Idolized/ Page 9
Thursday, May 22,2003
Since 1900 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon
Volume 104, Issue 159
Speaking out against oppression
rather Roy Bourgeois will speak about the WHISC
military school role in Latin America and his
experiences protesting the School of the Americas
Roman Gokhman
Campus/City Culture Reporter
In 1993, a U.N. report on El Salvador revealed that the people
who assassinated Bishop Oscar Romero — a popular figure in
the country — and those who raped four American women
were trained at the U.S. military’s School of the Americas.
The school, now called the Western Hemisphere Institute
for Securing Cooperation, provides professional education
and military training to people from South American coun
tries to increase democracy in the region. But its graduates
have often been accused of crimes against humanity.
Father Roy Bourgeois, a Mary knoll priest and a nationally
known protester of the school, has served four years in prison
for crossing onto WHISC property and protesting. He will
speak today at 7 p.m. in 177 Lawrence about the school’s role
in South America.
Steve Morozumi, program adviser for the Multicultural
Center, one of 12 local sponsors of Bourgeois’ talk, said if peo
ple knew the truth about WHISC, they would not support it.
“I think most people on campus don’t know about the
school,” Morozumi said. “An issue like this crosses artificial
boundaries between movements.
“A key element of our mission statement is to address issues
of ending oppression,” he said. “Our own government is going to
train people who are committing human rights crimes.”
Bourgeois, a Vietnam War veteran, said he had a change of
heart after seeing the devastation of war. He met a Catholic
missionary while in Vietnam, and in 1972 he was ordained
as a priest. He then went to Bolivia, where he lived in La Paz
for five years.
“This experience really educated me on the plight of the
Turn to Bourgeois, page 4
Courtesy
Father Roy Bourgeois recounts his protest experiences tonight in 177 Lawrence.
Event honors campus involvement
The inaugural Cross-Cultural Recognition
Night awarded students, graduates and
faculty for their campus involvements
Neota Genske
Freelance Reporter
Students who have made a difference on
campus were honored in the first Cross-Cultur
al Recognition Night on Wednesday. The event,
which was sponsored by the Office of Student
Life Diversity Programs, acknowledged the
work people have done through campus organ
izations as well as community involvement.
Many of those nominated will be graduating in
June and are members of various cultural or
ganizations on campus.
ThuVan Hoang, who works in the ASUO and
was one of the event’s organizers, said the event
honors students who are usually overlooked by
other award ceremonies. The award recipients
were nominated by their peers. Students could
nominate graduates, departing students or facul
ty who have influenced their lives in some way.
Senior and Vice president-elect Eddy
Morales nominated senior Oscar Arana, whom
he has known since he was a freshman.
“In everything he does he shows passion and
integrity, and he is a dedicated leader on and off
campus and puts other people first,” Morales
said. “I love him as a brother, and I’m honored
to have presented him.”
Students who received nominations were
also required to nominate a teacher who had
inspired them. Senior Kawezya Hutchinson,
who received an award, nominated associate
art professor Nancy Cheng.
“I always knew how to draw, but not the way
you see it... she helped me learn,” Hutchinson
said. “She always had an open door.”
For their accomplishments, students received
a green, yellow, blue and burgundy stole and a
certificate. Faculty received a rose and certificate.
It proved to be an emotional event and a
time to say farewell. Students broke down in
tears and hugged each other during the cere
mony. During some moments, there was
hearty laughter as they described each other’s
personalities or nostalgically recalled their
time spent together.
“It is a way for students to say goodbye to
their peers with an honor,” Hoang said.
Hoang said the ceremony will be an annual
event. Students can nominate graduating and
departing seniors by filling out a small form,
describing why they should be nominated
and telling what they did for the University
and community.
Neota Censke is a freelance writer for the Emerald.
KWVA
receives
funding
The Senate approves a large
transfer of funds to the radio
station, which will finance
an equipment upgrade
Jennifer Bear
Campus/Federal Politics Reporter
Campus radio station KWVA landed
a huge financial victory Wednesday
night, receiving $118,438 from the
ASUO Student Senate out of overreal
ized funds, which are used for emer
gencies and are not set aside with a
specific purpose in mind.
Station General Manager Charlotte
Nisser presented KWVA’s case to the
senate, saying the station is in desperate
need of an equipment upgrade because
much of what they use now is more
than 20 years old.
Some of the key pieces of equip
ment she said KWVA plans to invest
the money in are a master control
board, which Nisser said is “the heart
of the radio station,” and a new piece
of equipment needed to comply with
federal laws by broadcasting “amber
alerts” for missing children.
As the only campus educational envi
ronment for students interested in ra
dio broadcasting, Nisser said it is
KWVA’s responsibility to keep pace with
major changes in the radio industry so
University students can properly pre
pare for a career in broadcasting. She
stressed that KWVA needs the money
in order to move from the outdated
analog system and start building a digi
tal foundation to broadcast from. She
added this will save money in the long
run because it has become difficult for
the station’s staff to repair and find new
parts for its equipment because it is so
old and has been fazed out by the ma
jority of the radio industry.
Designated Driver Shuttle also re
ceived a large sum of money from the
overrealized fund. The senate voted to
give DDS $62,400 so the group can buy
two new passenger vans that are safer
and less likely to roll over.
The senate also approved a flurry of
transfers and special requests for sur
plus money.
Turn to KWVA, page 4
Courtesy
Biology Professor Eric Selker works with fungus to do genetic research.
Bio-research could open new doors
University researchers are
exploring a fungus to find out
more about the genes among us
Lindsay Sauve
Family/Health/Education Reporter
People should think twice before
tossing that moldy sandwich bread
into the garbage — some day mold
could be used to cure cancer. Re
searchers at the University’s Institute
of Molecular Biology are studying a
fungus to explore the biochemical
processes essential to many living be
ings, including humans.
Biology Professor Eric Selker and
his team of researchers work with
Neurospora crassa to study the mys
terious world of genetics. The team
uses the fungus because it’s a simple
organism, having only about 1 per
cent as many genes as humans do.
The mold also has other uses — the
filamentous fungus is used to make
products such as the Indonesian soy
product tempeh.
The Selker team conducts re
search on DNA methylation, a bio
chemical process that silences mu
tated genes. There are still many
unknowns about the methylation
process, but Selker and his team are
doing their best to come up with an
swers by using Neurospora.
One of the Selker team’s break
throughs is the discovery of RIP— Re
peat-Induced-Point mutation. RIP oc
curs during Neurospora’s
reproductive cycle and causes muta
tions within duplicated gene se
quences. These RIP sequences trigger
the process of DNA methylation.
Researchers guess that the process
occurs as defense against ‘selfish
DNA,’ which reproduce but serve no
purpose to the organism. The study of
gene silencing is an important tool
that could some day be used to fight
cancer. With a better understanding
Turn to Research, page 4
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: Today: H 75, L 50, partly cloudy / Friday: H 82, L 52, partly cloudy I On Friday: The current ASUO members pass the baton to next year's officials
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