Willy Wonka returns to give another tour of the factory I 7
GON
MERALD
An independent newspaper at the University of Oregon
www. dailyemerald. com
Since 1900 \ Volume 107, Issue 010 \ Thursday, July 21, 2005
Governor tours state to speak
on education funding plan
His funding solution emphasizes unifying Oregon's
education system and growing the state's economy
BY GABE BRADLEY
NEWS EDITOR
Gov. Ted Kulongoski visited Eugene
on Hiesday to promote his plan to find
a stable funding solution for education
in Oregon.
The roundtable-style meeting at Lane
Community College was part of a
statewide speaking tour about education.
This tour comes several weeks after
state House Speaker Karen Minnis (R
Wood Village) announced her plan for
stable education funding, which would
dedicate 51 percent of personal income
tax revenue for K-12 education.
Critics of Minnis’ plan say it doesn’t
provide enough money and only ad
dresses the needs of K-12 education.
The governor’s plan — which he is
calling the “education enterprise” plan
— is to dedicate 61 percent of the entire
general fund to pay for all seven compo
nents of education in Oregon.
The seven parts of the education enter
prise are: Pre-K, K-12, the Department of
Education, Department of Community
Colleges and Workforce Development,
The Oregon University System, Oregon
Health Sciences University and the Ore
gon Student Assistance Commission.
Kulongoski began his address by out
lining the history of inadequate school
funding in Oregon. Specifically, he men
tioned the fates of a variety of income
tax, property tax and sales tax proposals
that would have funded education.
“Every one of them — you know
as well as I do — have gone to the
ballot and they have been defeated,”
Kulongoski said.
Kulongoski said that educators and
government must take the initiative
to change the way they approach
school funding.
“The longer I’ve been governor of this
PLAN, page 3
The memorial service for former
University President Robert Clark
included music and eulogies
BYGABE BRADLEY
NEWS EDITOR
Organ music greeted the somber crowd
that filled the School of Music’s
Beall Hall on Wednesday for the me
morial service of former University President
Robert Clark.
Among the crowd was a delegation from San
Jose State University, where Clark served as pres
ident before he was president of the University of
Oregon from 1969 to 1975.
Welcoming the crowd, Greg Flint introduced
himself as Robert Clark’s pastor.
“More often than not it was he who ministered
to me,” Flint said. “Each death comes with its
own grief, and each death brings us face to face
with our own mortality. ”
Flint acknowledged the impact of
Clark’s death.
“Life will not be the same without him, even
as life was not the same because of him,” Flint
said. “The wound of his death is real and deep.”
However, Flint also encouraged the crowd to
treasure their memories of Clark.
“There is much more gratitude, and even joy,
that we got to talk a little while on this good earth
MEMORIAL, page 4
Tim Bobosky | Photo editor
Professor Emeritus Edwin Coleman plays “Our Love is Here to Stay" in remembrance of
Robert Clark, University president emeritus and professor of speech and rhetoric.
IN BRIEF
Warrant out for suspect
related to GiLlins' death
The Eugene Police Department
issued a warrant Tliesday for Dar
rell Sky Walker of
Orange County,
Calif., for
manslaughter
and assault
charges related to
the death of 22
year-old Phillip
Julian Gillins.
Gillins was as
saulted outside a
bar on East 13th
Avenue at approx
imately 2 a.m.
June 10, the day
before he was slat
ed to walk in the University’s gradua
tion ceremony, and died from brain
injuries June 11.
Through witness statements,
tips and other evidence, Walker
was identified as having a
DARRELL SKY WALKER
SUSPECT
significant role in the incident, a
press release said. After fleeing
Oregon following Gillins’ death,
authorities suspect Walker to be
hiding with family in either Or
ange County, Calif., or Chicago,
111. The EPD welcomes any infor
mation from the public that could
lead to the capture
of Walker.
Walker is a 23
year-old black male,
6 feet tall, 165-185
pounds with black
hair and brown
eyes. He has a labret
piercing below his
lower lip and a
pierced left ear.
Anyone with in
formation related to
Walker’s where
abouts, information
about the incident or
anyone who has seen him is en
couraged to contact their local po
lice or EDP’s Violent Crimes Unit
detectives Ted Williams at 682
5175 or Tracey Belshee at 682-5835.
— Nicholas Wilbur
Federal education
funding decreases
as college costs rise
Statistics link lack of higher education, degrees
to increases in poverty, crime and unemployment
BY NICHOLAS WILBUR
NEWS REPORTER
On July 1, interest rates on stu
dent loans increased nearly 2
percent from last year. Predic
tions for 2009 interest rates on
student financial aid are 4.4 per
cent plus the base 1.7 percent for
all student loans. This assump
tion would put interest rates for
those in school or in the grace or
deferment period at 6.1 percent.
For those already paying of their
loans, the interest will climb to
6.7 percent.
Historically, high government
spending had the potential to
bring America out of recession
(such as the case in the Great De
pression). The difference between
now and then is that, overall, there
is a large increase in government
spending overseas, not within
America's borders.
The White House Office of
Management and Budget report
ed that $55.67 billion was spent
in 2004 on education from ele
mentary through college and an
extra $73.83 billion in loan dis
bursements. As of March 2005,
when the House approved $81.4
billion to further fund the fight
on terrorism, the total cost of war
and anti-terrorism efforts was
over $300 billion.
Factors such as tuition, interest
rates, inflation, cost of living, an
nual earnings for households in
the bottom 90 percent and the
availability of loans and grants all
contribute to the overall econom
ic status of America’s future. Ed
ucation spending currently ac
counts for less than 18 percent of
war and anti-terrorism effort, not
including the national defense
base budget.
SPENDING, page 6
Tim Bobosky | Photo editor
Star Holmberg, the University’s bargaining table representative for SEIU Local 085,
led the classified workers' rally on campus Tuesday.
UO classified workers union rallies
to express need for better contracts
Service workers and supporters held a rally after two days
of bargaining to call attention to unsettled issues
BY NICHOLAS WILBUR
NEWS REPORTER
University service workers contin
ue to bargain with Oregon University
System management as their requests
for fairness and equality are not met.
The latest rally by the Service
Employees International Union was
held at the Pioneer Mother, between
Campbell and Johnson Hall, on
Tuesday afternoon.
More than 50 supporters and Uni
versity service workers gathered at
the statue and then marched through
Interim Chancellor George Pernstein
er’s office to send the message print
ed on the group’s fliers: “We Stand
United for Fairness and Will Leave No
Worker Behind!” Purple balloons sur
rounded the Pioneer Mother, as did
protest signs that read: “Fair deal for
all,” “United for fairness” and “Stop
bully bosses!”
“We met at the Pioneer Mother be
cause I recently decided that she is
part of the union. We’re here to send
a message to the Chancellor that we
deserve a fair contract,” said Star
Holmberg, member of the SEIU high
er education bargaining team.
RALLY, page 5