WHAT I DID OVER
SUMMER BREAK
Some UO faculty fear changes to the
Oregon Administrative Rules regarding stu-
dent records — compliant with the USA PA-
TRIOT Act — are a threat to student privacy.
In a June 20 UO public hearing, 12 faculty
and administrators discussed these changes
to the rules. The changes in question regard
the UO’s obligation to surrender student
records, without notifying the student, in the
event of being subpoenaed. There are also
changes regarding student directory informa-
tion.
In a letter to the media, biology Prof.
Frank Stahl writes, “In May, 2003 … the UO
Senate expressed its interest in the nature of
university compliance with the USA PATRI-
OTIC act. University General Consul
Melinda Grier assured the Senate that no re-
quests for information had been received by
the university. Despite the … interest of the
Senate in this matter, and … the passage of a
Senate motion seeking a statement from the
UO administration regarding plans for com-
pliance, no mention was made by General
Counsel Grier of the planned rules change.”
Barbara Pope, professor emeritus in
Women’s and Gender Studies, and author/ed-
itor of the UO Resolution on the PATRIOT
Act, also held the administration suspect,
saying, “We wrote the resolution in the best
faith of the administration to cooperate,
gather information, and have a give and take
…”
Faculty were also disturbed that the pre-
hearing on the changes was set for June 3,
during “dead week;” and the June 20 hearing
was exactly one week after students had been
released for summer break. Such scheduling,
faculty say, could mean student privacy was
being threatened without students knowing
it. Louise Westling, professor of English,
said, “I have protected student privacy as di-
rected by administration … I am stunned that
this change would happen, almost in secret.”
Chereck responded, “I did not in any way
see the relationship with the PATRIOT Act.
This week when I did, I gasped for air.” He
said the changes were only edits to dense
legal-ese. In fact, the rules — actually federal
law according to the Family Educational
Rights and Privacy Act — had been in place
since the Improving America’s Schools Act
of 1994.
When faculty realized these rules were
existing federal law, they and Chereck dis-
cussed specific wording concerns. They were
worried about the UO surrendering informa-
tion under subpoena by “the court or other is-
suing agency …” They also had questions
about releasing student information based on
“a reasonable need to know …” Chereck as-
sured faculty that these concerns would be
addressed.
Pope responded, “We’re not here just to
make trouble … we want to be heard.”
— Bobbie Willis
COPS DENY PROBLEM
IN PARAMILITARY RAID
The Eugene Police Department, after
being leafletted at an awards ceremony, has
acknowledged a formal complaint from the
Whiteaker Community Council (WCC) and
denied any wrongdoing or policy violations
in a drug raid in the Whiteaker neighborhood.
The complaint filed April 30 was in re-
sponse to a fruitless paramilitary raid on a
home Oct. 17, 2002. The complaint outlines
the “well-founded concern that the police
tactics and weapons used unnecessarily en-
dangered everyone in the area: the residents
in the properties being searched, the police
involved in carrying out the operation, and
the many innocent adults and children living
in the vicinity.” A lawsuit against the police
by the families raided is also pending, citing
excessive use of force in the incident.
The EPD had not acknowledged the
complaint for six weeks even though the
“Tell Us About It” form for commendations
and complaints states: “Our policy is to com-
plete the investigation within approximately
30 days from the date we receive the com-
plaint. If that is not possible we will notify
you of a delay ...”
The response finally came after members
BY PAUL NEEVEL
Ken Raymen
Thirty years ago, when he was em-
ployed in the controller’s office of
Rutgers University in New Jersey, Ken
Raymen cut back to half-time work so
that he could volunteer half-time at
an elementary school. “I’ve been
doing it ever since,” says Raymen,
who was recently named volunteer of
the year in Springfield schools for his
efforts at Page Elementary. When he
moved to Eugene in 1986 — “My
brother has lived here since ‘71” —
Raymen imported a program of intra-
school team competitions that he had
developed in New Jersey. During the
‘90s, Raymen organized “Teamwork”
contests at four Eugene elementary
schools. “I was doing the whole thing
myself,” he notes. “Eventually I
burned out.” After a move to
Springfield, he began volunteering at the Page School library in 2000. “Then they
asked, ‘How about doing lunch recess?’” he notes. “I get to see all the kids — I love that.”
During the past school year, Raymen has founded a non-profit corporation, We All Win,
Inc., to organize supplementary educational programs in the Springfield district. “Ken is
a pretty awesome guy — we love him,” says Page Principal Carole Sterry. “He also gets
other people to volunteer.”— Paul Neevel
8 JUNE 26, 2003
of the WCC quietly passed out fliers com-
plaining about the lack of response at an EPD
awards ceremony June 11, says Majeska
Seese-Green of WCC.
The letter of response from Sgt. Kel
Williams says “the matter has been closely
examined,” and that Chief Buchanan is “sat-
isfied that, both legally and procedurally,
EPD officers applied for and served the war-
rant in a manner consistent with best police
professional standards, and with our poli-
cies.”
Regarding the complaint that the paramil-
itary action endangered citizens in the area,
the letter states, “Such a concern is under-
standable to the uninformed ...”
Seese-Green responds that the biggest
problem is with the policies, or lack of poli-
cies, restraining the actions of EPD.
— Ted Taylor
ESSN GATHERS TO TALK
TAXES, CELEBRATE YEAR
Two successful labor and tax organizers
from Los Angeles will share their experi-
ences and insights as keynote speakers for the
annual meeting of Eugene-Springfield
Solidarity Network (ESSN) and Jobs with
Justice from 7 to 9 pm Tuesday, July 1. The
meeting will be at the First United Methodist
Church, 1376 Olive St.
Last November, a coalition of labor and
community organizations in Los Angeles
County won a historic victory by passing the
first property tax increase in California in 20
years. The tax hike was targeted at maintain-
ing the county’s crumbling public health sys-
tem by providing funds for vital community
clinics and regional hospitals responsible for
providing care for the county’s 2.7 million
uninsured.
Like Oregon, California has been the bat-
tleground for a right-wing anti-tax agenda,
and the state’s public services are facing sim-
ilar cuts as Oregon. The lessons of this vic-
tory in L.A. County will be shared by two or-
ganizers from the campaign, Ericka Smith
from the Service Employees International
Union Local 660, and Amy Hall from the
Committee of Interns and Residents.
“Their campaign was built on a broad
community-labor coalition, was based on
one-on-one organizing, and used creative ac-
tions on the streets to increase the campaign’s
visibility and move its message in the pub-
lic,” says Sarah Jacobsen of ESSN.
The meeting kicks off ESSN’s campaign
for tax justice. The event is open to the pub-
lic. For more information, call ESSN at 736-
9041 or e-mail essn@efn.org — TJT
CYCLISTS STOPPED
Two African-American men on bicycles
were stopped by a Eugene police officer on
Broadway near Almaden late in the evening
of June 16 and one of the men was pepper-
sprayed in the eyes.
Reports from bystanders conflict with po-
lice reports. “Sirens and the flash of several
police cars drew my attention to two black
men with bicycles surrounded by police,”
says Sherry Franzen, a member of
CopWatch. “A man was sitting on the curb
and called out to me saying he’d been pepper
sprayed in the face for riding without a bike
light. I was ordered to leave, to ‘go home’ or
I’d be arrested. In my opinion, I was home.”
Franzen says neighbors on the scene told
her, “When the other man asked why they
were arresting his brother, a cop held a gun to
his head.”
According to an EPD report, Ronald
Rebers, 23, and Ruben Charles Vaughan, 25,
were riding bicycles down a dark street with-
out lights and were stopped by officer Scott
Dillon at 10:45 that evening. Rebers com-
plied with Dillon’s orders to get off the bicy-
cle and sit on the sidewalk, but Vaughan was
angry, combative and “wouldn’t get off his
bike.”
In the ensuing verbal exchange and “esca-
lating hostility,” the officer says he threat-
ened Vaughan with OC gas (pepper spray)
and when he was “concerned for my immedi-
ate safety” shot a “one-second burst of OC
spray to the eyes.” Finally, after backup ar-
rived and after threatening Vaughan with a
baton, the suspect “complied” and was
hauled off to jail. Following a subsequent
search, Vaughan was found to be carrying a
six-inch knife and “metal knuckles” and was
charged with interfering with police and car-
rying a concealed weapon, according to po-
lice. Vaughan could not be reached for com-
ment.
Rebers was cited for a bicycle equipment
violation and released. — TJT