Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 5, 2003)
STUDENTS continued from page 1 sure because the criteria for being a "nontrad" — having children, trans ferring from another school or being older than the typical student — are often difficult to track or gauge. I le did say that Gwynne and Wat son's situation is a common one, not ing that he has seen students drive from Roseburg, Salem and Florence every day to go to school here. Many of them are even forced to spend the night if the weather is bad or if they don't have time to drive back and forth. Gwynne and Watson know firsthand how difficult it can be for nontraditional students to pay the bills and raise a family while at tending school. Their grades are also suffering from the extra pressure. During his last term at Chemeketa Community College — where both Gwynne and Watson earned Associ ate of Arts Oregon Transfer degrees — Watson held a part-time job on cam pus and a part-time job off campus, was heavily involved in student gov emment and took 24 credits. "1 le still got a 4.0 GPA, * Gwynne said, adding that she too pulled As and B's. When he came to the University last fall, Watson realized his AAOT de gree was a "complete waste of time" that grossly under-prepared him for studies at the University. "This term we're taking 16 credits with weekend part-time pizza driver jobs, and this term is overwhelming," Watson said, "rhis is not a sustainable practice. Our GPAs are suffering." Gwynne said the most difficult part of school is the over-abundance of re quired reading. Yet, they've managed to turn the inconvenience of a gruel ing commute into a useful time for studying by reading to each other as they drive. "We just find little squish times when we can read to each other," Gwynne said. For Watson and Gwynne, paying the bills is especially difficult. They support Gwynne's 16-year-old daugh ter Breanna and the couple's four year-old son Dreyan. To deal with the financial demands of higher education, the couple has started recording and typing class notes for University Disability Services, bring ing in about $ 100 per term, Gwynne said. She also said they're going to start auctioning things on eBay to bring in a little extra money. "Our typical pattern is to work like crazy during the summer and then try to do a collage of small things for small incomes when we have the op portunity," Watson said. Another part of their life that often suffers with their busy lifestyle is their family, which Watson describes as "re markably close." Gwynne said they don't have a lot of quality time with their children ex cept for the occasional evening. While Breanna and Dreyan come down to Eugene with their parents on the weekdays, all of them are usually oc cupied with reading and studying. Bums explained that juggling jobs, family and school can be difficult for many nontraditional students, which is why the Nontraditional Student Union is needed. The group helps stu dents find money and arrange child care, as well as provide other resources for nontraditional students. He also said feeling like an outsider is a common problem. "For a nontraditional student to come to this University as an older student feeling like a sore thumb — that is a psychological barrier that we have to deal with," he said. But the apparent age barrier be tween traditional and nontraditional students didn't discourage Watson. I Ie decided his two-year forestry de gree from Chemeketa wasn't going to be good enough and he needed to go back to school. "lhat forestry degree opened oppor tunities for me to be a seasonal, part time, entry-level state forest ranger in charge of cleaning (Port-A-Potty) cans in three state parks in Wisconsin and one in Nebraska, with tens of visitors every year," he said. "So, 1 decided that life needed to be better than that. We both went back and got our AAOTs so we could come here as juniors." Contact the people/culture/faith reporter at jaredpaben@dailyemerald.com. PROVOST continued from page 1 viewed, Vice President for Student Af fairs Anne Leavitt said. Vincent served for four years as LSU's vice provost for academic af fairs and campus diversity. He said in a telephone interview that he looks forward to visiting Oregon, adding that if he is hired, his main goal will be "making sure that diver sity issues are front and center on campus." In the meantime, some say the po sition should have been filled already. ASUO Multicultural Advocate Mark Pa^oongpatt s^d, h? fe^ls. the process is taking too long and the administration is making too many decisions that lack a perspec tive on diversity issues. He said the longer the University waits to fill this role, the more it seems like the ad ministration isn't concerned with these issues. "In order to be able to claim to be a diverse campus, you have to prioritize issues of race and diversity," he said. Moseley said the importance of the position warrants thoughtful decision making. "It's more important to get the right person than to fill a position quickly," he said. Office of Multicultural Affairs Di rector Carla D. Gary agreed. "It would have been nice to have this sooner ... but I'm more con cerned that we do it and that we do it well," she said. Leavitt said one of the main rea sons the position has not been filled is because someone with the right qualifications is difficult to find. "This is not a position that exists on just any other campus," she said, adding that if a campus does have a similar position, the person who holds it may be too established to want to leave. The search committee for the posi tion comprises seven faculty and staff and two students, but some campus groups feel students should be better informed of the search. ASUO Multicultural Center Pro gram Advisor Steve Morozumi said he thinks students should play more of a role in the decision making process. "We think that the process should be more open and inclusive," he said. Morozumi also wonders what kind of accountability the position will hold. "We're hoping for the best, but it's kind of wait-and-see skepticism," he said. Padoongpatt agreed that students need to play a larger role in the hiring process. He said he met with one of the candidates last spring when stu dents were given the chance to ask questions, but only a few students at tended. He said the University should do a better job of informing students of the search to fill the position so they can be more involved. "Students need to at least be in volved in a panel or questioning the individuals who are applying for this position," he said. Contact the higher education/student life/student affairs reporter at chelseaduncan@dailyemerald.com. 017240 Los Angeles $175 Rio De Janeiro $715 New York $280 Tokyo $547 London $344 Hong Kong $489 Paris $344 Bangkok $569 Amsterdam $344 Sydney $984 Mexico City $385 Delhi $1069 Fares are roundtrip from Portland. Restrictions apply. Taxes not included. Fares subject to change. Eurailpass issued On-The-Spot 1430 S.W. Park Ave. _ Portland, OR 97201 12TRAVEL CUTS 503-274 2323 See the world your way 800-592-CUTS (2887) portland@travelcuts.com ASK US ABOUT OUR EXCLUSIVE FLEXIBLE FARES www.travelcuts.com ASUO continued from page 1 Starkweather said he advised Foster to keep the statement fair to both par ties involved in the incident and to be careful not to take sides. When it comes to crisis communications, Starkweather said the key is to be hon est, accurate and quick. Starkweather said a press statement should be released before the media I has to ask for it, however. "Ideally, you want a statement out before anyone knows about it," he said. "You want to be proactive." Starkweather added that timeliness shouldn't overshadow the honesty or accuracy of a press statement, saying all three are needed. Contact the crime/heatth/ safety reporter at alishaughnessy@dailyemerald.com. Oregon Daily Emerald Your campus information source Publishes Monday through Friday Pick up the Emerald at over 120 campus and community locations ■STORY DAY Take a moment in your day to share with others your stories and experiences. The Women’s Center invites you to come to an informal gathering and share moments of joy or struggle, goals and dreams, a recent story, or a vision of life. Come to create community, build an environment of trust, and discover the amazing stories of the people around us. ►WHEN. Every two weeks beginning Friday, November 7th ►LOCATION: EMU Qcgue Room ►TIME: 3pm FREE Come with friends or on your own, find out how creative and interesting your story can really be with the support of the community around you. Il*lli i ■.— ■ * II. ... Second Season Presents pE^DEMONA BY Paula Vogel Oct. 29, 30, 31, NOV. 1,6, 7 8c 8-8 PM Arena Theatre No Late Seating Tickets: UO Ticket Office EMU: 346-4363 UT Box Office Evenings of Performances »V**WY 0* OfcJv PHOTO SPECIALS NOVEMBER 3-9 2ND SET FREE! 3x5 prints: 12 exp $2.25 24 exp $4.25 36 exp $6.25 4x6 prints: 12 exp $3.25 24 exp $6.25 36 exp $8.25 From,35jriii:i (t-4 / hill, fyni lie . ciriof.hfiv. (Pnn'atWmh:.' Ik)H ii<hih\ ;in<i ■ny.itivi-s exch-icbd) ■ 20% OFF APS PROCESSING: 15 exp. 25 exp. 40 exp. (one set) $4.40 (one set) $6.66 (one set) $9.40 Allow t -2 days lor APS processing. Glossy or matte finish. FUJICOLOR imuiiuiiu UNIVERSITY OF OREGON BOOKSTORE www.uobookstore.com Student Groups Advertise in the Oregon Daily Emerald. Call 346-3712 to speak with a sales rep. We have great University rates.
