NE W S
CORRECTIONS/CLARIFICATIONS
Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa. EW has been
informed the gentle mockery of UO’s motto “mens
agitat molem” (that’s “mind moves the mass” for you
non-classics scholars who think UO’s motto translates
to “men agitate moles”) should have read “corpora
agitant [plural] molem” (bodies move the mass),
instead of agitat, which is singular. Best motto that’s
been proposed? “UO: We teach classes, too.”
ACTIVIST
LERT
• How can we achieve net-zero water in
buildings? A presentation and round table
discussion on the “Water Petal of the Living Building
Challenge” will be from 5 to 8 pm Thursday, Oct. 18t,
at Gerlinger Lounge on the UO campus. Discussion
will focus on three case studies: a single family
home, a multi-family building and commercial
building. Free, but space is limited. RSVP to Scott
Stolarczyk at 342-8077 or email eugene@
cascadiagbc.org
• A big anti-pot Statewide Marijuana Summit is
from 8 am to 4:30 pm Thursday, Oct. 18, at Living
Hope Christian Church in Madras. See
BestCarePrevention.org
• A resolution opposing coal trains through
Eugene is on the agenda of the Eugene City Council
Monday evening, Oct. 22. The council held a work
session Oct. 8 to hear from both opponents and
proponents of the coal trains. On July 9, Councilor
Alan Zelenka proposed Resolution 5065 to oppose
the transport of coal by train through Eugene. A
petition opposed to a coal export terminal at the Port
of Morrow on the Columbia River near Boardman can
be found at http://wkly.ws/1dc
• Veterans for Peace is planning an “Unoccupy
Afghanistan” vigil at 4:30 pm Wednesday, Oct. 24, at
the old Federal Building, 211 E. 7th Ave. downtown.
• A town hall meeting to include a screening of
The Story of Citizens United will be at 6:30 pm
Wednesday, Oct. 24, at the First United Methodist
Church, 1376 Olive St. Short presentations and
small group discussions will follow. Eugene Ballot
Measure 20-198 asks Congress to pass a
constitutional amendment overturning the Citizens
United decision; attendees will discuss why an
amendment is needed and what it should look like.
Sponsored by We the People — Eugene.
• Eugene Neighborhoods Inc.’s annual meeting
will be from 5 to 7 pm Thursday, Oct. 25, at Davis
Restaurant, 94 W. Broadway. A panel of citizens will
relate their experiences protecting neighborhoods
against unwise commercial and residential
developments and unwanted cell-towers, and
lessons learned from working with attorneys
specializing in Oregon’s land use laws. Panelists will
include Lisa Warnes, Merilee Eisen, April Hatcher,
Camilla Bayliss, Paul Conte and Liam Sherlock.
Happy hour and socializing at 5 with program at
5:30.
• Canvassing for Betty Taylor is now happening
Saturdays with an 11 am gathering time at the
Democratic Party of Lane County Office, 228 E.11th
Ave. Call 484-5099 or 914-5603. Democratic
campaigns are also being supported by the new
Organizing for America (OFA) field office at 115 W
6th Ave. Eugene. Call 525-9387 for information on
voter outreach and canvassing.
LOCAL ACTIVIST
DEFENDS
BIG BIRD
Duri ng the fi rst presidential
debate Oct. 3, when Mitt Romney
professed to “love Big Bird” yet
said he would “stop the subsidy to
PBS,” he triggered an immediate
internet outcry, one that prompted
former Eugenean and political ac-
tivist Sam Chapman to start a fun-
draising campaign for the Sesame
Street character. Chapman’s cam-
paign swiftly made national head-
lines with mentions in papers such
as USA Today.
Chapman, a UO graduate and social media consultant
based in Portland, is no stranger to political activism. In 2011,
he organized the online version of Occupy Eugene on Face-
book, which led to the formation of Eugene’s Occupy camps
and subsequent attention boost to Eugene’s homeless issues.
Chapman says his contribution to the movement yielded
some surprising results. He started the Facebook page in re-
sponse to the start of the Occupy Portland movement. Within
24 hours, the page had over 300 members, and it soon led to
the Oct. 15 march that kicked off OE.
Chapman has moved on to other political causes and is
now working to support Measure 80, which would legalize
and regulate marijuana in Oregon. As cofounder of Orego-
nians for Law Reform, Chapman recently worked to elimi-
nate seven billboards in the Portland area that made inaccu-
rate comparisons between marijuana and meth, depicting a
young woman looking haggard with sores. Chapman says
the misleading billboards, put in place by Protect Our Soci-
ety, will be taken down as a result of failure to disclose their
source of funding.
“I’ve always felt that my stronger skill-sets involve speak-
ing for the soft-spoken,” Chapman says. “If I feel strongly
about something, you can bet I’m going to do something
about it.”
This philosophy prevailed when Big Bird came under fi re.
Chapman grew up watching Sesame Street and even saw Big
Bird live in New York when he was 4 years old. Somehow,
he says, he knew he had to help out his beloved PBS. Since
Big Bird is male, he is at least safe from Romney’s “binders
full of women.”
The campaign “Keep Your Mitts off of Big Bird!” is at
Indiegogo.com, a website that allows its users to post cam-
paigns and raise money. As of Oct. 16, the Big Bird campaign
has raised $447 and will continue accepting contributions un-
til Nov. 2, after which all collected donations will go directly
to PBS. — Amy Schneider
UO HONORING
ANNE DHU MCLUCAS
The UO is honoring the life and work of music profes-
sor and former dean of the School of Music and Dance Anne
Dhu McLucas, who died Sept. 8. Plans are proceeding on the
second of a two-part symposium on “Oral Traditions, Old and
New” Oct. 19 and 20.
The October portion of the symposium will be dedicated
to McLucas, with musicians and scholars from across the U.S.
and abroad presenting their work in her memory. The theme
of the symposium was chosen to honor her 2010 monograph,
the “The Musical Ear: Oral Tradition in the USA.”
lighten up
BY RAFAEL ALDAVE
10
October 18, 2012 • eugeneweekly.com
A memorial service will be held at 4 pm Saturday, Oct.
20, in Beall Concert Hall, 961 E. 18th Ave., on campus. The
service is open to the public. See music.uoregon.edu for more
information on the symposium and memorial.
LOOKING AHEAD
FOR RAPID TRANSIT
In celebration of fi nal local approval of West Eugene EmX,
a party to celebrate and thank everyone who has worked to
support EmX is being planned for 5:30 to 7 pm Tuesday, Oct.
23, at the Broadway Commerce Center, 44 W. Broadway.
Mayor Kitty Piercy, LTD Board Chair Greg Evans and other
local leaders are expected to attend. RSVP to rsvp@emxyes.
org
What’s next for EmX? The LTD Board has approved pro-
ceeding into the design and development stages of the West
Eugene EmX Extension. Meanwhile, LTD and the Federal
Transit Administration (FTA) are completing the Environmen-
tal Analysis (EA) review process.
“If the FTA fi nds that all signifi cant impacts have been
avoided or mitigated, a Finding of No Signifi cant Impact
(FONSI) will be issued to complete the environmental plan-
ning and review process,” according to the LTD website.
After receiving funding authorization, LTD will begin de-
veloping detailed project designs. LTD will work with prop-
erty owners along the corridor on project refi nements that
best meet the interests of property owners, businesses and
the project. After the 18- to 24-month fi nal design process is
completed, “construction would progress in segments along
the route to minimize the duration of construction at any loca-
tion,” says LTD. “Given this schedule, the new West Eugene
EmX service would open to the public in 2017. LTD hopes to
accelerate this timeline, if possible.”
LTD says the EmX Extension will benefi t the community
in several ways:
• Improvements along West 6th, 7th, and 11th avenues will
increase capacity at eight major intersections, add 5.9
miles of new street pavement and add 4.7 miles of upgrad-
ed sidewalks.
• Two new bike/pedestrian bridges over Amazon Creek will
provide connections to West 11th.
• An additional 8.8 new round-trip miles will be added to
EmX for a total of 24 round-trip miles.
• Travel time will improve for both transit and regular traffi c
along the entire west Eugene corridor.
• LTD will experience lower long-term transit operating
costs, “thereby maintaining funds for quality service into
the future.”
See weemx.ltd.org for more information.
Running 150-car coal trains that spew coal dust, belch
diesel fumes and snarl traffic throughout Eugene just
might make environmentalists out of all of us.