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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 20, 2005)
14,200 served at Free Cone Day I 5a Oregon Daily Emerald An independent newspaper www. dailyemerald. corn Since 1900 | Volume 106, Issue 138 j Wednesday, April 20, 2005 Authorities arrest man posing as professor Vaifale allegedly pretended to be a student or professor for two years BY EMILY SMITH NEWS REPORTER A Eugene man impersonating a University psychology professor was arrested April 13 af ter a student discovered he lied to her about his position. Checklin Jonathan Vaifale, 35, has been an active member of several campus clubs over the past two years under the guise of a stu dent and a professor by the name of Jonathan Vaifalc-Valdez , according to Eugene police. EPD Officer Dallas Hall said Vaifale “alleges it was strictly for social interaction and to make himself feel important.” Hall arrested Vaifale between the EMU and Straub Hall while he was standing with his “props” — a briefcase and several files — in hand. Hall said Vaifale allegedly created a file labeled “Human Neu ropsychology,” the name of the class he pretended to teach. “He even had the class number written on it,” she said. International Studies Association Coordinator Ryohei Ishii said he remembers working with Vaifale last year during International Week. “He cooked in the kitchen for three days,” he said. Other members of the group also noted that Vaifale had been an asset to their organization. University graduate Toby Hill-Meyer, a vol unteer of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans gender, Queer Alliance, said that Vaifale was an active community member and a member of the LGBTQA’s sub-group, Bi and Beyond, since fall 2003. “He participated in discussions and was in the drag show,” Hill-Meyer said. “I know peo ple he’s been in relationships with so I’m go ing to trust that most of what I know of his life to be true. That’s not the kind of thing you can fake. “I feel awkward from my interaction, but I value what he has brought to the community.” Vaifale also allegedly danced with the Hawaii Club for several years, posing as a stu dent, according to police. Vaifale has allegedly been spending time around Straub Hall and using the computer lab there to bolster his image as a psychology professor. According to the female student who turned him in, he told her he could get her a job in the psychology lab, but after not find ing him in the directory and discovering that the other faculty members had never heard of him, she became suspicious and alerted the Department of Public Safety, Hall said. “I heard he was a grad student last year . and then from others this year that he was a professor, but last month I heard some people saying he had been less than truthful,” Hill-Meyer said. EPD spokeswoman Kerry Delf said Vaifale is being charged with Criminal Imperson ation, a Class A misdemeanor, but the case is CHECKLIN JONATHAN VAIFALE SUSPECT IMPOSTER, page 3a Task group tackles property issues Courtesy Left to right: University Housing Director Mike Eyster, former housing director Marge Ramey, University Vice President for Administration Dan Williams and former housing director H.P. Barnhart in 1994. The east campus neighborhood is among contested areas into which the University used housing money BY MEGHANN M. CUNIFF SENIOR NEWS REPORTER University officials say updat ing the residence halls is a press compensation for properties pur chased with student housing money and then converted for other University uses would help that past and present housing officials say has become a dire need resulting in part from the history of ad ministrative and PART TWO OF TWO Tuesday: Officials’ financial and land repayment policies hinder residence halls. Today: Financial consultants offer opinions and a task group addresses the transition of property management. e r n i z a t i o n possible. The East Campus Task Group formed • in the fall to ad dress issues per taining to the uregon university bystem poli cies toward housing. Housing officials are particular ly concerned about modernizing the residence halls and say management oi properties in the east campus neighborhood, most of which were purchased with student HOUSING, page 7a Big business increases campus presence Companies like EA and Sports Illustrated employ student representatives to target young consumers BY AMANDA BOLSINGER NEWS REPORTER Throwing parties. Testing out the newest games. Giveaways. It might sound like fun and games, but for University senior Nick Stoolman, it’s all a part of his job description. Stoolman is the University’s EA company representative. Stoolman represents EA Sports, EA Games and EA Sports Big. His job is to make sure the company has a presence at the University. “The experience has been^n second to none and^^l^1^ unparalleled to any^^^ other internship, Stoolman said. Stoolman’s job is part of a growing trend on campuses across the country. “It has certainly been going on for eight or nine years,” said Mari an Friestad, Lundquist College of Business associate dean and asso ciate professor of marketing. “It’s not new, but I think as mass me dia gets more expensive, the use of it has grown.” Summer Bradley, a project manager with EA, said her com pany started the project as a way to reach a large consumer base. “We want to get out there with the consumers,” Bradley said. “We want to play with them, not just sell to them. We want to engage people.” EA isn’t the only company with a representative on campus. Sophomore Eli McCarrel repre sents Sports Illustrated On Cam pus; Colleen McClure is a Nike representative. Other companies such as Red Bull and Playboy also have a presence here. Axe, a company that sells body spray for men, has recently strewn women’s thong under wear around campus in an at tempt to attract a campus repre sentative for next fall. Last week, about a half dozen thongs were placed in a McKenzie Hall class room and more were placed in a hallway in the building. Advertising is generally allowed as a display of free speech unless it is done in a classroom, office or residence hall, University spokeswoman Pauline Austin said. The Univer sity has no policies about stu dents working as representatives. “Companies come to me all the time, but I don’t help certainly don’t help^^^ them.” Stoolman has been involved with EA since his freshman year at the University when he met the then-current representative at the Warsaw Sports Business Club. He immediately helped putting up fliers and posters around campus to publicize events, eventually working his way to his current position. “I was set on becoming the rep,” Stoolman said. “As soon as I found out about it I went back and told my roommate, ‘I’m gonna have that job someday.’” The job, which he has now had for two years, keeps him busy. He said he works an average of about 20 hours per week planning and executing different events. Stoolman, two interns and a marketing team are constantly planning tournaments around campus in the residence halls, at Big City Gaming and at the frater nity houses. Last fall, Stoolman and his team organized a 64-player Lauren Wimer | Senior photographer Architecture major Jon Winger sits beside thongs placed outside McKenzie Hall by a student representative for an Axe advertising campaign. University students represent companies from EA Sports to Red Bull and promote their products on campus. “Madden” tournament. He is currently organizing the 2nd-an nual EA Sports Fight Night Fra ternity Challenge, a tournament involving several of the fraterni ties on campus. At the event, Stoolman will give away T-shirts, stickers, hats and games to participants. One participant will receive 13 EA games. EA has also provided Stool man with a summer internship at EA headquarters as a project marketing intern. “They take care of me,” Stool man said. “EA has been a really good relationship to have. I have two years’ experience with a For tune 100 company.” Sports Illustrated’s McCarrel has had a similar experience. He is the company’s first representa tive at the University. McCarrel had just finished his senior year of high school when his brother who worked at Sports Illustrated told him the company was looking to launch a new magazine: Sports Illustrat ed On Campus. COMPANY, page 8a
