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Friday, January 23, 2004
Since 1900 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon
Volume 105, Issue 84
Student sues over OUS’ concealed weapon ban
Graduate student Brian Stubbs
says the University system
cannot restrict CHL holders
from carrying a weapon
By Lisa Catto
News Reporter
Physics graduate student Brian
Stubbs filed a lawsuit in Federal Dis
trict Court against the Oregon State
Board of 1 Iigher Education and the
Oregon University System for not al
lowing him to carry a concealed
weapon on campus.
Stubbs, who said he has a Concealed
Handgun License and wants to exercise
his right to cany a concealed handgun
on public property, challenged the
board's policy of excluding CHL hold
ers from carrying a firearm on property
owned or controlled by OUS.
Kristian Roggendorf, Stubbs' attor
ney, mailed the complaint to the Fed
eral District Court in Eugene Wednes
day, and it is expected to be filed by
the end of the week.
The complaint stated that Oregon
statute allows licensed holders to car
ry their firearms in all public places
except courtrooms. The only leeway is
given to the Oregon Legislature to reg
ulate firearms.
Roggendorf said the legislature
passed a statute giving cities and
counties the ability to pass laws to
prohibit gun use, but police officers
and license holders are an exception.
"(OUS) doesn't have authority to
ban lawfully carried firearms on cam
pus," he said.
OUS spokeswoman Di Saunders
defended the decision to ban hand
guns on campuses.
"Student safety on OUS campuses
is our first and foremost concern," she
said. "That is why the state board went
beyond the Oregon statute and voted
to not allow handguns on Oregon
public campuses."
But Stubbs argues it isn't an issue
of safety.
"Prohibiting law-abiding citizens
from carrying their handguns onto
campus will not stop a criminal who
is intent on violence," he said. "It will
just ensure that all of the potential vic
tims are unarmed and unable to de
fend themselves."
He added that knowing firearms
are banned only provides an illusion
of safety.
"There is an important difference in
feeling safe and actually being safe,"
he said.
Roggendorf agreed with Stubbs.
He said 35 states have a liberal poli
cy allowing people to cany handguns,
and he has not found any cases where
a license holder committed a crime in
public with his licensed firearm.
Roggendorf also said licensees tend
to be safer with firearms and they
have far lower crime rates dealing
with guns, other than senior citizens.
Kevin Starrett, executive director of
the Oregon Firearms Educational
Foundation, said Stubbs took it upon
himself to change the policy but even
tually sought help from the organiza
tion nearly a year ago. rFhe nonprofit
organization is committed to fighting
for the rights of gun owners in court.
The group raised money to cover
Stubb's attorney fees.
"For some time we have known
that schools all over the state have
Turn to WEAPON, page 3
Tracking the environment
Professor Ronald Mitchell received a $282,000grant to continue environmental agreements research
By Jennifer Sudick
Freelance Editor
olitical science Associate Professor
Ronald Mitchell's ninth-floor office in
Ju PLC could be called a repository for
environmental treaties research. Ten years
of work sits in stacks of binders and in
books along the wall, forming a listing of
international environmental agreements
larger than that of the United Nations.
In September, Mitchell was awarded a
$282,000 grant from the "Decision, Risk,
and Management Science program" of The
National Science Foundation to continue
his work of creating a comprehensive data
base of international environmental
agreements and their effectiveness.
"The project eventually will identify
which treaties rely on sanctions and which
rely on rewards to assess whether rewards
or sanctions are a more effective way of in
ducing behaviors that are less environ
mentally harmful," he said.
An earlier version of the database has
already been used in University political
science and environmental studies class
es, and sue students are currently working
on the project, which Mitchell said will
eventually include approximately 2,500
Turn to ENVIRONMENT, page 4
Professor
Donald Mitchell
will be able
to continue
researching
international
environmental
agreements after
receiving
a $282,000
grant from The
National Science
Foundation.
Erik Bishoff
Photographer
Bush’s same-sex remarks spark debate
After the State of the Union speech
Tuesday, community members are
taking sides on the issue of whether
to Consitutionally ban gay marriage
By Jared Paben
Senior News Reporter
In his State of the Union speech Tuesday,
President George W. Bush suggested he would
support a constitutional amendment to outlaw
same-sex marriage, and he praised the 1996
passage of the Defense of Marriage Art as a step
toward "defending the sanctity of marriage."
Bush also reaffirmed the act's definition of
marriage as "a union between a man and a
woman" and said if "activist judges" continue to
rule in favor of same-sex marriages and domes
tic unions he would support a constitutional
amendment to ban them.
Currently, the U.S. Congress is debating an
amendment that would prohibit the federal gov
ernment from recognizing same-sex marriages,
according to an article in The Washington Times.
It would also allow states to ignore civil unions
created in other states.
Both Bush's speech and the pending amendment
are causing a stir on campus.
Chicora Martin, director of LGBT Educational
and Support Services, said she thought a consti
tutional amendment would infringe on the
rights of the states, which have traditionally regu
lated marriage.
"I'm surprised that more states haven't stepped
up and said, 'Actually, you can't do that,'" Martin
said. "I think it follows a trend of Bush trying to
reinforce his philosophy of religion on everyone
in the United States."
Martin said an amendment would violate one
of the "core tenets of our Constitution, which is
Turn to SAME-SEX, page 8
Insurance,
childcare
at stake
in election
The Feb. 2 special election's
results could determine
medical and financial futures
for many Eugene residents
By Ayisha Yahya
News Editor
Some people may no longer have health
insurance. Others may no longer be able
to pay for child-care. And some children
who are victims of abuse may lose access
to customized programs of care.
Ihese are just
some of the
myriad poten
tial effects to
the state's
health and hu
man services if
voters reject
Measure 30 in the Feb. 2 special election.
The measure calls for an increase in in
come and otiter taxes in an attempt to alle
viate Oregon's budget shortfall. If the meas
ure passes, the state stands to gain about
$800 million from the income tax sur
charges; If it fails, it could lead to cuts of
about $544 million across state agencies.
A significant chunk of the cut will be carved
out the state's Department of Human Services.
"If the measure fails, the department has
been directed by the legislature to cut $206.9
million," DI IS spokesman Jim Sellers said.
The Department administers various
services, such as the Oregon Health Plan,
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families,
food stamps, the state's JOBS program and
public health programs.
Sellers said the Oregon Health Plan is
most likely to bear the brunt of the cuts; of
Turn to MEASURE 30, page 4
PART 2 OF 4
Thursday: Education
Today: Social services
Monday: Police
Tuesday: Pros and cons
WEATHER
LOW
40
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