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