Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012, April 01, 2003, Image 1

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Catch of the day / Page 5
I HZ-1
Tuesday, April 1,2003
Since 1900 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon
Volume 104, Issue 121
Friends, family recall ‘inspiring’ student
After being named a suspect in
the beating of an University
student, those close to him say
Eric Jones never recovered
Caron Alarab
Safety/Crime/Transportation Reporter
He had a smile that could brighten
anyone’s day, a thirst for knowledge
that couldn’t be quenched and a pas
sion for biological and cultural anthro
pology that was striking. But after he
ran from the scene of a violent incident
and became the primary suspect in the
beating of fellow University student
Devan Long in early March, 25-year
old Eric Dylan Jones saw no hope for
his once-bright future. He took his own
life March 21.
Jones’ girlfriend of six months, Ari
ana Schwartz, 20, said the other side of
what happened that night was not por
trayed in the initial media coverage
about the beating incident, adding that
the attack was indeed provoked. But
because Jones fled the scene and did
not immediately return to his only
known address, his side of the story
was not attainable.
“(Jones) was in fact coming to my
defense in a situation where I felt men
aced,” the senior art major said.
Michael P. Stephenson, Jones’ friend of
nearly 10 years, said his younger broth
er and Schwartz were initially harassed
by two inebriated football players the
night of the incident before Jones
stepped into the confrontation. Friends
of Jones said he had an extraordinary
strength, especially when he felt those
close to him were in danger.
“Unfortunately for them, Eric
Jones was not the right person to
pick a fight with,” Stephenson said.
Stephenson said his brother,
Schwartz and Jones were targets of
threats and aggressive behavior, and
the initial articles describing the in
cident only served to make Jones’
“sensitive situation even worse.”
To her understanding, Schwartz
said Jones was planning to turn
himself in to police the day the ini
tial Emerald article was published.
However, he changed his mind be
cause he feared people would no
longer respect him and because he
didn’t feel comfortable returning
to campus, she said.
“He felt he had lost his chance
to successfully achieve his future
goals and aspirations,” she said.
But the details of the incident
are not as important now in how
Schwartz and others want Jones to
be remembered.
“Eric was a great friend who was al
ways there to help out,” Stephenson
said. “No matter what situation you got
yourself into, he was always there.”
Jones was bom Aug. 13,1977, the
son of Gail Burch and Logan Jones,
both of whom declined to comment.
Turn to Jones, page 9
Keeping the peace?
Left: Fully geared
riot police
prepare to move
anti-war
protesters in
Portland from the
streets to the
sidewalk.
Below: Portland
police officers
approach a
protester during
an anti-war
demonstration on
Friday where
several people
also spoke out
against the media
and police
brutality.
Photos by AM
Shaughnessy
Emerald
Protesting brutality
War hits home
Portland anti-war protesters
sound off about recent police
activity and media coverage
Ali Shaughnessy
Environment/Science/Technology Reporter
Anti-war protesters have been active
since America began its invasion to dis
arm Iraq, taking to the streets in droves
to rally for peace. But their opinions
have moved beyond the war to topics
like police brutality at anti-war demon
strations and corporate media coverage.
Hundreds of anti-war protesters
gathered in the streets of Portland on
Friday and expressed views on mili
tary action, police brutality and biased
media coverage. The protest, which
began in Pioneer Courthouse Square,
was an organized gathering that plan
ners said focused mainly on peacefully
protesting the war. Frustration
Turn to Protest, page 16
War snarls
U.N. plan
for Iraqi
food aid
Fawn Vrazo
Knight Ridder Newspapers (KRT)
LONDON — The director of the United
Nations’ World Food Program on Monday
outlined a six-month, $1.3 billion emer
gency plan to feed the people of Iraq, but
said that continued war would prevent
United Nations workers from entering
much of the country to carry it out.
“Clearly we will not go into places that
are not safe and secure, where our people
will be at risk,” program director James T.
Morris said at a news conference here.
Morris said he hopes the war is resolved
“sooner rather than later so we can do our
work.... If I had the ability to call a halt to
the fighting, I would have done it already.”
The first wartime deliveries of U.N. hu
manitarian aid crossed into Iraq over the
weekend. Three trucks carrying dried milk
drove from Turkey into Kurdish-held
northern Iraq on Saturday, while three
trucks of water came from Kuwait to the
coalition-held city of Umm Qasr on Mon
day. But other vehicles with aid have been
unable or unwilling to enter Iraq.
In Rome on Friday, the United Nations’
food program issued a worldwide appeal for
$2.2 billion in emergency funds for Iraq —
$1.3 billion for food and the rest for other hu
manitarian aid. The United Nations said the
money is needed for aid until a new U.N.-run
Oil for Food program is fully functioning.
While many Iraqis are believed to have
stockpiled enough earlier U.N. food aid to
Turn to War, page 16
Senate PFC Seat 2 candidates
explain goals, ideas for office
Six students are running for
Programs Finance Committee
Senate Seat 2 in this yearis election
ASUO elections
Jan Montry
News Editor
The Programs Finance Committee has five elect
ed seats up for grabs, and six students are running
for the ASUO Student Senate Seat 2 position. Seat
2 senators must participate both in the weekly
ASUO Student Senate meetings and the annual
PFC process.
The Emerald asked each candidate four general
questions and also asked two specific questions
about student government: What standing com
mittees is the senate is obligated to have (answer:
the Rules Committee, the Finance Committee, the
Committee on Committees, the Personnel Com
mittee and the Summer Committee), and what is
the most important part of Senate Rules Section 5,
which lists senators’ duties?
Greg Diamond, a junior political science major,
is an active member of the College Democrats and
has been a freelance writer for the Oregon Com
mentator. He said the most important issue facing
students he would be representing are decreases
Turn to Senate, page 14
Melton/Morales, Shively/Bae
tickets tout ASUO experience
bix tickets are vy ing tor the
200B-04 student executive office
ASUO elections
Brook Reinhard
News Editor
The campaign for ASUO executive is al
ways fierce. In the 2002 elections, 10 tickets
vied for the top elected seat in student gov
ernment. This year, only six tickets are com
peting for the student vote in the April 9
through April 11 primary election. Christa
Shively and her running mate, GregBae, plan
to draw from their experience on the EMU
board and in n .
the greek VOt€ April 9“1 1
system, re- Read the full transcripts
speetively, of candidate interviews
whileMaddy every day on the Web
Melton and
her running mate, Eddy Morales, have
worked closely in the current ASUO adminis
tration as co-Multicultural Advocates.
The 23-year-old Melton, a junior in sociolo
gy and women’s studies, has been involved
with student programs since her freshman
year. She currently chairs the Oregon
Statewide Student Equal Rights Alliance and
is active in the United States Student
Turn to ASUO, page 14
Weather: Today: H 50, L 35, rain at times, cooler / Wednesday: H 45, L 33, chance of thunderstorms I Oil Wednesday: Students for Peace calls for an anti-war walkout Thursday