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http://www.dailyemerald.com
Tuesday, May 27,2003
Since 1900
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Volume 104, Issue 161
‘Unforgettable student’ commits suicide
Friends and family remembered
student Kyle Dalton Richmond
at a memorial service on Thursday
Caron Alarab
Safety/Crime/Transportation Reporter
Friends, family and University community
members attended a memorial service on
Thursday for undergraduate University student
Kyle Dalton Richmond, who died on May 15 at
the age of 20.
Oregon State Police closed the case and ruled it
a suicide after some close friends, who had not
heard from Richmond for some time, found him
sitting in a running car parked in his mother’s and
stepfather’s garage in Junction City on the after
noon of May 16.
After investigating the incident, OSP Detective
Dan Wolverton said toxicology reports confirmed
the cause of death as carbon monoxide poison
ing. Richmond also left a very personal note,
Wolverton said. Richmond’s parents were un
available for comment.
But Philip Ojo, a University graduate teach
ing fellow in French, recalled his experience
with Richmond.
“Kyle Richmond is an unforgettable student,”
he said.
Richmond registered for Ojo’s French 203
class in spring term, but after two weeks, he
stopped attending.
“When he finally came to class, he told me
about the emotional depression he had been go
ing through, which led his father to take him out
on a vacation,” Ojo said. “Thanks to his diligence
and extremely high aptitude, he adjusted to the
class level and made up for some of the work he
had missed.”
Turn to Suicide, page 7
Hie Prefontaine Classic
Danielle Hickey Emerald
Ana Guevara (125) finishes the women's400 meter race in meet-record time and far ahead of her competitors at the Prefontaine Classic, held Saturday at Hayward
Field. Guevara, who beat the likes of2000 gold medalist Cathy Freeman (124), provided the brightest of many highlights at the meet In 14 events, the competitors
set three Hayward Field and Prefontaine Classic records and eight additional world-leading marks. For lull coverage of the Prefontaine Classic, turn to page 9.
LGBTQA
to host
anti-hate
‘Love-In’
Student coordinators said the
event is designed to dispel hate
and prove the legitimacy of the
LGBT community on campus
Ali Shaughnessy
Environment/Science/Technology Reporter
The LGBTQA will host a love-in on
Wednesday in the EMU Amphitheater from
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to promote a campus cli
mate free of hate and discrimination.
The group is inviting all students —
regardless of sexual orientation — to
kiss, cuddle, hold hands or simply sit
with them to show support for the
anti-discrimination cause. Several stu
dents will also speak during the event.
Kristina Armenakis, co-director of
LGBTQA, said the Love-In Against
Hate was prompted by anti-gay senti
ments on campus that are symbolic of
harassment and hatred and can drive
people in the lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender communities into
tough places.
Armenakis pointed specifically to a re
cent guest commentary that ran in the
Turn to Love-In, page 3
Senate allocates $118,438 to KWVA for new equipment
After receiving the funding from the
University’s overrealized fund, KWVA is ready
to make the transition to digital equipment
Jennifer Bear
Campus/Federal Politics Reporter
With a much-needed allocation of $118,438 from
the University’s overrealized fund, campus radio sta
tion KWVA will be joining the digital revolution and
leaving its antiquated analog equipment behind.
KWVA General Manager Charlotte Nisser said the
radio station has been operating at a severe disadvan
tage for the past few years, both in terms of quality for
station listeners and educational value for students ea
ger to work in the radio industry after college. Most of
the equipment KWVA uses is more than 20 years old,
Nisser said, and has been phased out of use at other sta
tions in favor of digital equipment. As a result, students
who work at KWVA are not getting the training they
need to succeed in the real world, and KWVA is not able
to offer the same signal quality that other stations do.
The ASUO Student Senate recognized KWVA’s plight
at Wednesday’s senate meeting, and many argued pas
sionately in favor of giving the radio station such a laige
sum of money, although a few senators were still a bit
skeptical. Senate Treasurer Mike Linman said he had
visited KWVA to see the equipment they used, and spoke
with other commercial radio stations to research the
necessity of buying new equipment for the radio station.
Unman commended the work that KWVA does and said
he thought the money was a must for the radio station.
“Their stuff is older than dirt. It’s really sad—it looks
like something from the 1970s,” he said.
Nisser said she really appreciated the senate’s praise
of KWVA because the radio station has had trouble ob
taining extra funding in the past. She added she was
nervous and worried the senators wouldn’t understand
why KWVA needed such a large sum of money because
the inner-workings of the radio industry are pretty far
removed from most people’s everyday lives.
“In a sense, I had my fingers crossed because it
seems like every time we go to the senate, we have to
battle and struggle for money,” Nisser said.
KWVA won’t begin to purchase and install new
equipment until after the staff for next school year is
hired, which should be wrapping up at the end of June.
She added that the first piece of equipment KWVA
plans to buy is an emergency alert system so the station
can comply with federal law and broadcast “Amber
Alerts” on missing children.
The rest of the equipment overhaul and conversion
to digital will likely last until May 2004, but Nisser said
the station will continue to broadcast 24 hours a day,
Tu rn to KWVA, page 4
Mark McCambridge Emerald
KWVA plans to upgrade from their current equipment to digital technology using a $118,438
allocation from the University's overrealized fund. The upgrade will produce a clearer sound for
listeners and will provide improved training for students working at the station.
Weather: Today: H 83, L 50, partly cloudy / Wednesday: H 65, L 45 chance of showers I On Wednesday: DPS reports show several seasonal trends in drug and alcohol use
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