Safety concerns and alley art spark discussion
The West University Neighbors considered parking
issues and potential beautification of the area alleys
BY MEGIIANN M. CUNIFF
SENIOR NEWS REPORTER
A University student attending the
West University Neighbors meeting
Thursday night called for the Eugene
Police Department to take more action
and for citizens to show more concern
about incidents of men sexually expos
ing themselves in the campus area.
Cecilia Story, 32, said she spends
the majority of her time in the ceram
ics studio on the north side of
Franklin and is often there late into
the night. She said she and other stu
dents have had ongoing problems
with men lurking in the bushes and
exposing themselves while students
are working in the studio or walking
to or from the studio.
Story expressed concern over police
priorities and over society’s priorities;
she said this has been a recurring prob
lem at the University for several years
but nothing has been done about it.
“What are you thinking people?”
Story said. “This just doesn’t jive.”
Police documented numerous inci
dents of indecent exposure on campus
in 2002 and 2003, and police spokes
woman Kerry Delf told the Emerald
that several incidents have been re
ported recently in the campus area but
that the description witnesses gave dif
fered in many cases.
“There are fairly regular public inde
cency incidents in the University area
with a wide range of descriptions of
the subject,” Delf said. “People talk
about the campus masturbator, but it’s
not one guy.”
Story left the meeting after other at
tendees expressed concern with what
they said was her loud and aggressive
demeanor and questioned why she
was at the meeting if she did not live
in the neighborhood.
Story later told the Emerald her goal
is to increase the presence of police
bike patrol around the ceramics studio
at night and to raise awareness about
the ongoing problem of men sexually
exposing themselves on campus.
“I just feel like there needs to be
some sort of education going on,”
Story said.
Also at the meeting, neighbor
hood residents discussed the up
coming alley paving project with
City Planner Steve Gallup.
Gallup said the city’s plans to pave
the alleys this summer will leave each
alley closed for a period of about 10
days; residents who depend on them
for parking will have to contact the city
for a 24-hour street parking permit.
Flyers informing residents of
specifics of the closures will be posted
on doors when the date of the project
is closer, Gallup said.
Work has already started on the first
alley, and Gallup said more work
should begin in the next few weeks be
cause the project is supposed to be
completed by Sept. 1.
“They’re going to be moving closer
and closer to the University as they
go,” Gallup said.
West University Neighbors 1st
Vice Chair David Wallace said it is
crucial for city officials to closely ex
amine the contractor’s plans and
project completion history to ensure
the job is completed with the best
possible quality. Brown Contracting
and 2G Construction are handling
the alley paving project.
“The value of our community is de
pendent on making sure the contrac
tors that are doing this are doing a
good job of protecting water run-off,”
Wallace said.
Gallup and City Councilor David
Kelly both said the city holds its con
tractors to very high standards and has
Shasta: Some think gathering
harbors unjustifiable danger
Continued from page 5A
and sorority.
However, not everyone who attends
is a member of the greek community.
In light of this year’s deaths,
Greek Life Advisor Shelley Suther
land said the Greek Life Office will
step up its efforts to provide boating
safety education.
“One thing the office would like to
do is have a boating safety workshop
and make it available to all of the
campus,” Sutherland said. She em
phasized that the workshop has nev
er been restricted to greek students,
but that next year it will be “a more
broadly promoted event.”
Sutherland added that the office will
convene a focus group of this year’s
Shasta-goers to come up with “some
ideas and information to try and make
it safer.”
In previous years, the Shasta County
Sheriff’s Boating Safety Unit came up
to deliver boating safety presentations
at the University and at OSU. But the
last time it came up was 2003 and af
ter that, Liljegrin said the University
uninvited them.
“The University didn’t want to en
courage this type of party at Shasta
Lake,” he said. “They also believed
that a formalized presentation almost
condoned it.”
However, Sutherland said it was
not the University’s decision to tell
the Boating Safety Unit not to come
to campus.
“The Sheriff’s Office stopped calling
to do it,” she said. “We didn’t ever de
cide to do it or not to do it. ”
Robertson said IFC and PHC’s
presentation was comparable to
what the Sheriff’s Office would have
done because the presentation was
prepared with substantial assistance
from the Sheriff.
Regardless, Liljegrin said many
students forget safety once the party
starts.
“After a little bit of alcohol that safe
ty goes out the window,” he said.
“They’re just not completely utilizing
their heads for a few days.”
Sutherland said she would
recommend that greek chapters not
to go to Shasta Lake on Memorial
Day weekend.
“My advice would be not to go,” she
said. “But at the same time, if people
choose to act responsibly, usually you
can avoid tragedy.”
But she added that it’s not within
her powers to actually prohibit stu
dents from going because people at
tend as individuals, not as members of
a fraternity or sorority.
Lindsey Thompson of Alpha Chi
Omega sorority said several members
of the sorority have decided they prob
ably won’t go next year because “it’s
not worth it.”
Sutherland said she hopes this
year’s deaths will warn students of the
dangers of partying at Shasta Lake.
“This should be an eye-opener for
students that two tragedies have oc
curred with this kind of event,” she
said. “Hopefully people will think
twice about going.”
moriohbalingit@dailyemerald.com
News Reporter Emily Smith
contributed to this report.
Nicole Barker | Photographer
Cecilia Story attended Thursday night's West University Neighbors meeting to discuss her concern about campus safety.
critical guidelines to follow when mak
ing a selection for a project.
Neighborhood association chair
Drix Rixmann reminded residents
about his hope to “add some of our
personality to the future of this neigh
borhood” by including original art
work on each newly paved alley.
Gallup said the most financially fea
sible idea may be to create a stamp
that can be imprinted in each alley.
Stamps like that can cost under $1,000
and don’t take long to produce, Gallup
said. He said addressing the alley art
project is important because of how
quickly the alleys in the neighborhood
will start being paved.
“It’s a very good idea to do this type
of work when the concrete is wet,”
Gallup said.
Community activist Zachary Vis
hanoff voiced concern over the art
project and the idea of imprinting
something into cement.
“This sounds like a branding exer
cise, and branding is highly controver
sial,” Vishanoff said.
Vishanoff said spending money on
art projects is not something the neigh
borhood association should be doing.
“We should be thinking about our
priorities before we go spending mon
ey on cute little things,” Vishanoff said.
Also at the meeting, Rixmann
pitched the association’s plans for a
neighborhood party, which is sched
uled to take place July 16 from 4 p.m.
to 8 p.m. in the West University Neigh
borhood Park. Residents suggested
holding an open mic session for inter
ested musicians, poets or other artists.
“You could suggest: Bring food, mu
sic and manifestos,” Vishanoff said.
meghanncuniff@ daily emerald, com
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Course Title
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W 6/29,7/6, 7/13, 7/20,7/27
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Painting
Principles of Economics:
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Latin American Literature
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Credits
3
Days
SaSu
W
Time
9:00-12:00pm
8:00-5:00pm
7:00-8:50pm
Sa 8:00-5:00pm
TuTh 5:30-7:35pm
TuWTh 12:30-3:15pm
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Th 12:30-1:55pm
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Willett/Bartow Bldg 3, Rm 306
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Bldg 1, Rm 111
Bldg 2, Rm 207
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