University acquires new means of tossing trash I 7
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www.dailyemerald. com
Since 1900 \ Volume 106, Issue 771 Tuesday, January 11,2005
Bill proposed for suicidal students
Senator Bill Morrisette says the legislation, which could force
suicidal students who refuse help to leave school, protects students
BY KARA HANSEN
NEWS REPORTER
State legislation has been drafted in response
to a proposed University policy that could force
suicidal students out of school if they continually
refuse help. It is unclear whether the legislation
will actually impact the University.
Oregon Senator Bill Morrisette requested
the legislation, drafted by retired pharmacist
Jim Whittenburg on Thursday. Morrisette
called it a “student protection bill to make
sure a student isn’t put on mandatory leave
without due process.”
“We’re protecting both the University and stu
dents by making sure they don’t make any off
the-wall diagnoses,” Morrisette said.
But drafting the final language has been diffi
cult because the University has not released a
copy of the proposed policy to the senator’s of
fice, he said. The Emerald has also been unable
to obtain a draft of the proposed policy.
University General Counsel Melinda Grier
said Monday she has not had time to review the
draft of the policy, which she has had since No
vember 2004. She hopes to release a copy of the
policy sometime in the next few weeks, she said.
The University proposed changes to the
mandatory leave policy in fall 2004 in response
to increased rates of suicidal students, University
Counseling and Testing Center Director Robin
Holmes said in a November interview. She said
the proposed policy would shift the decision to
use mandatory leave from health center person
nel to the Division of Student Affairs with the di
rector of the health center or counseling center
making a medical recommendation.
Morrisette said the goal of the bill is to give
students safeguards against mandatory leave.
The proposal is modeled after a bill intro
duced by Morrisette and passed in 2003 that for
bids public school teachers and officials from
recommending that students take mind-altering
drugs, such as antidepressants, in response to
behavior problems. The proposed bill would,
among other things, extend the rule to Oregon
colleges and universities..
However, Health Center Director Tom Ryan,
who helped create the new policy, said manda
tory leave wouldn’t hinge on whether high-risk
suicidal students would take prescription chugs;
rather, it would depend on whether they were
still suicidal and unwilling to accept help after
SUICIDE, page 4
TimBobosky | Photogbapher
Above: Firefighter engineers Tim Bradley and Greg
Deggeiman practice river rescues in the Willamette River on
Monday. Drills are desfgied to prepare the firefighters to be
ready to rescue a real person witoin seven minutes of getting a
caB. Left Deggeiman leaps into the water to save Bradley as
part of their river rescue drill. They are keeping their skills fresh
for the dozen vrater rescues they have to do every year.
State funds
at all-time
low; tuition
still rising
The University plans to maintain
enrollment caps to help counter
the decrease in state funding
BY ANTHONY LUCERO
NEWS REPORTER
With a Jan. 15th deadline for admission ap
plications, the University’s potential freshmen
for Fall 2005 are sending in their paperwork,
but those applying face higher tuitions and low
er assistance by the state, a growing trend in the
past few years.
“This is the lowest state funding has been,”
said J.P. Monroe, Institutional Research Analyst
for the University Resource Management de
partment. “It’s unprecedented.”
Monroe said students are spending more and
more on tuition, while the University received
only about $59.7 million in state appropriations
for the 2003-2004 schoolyear — a meager 13.8
percent of the University’s total revenue. In fact,
the percentage of revenue secured from gifts
and grants was slightly more than double the
state funding at almost $105 million. Even “aux
iliary” revenue — at about 24 percent or more
than $430 million — is more than state funding.
Student tuition made up slightly more than
one-third of University revenue at about
$142.7 million.
The 1992-1993 schoolyear was the last time
state funding provided more revenue than stu
dent tuition. That year, tuition made up about
27 percent of the University’s revenue while the
state provided for about 28 percent.
But in the next year, students’ tuition made
up 32.5 percent and state funding dropped to 21
percent. The gap widened in the next two years.
In 1996-1997, tuition revenue accounted for
about 37 percent of the total revenue, or $106.5
million, while state funding was at its second
lowest point in University history, only accom
modating for 15 percent, or about $43.9 million.
Last year marked the lowest point of state
support with tuition at its highest. Resident un
dergraduates paid $5,121 and non-residents
paid $16,065 for the schoolyear. And the trend
continues — residents this year will pay $5,568
and non-residents $17,424.
TUITION, page 4
State senators hold town
hall meeting in Springfield
Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith carried on an Oregon
tradition Monday answering the questions of citizens and officials
BY MEGHANN M. CUNIFF
SENIOR NEWS REPORTER
Lane County residents were given a rare op
portunity to air their concerns about issues they
feel should be tackled during this year’s legisla
tive season when state senators Ron Wyden (D)
and Gordon Smith (R) held a town hall meeting
on Monday at the Lane County Regional Sports
Complex in Springfield.
The senators are the only ones in the coun
try who hold yearly town hall meetings in
every county.
More than 15 citizens and public officials
asked questions on topics such as the surge of
methamphetamine users in the state, the Unit
ed State’s treatment of war prisoners and pre
scription drug coverage for senior citizens.
Wyden said it is crucial for Oregon to deal
with the growing problem of meth addicts and
promised “a comprehensive effort on the part
of your two senators” to enact laws that will
combine aggressive law enforcement with ef
fective addiction treatment.
Both senators said they would like the state to
lead the country in taking on the growing
methamphetamine problem.
“Meth is moving from west to east,” Wyden
TOWN HALL, page 8
Sen. Gordon
Smith speaks
at a bipartisan
town hall
meeting
Monday night
at the Lane
County
Regional
Sports
Complex.
Nicole Barker | Photographer