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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 2003)
An independent newspaper http://www.dailyemerald.com Oregon Dai Monday, October 13,2003 Since 1900 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon Volume 105, Issue 32 Professor criticizes Discovery program University professor Guy Tasa says the ‘Unsolved History’ program on the Donner Party left out research information By Caron Alarab News Reporter The Donner Party experience is a noto rious tale of heroism, desperation and sur vival, according to a recent Discovery Channel episode of "Unsolved History". But for the local archaeologist and the University anthropology professor fea tured in the television special, the melo dramatic focus on cannibalism overshad owed the importance of University technology and research to the identifica tion of recently excavated Donner Party bone fragments. "In terms of a typical TV show, I thought it was okay," said assistant adjunct profes sor Guy Tasa, a research associate at the Museum of Natural History. "But it wasn't very heavy on science." Tasa was just one of a handful of pro fessionals interviewed by the Discovery Channel about whether the bone fragments are evidence of 19th century cannibalism. In 1846, the Donner Party was strand ed in the snowy Sierra Nevada mountains when their California-bound wagon train took an uncharted shortcut over the sum mit. The party of emigrants separated into family units after the first few months to set up campsites and try to brave the cold and imminent starvation. After more than five months of hunger, the desperate sur vivors described the horror of losing 36 of Turn to DISCOVERY, page 8 DPS adheres to strict hiring policies DPS applicants must endure a lengthy screening process, and new hires complete training very similar to that of EPD officers By Jennifer Marie Bear News Editor The news that a DPS officer hit a man on a bi cycle with his patrol vehicle last summer stunned many people and raised questions within the De partment of Public Safety about the legitimacy of the officer's actions. After DPS determined the of ficer committed misconduct, a new question arose: What does DPS do to make sure the offi cere it hires are the right ones for the job? The road to the badge is not a jaunt through the roses — it's more like a belly crawl through the brambles. Leaders within the department say there are many tests and challenges a person must under go to begin training as a DPS officer, and poten tial officers who are allowed to go through train ing are continually evaluated for a one-year period before they are officially hired. DPS Interim Director Tom Hicks said the ap plication process is the first phase of recruitment, and it demands that applicants meet the mini mum requirements to be an officer. In order to qualify for an interview, Hicks said ap plicants must be 21 or older, have one year of law PART 1 OF 2 Today: DPS’ hiring and training procedures Tuesday: Reaction to DPS’ findings of misconduct enforcement or security experience, have a valid Oregon driver's license and a good driving record, and be able to successfully pass a criminal back ground check and a medical and psychological ex amination. The individuals who meet these basic require ments take a video exam that consists of 54 sce nario-based questions to test their decision-mak ing skills, and the people who pass the exam are then interviewed by a panel of people Turn to DPS, page 3 DUCKS TUMBLE Terrence Whitehead (with ball) and the Ducks found their running game, but Arizona State was too much for Oregon in a 59-14 blowout. The Ducks entered halftime within striking distance, but allowed 38 points in the second half en route to the 45-point loss in Tempe. INSIDE Page 5: The Ducks get destroyed in a Pac-10 showdown Laina McWhorter The State Press Adam Amato Photo Editor Sophomore Julia Tuohy (middle), a new Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority member, shows her excitement with senior member Anne Vereeke. Sororities see membership numbers drop About 150 fewer women opt to be sorority members this year; recruiters say rising tuition is one factor By Jared Paben News Reporter University sorority houses are going to be a little quieter and more spacious this year. Last year about 500 women were mem bers of sororities, but this year that number has dropped to around 350, said Melissa Winkler, vice president in charge of recruit ment for the Panhellenic Council. One explanation for the drop in sorority membership is the rising price of tuition, Win kler said, adding that it gives women the im pression they can't afford to join a sorority. "Actually, we pay less to live in sororities than we do to live in residence halls, "she said. According to a comparative chart from the Greek Life Office for this school year, the aver age cost of living in a University residence hall is $6,700, while the average cost of room and board for a sorority is $5,168. The membership decline can also be par tially attributed to the fact that students' schedules seemed to conflict with recruit ment-week activities, Winkler said. Events started at 5:30 p.m. every day during the week, but Winkler said she noticed a lot of women had classes in the evening. Bad press is an other factor Win kler cited to ex plain flagging membership num bers in sororities. "I think there's been a lot of nega tive press about greeks," she said. Specifically; she mentioned the MTV show "Sorority life," which she claims has negative ly affected people's perceptions of sorority life by showing irresponsible behavior and haz ing. A lot of the girls who would join are afraid PART 2 OF 2 Friday: Fraternities face recruitment challenges Today: Results of the sorority membership drive Turn to SORORITIES, page 3 WEATHER LOW 41 HIGH 64 INSIDE Campus buzz.4 Crossword.7 Classifieds.7 Nation & World.3 Commentary..2 Sports.5 NEXT ISSUE .CITATION UNIVERSITY OF OREGON EUGENE, OREGON -HCKET «23BH27&47_ Broken parking meters annoy students
