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Friday, November 7,2003
Since 1900 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon
Volume 105, Issue 51
Housing reduces expenses due to funding dip
Funds for University Housing have
fallen by more than $1.5 million
due to having about 300 fewer
students in the residence halls
By Jared Paben
News Reporter
University Housing is reducing expenses by
postponing projects and purchasing fewer sup
plies to make up for a funding dip of more than
$ 1.5 million, according to Housing officials.
Mike Eyster, assistant vice president for stu
dent affairs and director of Housing, said
housing revenues have fallen by 6 or 7 percent
because fewer students are living in the resi
dence halls. Eyster estimated that University
Housing's revenues have decreased by $1.6 to
$ 1.9 million this year.
Currently, Housing has 3,045 occupants in
the halls compared to 3,338 at this time last
year, Eyster said.
Eyster said the decrease in the number of
residence hall occupants coincides with the
cap on freshman enrollment, an administra
tive effort to stabilize the student population
between 20,000 and 21,000.
Eyster said Housing did anticipate a lesser
number of freshman occupants in the halls,
but the decrease was worse than expected.
Occupancy rates naturally fluctuate from year
to year, but this year's drop was especially painful
because last year the University had the largest
freshman class in its history, Eyster explained.
He added that Housing relies solely on fees
from residence hall occupants for funding and
is now trimming fat from its budget in order
to absorb the decreases.
For example, housing officials have decided
to postpone a project that would have added
space-economical storage units to some resi
dence hall rooms. Postponing that project,
which was conceived one year ago, has saved
them $90,000, Eystersaid.
He also said they are going to reduce ex
penses by traveling less, spending less money
on food and purchasing fewer supplies. I lous
ing has not laid off any employees, Eyster said,
and he doubts that it has hired fewer student
employees as a result of the decrease. I Ie said
when Housing does hire fewer students em
ployees, it's because there are fewer residents
and thus less demand for employees, not to
cut costs.
Turn to HOUSING, page 6A
Abortion
bill spurns
activists
into action
The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban
has incited national debate
and prompted a local Planned
Parenthood-sponsored protest
By Ali Shaughnessy
Senior News Reporter
Abortion rights activists gathered on
Wednesday evening at the Ferry Street
Bridge to protest the Partial-Birth Abor
tion Ban, which was signed into law on
Wednesday by President George W. Bush.
Planned Parenthood helped sponsor
the event, in which activists waved a se
ries of signs at rush hour traffic that read:
"Politicians playing doctor is hazardous
to women's health."
Kitty Piercy, public affairs director for
the Planned Parenthood Health Services
of Southwestern Oregon, said the protest
went well, adding that all of the students
who participated were vital.
"It's an expression of how many peo
ple are not happy with this law being
passed," she said.
Oregon Right to Life Executive Director
Turn to ABORTION, page 5A
GROWTH SPURT
Visiting
Assistant
Professor Fiona
Ngo teaches an
ethnic studies
class in
McKenzie Hall
on Thursday.
The program
brings in
visiting
professors to
share new
experiences
and help
with the
class load.
Tim Bobosky
Photographer
Examining ethnicity
The Ethnic Studies Program has
grown rapidly in the past 3 years
and now has about 100 majors
By Chelsea Duncan
News Reporter
Senior Christina Finley came to the Uni
versity last year in search of an education
that would enable her to become a tribal at
torney at the Colville Reservation in Wash
ington near where she grew up.
She is now majoring in ethnic studies, a
program that examines the construction and
context of ethnicity in the United States, and
she said she plans to attend law school after
she completes her undergraduate studies.
"There are not a lot of ethnic studies pro
grams in the state," she said. 'This is the only
program in the University that is dedicated to
action and social justice, which is exactly what
1 want to do with my life."
Finley is one of about 100 majors in the
University's Ethnic Studies Program, which was
implemented as a major in 1997. The program
has expanded rapidly in the past three years,
growing from about 12 majors since it began
appointing its own faculty in 1999.
Associate Professor Shari I luhndorf, who
directed the program during its growth spurt,
said the program relied solely on participat
ing faculty in other departments before it had
its own faculty. The independence in faculty
Turn to ETHNIC, page 6A
Morales’ citation sparks questions about impeachment rules
The ASUO lacks explicit rules for
a vice president’s impeachment
By Chuck Slothower
News Reporter
ASUO Vice President Eddy Morales' recent cita
tion by the Eugene Police Department has ex
posed a weakness in the ASUO's heavily relied
upon "Green Tape Notebook," which details the
ASUO Constitution and myriad ASUO rules. The
extensive document has no explicit provision for
impeaching or firing an ASUO vice president, if
such an action were necessary.
"To the best of my knowledge, the ASUO rules
are silent on how to recall a vice president" ASUO
Student Senate Ombudsman Mike Sherman said.
"I don't know of any clause that says what the pro
cedure would be."
The removal of Morales from the vice presi
dent's seat is, of course, speculative. Sherman said
any action to remove Morales would be premature
without a conviction.
"It's not really relevant right now," Sherman said.
Morales was cited Oct. 8 in connection with a
Sept. 12 incident in which he allegedly assaulted
a University senior. Morales now awaits trial after
he pleaded innocent to charges of assault and
criminal mischief on Oct. 22.
This isn't the first time that an ASIIO vice presi
dent has run into legal trouble. Ben Buzbee, the
2002-03 ASUO vice president, pleaded guilty to
furnishing alcohol to minors during a keg party at
his residence on Jan. 18.
Turn to ASUO, page 5A
WEATHER
INSIDE
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37
HIGH
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Campus buzz.6A
Classifieds.11A
Commentary..2A
Crossword.11A
Nation & World.3A
Sports.7A
fd
Oregon's first
game comes
on Sunday