Celebration: A time to honor the departed
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shape of skulls or other bones.
On Dia de los Muertos, families
remember the departed by offering
the deceased their favorite foods,
drinks and other things they en
joyed in life.
"In Mexico, they actually go to
the graves and set up the altar and
celebrate at the graves of their loved
ones,” MEChA External Director
Orlando Bravo said. “Since 1 can’t
go to the graves, this is a way for
me to celebrate here. ”
Because Dfa de los Muertos falls
so close to Halloween, it’s interest
ing for people to see a different
view of the afterlife during their cel
ebrations, Internal Director of
MEChA Juliana Guzman said.
“It’s a different perspective of the
dead for people to see around Hal
loween,” Guzman said. “For us,
death is living. Dia de Los Muertos
is a happy time to celebrate the
lives of those who have passed. It
isn’t sad or scary.”
MEChA’s 25th-annual Dia de los
Muertos celebration starts at 6:25
p.m. today in the EMU Ballroom.
The Maude Kerns Gallery is also
celebrating Dia de los Muertos in
Eugene. The gallery’s 12th-annual
Dia de los Muertos exhibit features
23 local and national artists and in
cludes elaborate altars, traditional
and contemporary images of Dia
de los Muertos and an interactive
altar where people can write their
own remembrances.
The gallery is also presenting a
lecture, “Death & Fiesta: The Cele
bration of Dia de los Muertos,” to
day at 7 p.m.. The lecture, which
will cover how this tradition is cele
brated in modern-day Mexico, is by
folklorist and former Maude Kerns
Gallery Dia de los Muertos Curator
Susan Dearborn Jackson.
Nicole Barker | Senior photographer
Juliana Guzman, internal director of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan at the Uni
versity, discusses the meaning of Dia de Los Muertos. MEChA’s celebration will be held
tonight in the EMU Ballroom.
The Maude Kerns Gallery is
located at 1910 E. 15th Ave. The Dia
de los Muertos exhibit runs
until Nov. 11.
Contact the people, culture
and faith reporter at
bmcclenahan@ daily emerald, com
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IN BRIEF
Senate seeks student input
on punishing unruly fans
The student government Athletic
Department Finance Committee and
the Student Senate tonight will dis
cuss “unclassy fan behavior” at Uni
versity sporting events. The meeting
will be held at 5 p.m. in 116 Esslinger.
Students may attend and give feed
back on last week’s ADFC proposal
that the Student Senate punish “ma
jor and egregious” offenses at sport
ing events by revoking student ticket
privileges. The Senate will also con
sider other punishments and courses
of action at the meeting.
All enrolled students currently pay
$191 in incidental fees per term, per
student, to pay for tickets to football
and men’s basketball games, as well
as other services, such as bus servic
es from Lane Transit District and use
of the Student Recreation Center.
Last week Senators met to discuss
the issue and could not agree on a
course of action. Several Senators
said they consider revoking tickets a
harsh punishment for pre-paid privi
leges. Others argued that certain of
fenses, such as fights and throwing
bottles, go against expectations out
lined in the Student Code of Conduct.
Senators are holding tonight’s meet
ing because they could not agree on
a recommendation last week, and
they are seeking student input.
The Senate will continue the de
bate today before submitting an offi
cial recommendation to University
President Dave Frohnmayer.
— Nicholas Wilbur
Enrollment grows slightly
at Oregon universities
PORTLAND — Enrollment in
creased at five of Oregon’s seven pub
lic universities this fall.
Eastern Oregon University in La
Grande posted an almost 6 percent
jump, the fastest growth among the
universities. Southern Oregon Univer
sity in Ashland saw enrollment dip for
the second year in a row. This
year’s 3.5 percent decline, however,
was much less steep than last year’s
6 percent drop.
Though most of the universities saw
enrollment growth, the increases were
much more modest than those of the
mid-to-late 1990s.
Oregon universities added more
than 18,000 students in the 10-year
span from 1994 to 2003. Based on esti
mates this fall, the Oregon University
System added roughly 1,100 students,
an increase of less than 2 percent.
Portland State University, the state’s
largest school, saw its enrollment in
crease by 790 students — or 3 percent.
The University of Oregon and Oregon
State University each added 1 percent
or less, but those schools are attempt
ing to grow at a slow pace.
Western Oregon University in Mon
mouth grew 2 percent, in contrast to
2004 when enrollment dropped 5 per
cent. Enrollment at Oregon Institute of
Technology in Klamath Falls was flat,
with about 3,350 students.
The slower growth in recent years
has coincided with double-digit
percentage tuition increases
from 2002 through 2004 and an
economic downturn.
This fall, tuition and mandatory fees
rose, on average, by 4 percent. The
Legislature also provided money for all
eligible low-income public university
students to receive grants to help pay
tuition, up from 70 percent last year.
Veteran lawmaker
won't seek another term
SALEM — Rep. Bob Ackerman,
D-Eugene, announced that he is
retiring from office at the end of his
current term.
Ackerman, 68, also dismissed spec
ulation that he would run for the
Senate district that includes his north
Eugene district, a seat that could open
if Sen. Vicki Walker, D-Eugene, chal
lenges Gov. Ted Kulongoski in next
year’s primary.
Ackerman was first elected to the
House in 2000. An attorney, Ackerman
served all three of his sessions on the
Judiciary Committee, as well as on
other panels.
He said his decision to retire was
partly based on his self-imposed limit
of three House terms. Ackerman said
the year-round work load that extends
from session to interim work to cam
paigning also led to his decision.
“It’s a question of what you want to
do with the rest of your life, what
you’d like to do with your family,”
Ackerman told the Register-Guard.
Ackerman said the highlight of his
legislative career was being chosen by
the speaker of a Republican-controlled
House to chair the Civil Law Subcom
mittee of the Judiciary Committee, an
unusual assignment for a member of
the minority party.
“Having received that appointment
from across the aisle from a Republi
can speaker spoke to my bipartisan ap
proach,” he said.
Senate Majority Leader Kate Brown,
who is in charge of her chamber’s De
mocratic campaigns, said Ackerman
would have made a strong Senate can
didate, but she was confident the seat
will remain in Democratic hands if
Walker opposes Kulongoski.
Democrats control the Senate, but
Republicans are attempting to take
seats they view as vulnerable, includ
ing Walker’s.
“There are other folks we’re talking
to,” Brown said. “We’re not ready to
name names.”
Republican Jim Torrey, the former
mayor of Eugene, is the only candidate
filed in Senate District 7.
No Republicans have entered the
race for Ackerman’s House District 13.
Ackerman said he supports
Nancy Nathanson, a former Eugene
city councilwoman and mayoral
candidate.
Her campaign manager, Chris
Matson, said Nathanson, a Democ
rat, planned to file as a candidate
next week.
Former Science teacher
gets five years in prison
EUGENE — A high school science
teacher who pleaded guilty to sexual
ly abusing two former students was
sentenced to five years in prison.
Dustin Beck, 32, who taught at
Mohawk High School in Marcola,
told Lane County Judge Doug
Mitchell on Monday that he intends
to spend the rest of his life proving he
has a good heart.
Beck said he regretted the pain
caused by his “foolishness.”
Mitchell scoffed at Beck’s use of
the word.
“The only hope you have will be for
you to understand and accept what
you did was criminal — not a mistake,
not bad judgment,” the judge said.
“You need to take responsibility. ”
Beck, who also coached soccer and
was a youth pastor, was sentenced to
four years and four months in state
prison, followed by eight months in
the Lane County Jail. He will also un
dergo sex-offender treatment.
Abuse occurred between 2000 and
2004, according to court documents.
The father of one victim said
Beck didn’t just abuse the girls.
Beck, he said, abused his communi
ty, his school, his teams, and
his congregation.
“This was cold and calculated,” he
told the judge.
The victims, standing side by side,
told Beck they are pleased to see him
headed to prison.
One said she felt humiliated, embar
rassed, ashamed and disappointed in
herself at falling victim. She said it was
tough to report the crimes because of
Beck’s popularity.
—The Associated Press