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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 29, 2004)
Duck football player released from the team for repeated rules viotlations I 5 An independent newspaper iininv. dailyemerald. com Since 1900 \ Volume 106, Issue 24 | Wednesday, September 29, 2004 Unlimited University junior Eric Ball returns to school after seriously injuring himself on a July hike BYCANELAWOOD NEWS REPORTER After breaking his pelvis, puncturing a lung, cracking his tailbone and suffering other injuries in a fall during a hike at Ape Cave near Cougar, Wash., University junior Eric Ball plans to return to finish his hike to the cave's end. He insists his injuries won’t stop him from completing the trek or doing other things he loves, such as skiing, sailing, rock climbing and hiking. But Ball had to overcome something most peo ple never will — the 21-year-old biology and phi losophy major was born with an impairment that distorts his vision. He can’t see well, and, unlike most people, he can’t drive or play ball sports. “I would imagine that it’d be like a normally sighted person looking through a telescope or binoculars the wrong way,” Ball said. But according to Ball and his family mem bers, his disability has never been limiting. “Eric’s always been in talented and gifted programs and was working toward his Ad vanced Placement diploma in high school with out any help. Generally, he just goes to class and figures it out on his own,” said Melody Ball, Eric’s mother. “We’ve always let him try things he’s had an interest in, and we let him make it work for him. ” “1 think he’s adventurous and he likes to do things that are exciting to him,” said Jenny Lee, Eric’s girlfriend of two-and-a-half years. On July 5th, Eric and four of his friends began a hike in Ape Cave, near Mount St. Helens. The group was about three-quarters of a mile into the cave when it noticed a rock shelf about 10-feet high, Ball said. “There was a large rock built out of the shelf that had a rope tied to it; me being the usual ad venturous person that I am, 1 climbed the rope up there,” Ball said. Once Ball was up on the rock, VISION, page 4 Tim Bobosky | Photographer Eric Ball, a partially blind University student with a passion for the outdoors, surveys the University from near the Heart of Campus Tuesday. His handicap doesn't stop him from sailing, skiing, rock climbing and hiking. "I would imagine that it’d be like a normally sighted person looking through a telescope or binoculars the wrong way," he said. Support, voting key topics at Kerry rally Hosted by Carry Oregon, Tuesday's event coordinated several pro-Kerry campaigns BY PARKER HOWELL SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Looking out over the faces of about 100 University students in a dimly lit lecture hall, Michelle Dixon, Carry Oregon student out reach director, asks audience members to raise their hands if they are scared by polls about the recent presidential debate. Nearly 100 hands shoot into the air. Poised before the crowd, Dixon springs forward as she asks how many people do not feel represented by the polls, which show that President Bush may win the state. Once again, a forest of hands rises, and irate shouts echo throughout the room. But Dixon tells the crowd not to worry. “We can win the election here,” she said. "We can be the campus that wins the state of Oregon for John Kerry.” Dixon and other speakers addressed stu dent supporters of democratic nominee John Kerry during a rally Tljesday night in an ef fort to coordinate student involvement in the Kerry campaign. As the audience snacked on cookies, pizza and soda, the representa tives from regional and campus Kerry cam paigns emphasized the importance of the University and Eugene communities in win ning Oregon for Kerry. The meeting kicked off of a coordinated effort between several groups of Kerry supporters, including the University College Democrats. Lane County Commissioner Peter Soren son also addressed the crowd. Sorenson en couraged students to participate in state and local elections, citing gay marriage and the potential dissolving of the SAIF Corporation RALLY, page 4 Legislature to blame for tuition hikes, survey says Despite Executive opposition, a reduced tuition plateau may ease costs for some University students who carry lighter class loads Bret Furtwancler | Graphics editor This graph shows the tuition plateau as credit hours rise for fall 2003, winter and spring 2004, and fall 2004 Mandatory fees are not included. BY MORIAH BALINGIT NEWS REPORTER Students this year are bracing themselves for higher tuition rates, with fall term tuition rising as much as 15 percent for some students. In spring 2004, resident undergraduates taking 15 credits paid $1236 for tuition — this year, they will fork out $1419. Institutional Research Analyst J P Monroe said the state legislature is mostly to blame for the increases. “It was really a failure of the legislature to fund higher education which resulted in the increases,” he said. He added that the state legislature is only responsible for about 14 percent of the Universi ty’s budget this year, the lowest contribution yet. “It’s certainly less,” Monroe said. “It’s been going down.” The failure of Measure 30 last year, which would have created an income tax surcharge, also added strain to the University’s budget and created a $1.5 million budget shortfall. Last Jan uary, Senior Vice President and Vice Provost John Moseley said the University would be forced to raise tuition, cut programs or do both to compensate for the shortfall. According to Monroe, programs and classes were spared, though departmental budgets were cut. “There’s a hiring freeze and a wage freeze, so through those steps we’ve been able to absorb some of the cuts,” he said. “But in terms of actual courses taught, that hasn’t been affected yet.” ASUO President and Oregon Student Associ ation Chair Adam Petkun said he’s unhappy with the increases and wants to see the state step up to the plate. “It’s time for the state legislature to start in vesting in higher education because the costs are becoming unbearable,” he said, adding that “funding for need-based aid hasn’t kept pace.” According to Petkun, the OSA is lobbying for a tuition freeze, which would mandate that tu ition stay the same for the next two years and would require an additional $55 millioninvest ment on the part of the legislature. In addition to the tuition increase, the so-called “tuition plateau” has also been changed. In Fall 2003, students would pay the same tuition rate for 13 credits as they would for 16 credits, or $1,196 for a resident undergraduate. This plateau created an incentive for students to take more credits and graduate on time. However, Monroe said the University felt plateaus were unfair be cause students taking less than 13 credits were subsidizing the discounts for other students. The plateau changed for winter and spring terms of 2004, so that students paid an additional $20 for each credit between 14 and 16 credits. This year, the plateau has once again been reduced. Students can expect to pay more for that same range of credits, though those credits are still discounted. Monroe added that so far adjustments in the plateau have not affected students carrying TUITION, page 4
