Eugene Rock Music Web site promotes the city’s music scene in Pulse I 5
Oregon Patty Emerald
An independent newspaper
www. dailyemerald. com
Since 1900 \ Volume 106, Issue 113 | Thursday, March 3,2005
ASUO hiring of family member raises concern
Accounting Coordinator Jennifer Creighton-Neiwert's sister-in-law
was hired to a temporary position without application or interview
BY JARED PABEN
NEWS EDITOR
Jenny Neiwert, sister-in-law of ASUO
Accounting Coordinator Jennifer Creighton
Neiwert, was paid more than $11,000 in student
money while working in a two-and-a-half-year
temporary student government position in
which there were no applications accepted or
job interviews conducted, according to a former
ASUO receptionist and employment documents
obtained by the Emerald.
In September 2004, the Emerald reported
that Creighton-Neiwert’s husband, Dean
Neiwert, had been paid more than $850 to
perform contracted Web site work in July 2003
and April 2004 for the ASUO. ASUO President
Adam Petkun in May 2004 told Creighton
Neiwert about concerns from ASUO staff
members about the appearance of nepotism
after his hiring, and the two decided to ban the
hiring of family members in the ASUO.
Creighton-Neiwert’s resignation was
announced in a Feb. 23 e-mail from Petkun.
According to the e-mail, Creighton-Neiwert is
leaving her job as ASUO accounting coordinator
— a position she’s held for more than five
years — on March 6 to begin working as
an accountant for the University Physical
Activity and Recreation Services.
Creighton-Neiwert would not comment on
her resignation or her sister-in-law’s hiring.
Jenny Neiwert could not be contacted
Wednesday for comment.
Employment documents show that
Creighton-Neiwert worked as Jenny Neiwert’s
direct supervisor throughout Neiwert’s
August 2001 to January 2004 period of
employment at the ASUO. Neiwert, who
has never attended the University as a student,
worked as a part-time temporary ASUO
administrative assistant and earned a total
of $11,837.18 in incidental fee money.
Former ASUO receptionist Laurie Rice,
who worked under Creighton-Neiwert until
Rice’s termination Aug. 21,2001, said she didn’t
know exactly what Creighton-Neiwert’s role
was in hiring her sister-in-law but that EMU
Director Dusty Miller, Creighton-Neiwert’s
immediate supervisor, wasn’t involved in
the hiring.
“The student staff and Jennifer did the hiring
process; Dusty wasn’t involved at all,” Rice
said. “All I know was that Jen was the boss in
that office and Jen had her working there.”
Miller said Creighton-Neiwert’s “role
was the normal role of someone hiring a
HIRING, page 4
Students hit
round two
of diversity
discussion
The second campus climate
forum allowed administrators
to respond to student concerns
BY AMANDA BOLSINGER
NEWS REPORTER
A forum on campus climate Feb. 15
gave students a chance to discuss issues
facing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and
queer students at the University. Many
campus administrators and student leaders
attended the forum to listen to student
concerns and suggestions, but refrained
from commenting.
On Wednesday night the second part of the
forum was held in the Browsing Room of the
Knight Library to give the approximately
30 students who attended a chance to hear
from administrators and other officials. This
time, administrators responded to questions
brought up at the first forum.
Among the administrators and leaders
attending the forum were Vice Provost for
Institutional Equity and Diversity Greg
Vincent, Vice President for Student Affairs
Anne Leavitt, Director and Associate Dean
of Student Life Laura Blake Jones, ASUO
President Adam Petkun, Director of LGBT
Education and Support Services Chicora
Martin, Director of Diversity Education and
Support Kimi Mojica and Director of Student
Judicial Affairs Chris Loschiavo.
The forum began with administrators
giving a summary of what they heard at the
Feb. 15 forum.
“We hear strong, clear, frustrated and eager
student voices,” Leavitt said. “(Campus)
climate is a responsibility for administration,
but not administration alone. ”
Vincent reiterated that while the diversity
action plan is a five-year plan, there are
things happening right now that must be dealt
with immediately.
Petkun addressed a recurring theme
throughout the night regarding a lack of
answers for students.
“It’s not acceptable to say that you want
to help but don’t know how to and passing them
on to someone new,” Petkun said. “It should be
people saying ‘I don’t know but I’ll come with
DIVERSITY, page 4
JUGGLING TIME
Tim Bobosky | Photographer
Environmental science junior Jacob DeAngelo juggles near Condon Hall on
Wednesday. He has been juggling for more than 2 years.
IN BRIEF
West University group
to discuss area parks
Students concerned with the
future of the neighborhood
park and condition of the
alleyways in the West
University neighborhood are
encouraged to attend the West
University Neighbors meeting,
neighborhood chair Drix
Rixmann said. The meeting is
tonight at 7 p.m. at the
Central Presbyterian Church
on the corner of 15th Avenue
and Patterson Street
Andrea Riner, parks planning
manager for Eugene, is
scheduled to discuss the city’s
outlook on parks and open
spaces and detail the plans
for the West University
Neighborhood Park. The
association has made reopening
the park one of this year’s
top priorities.
Ward 3 City Councilor
David Kelly will be in
attendance to update the
neighborhood on the latest
City Council news and
agenda items.
Community activist Zachary
Vishanoff said he will be in
attendance to propose a
resolution asking the city to
create a public input process for
the University’s plans for a new
basketball arena.
In order for the resolution
to be formally recognized
by the association, at least
20 neighborhood residents
must attend tonight’s meeting.
— Meghann M. Cuniff
Winter term admissions
up 8 percent since 2004
The University hosted a total
of 19,608 students winter
term, the Office of Admissions
reported last week.
That number is up from
19,450 in winter 2004, an
8 percent increase.
Martha Pitts, assistant vice
president and director of admis
sions, said the winter enroll
ment figure included fewer
students admitted out of
high school.
“Where we are this year is
very similar to the winter
of 2003,” Pitts said, adding
that last year was an anomaly
because of freshmen who
were wait-listed through
fall term.
New applications for spring
term are running ahead of
last year’s number, Pitts said.
According to Pitts, retention
rates and graduation rates are
also up.
“We had good, strong
retention from fall to winter
term,” she said. “Freshman
to sophomore (retention) was
the highest I’ve ever seen it.”
This year’s fall term
enrollment, which is typically
slightly higher than winter
term enrollment, was 20,339.
That number was up from
20,033 in fall 2003.
— Adam Cherry
Musicians find recording easier than ever
Students and teachers are turning to equipment
that allows them to record music at home
BY EVA SYLWESTER
NEWS REPORTER
With modern music recording
technology, one no longer needs
to be a rock star to make a
quality album. Standard home
computers can, with a few
additions, be transformed into
recording studios for both ama
teur and professional musicians.
“It would seem silly to write
songs and do nothing but play
them to yourself alone in the
bedroom without ever keeping a
nice record of it,” Eugene
resident Andrew Barton said in
an e-mail. Barton put up posters
at the University’s School of Music
looking for other musicians to
record an album with him.
Junior music major and
guitar player Devlin Croal said
guitar players seem to be
especially into recording their
own music because most rock
bands have two guitar players;
a single guitarist can create
the illusion of having another
guitar player by playing along
MUSIC, page 4
Nicole Barker | Photographer
Don Latarski, head of guitar studies and adjunct instructor at the School of Music,
has a home recording studio he uses to record, edit and mix student work.