Bill increases DUII penalty Oregon lawmakers hope to deter drunken driving with Senate Bill 421 By A. Sho Ikeda Senior News Reporter Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed several bills last week that will penalize Oregon drunken driv ers more harshly. The most notable of the drunk en driving bills was Senate Bill 421, which would double the prison penalty for criminally neg ligent homicide and manslaughter in the second degree from 18 to 36 months. These two charges could be placed on a driver in volved in a fatal accident while driving under the influence. Representative Jeff Barker, D-Alo ha, was one of the lawmakers who played a major role in getting the bills passed. "Driving under the influence of intoxicants is a reckless behavior that results in thousands of deaths in this country every year," Barker said in a press release. "By passing this legislation, we are showing Ore gonians that we are serious about preventing habitual offenders from getting behind the wheel." Senate Bill 421, also known as "Brian's Bill," was named after 23 year-old Brian Hood, who was killed in 1998 when his drunken roommate rolled the car while driv ing wildly in a Bend park. Hood's parents, Anne and Bruce Pratt of Springfield, were behind the move ment to change Oregon's drunk driving laws. Sandy Nelson, state vice chair woman of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said the organization worked closely with Anne Pratt to push several of the bills forward. "We did everything we could to support her," Nelson said. "MADD's mission is to assist victims to stop drunk driving." Nelson said it was important to get SB 421 through the Oregon Leg islature because the current laws for causing a death while driving under the influence were too lenient. "A dmnken driver could kill some one and get 18 months in jail," Nel son said. "But you could hit someone with a baseball bat and get five years." Kulongoski signed many other bills related to drunken driving in addition to SB 421. Senate Bill 302 requires defendants to enter a guilty plea to a drunken driving charge if they do not pass a diver sion program, and House Bill 2900 imposes a fine of $500 to $ 1,000 for suspects who refuse to take a Breathalyzer test, in addition to any other fees prescribed by lo cal law enforcement. Senate Bill 2885 revokes a defendant's drivers license for life if the driver is con victed of DUII for a third time, and Senate Bill 348 raises the maxi mum fine to $10,000 for driving under the influence with children in the vehicle. Nelson said the state chapter of MADD was in great support of SB 348. "We will support child endanger ment issues at any possible turn," Nelson said. "Children shouldn't lose life and limb because of an adult's poor decision." According to the Eugene Police De partment, there were 566 DUII arrests in 2002, down from 657 in 2001. There were 88 incidents in which drivers refused breathalyzer tests. In Oregon, 179 deaths were attrib uted to driving under the influence in 2002, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administra tion. Approximately 41 percent of all traffic deaths in Oregon involved al cohol or other intoxicants. Contact the city/state politics reporter at shoikeda@daiiyemerald.com. I H Freshman Siena Ranuio Nunes attends her W^m freshman interest group on Wednesday. “I see all the same people in other classes so it’s really 1 familiar,” she said. 1_Adam Amato Photo Editor FIGs supply students with familiar faces Freshman Interest Groups help freshmen become academically and socially involved at the University By Chelsea Duncan News Reporter When freshman Siena Ranuio Nunes first learned she had been ac cepted to the University, she was a lit tle overwhelmed. After originally searching for a campus of 5,000 stu dents or fewer, the University's popu lation of more than 20,000 students seemed intimidating. Then she learned about Freshman Interest Groups and signed up. "I think the FIG kind of helps," she said. "It makes it feel like a smaller setting." In the FIG program, which is avail able each fall term, freshmen take a group of classes comprised of two general education courses and one College Connections course, said Amy Hughes Giard, education pro gram assistant for first-year programs. Students can choose from different classes, which set the theme for the FIG. The College Connection course allows freshmen to meet faculty members, get adjusted to academic and social life at the University and Turn to FIG, page 5 fflww^lr,w}.vr •*wpR,'>;...y'SS^i#v. ■vi'a-w*^.^.'.'‘- - ’^5- • ft!5^>x / . ' ■ tKf* skrecUier TooMtss Ptflof mmo* Cooling Cist Athlon XP-3000 CPU 512MB Corsair XMS DOR RAME ASUS A7WX ULTRA 400 Motherboard QFORCEfX mO 2S6MB Vidao C«r* Mbl* hows, g*f*f©ot oommMoiw, p#rf ormaao* bomMii» **J * FREE <*wr*yt*< spwm Eugene & Springfield (541) 344-5208 v/v*av. m agn asapicntcom Oregon Daily Emerald _P.O. Box 3159, Eugene OR 97403 The Oregon Daily Emerald is pub lished daily Monday through Friday during the school year by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc., at the University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon.The Emerald operates inde pendently of the University with of fices in Suite 300 of the Erb Memorial Union. The Emerald is private prop erty. The unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable by law. NEWSROOM — (541)346-5511 Editor in chief: Brad Schmidt Managing editor: Jan Tobias Montry Freelance editor: Aimee Rudin News editors: Jennifer Bear, Ayisha Yahya Senior news reporters: A. 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