.
Other Eugene headshops remain
unaffected by the crackdown. Em
ployees at Hunky Dory Pipe & To
bacco and Sweet Potato Pie said
they did not encounter DEA or oth
er government agents on Monday,
and workers at Lazar’s Bazar re
fused to comment.
Even though Higher Source is
open once again, Glass is skeptical
the store can operate without the
sale of glass pipes or other material
the DEA now considers “drug
paraphernalia.”
“I don’t know if we can recover
from this type of a loss,” he said.
Contact the news editor
atbrookreinhard@dailyemerald.com
and the reporter
atalishaughnessy@dailyemerald.com.
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