Duck soccer makes history in win against Huskies I 5
Oregon Daily Emerald
An independent newspaper at the University of Oregon
www.dailYemerald.com
Since 1900 | Volume 107, Issue 48 \ Monday, October 31,2005
Students rally to keep their homes
Leaseholders marched on campus Friday to oppose
the University's attempt to sell Westmoreland
BY BRITTNIMCCLENAHAN
NEWS REPORTER
Chants of anger and frustration
rang out from the heart of campus
Friday afternoon as 75 to 100 mostly
Westmoreland Apartments resi
dents rallied against the University’s
decision to try to sell the property
and die 404 apartments on it.
“What are we fighting for?”
“Our homes!” chanted the crowd
gathered at the EMU Amphitheater.
If the Oregon State Board of
Higher Education on Friday
approves the proposal to sell the
property, located more than two
miles west of campus, nearly 600
residents could be displaced,
including 54 children. If
approved, residents will still be
allowed to live there until June
30, 2006.
Protesters voiced their opinions
about the University’s decision
while marching from the
PROTEST, page 8
Darlene
Hampton,
a GTF for
*2 the Eng
Ilish de
partment,
speaks at
a rally Fri
day after
noon in
protest of
University
proposing
to sell
Westmore
land
Apart
ments.
Nicole Barker | Senior photographer
i
HALLOWEEN FEATURE
Searching the shadows
- •
’■ V-C
'v • ;
IW k \I V C.ACNON
i ^ University freshman Gabriel Walirnuind still
T^n t fully describe or understand what hap
pened when he awoke from a nap in his
Stafford Hall room Friday.
But he knows it was weird.
Around o pan.. Wahtmuiul said lie began to
stir from a two-hour nap. The afternoon sun
was setting, darkening room 101, and
Walirnuind was alone, he said.
The hall Was quiet
What Wahrmund saw in the next 20 set
omls. he can only describe 'as "crazy" or
“ridiculous." Transparent clouds or bubbles ot
different sizes drifted over him and floated
through the wall above his window, he said
"It was like shadow m mid an." he said.
"It was as it air in certain areas were more
concentrated."
He told another student in his hall
w hat happened.
ft was then that Wahimund was told his
100m was rumored to Ire hauhted.
It's true.’
The story of i vvtmg black man haunting
St at lord Hall and the nearbv Pioneer Ceme
tery has floated bioimd the Internet tor
rears, popping up on Web sites and mes
sage boards The storv says that the spirit
has been spotted peeking into room 101
with a curious look 01 darting around cor
ners. The voting apparition has also been
seen standing on corners in or near Pioneer
Centeteiv lie only appears at night when
campus is quiet.
Accounts ot tills apparition are posted on
various Websites deducted to>upe&ffi«tal
investigations. When approachel dn
pmerald reporter, a ddtereut gtamvrd No
ic.sident knew of tpv.ghost stosv and m«r
tiqid’d Wain mend's uvem ovpcncnec
murid s room ts me oniv mint said to
jv visited by the ghost.
.An tmerald rgpouei was dispatched to ihui
the gUaMTatdrday night attei consuiaug'
diosligareneb m • for ftps on conducting a
t.itosr
'Sahara' author speaks on campus
Adventure-series author Clive Cussler spoke about his novels
as well as his foundation that searches for old ships lost at sea
BY EVA SYLWESTER
SENIOR NEWS REPORTER
Novelist Clive Cussler told the crowd filling Ger
linger Hall’s Alumni Lounge on Friday night that
he researches historical events for inspiration and
guidance to make stories seem plausible but also
considers hypothetical “what if?” scenarios.
“What if a World War I biplane attacks a mod
em jet plane?” Cussler said. “It’s fun stuff.”
Among Cussler’s novels is the Dirk Pitt adven
ture “Sahara,” which was turned into a Holly
wood film starring Matthew McConaughey.
Frances Cogan, a professor of literature in the
University’s Robert D. Clark Honors College, ti
tled her class “Colloquium on Adventure Fiction:
Homer to Clive Cussler” after the man she de
scribed as “probably the best plotter in the mod
ern world.” The curriculum, intended for Clark
Honors College students with at least sophomore
standing, includes Cogan’s favorite Cussler
novel, “Treasure. ”
Cogan wrote a letter to Cussler inviting him to
visit her class. After about six weeks with no re
sponse, she said she’d forgotten about it. Then,
while she was in her office working on a book
she’s writing, Cussler called.
“I just about dropped the phone,” Cogan said.
Cogan told Cussler that because the Universi
ty’s budget is limited, she wouldn’t be able to
provide him a large honorarium if he came to
speak. He agreed to come without an honorari
um and to foot his own travel costs. Cussler was
originally going to speak to only Cogan’s class,
but a large public lecture was planned instead to
accommodate all the people who had shown in
terest in attending.
“He’s exactly the way I hoped he’d be, and
that is generous and kind and funny and very
down to earth,” Cogan said.
Cussler said he began writing when he was an
advertiser living in a tract house in California.
His wife took a job working nights for the police
department, while he was home putting their
children to bed.
“Afterwards I didn’t have anyone to talk to, so
I thought: ‘Gee, I’ll write a book,”’ Cussler said.
In the California tract house, Cussler’s type
writer was in the bedroom of his son Dirk, who
became the namesake for Dirk Pitt.
Pitt, the hero of 18 Cussler novels, also drew
some characteristics from Cussler himself.
Cussler and Pitt were both 36 years old at the
time the first novel was written, but Pitt is now
only 45, while Cussler is 74.
Cussler uses the proceeds from his books to fi
nance his second major enterprise: the National
Underwater and Marine Agency, a foundation
that investigates — and has found at least 60 —
old shipwrecks.
The agency, which is named after the fictional
Pitt’s employer, came into existence in 1978
when Cussler began searching for the Bon
homme Richard, which American sailor John
CUSSLER. page 8
City code
to increase
tolerance
put on hold
Eugene is trying to amend its
anti-discrimination code to
include transgender individuals
BY CHRIS HAGAN
NEWS REPORTER
The city of Eugene is attempting to add
protections for transgender people to its
anti-discrimination ordinance, but discus
sion over the finer points of the changes by
those writing them has created delays.
Some have expressed concern that a code
without a requirement for transgender peo
ple to show documentation of their gender
could make it easier for sexual predators to
gain access to female restrooms, and some
advocates say adding some kind of docu
mentation requirement would increase the
chance of the changes being passed.
Eugene Human Rights Commission
member and Ward 3 City Councilor David
Kelly said the city is still working with
community leaders to try to find a compro
mise on the issue.
“We’re trying to build the broadest con
sensus about what is the best language to
use,” Kelly said.
The current ordinance protects people
from discrimination in housing, employ
ment and work places. The proposed
changes would add the term “gender iden
tity” to the list of protected classes, such as
race, religion and sexual orientation. Similar
language has been adopted by 61 other cities
nationally.
In January 2005, the city created the Gen
der Identity Work Group to research the is
sue and propose language for changes to the
code. The main controversy was over public
accommodations, specifically if transgender
people could use the bathroom facilities of
the gender they identified with or if public
places could require them to show legal doc
umentation to use a particular gender’s ac
commodations.
TRANSGENDER, page 4
Nicole Barker | Senior photographer
Author Clive Cussler, famous for his adventure
novels, spoke Friday evening in Gerlinger Hall.