An independent newspaper http://www.dailyemerald.com Tuesday, February 23, 2004 Since 1900 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon Volume 105, Issue 105 University anticipates $888,000 in possible cuts President Dave Frohnmayer says he hopes the OUS Chancellor’s Office will split a potential $1.8 million burden By Chelsea Duncan News Reporter University President Dave Frohnmayer said Fri day that he anticipates an $880,000 cut to the University's budget as a result of Measure 30's fail ure even if the Oregon University System Chancel lor's Office absorbs half of the overall impart. At the State Board of Higher Education meet ing in the EMU Ballroom, Frohnmayer said tu ition surcharges will not be implemented for winter and spring terms of 2004. However, courses or course sections will likely be cut next year. He said the cuts could be about $1.8 mil lion if the Chancellor's Office doesn't split the overall $7.5 million cut to higher education. "Obviously we don't want to hurt the quality of the students' education," he said. "And we don't want a midterm surcharge. That doesn't leave us with a lot of options." He said it is difficult to anticipate impacts on next year's tuition rates given that the budget is not yet finalized. "Next year, we'll look at tuition, but there's been no decision at all even as to what we'd rec ommend to the board," he said, adding that no other University programs should be affected. The meeting was the first full board meeting since its new members were appointed, including former Oregon Gov. Neil Goldschmidt. Other OlIS presidents and OlIS Chancellor Richard Jarvis also attended the meeting in which the im pact of Measure 30 was a key issue of discussion. The Chancellor's Office has been under re view for the past couple of weeks to deter mine where extra costs can be eliminated. Al though the decision to split the $7.5 million has not been set in stone, Jarvis said campuses need a starting point in determining how to manage cuts. "We're trying to give the campuses a planning model to work with," he said, adding that the full brunt of the measure's failure was originally set to fall solely on campuses and undergradu ate education specifically. He said the important thing is the proposed '50-50 split' should pre vent tuition increases for this year. Jarvis said sharing half the burden means nearly 20 percent of the office's annual $ 10 million gener al fund budget would be cut each year for the next two years. "You're left with 80 per cent; you do fewer things," Goldschmidt he said. "I would have to reduce my workforce by 20 percent." The review of the office, which employs about Turn to CUTS, page 6 Celebrating diversity The Oregon Asian Celebration aims to entertain and enlighten through cultural events By Moriah Balingit and Reese Lee Freelance Reporters he Lane County Fairgrounds was transformed Saturday and Sunday to celebrate the cultural heritage of Asian JL and Asian-American groups as part of the 19th-annual Oregon Asian Celebration. Emcee Tony Lum, who had previously co-chaired the event, stressed the importance of the celebration. "Diversity is difficult," he said. "Our goal is not only to en tertain people but to ... enlighten people." The Asian Celebration opened Saturday morning with Taiko drumming and was followed by the traditional Chi nese lion dance, which had the packed house laughing. A large part of the building was transformed into an Asian mar ketplace with more than 80 booths featuring crafts from places in cluding Nepal and India, as well as local crafts. The event also in cluded cooking demonstrations on how to make a number of dishes including Hawaiian-style sushi and Indian curry. The food court contained a variety of culinary dishes rang ing from Indian vegetable-stuffed pastries, spam musubi (rice and spam wrapped in seaweed), pancit (a Filipino noo dle dish) and a number of Japanese confections. Nozomi Tanaka, a second-year East Asian Language and litera ture graduate student said she enjoyed the cooking demonstrations. "It's easy to learn how to make the dish, because you can see it done step-by-step," she said. "I would do it on my own even if I didn't like cooking." Participants eating in the dining area were able to watch martial arts performances. Elisabeth E. Goldenberg, an instructor at the Orient Taek wondo College, said she enjoyed the event. "We get to share other forms of martial arts with so many people," she said. University junior and Asian Pacific American Student Union co-Director Kit Myers has been manning the APASU booth at the Asian Celebration for three years. "This year's turnout is good because there are more peo ple here during lunch hour than in previous years," he said. Senior Sudip Shakya has been attending the Asian Celebra tion for 14 years. He said he would like to see some change in the event because it has remained the same for a while. "I also wish the advertisers would reach out to more peo ple, so that more people will know about this event because there aren't many University students here this year," he said. Sunday's programs featured cultural performances from the Pacific Rim including a virtual tour of the Pacific islands. The program opened with a Maori war dance, which was fol lowed by a Poi Ball fire dance, during which dancers swung Danielle Hickey Photo Editor Japanese teachers Komae Mori and Masae Kiyosawa (center) help student Truman Cranor put on his kimono for a performance on Saturday. fiery balls above their heads while dancing. The ambient sounds of the Gamelan Sari Pandhawa, an Indonesian percussion ensemble, filled the atrium courtyard, where the Oregon Phillipine American Chamber of Com merce sponsored the East-West silent auction. The atrium also featured a water color art show in addition to traditional Asian crafts such as an Orchid display and Oshie, a form of Japanese silk art work. For some University students, a visit to the Asian Celebration Turn to DIVERSITY, page 5 OSPIRG seeks river clean-up from governor The student environmental group says Kulongoski hasn’t followed through on his campaign promise to help clean up the Willamette River By Joshua Rose Freelance Reporter Environmental group OSPIRG called on Oregon Gov. Ted Ku longoski at a forum Saturday to reduce toxic emissions in the Willamette River and hold polluters accountable. The forum, called the State of the Willamette Address, focused on the efforts needed to clean up the polluted Willamette River and was held at Alton Baker Park. It featured state senators, city councilors and environmental advocates, and attracted about 80 students and citizens. "Back in 2002 OSPIRG convinced then-candidate Ted Kulon goski to include the cleanup of the Willamette in his environ mental platform," said Rhett Lawrence, Clean Water and Toxics Advocate for the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group. "Unfortunately, more than a year into his tenure, we are still wait ing for concrete action from our governor." lire Willamette is now polluted by a variety of sources, such as ur ban and agricultural runoff and industrial dumping, Lawrence said. Industries that discharge their waste water into the Willamette must pay a fee for a permit. I Iowever, the fees do not cover the ad ministration costs of issuing the permit, much less the cost of en forcement and monitoring, he said. "Since taxpayer dollars have to fill those gaps, in a very real sense we are essentially subsidizing these industries for the privi lege we have granted them to be able to dump their waste water into our river," he said. Four officials — including two state senators, Springfield City Councilor John Woodrow and a Eugene mayoral candidate — joined Lawrence. State Sen. Vida Walker, D-Eugene, recalled the efforts of former Oregon Gov. Tom McCall, who built sewage treatment plants and imposed controls on industrial polluters during the 1960s. In 1972, the Willamette River graced the cover of National Geo graphic magazine under the title "A River Restored." '"rhe Willamette River is no longer a showcase and a model for the nation," Walker said. "Today I would say that the Willamette River belongs in the hall of shame. It is 187 miles of flowing tox ins and carcinogens that kill fish, birds, wildlife and most likely humans who dare to eat, swim and drink in this cesspool on a Turn to OSPIRG, page 4 WEATHER LOW 43 HIGH 55 INSIDE ..5 Commentary.2 ..4 Crossword.11 11 Sports.7 Campus buzz. Clarification... Classifieds. NEXT ISSUE Emerald columnists take on gay marriage