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Thursday, August 14, 2003
Since 1900
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Volume 105, Issue 16
'Caring,' 'outgoing' student loved swimming, film
Courtesy
Jay Rowan (left), with friends Thomas Maffai (middle) and Jake Johnston.
Jay Rowan, whose friends and family
recall the University student’s steady
commitment to justice and to helping
others around him, died Saturday
By Ayisha Yahya
Reporter
Champion swimmer, budding film pro
ducer, dedicated friend and loving son —
these were just some facets of lay Rowan's
vibrant personality.
Rowan, a University sophomore,
died Saturday in an accident on the
Deschutes River.
According to reports from the Deschutes
County Sheriffs Office, Rowan and his
friend Eric Kane were floating down the De
schutes River in inner tubes when Rowan
plunged over Awbrey Falls, Kane made it to
the riverbank, but Rowan, 20, was trapped
underwater below the falls, where divers
found his body about 5 p.m. Saturday.
But Rowan's spirit still lives for those
who were closest to him.
“lhe night before, we played two games
of chess," said John Rowan, Jay's father. "I
won one and he won one." 1 le said his son
was an exceptional chess player, adding that
the family had gone to watch the movie
"Seabiscuit" together earlier that afternoon.
lhe elder Rowan said he knew Jay was go
ing rafting the next day and he asked him to
be careful. Judy Rowan, his mother, said she
saw him for the last time Saturday morning
John Rowan said his son was very caring
and taught people to care for each other.
"It would be hard to find someone who
didn't like Jay," he said.
Jay Rowan certainly cared: Last April, one
of his friends, Jake Johnston, was detained
due to an immigration misunderstanding as
he was returning to the United States from
Mexico. Rowan worked tirelessly to get John
ston out of the San Diego Correctional Facil
ity where he was being held. 1 le wrote to dif
ferent legislators throughout the state and
gathered more than 800 signatures from
University students in a petition calling for
Turn to Student, page 3
Vehicle collision
probe continues;
DPS officer quits
DPS officer Michael Bonertz resigned after three years
with the department following a July 21 collision between
the patrol vehicle he was driving and the bicyclist he pursued
By Jared Paben
Freelance Reporter
The Department of Public Safety officer who reportedly hit a
bicyclist with a patrol vehicle has resigned, officials said.
DPS Administrative Lieutenant loan Saylor said she didn't
know why the former officer, Michael John Bonertz, resigned. She
said Bonertz had worked with DPS for three years, and that he
had no record of disciplinary action. The department's investiga
tion into the July 21 incident is continuing, she added.
Bonertz's listed phone number is disconnected; he could not be
reached for comment.
After reviewing a Eugene Police Department report, the district
attorney's office said it won't file charges against the officer. The
EPD report concluded that Bonertz hit 26-year-old Donald Tean
Gariepy with his patrol vehicle as Gariepy attempted to flee from
the officer about 4 a.m. on July 21. The district attorney's office
will not file charges against Gariepy either, it said.
Despite the decision, debate still surrounds the incident. Bon
ertz said in the report the collision was not intentional, but
Gariepy contends the officer intentionally hit him.
Turn to DPS, page 3
TAG, YOU'RE IT!
Jessica Waters Emerald
University junior Tawnya Graves enjoys the weather by playing a game of tag with her 1-year-old daughter, Kaillyn, on the lawn behind the EMU.
Summer graduates slated to walk in ‘more intimate’ ceremony
The Office of the Registrar expects
to hand out more than 1,000
diplomas at Saturday’s graduation
By Ayisha Yahya
Reporter
Bars of "Pomp and Circumstance"
will again echo across campus Satur
day as hundreds of students take part
in summer graduation ceremonies.
The ceremony, to be held at the Quad
rangle Memorial near the Knight Li
brary, will begin at 10 a.m.
As of Tuesday, 948 students have
applied to graduate, Office of the
Registrar's Assistant Registrar Jim
Blick said. Blick added that the office
expects to confer about 1,050 de
grees and certificates, including 605
bachelor degrees, 281 master's, 56
doctoral degrees, two law degrees
and 106 certificates.
The numbers were a moving target,
however, since the department was
still reviewing applications for eligi
bility, he said.
"These are the applicants; whether
they'll actually be awarded their de
grees is another question," he said.
Last summer, the University con
ferred 592 bachelor degrees and 331
graduate degrees.
University Ubrarian Deborah Carver
is set to give the commencement ad
dress, titled "The 1 lard Question — It's
a Good Thing." Carver, who was the
Oregon's Ubrary Association's Librari
an of the Year in 1999, will speak on the
importance of libraries in education
and the value of life-long learning.
Most students who graduate in the
summer are those who have course
work left to complete from the previ
ous school year.
"A large population that walks
and participates in the summer cere
mony is Master's of Education stu
dents because they're not done until
this time," Family Programs and
Commencement Director Rachel
Johnson said.
While students who had only a few
credits remaining to complete their de
gree were previously allowed to take
part in the spring commencement and
return to finish their last classes in the
summer, they now have to wait for the
summer commencement.
"We no longer have a 'ceremony
only' application," Graduation Spe
cialist Tina 1 lammock said.
She said that beginning in winter
of 2003, students who had not com
pleted their total required credits
had their applications pulled aside.
She added that students with left
over credits could still don their caps
and gowns and walk in the main cer
emonies, but they wouldn't have
Turn to Grads, page 4
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