IN BRIEF
Female chief judge to
speak at Knight Law Center
The first woman to become a chief
judge of the Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals will speak about the lives of
women in the judiciary today at 6:30
p.m. in 175 Knight Law Center. Mary
Schroeder, appointed chief judge to
the nation’s largest judicial circuit in
2000, will give a speech titled “What
ever Happened to Diversity?”
The circuit covers Alaska, Ari
zona, California, Hawaii, Idaho,
Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Wash
ington, and the islands of Guam and
the Northern Marianas.
The event, which is free and
open to the public, is sponsored by
the Women’s Law Forum. Schroed
er will also be part of a panel dis
cussion with other women in the
law profession at 5 p.m.: U.S. Dis
trict Judges Ann Aiken and Anna
Brown, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jan
ice Stewart, retired Oregon
Supreme Court Justice Susan Lee
son, U.S. Attorney for the District of
Oregon Karin J. Immergut and Ore
gon State Senate Majority Leader
Kate Brown, D-Portland.
Schroeder has had an illustrious
career and has overcome many chal
lenges as a woman. She was one of
only six women in her University of
Chicago law class in the 1960s and
struggled to find her first job, accord
ing to a press release. Originally from
Arizona, she moved back to the state
at a time when no women in the state
had ever been employed by a major
law firm. However, she later became
a partner at one of Arizona’s largest
law firms and went on to serve on the
Arizona Court of Appeals for four
years as the youngest woman appel
late judge at the time, before Presi
dent Jimmy Carter appointed her to
the Ninth Circuit Court in 1979.
Jessica Skelton, Women’s Law Fo
rum director and a third-year law
student, said Schroeder’s work is in
line with the group’s mission. The
group works to increase awareness
on women’s issues and promote
equality within the field of law.
“We chose Judge Schroeder be
cause of her position ... and be
cause of her history and involve
ment in issues related to women
and diversity,” Skelton said.
Ms. Greek pageant to
raise funds for MADD
Members of the greek communi
ty will strut their stuff for a good
cause today. Beta Theta Phi is host
ing its third annual Ms. Greek pag
eant at 7 p.m. in the EMU Ballroom,
in what organizers expect to be one
of the largest philanthropy events
led by a fraternity in recent years.
All proceeds from the event will
be donated to Mothers Against
Drunk Driving. Tickets are $5.
The pageant will feature members
from eight sororities. They will vie for
the coveted title in rehearsed talent
acts, a question-and-answer session
and a display of formal wear. Each
contestant will also have a sorority
sister boost her candidacy for the ti
tle with a speech on why the contest
ant deserves to be Ms. Greek.
Last year Beta Theta Phi raised
more than $4,300 for MADD.
“We expect to raise even more
money than in the past and hope that
the event will remind everyone of the
dangers of driving under the influence
of intoxicants,” Beta Theta Pi Presi
dent Kyle Plitt said in a press release.
— Ayisha Yahya
International Resource
Center hosts poetry night
On Thursday, the International
Resource Center will present “Glob
al Fusion,” a night of poetry from
around the world read by students
and faculty. The poems range from
original works to classical pieces,
each read in its language of origin.
“We have 20 scheduled readers,”
IRC Assistant Program Manager Katie
Reed said. “They will be reading
poems in many languages, including
French, Swahili, Italian, Spanish, Ko
rean and Thai. Each reading will be
accompanied by an English overhead
so people can follow along.”
This is the third year the IRC has
put on an international poetry night,
and Reed estimates the attendance
for last year’s event at about 75 peo
ple. After the planned readings,
there will be an open mic for anyone
who would like to read their own or
someone else’s work in English or
any other language.
“The event is a fun opportunity to
sample different cultures and hear
the way other languages sound,”
Reed said. “Living in Eugene, you
just hear English all the time.”
“Global Fusion” is a free event
and will begin at 7 p.m. in the Inter
national Lounge in the EMU. Free
snacks will be provided.
Space Gnome concert
series comes to Eugene
Space Gnome Records and the
UO Cultural Forum will present “Rev
olution Through Conscious Evolu
tion,” a touring concert series featur
ing performers from the indie label’s
roster, on Thursday in Agate Hall.
The performance is one of two
stops in Eugene and will feature per
formances from Etheric Double,
Resident Anti-Hero and Jorah
LaFleur. The acts will be performing
collaboratively, interchanging there
members in the middle of the set.
Space Gnome is a year-and-a-half
old label based in Olympia, Wash.,
that released six records in the last
year, all from Pacific Northwest artists
and based in genres such as jazz/funk
fusion, hip-hop and spoken word.
The doors for the performance
open at 8 p.m. Tickets are $2 for stu
dents and $3 for the general public.
For those who miss Thursday’s con
cert, another Space Gnome perform
ance will take place with mostly dif
ferent artists on Feb. 24 at Cozmic
Pizza, with tickets priced at $5.
— Ryan Nyburg
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Chi Psi Fraternity, at 1018 Hilyard St., has settled a lawsuit filed by two former pledges
who were injured when they fell from the balcony in April 2002.
Lawsuit: Former pledges say
fraternity, associates negligent
Continued from page 1
fraternity, in April 2002 around
11:30 p.m. The balcony then de
tached from the building and col
lapsed, causing several people stand
ing on it to fall to the ground.
Brookman and Baston claimed to
have suffered numerous injuries as
a result of the fall. Brookman broke
his jaw in five places, lost five per
manent teeth, cut his tongue and
his chin, suffered “mental upset and
anguish” and needed bone graft
surgery, according to the suit. Bas
ton fractured his left elbow, broke
his left wrist and suffered cuts and
abrasions as well as general stiffness
and depression.
Brookman and Baston said the fra
ternity and its associates were negli
gent by failing to ensure the balcony’s
safety after a recent replacement and
by failing to warn the pledges of its
maximum weight capacity.
The suit’s defendants included the
local chapter of the Chi Psi Fraternity
and its then-President David Water
fall, the national Chi Psi Fraternity
and its associates, and the Chi Psi
Alumni Association and its then-Vice
President Bill Stephens.
John Langslet, the attorney for the
defendants, did not return the Emer
ald’s phone calls.
karahansen@dailyemerald.com
Petition: Snider plans to re-file
petition with Constitution Court
Continued from page 1
other sources or assumptions,” the
decision states.
Snider, who said he was not in
formed of the decision until the
Emerald contacted him Tuesday
night, said the decision wasn’t what
he expected.
“I was under the impression, at
least from the elections coordinator,
that it was merely like a rubber
stamp-type thing,” he said. “I’m
rather confused right now.”
He said according to his interpreta
tion of the ASUO Constitution, stu
dents don’t need any reason to try to
recall an elected official.
Snider said he will re-file with
the court within the week, time
permitting.
“If that’s what I have to do, I’ll do
it because I feel strongly about this
matter,” he said.
The decision also stated the
“attitude displayed by the ASUO
that they are generally above the
rules and regulations that apply to
the general populace” wasn’t
grounds for a recall.
“While it is regrettable that a
student of the University and a
member of the ASUO would feel this
way about the attitude of their
elected officials, the attitude by an
elected official in conducting their
official duties, short of a violation
of the ASUO Constitution or the
rules promulgated under it, does
not constitute a viable case for a re
call of that student,” Derrick said in
the decision.
Derrick told the Emerald he could
not elaborate on the decision,
but said Snider could legally resubmit
a petition.
ASUO Public Relations Director
Nathan Strauss said the executive is
open to feedback from students.
“Our doors are open as far as stu
dents coming and voicing their con
cerns,” he said. “(Snider) didn’t take
advantage of that avenue.”
parkerhowell@ daily emerald, com