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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 2005)
Creepy paintings haunt New Zone gallery | 5 Oregon Daily Emerald An independent newspaper at the University of Oregon www. dailyemerald. com Since 1900 | Volume 107, Issue 36 \ 'Thursday, October 13, 2005 New committee to review student-run groups ASUO gives the newly formed Recognition Review Committee authority to decide which groups will be officially recognized BY NICHOLAS WILBUR NEWS REPORTER Student groups that want to receive inciden tal fees must now pass through another layer of bureaucratic review that has the power to de fund them or to revoke their status as student groups. The Recognition Review Committee will re view groups’ missions, goals and by-laws to en sure services are not duplicated by other pro grams and that they are “advantageous to the cultural or physical development of students,” according to a memorandum from former ASUO President Adam Petkun. Last year, the student government’s Pro grams Finance Committee attempted to defund the Oregon Commentator, a campus libertarian opinion journal, by twice rejecting its mission and goals, setting off a battle between those who said it propagated hate speech and those who said it practiced free speech. The debate ended when several members of the PFC were removed and new members approved the journal’s decades-old mission statement. Despite concerns from some student group leaders that the committee might be used to at tack certain groups or that its creation is too abrupt, student government officials assure stu dents that their new committee “is not a witch hunt” and the ASUO is “not out on a mission to create hell.” The goal of the new committee is to deal with* programs that are not fulfilling their mis sion and goals statements and “to make sure they are worthy of funding,” Programs Admin istrator and RRC Chair man David Goward said. Ian Spencer, editor in-chief of the Com mentator, said he is skeptical of “the relevance and compatibility of the student group’s stated mission and goals to the institution’s DAVID GOWARD broader educational RRC CHAIRMAN mission,” as outlined in the memo. “I think that could be interpreted liberally,” Spencer said. “My gut reaction is that it is an at tempt to go after groups like the Commentator.” In the past, the only punishment was to cut funding for such groups. Every year, the PFC holds two hearings for each of the 133 student programs. In the first, PFC determines whether to approve a group’s mission and goals. In the second, it looks at funding in light of the group’s accomplish ments, membership, services and other factors. At that meeting, the PFC decides how much of the total $5.2 million in student fees to give to the group. RRC will weed out the groups it determines are not beneficial to students and quicken the PFC process for those it determines are. “This is completely separate from PFC,” Go ward said. “We will grant them admittance into the PFC.” The PFC still hears mission and goals state ments before deciding funding, but it will not be able to decide funding or hear mission and goals for groups already weeded out by the RRC. “As the chairman, I’m going to require (RRC members) to be non-biased, and anything we do as a committee they need to be (viewpoint neutral),” Goward said. Former ASUO President Petkun suggested creating the committee because students and RRC, page 3 Businesses advise state as part of new council BY EVA SYLWESTER SENIOR NEWS REPORTER A new council created last month combines Oregon’s academic and industrial efforts to aid the state’s economic development. Senate Bill 838 created the Oregon Innovation Council, a board of industry, education and gov ernment leaders charged with advising the gov ernor and state Legislature on how to make the state more competitive in research and business. University Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies Rich Linton and Lundquist Col lege of Business Dean Jim Bean serve as technical advisers to the council. Oregon State University, Portland State University, Oregon Institute of Technology and the Oregon Health and Science University also have representatives serving as technical advisers. “I think it’s another opportunity to connect government, university and industry interests and economic development,” Linton said. The bill also granted $7 million to the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute, a COUNCIL, page 3 Technology connections Public and private groups work together 2001 2003 2005 Oregon Council for Knowledge and Economic Development (OCKED) 7J I Became Oregon Innovation Council Spawned Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI) (OIC) Day of reflection and atonement Jewish community members gathered on campus to begin their Yom Kippur fasts together BY BRITTNIMCCLENAHAN NEWS REPORTER More than a hundred Jewish students, fac ulty and community members gathered at Gerlinger Lounge on Wednesday night at sundown to observe the start of Yom Kippur, the “Day of Atonement.” Meir Goldstein, a fifth-year rabbinical stu dent, came to Eugene to lead the Wednesday night service. “We’re here to ask God for forgiveness,” Goldstein said. “To remove the stumbling blocks that keep us from getting closer to God.” Andi Lipstein, program director of the Ore gon Hillel, said Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and the Days of Awe — the time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur — are op portunities to look back on the past year and right all wrongs and seek forgiveness from God and others. “It’s misguided to wish someone a Happy Yom Kippur,” Lipstein said. “It’s a thoughtful and reflective time for the Jewish community.” The Holy Day of Yom Kippur is a 25-hour Sabbath that began before sunset on Wednes day evening and ends after nightfall today. Re garded as the day of the year when Jews are closest to God, Yom Kippur is a time to reflect on the past year, atone for sins and refrain from work, eating and drinking — including water. Other rules of Yom Kippur restrict bathing, brushing your teeth, engaging in sex, wearing animal products and using beauty/hygiene products such as cosmetics and deodorants. Today, Yom Kippur services will be held in Gerlinger Lounge. Mincha (afternoon prayer) Rachel Rothstein, a family and human services student, celebrates Yom Kippur in Gerlinger Hall Wednesday night. will be followed by the Ne’ila service at 6 p.m. Ne’ila is said after Mincha as the sun is going down and means closing, referring to the clos ing of the gates of prayer as Yom Kippur is end ing. Following Ne’ila, a shofar, or a ram’s-horn trumpet, is sounded, signifying the end of Yom Kippur. After Mincha and Ne’ila, participants will break their fasts at 7:30 p.m. Rachel Rothstein, a senior family and hu man services major, was raised in an egali tarian Conservative Jewish home and wears a kipa, a Jewish head covering, to Jewish services. Traditionally the kipa was worn only by men but progressive movements for equality between the sexes in the practice of Judaism has led some non-Orthodox women to wear kippot. Because Yom Kippur prohibits work during the 25-hour Sabbath, Rothstein said she gets frustrated when trying to balance her faith with academics, particularly with taking the day off YOM KIPPUR, page 4 University Senate holds first meeting Senators discussed the agenda for this year, which includes military research, the student conduct code and the diversity plan BY MEGHANN M. CUNIFF NEWS EDITOR The diversity action plan, the revised student conduct code and policies regarding externally funded research on campus, such as military re search, top the University Senate’s agenda this academic year. The University Senate is a body of faculty and staff representatives from all University academ ic departments and other areas of campus that meets monthly. It held its first meeting of the ac ademic year Wednesday afternoon. A major topic of discussion this academic year is the diversity plan, University Senate Pres ident and associate professor of architecture Pe ter Keyes said. The diversity plan, released by the University in May, is undergoing review and revision by the Diversity Executive Working Group, which is composed of faculty and staff members. A revised plan should be released “in the near future” and will be subject to wider dis cussion by the University community, Keyes said. “This is really going to be a draft again,” Keyes said. SENATE: page 4