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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 30, 2004)
Jenn Poore catches on Page 7 An independent newspaper http://www.dailyemerald.com Friday, April 30, 2004 Since 1900 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon Volume 105, Issue 145 Local singer,/ songwriter Nicole Sangsuree performs at the annual Take Back the Night rally at the EMU Amphitheater Thursday. Participants chanted and held signs and candles during the march downtown. Erik R. Bishoff Photographer Activists march to end sexual violence More than 200 people gather to rally and march from the EMU to downtown for Take Back the Night By Ayisha Yahya News Editor "Stop rape." "Hey. Hey. Ho. Ho. Sexual assault has to go." Passionate voices chanted power ful words in the annual Take Back the . Night march Thursday. More than 200 women, men and transgenders weaved through the streets of Eugene to protest violence against women and honor survivors of violence and sexual assault. The march, which was sponsored by the ASUO Women's Center and Sexual Assault Support Services, start ed at the EMU Amphitheater and ended at the comer of East Eighth Av enue and Oak Street. Before the march, participants gathered for a ral ly at the amphitheater. While the mood seemed festive — with people talking, laughing and checking out brochures at informa tional tables — the rally's message was serious: Violence against women needs to stop. "We need to get the word out to as sure people that violence is not ap propriate," Womenspace volunteer Ann-Marie Askew said. Askew, who volunteers for the organization's cri sis line, said domestic violence is a huge issue and women need access to help. She added that it's important for women in abusive relationships to know they have choices. ASUO Women's Center spokes woman Sarah Wells agreed. "Violence against women exists, and there are survivors who need to feel that they have a space where they can be safe," she said. In the United States, a woman is r sexually assaulted every two minutes, and one in four women is a survivor of rape or attempted rape, according to Sexual Assault Support Services. At the rally, speakers addressed various aspects of sexual assault that ranged from child abuse and assault against women with disabilities, to violence against transgender people. University student Austin Shaw Phillips said transgenders are often targeted because of their status. "Sexual assault is one of the ways people enforce gen der con formity," Shaw Phillips said, adding that people may not seek help because they don't have access to services, and the process of getting help may be retraumatizing. After the rally, marchers set out along East 11th Avenue with partici pants divided into three sections: women only, gender-queer consist ing of transgenders and those who identified themselves neither as men nor women, and a gender-neu tral section. Some people shouted with fists raised and feet stomping, while oth ers walked in reverent silence. Color ful signs bobbed above their heads. INSIDE See Page 3 for more coverage of Sexual Violence Prevention Week. "No more violence," "No Excuse for Abuse," "No More Silence" and "Love is Strong" were a few messages. Although it was still light out, a few people lit candles which flick ered in the warm dusk air. The Eu gene Police Department helped control traffic as cars crawled re spectfully behind the marchers. While they were united in their purpose, people identified different reasons for marching. "I was sexually assaulted at some point in my life," University graduate Kayla Emmons said. "I found (the march) empowering." Emmons said events like Take Back the Night help to raise awareness and give people the freedom to speak out. Event Coordinator Erin Dury said she was happy with the turnout and hoped it helped to get the message out. "It shows survivor support," she said. "It shows that we're not going to stand for (sexual assault)." Contact the news editor at ayishayahya@dailyemerald.com. Dell founder holds nationwide webcast Michael Dell emphasizes computer recycling to an online audience, which includes University students By Steven Neuman News Reporter Dell Computers founder Michael Dell spoke about the importance of recycling computers during an Internet teleconference with students around the country Monday. Dell said the proper disposal of computers is especially imperative at a time when computers, which often contain toxic materials, have become a disposable and affordable commodity. "One of the things we want to do both inter nally and externally was to create a branding campaign," Dell said. "Really because this is an education process to get people to understand what the issues around computer recycling are." David Wood, the executive director of Grass Roots Recycling Network and Computer Take Back Campaign's organizing director, said Dell's decision to speak out marked a change in the business attitude. Both the GrassRoots Recycling Network and the Computer Take Back Campaign sponsored and participated in the webcast. The take back campaign targeted Dell and Turn to DELL, page 6 City plans to reduce one-way streets Plans to convert one-way sections of several downtown streets should receive approval from the City Council May 24 By Steven Neuman News Reporter The city of Eugene hopes to remove some of downtown's one-way streets starting this summer, erasing 50 years of street planning that has left the area's downtown region "in hospitable" to shoppers and businesses, ac cording to Transportation Planning Engi neer Chris Henry. The city's first big move, recommended by the Eugene Public Works Department, would convert the one-way section between 13 th Avenue and 18th Avenue of Willamette Street into a two-way street. The plans, which will receive final ap proval from the Eugene City Council on May 24, also include the eventual removal of one-way street sections of Lawrence Street, Lincoln Street, Chamelton Street and possibly Eighth Avenue. The changes to Eighth Avenue would be part of an effort to strengthen the link between the downtown area and the planned site of the future feder al courthouse and civic center on East Eighth Avenue and Ferry Street. Henry said the idea to change the streets originated in a 1993 Central Area Trans portation Study that made recommenda tions for the elimination of some old one way streets. '"they weren't necessarily mistakes," Hen ry said. 'The one-way street grid system is very good at moving traffic rapidly. What we're looking for is smaller roads and calmer traffic to make a different kind of at mosphere, one that is more conducive to people living and working in downtown." 1 Ie added that while one-way streets are good at moving people around, they are not "community-friendly." Henry said the changes will spawn new traffic flow that will benefit the downtown economy by providing better access to busi nesses and slowing traffic to speeds that will encourage pedestrians and shoppers. "We're actually trying to go back to a dif ferent time," he said. Nicole Campbell, who works at Cravings Catering at 1530 Willamette St. and within range of the two-way conversion, said the switch might be a temporary inconvenience that will be worth it in the long tun. "It will certainly be a little bit harder to tell people how to get here because the street won't be one-way, but it's odd to have five blocks of one-way and the rest of the street two-way," she said. "I've seen Turn to STREETS, page 5 WEATHER LOW 4%. HIGH 45 80 INSIDE Campus buzz.4 Crossword.11 Classifieds.11 Horoscope.11 Commentary.2 Sports.7
