An independent newspaper http://www.dailyemerald.com 55-16 loss has a silver lining Page 7 luesday, October 1, 2003 Since 1900 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon Volume 105, Issue 24 Record-setting grants, awards fund research The University brought in almost $80 million in financial grants and awards last fiscal year By Ayisha Yahya __ News Editor The University has received a record-setting amount of research grants and awards for the second year mnning. Research programs at the University received $77.8 million for the 2002-03 fiscal year — a 3.6 percent increase from 2001-02 — according to Richard Linton, University vice president for Re search and Graduate Studies. "We've reached a value that was greater than state-appropriated funding to the University," Linton said. In 2002-03, the state gave ' the University about $70 million for its expenses. In the last 10 years, the University has received $570 million for research according to a University press release. Linton said that ; on average the University receives about 600 different kinds of awards annually for individual faculty or group faculty projects. There are 30 research centers and institutes on campus, such as the Child and Family Center, the Institute of Molecular Biology and the Institute of Neuroscience, Iinton said. Of the funds received, 70 percent went toward research, 21 per cent was earmarked for community service and the rest will be used for instruction. Some the funds were channeled to various projects in the Uni versity's College of Education, said Linda Lewis, education pro grams specialist. "We compete with a lot of universities around the country for . research grants," she said. One of the projects funded was the Sapsik'wala Project, which trains Native American students who want to become teachers. The project received a three-year U S. Department of Education Indian Education Project Development grant worth $492,241. "We were able to get the grant because we entered into a part nership with the confederate tribes of Oregon," Lewis said, adding that there is a shortage of Native American teachers to serve their communities. "Our goal was to meet their needs." Other projects in the college receiving large grants include the National Center for Improving Reading Competence Using Intensive Treatments Schoolwide, which researches intervention programs for students with reading disabilities, and the National Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support Studies. Both were granted awards worth nearly $900,000. Turn to FUNDS, page 6 ublishers beware Danielle Hickey Photographer OSPIRG Campus Coordinator Kit Douglass asks Joanna Schwartz questions for a survey about textbook prices Tuesday morning in the EMU Amphitheater. OSPIRG has organized a study aimed at stopping publishing practices it says are unfair to students By Jennifer Marie Bear News Editor A University student group is fed up with expensive textbooks, and plans to put a stop to it. OSPIRG is launching a campaign to combat inflated textbook prices. For the first two weeks of fall term, memDers or me Oregon Stu dent Public In terest Research Group will sur vey students in front of the EMll to discov er their text book-buying habits. OSP1RG Cam pus Coordina tor Kit Dou glass said the surveys will be used to document the harmful practices that textbook publishers use to milk money out of students. "The purpose of the survey is to ver ify what we think is happening," Douglass said. l int Johnson, chairman of the Uni versity chapter of OSP1RG, said he be lieves publishing companies are tak ing advantage of the student market in several ways. Johnson said textbook publishers Turn to PUBLISHING, page 12 PART 3 OF 3 Monday: Various factors drive up textbook prices Tuesday: How to pay less for required reading Today: A University group aims to curb rising costs Courthouse construction put on hold by federal agency bunding, area development and disabled access issues have delayed construction of the $70 million building By A. Sho Ikeda Senior News Reporter Plans to build a new $70 million federal courthouse in Eugene have hit a roadblock because the General Ser vices Administration, a central man agement agency for the federal gov ernment, raised concerns about the city's commiunent to the project. GSA spokesman Peter Gray said the agency had problems with funding for construction of the building, transportation to the site and the de velopment of the area around the courmouse. i ne L>oA was planning to buy land for the courthouse from the City of Eugene, and con struction on the courthouse at the former location of the Agripac canning facility was scheduled to begin in a few months. City officials received an e-mail from the GSA last week with questions con cerning street construe tion, parking and future develop ment in the courthouse district. The agency and city leaders have also dis cussed issues regarding the site in phone conversations. Gray said the agency wanted to know how the city would manage transportation to the courthouse and how it would develop business es and residences within the court house district. "We don't have a clear idea right now about the location," Gray said. "We want to know more about access to the site and if the funding to build the court house is available." City officials said they were working hard to make progress on the courthouse project. We ve been trying to find specific concerns the GSA has with the courthouse," city spokes woman Jan Bohman said. Bohman said city planning staff were compiling information to develop a re sponse to the GSA's concerns. She said die city staff are also working on issues such as transportauon and parking, seeking federal funds for construction and trying to please the community. She noted that one of the major com munity issues is accessibility to the courthouse for people with disabilides. According to the courthouse design plans, the entrance is located at the top of a staircase, 14 feet above street level. The courthouse includes an ele vator for disabled access on one side Turn to COURTHOUSE, page 6 "If you have this grandiose federal building and the main access is just the stairs, then you are showing people that you are denying many disabled people access to the courthouse." James Dean Chair of the Human Rights Commission WEATHER LOW HIGH 48 76 INSIDE Campus buzz.6 Classifieds.10-11 Commentary..2 Crossword.11 Nation & World.3 Sports.7 NEXT ISSUE Spearhead’s Michael Franti discusses music and activism