Student scientists win fellowships I 12
MERALD
An independent newspaper
unmv. dailyemerald. com
Since 1900 \ Volume 107, Issue 004 | Thursday, June 30, 2005
Tenants and
guests enjoy
the pool on a
sunny
Wednesday at
Club Mill on
12th Avenue
and Mill Street,
which is
managed by
Keystone Real
Estate.
^_> f 1
Tim Bobosky | Photo editor
Renters may be
required to cover
cost of new code
Some landlords may choose to pass the $10 fee
for the new city housing code onto their tenants
BYGABE BRADLEY
NEWS EDITOR
The City of Eugene’s new rental
housing code will take effect to
morrow, which could mean a
slight increase in rental costs.
The code calls for the assess
ment of an annual $10 per unit fee
on all rentals in the city. The mon
ey will go to pay for a staff of city
employees that will monitor and
ensure rental units meet four basic
habitability requirements — struc
tural integrity, adequate plumbing,
adequate heating and adequate
weatherproofing.
The biggest question facing
local landlords regarding the new
code is how to respond to the $10
per unit fee.
“They can either absorb the
money themselves or they can
pass it on to the tenant, and I
think you’re going to see a mix of
both,” Lane County Rental Own
ers Association Vice President
Jim Straub said.
Straub, a landlord who owns
about 50 units, said he is not going
to raise the rents on his properties,
but other members of the Rental
Owner’s Association have told him
they will.
CODE, page 6
XlilJQ.
WANTED
There are opportunities to find a summer job if
students aren't picky and know where to look
BY GABE BRADLEY
NEWS EDITOR
Students still looking for
summer jobs will find op
portunities available for
those who are willing to
search creatively and aren’t
too picky, according to local
experts and employers.
University economist Tim
Duy, author of the University
of Oregon Index of Economic
Indicators, said there are sev
eral factors that affect the
availability of summer work.
“I get the sense that (em
ployers) have more trouble
finding qualified workers
than the unemployment rate
would lead you to believe,”
said Duy. “What it often
comes down to is: Are you
willing to work in a low
paying job?”
A mismatch between the
skills employers are looking
for and the skills of the cur
rent workforce combined
with the reluctance of some
workers to take low-paying
jobs means there are oppor
tunities for those who are
willing to take such jobs.
Duy said the types of jobs
students usually seek over
the summer make up more
than 10 percent of the
statewide economy.
Last month, the leisure
and hospitality sector repre
sented 161,000 of the rough
ly 1.6 million non-farm
payroll jobs in Oregon.
“It’s a relatively signifi
cant part of the economy,”
Duy said.
EMPLOYMENT, page 3
5ELECTEMP
NOW
HIRING
Tim Bobosky | Photo editor
Desiree
Steeg is
working her
second
summer with
Selectemp
Employment
Services.
Here she
advertises for
the company
on the corner
of Gateway
Loop and
Gateway
Street near
its offices on
Wednesday.
Diversity
plan sparks
controversy
with faculty
The University has received
letters criticizing the plan from
faculty members and the AAUP
BY TYLER GRAF
FREELANCE REPORTER
The controversy surrounding the Uni
versity's Five Year Diversity Plan shows
no signs of dissipating, as professors
threaten to leave the University if the cur
rent draft is approved, while the American
Association of University Professors wrote
a letter criticizing the administration
for allegedly bypassing the standard set of
faculty committees while drafting
the plan.
The AAUP letter came at approximately
the same time that 25 faculty members
drafted their own “Open Letter to
President Frohnmayer,” in which they
called the Diversity Plan “Orwellian”
and “frightening.”
The AAUP letter, dated May 10 and ad
dressed to former University of Oregon
Senate President Andrew Marcus, states
that the charter for the University places
the governance in the hands of the faculty
and that the AAUP principles emphasize
faculty involvement for proposals relevant
to professors.
Jean Stockard, a Planning, Public Policy
Management professor, said she shared
the AAUP's concerns and was upset that
faculty had “virtually no involvement” in
drafting the plan.
“Members of the committee listed at the
front of the document were only shown
the document after it was printed,” said
Stockard, referring to the 80 names listed
as active participants.
Some professors have threatened
to leave if the current draft becomes
a reality.
“As for faculty thinking of leaving: I
am,” said N. Chris Phillips, a math profes
sor and co-signer of the open letter.
Mathmatics Associate Professor Alexander
Kleshchev said he has heard of other
professors who might leave but says it is too
DIVERSITY, page 5
Celebrating a fun, fireless Fourth
From a Butte to Butte run to a Firecracker Bull Ride,
there are plenty of things to do this holiday weekend
BYGABE BRADLEY
NEWS EDITOR
Last year, almost 10,000 people
across the country were treated for
fireworks-related injuries, according
to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission as reported by the Na
tional Council on Firework Safety.
Aside from the safety concerns
surrounding proper firework usage,
there are a number of legal concerns
as well.
Possessing fireworks — even
sparklers — in national forests or land
controlled by the Bureau of Land
Management is illegal. Violators can
be penalized with fines up to $5,000
and imprisonment up to six months.
“Fireworks just don’t belong in the
woods,” said Willamette National
Forest spokeswoman Patti Rodgers in
a press release.
More information on firework safe
ty is available at the National Council
on Fireworks Safety’s Web site
(www.fireworksafety.com).
Fourth of July Events
Eugene’s Active 20/30 Club will
host the 59th annual Freedom Festival
in Alton Baker Park. Gates open at 11
a.m., and the celebration will feature
the largest fireworks display in Lane
County at 4 p.m. Admission is $5;
children under 5 are admitted for free.
Bi-Mart members can get $1 off the
admission price.
Also at Alton Baker, Art & the Vine
yard will be continuing on July 4. See
the complete story on page 7.
The Fourth seems to bring out the
biggest stuff in Lane County: The
largest rodeo in Lane County and the
longest road race in Lane County will
also be held on the Fourth.
The Eugene Pro Rodeo and Fire
cracker Bull Ride will be at the Ore
gon Horse Center at 7:30 p.m. For
more information, call 689-9700.
The 32nd annual Butte to Butte 10K
run and 4.5 mile walk will take place
EVENTS, page 4
FIRE SEASON
Tim Bobosky | Photo editor
Ryan Hay, right, from Harrisburg and Phillip Bender from Medford train at the City of
Eugene's Fire Station 2 on Tuesday in preparation for summer.