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Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Since 1900 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon
Volume 105, Issue 117
College of Ed. gets $10 million
An artist’s
rendering
shows the
proposed
HEDCO
Education
Building.
Officials
expect it
would
start to be
constructed
during the
2006-2007
year. The
HEDCO
Foundation
donated $10
million to the
University
College of
Education,
which is
badly in need
of updated
facilities.
Courtesy
The HEDCO Foundation’s gift
will help fund a new education
complex named for the donor
By Chelsea Duncan
News Reporter
The University College of Education
will receive a $ 10 million donation that
will support a new education complex,
University President Dave Frohnmayer an
nounced Tuesday.
The HEDCO Foundation, the Northern
California-based foundation donating the
money, is a private establishment that
provides funding for various social and
academic initiatives, according to a Uni
versity press release
The donation is the leading gift in a new
fund-raising initiative to build the com
plex, which will be called the HEDCO Ed
ucation Building and will be sited at the
college's current location on the southwest
comer of campus.
"This gift meets a tremendous need for
our College of Education," Frohnmayer
said, adding that faculty and staff have la
bored long enough in outdated facilities.
College of Education Dean Martin
Kaufman said that 20 percent of current
space for the college is rated substandard,
and one out of three faculty and staff
members have insufficient work spaces.
He added that the college's facilities are
currently dispersed around 21 locations,
which he said "results in waste and oper
ational inefficiency."
"Just to accommodate our current activ
ities, the college needs to double its square
footage," he said.
The project, which includes 100,000
square feet of new teaching and research
space, is expected to break ground in
2006-07. The overall cost for the project is
Turn to GIFT, page 5
Eight enter City Council primaries
Four positions will be opening,
and the May 18 primary
decides which candidates will
appear on November’s ballot
By Nika Carlson
News Reporter
Four Eugene City Council positions are
opening at the end of this year, and the race
to fill them has attracted eight candidates.
Wards 1, 2, 7 and 8 are all up for grabs
in the May 18 primary election. If a can
didate wins more than 50 percent of the
vote in that election, his or her name will
be the only one appearing on the general
election ballot November 2. If no candi
date wins more than 50 percent of the
vote, the two candidates with the most
votes will be put on the November ballot.
Ward 1
Ward 1 includes most ofWest Eugene, en
compassing City View Street, Amazon
Parkway, West 28th Avenue and West 7th Av
enue along the edge of the downtown area.
Council President Bonny Bettman, the
Ward 1 incumbent, is aiming for a third tenn.
"I provide a voice for residents in Ward
1 whose values are consistent with the val
ues I advocate for," she said.
Bettman said she fights for the fair and
responsible use of tax dollars, environ
mental health, developing economic secu
rity, sustainable land use, and safe and ef
fective public transportation.
"I've got a lot of good public service
years left in me," she said.
Real estate broker Thomas Slocum is
also vying for the seat. He said he joined
the race because he thinks the City Coun
cil is ineffective, adding that he differs
from Bettman on many issues and wants
to bring new perspectives to the council.
Slocum said he wants to proceed with
building the West Eugene Parkway, re-en
ergize downtown and promote growth
and jobs.
"I think one of the problems in the past is
there have been a lot of obstacles to growth,
and they ought to be minimized," he said.
Slocum served on a downtown develop
ment board in the 1980s, along with com
mittees initiating the historic preservation
and the tree preservation ordinances.
University sophomore Adam Walsh,
another candidate for Ward 1, is just be
ginning to venture into public service. He
said that he can serve the needs of Eugene
better than the current council, despite his
lack of experience.
"I'd like to be a city councilor that will
listen to the people of Eugene so that a de
cision isn't made without hearing what
the people want," he said.
The history major said he wants to work
on creating a vibrant downtown and a bet
ter business image for the city.
Ward 2
Ward 2 encompasses most of Eugene
south of West 28th Avenue.
City Councilor Betty Taylor is running
Turn to COUNCIL, page 12
Court declines
rescheduled
election dates
The Constitution Court denied for a second time
proposed dates for ASUO elections because
they conflict with the law school’s Dead Week
By Jennifer Marie Bear
News Editor
The ASUO Constitution Court on Monday rejected pro
posed student government elections dates for the second time,
despite ASUO Elections Board criticisms that such a decision
would contradict an earlier court opinion.
Chief Justice J. Michael Harris, who wrote the majority
opinion for the Court, said the proposed election dates —
which fell during the University School of Law's Dead Week
— were unsatisfactory based on the Court's interpretation of
section 12.1 of the ASUO Constitution.
Section 12.1 states, 'The ASUO Elections shall be conducted
in a manner consistent with the best interests of the student
body ... and the educational atmosphere of the University
shall not be compromised."
While this section does not specifically prohibit any partic
ular dates for scheduling the ASUO elections, the court said it
interprets 12.1 to mean the Elections Board may not schedule
election dates that fall between the last day of classes and the
last day of finals.
"It is in the best interests of the students of the University of
Oregon to place those dates beyond the reach of any interfer
ence by the student government, and to hold sacred those days
(and) thus preserve the academic integrity of the University,"
Justice Harris wrote.
ASUO Elections Coordinator Stephanie Day was dissatis
fied with the Court's ruling, however, because the Court al
lowed 2003's ASUO elections to be scheduled during the law
school's Dead Week.
"I don't think the Constitution Court provided adequate evi
dence for why their ruling was different from last year's," Day said.
The Court did not specifically address the previous year's
ruling in its latest decision, but Justice Harris wrote that the
Court wanted to "clarify our earlier rulings in order to ensure
that no confusion will exist in the future regarding the proper
contours along which to schedule the ASUO elections."
Justice Stephen Yoshida dissented from the majority opin
ion, stating it is unreasonable to force the Elections Board to
find an election date that is convenient for every subsection of
the University student population. He said moving the elec
tion dates to accommodate a single population group — law stu
dents, in this case — creates a disadvantage for the student body
Turn to ELECTION, page 12
MEWS BRIEF
ASUO Vice President Morales'
jury trial scheduled for April 28
The trial date for ASUO Vice President Eduardo Morales
has been reset for April 28 at 9 a.m. at the Eugene Municipal
Court, where he will appear in front of a jury to face charges of
assault and second-degree criminal mischief.
Morales appeared in court with his attorney on Feb. 24 but
agreed to postpone the trial to a later date to allow City Prose
cutor Liz Carle more time to review the lists of evidence and
witnesses that ASUO Legal Services Director Ilona Koleszar
provided.
Morales pleaded innocent to the charges on Oct. 22,2003.
The charges stem from an incident in which Morales al
legedly assaulted University senior Erica Hass on the morn
ing of Sept. 12 near Taylor’s Bar and Grill, located at 894 E.
13th Ave.
— Jared Paben
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