Today Tuesday Wednesday
High: 55 High: 54 High: 58
Low: 39 Low: 42 Low: 44
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Union: BSU
includes three
subgroups
Continued from page 1
its fall reception, Kwanzaa celebra
tion, Martin Luther King Jr. celebra
tion, Black Heritage Ball, Black Histo
ry Month, Black Achievement Night,
Black Arts Festival, and the BSU
Commencement Ceremony.
BSU is the umbrella group for
black students; there are three
smaller groups on campus for black
students that are suited to serve
specific needs.
The African Student Association
is for University students from
Africa. The group’s main purpose is
to promote cultural awareness
about Africa and African people
through outreach programs. The as
sociation holds discussions on is
sues that African students face and
explores different cultures and cus
toms. The association has a first
year student orientation to help stu
dents adjust the college life and the
life changes that come with it. The
group co-hosts the International
Student Association Coffee Hour
and has an African cultural night
that showcases African lifestyles
and customs through food, dance,
theater and fashion.
The Black Women of Achievement
is another group under the umbrella
of the BSU. BWA focuses on raising
awareness of issues facing black
women on campus and in the com
munity. The group is a place for black
women to meet for support and em
powerment as well as being an out
reach group on campus. BWA holds
events throughout the year such as
an annual Women's Empowerment
Luncheon, Black Hair care day and
Ebony Man Showcase.
The third group under BSU is the
National Association of Black Jour
nalists. The NABJ is an organization
of journalists, students and media
related professionals. The associa
tion works to provide programs and
services to black journalists and ad
vocate for black journalists world
wide. The NABJ explores issues
many minority journalists face.
abolsinger@dailyemerald.com
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r.
Leaders: Black history daily not monthly issue for student
Continued from page 1
Co-Director of the Black Student
Union TVemaine Thompson is work
ing from the student angle to recruit
and involve students in different
cultural affairs.
Carla D. Gary
Working toward campus diversi
ty is a never-ending battle. Those
who have devoted themselves to
that battle face numerous chal
lenges every day.
Carla Gary, assistant vice provost
for Institutional Equity and Diversi
ty, is part of many projects working
to bring cultural variety to campus.
Gary is a University alumna who re
turned to Oregon six years ago after
working at universities in Maryland
and Pennsylvania.
“My mother told me, ‘I know you
are doing great work, but it would
be nice if you could do it at home,’”
Gary said.
One of her newest and most excit
ing projects “expands and fills the
pipeline” by preparing students for
college, she said. The program
brings in eighth-grade students to
live in the residence halls and work
on research projects. The students
remain in the program, returning to
campus each summer until they
graduate from high school.
Each year a new group of eighth
grade students enters the program.
The program’s goals are to build
skills and abilities for college prepa
ration that schools with limited Ad
vanced Placement classes and few
college-bound students are unable
to offer.
“It helps these kids see them
selves as college material,”
Gary said.
Gary also collaborates on the di
versity plan with Greg Vincent, vice
provost for Institutional Equity and
Diversity. Gary said the plan is
working well.
“To see the University embrace
the width and breadth of possibili
ties, it’s exciting,” Gary said. “We
are anxious and impatient because
we have waited too long, but there
is steady progress. This isn’t a
quick fix.”
A large part of the solution is for
people to realize that issues of diver
sity do not only affect racial minori
ties, but they affect everyone, Gary
said, adding that the multiple initia
tives on campus to talk about diver
sity are a promising change.
“Before it was the exception when
there were these conversations,”
Gary said. “People are stepping up
and extending themselves. All parts,
not just the usual people, have
stepped up and said, ‘We will com
mit.’ It makes me proud that we are
serious about it. ”
Gary said true campus diversity
isn’t about numbers and quotas,
but reaching critical mass, which
she described as students’ ability
to see themselves reflected in
their surroundings.
“It’s walking in and knowing the
world will look like you or appear
the same,” Gary said. “If I was to go
to the front of the class, you aren’t
surprised. When a student is in class
and is the only student of color, or
the only faculty member of color in
a department, you are in the spot
light to be everything for all people
of color. It’s a very exciting but iso
lating place to be.”
Another crucial part of diversity
on campus is an overall understand
ing of diversity and different cultures
rainer man ceieDraung
diversity just once
a year.
“Things that you
honor you live every
day,” Gary said. “Re
spect that we live dif
ferent lives. 1 live it
every day; I want to get
beyond the notion that
we can acknowledge all
of black history in one
month. Come March I’ll
still be black and this
will still be relevant.”
TREMAINE
THOMPSON
JOURNALISM SENIOR
Tremaine Thompson
Getting people involved is part of
TYemaine Thompson’s job descrip
tion; as co-director of the Black
Student Union, he is responsible
for attracting interest from outside
the group.
Thompson has been part of the
BSU since his freshman year, and he
says moving into a leadership posi
tion seemed like a natural fit for him.
He focuses on recruiting freshman.
“I am most proud of getting fresh
men interested,” Thompson said. “I
am just trying to reciprocate. The
senior guys got me really interested
when I was a freshman, and I want
to get other people into it.”
The BSU has no membership re
quirements because Thompson and
the other leaders want all black stu
dents to feel involved and welcome
with the BSU.
“Come to meetings when you can
and help out with things that you
can,” Thompson said. “I don’t know
how many members we have; we
are open to everyone.
“We are trying to get
out there more,” Thomp
son said. “It’s hard to do a
lot because of time com
mitments, though.”
Thompson said he
deals with black history
continually.
“During Black History
Month it’s put out there
more, but I deal with the
history every day,”
he said.
Thompson said an im
portant part of increasing campus di
versity is the growing number of
black students choosing the Univer
sity for academics.
“Students of color are coming,”
Thompson said. “There are more
and more, but it is important to have
many African-Americans here for
education, not just athletics.”
As well as being busy with BSU
activities, Thompson is a part of the
National Association for Black Jour
nalists. He said he makes a point to
stay active with different events on
campus and in the community. His
advice to incoming students is to
“be involved with campus. There is
way more to campus life than just
being a student,” Thompson said.
abolsinger@dailyemerald. com
IN BRIEF
Oregon legislators:
Due for a pay raise?
SALEM — Oregon’s legislators
could be in line for a pay raise,
to bring them closer to the levels
of other Western states with part
time legislatures.
Currently, the state’s legislators are
paid $1,283 per month, about the
same as working 40 hour weeks at
minimum wage. During the legisla
tive session every other year, they get
an additional $91 a day.
Some say the low pay makes it
difficult for younger people, or
those of average income, to serve
in the Legislature.
Additionally, in the past few years
some legislators have chosen not to
run for re-election because of financial
concerns, leaving the Legislature dom
inated either by retirees or those who
can afford to take the time to serve.
Take the case of former Rep. Rob
Patridge of Medford, a 36-year-old
moderate Republican who was seen
as a rising star in Salem.
Though young, Patridge was a
veteran of three legislative sessions
and was respected by members of
both parties.
Last year, though, Patridge decided
not to seek re-election.
“It’s a huge financial sacrifice,” Pa
tridge told The Oregonian. “It was a
substantial factor in me deciding not
to go back.”
Sen. Alan Bates, a Democrat from
Ashland, praised Patridge’s successor,
Sal Esquivel, but said pay shouldn’t
be so low that it forces lawmakers to
choose between public service and
their families.
“At this level, you go broke at it,”
Bates said. “We want Rob here now,
when he’s young and vigorous, repre
senting his generation. ”
The idea of raising legislative pay
will be part of the discussion when
Senate President Peter Courtney, D
Salem, and House Speaker Karen
Minnis, R-Wood Village, form a pub
lic commission next month to consid
er possible changes to the Legislature.
The 30-person commission is also
expected to consider whether the Leg
islature should shift to
annual sessions.
Currently, the average age of legis
lators is over 50. Few legislators are in
their 40s, and only a handful are
younger than 40.
The average compensation, includ
ing salary and per diem payments,
was $35,326 a year, the national
conference said. An Oregon legislator
receiving per diem payments for 180
days would be paid about $32,000
this year.
Average Oregon household income
is almost $42,000, according to 2004
estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Students in LCC class
go ghost hunting
EUGENE — Everything was in
place for the first annual seance this
weekend at Eugene’s Bijou
Art Cinema.
The chandeliers were draped with
cobwebs. The rooms were dark,
drafty and musty, and the theater has
been rumored to be haunted for
years.
Best of all were the team of trained
ghost investigators, the 15 students
taking Ghost Hunting 101 at Lane
Community College, who were trying
out their new skills for the first time.
The students, who have come from
as far as Roseburg to take the class,
have had six weeks of classroom in
struction on how to invite and docu
ment paranormal manifestations.
Lore holds that a local restaurant
owner once felt a ghostly presence
here, Bijou manager Louise Thomas
said. And former employees reported
unnerving incidents, such as items
falling off shelves and walls as they
walked into empty rooms.
But Thomas attributes those to a
former Bijou worker who delighted in
booby-trapping rooms to scare his su
perstitious colleagues.
Undeterred, the fledging ghost
hunters in Martina and Todd Bak
er’s class set to work on Saturday
with cameras, electromagnetic field
detectors, temperature probes and
tape recorders.
Students snapped pictures in the
seemingly empty theater, occasionally
capturing what they called “auras”
circles of white or colored light.
The morning’s top find was by stu
dent Katherine Krohn.
“I think I’ve got an apparition
here!” she exclaimed. Excited class
mates clustered around her camera’s
tiny digital display.
Sure enough, the screen showed a
cluster of lights near the stage that
could be interpreted as a man wear
ing a white shirt and tie.
Ghost Hunting 101 has been so
popular, LCC will offer it again spring
and summer terms.
Martina Baker said she wel
comes all true believers and
skeptics alike.
“I mainly want to educate people
who’ve had an experience they
can’t explain, so they’re not
afraid,” she said.
— The Associated Press
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You are invited to an
OpCIl HoiXSe to review the
Updated Campus Plan
Tuesday, March 1 from 11:30 to 1:30
EMU Concourse
021543
Drop by to learn about proposed changes to the Campus Plan and give us your input.
There also will be a public hearing before the Campus Planning Committee on April 12
from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. in the EMU Rogue Room.
For more information contact the University Planning Office at 346-5562 or go on-line:
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~uplan (“Campus Plan Update” link).