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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (June 12, 2014)
LET TERS MULTIPLE CELEBRATIONS I just heard about the cancellation of the Eugene Celebration. What about this: Let’s have a Eugene Celebration from EWEB plaza to the North Polk Community Garden along the bike path. Two stages, one at each end. Maybe a third stage at Skinner Butte Park and a fourth close to the River House. Booths all along the bike path. And it could be free! Maybe see if the outdoor concert folks are willing to help coordinate with the neighborhood associations in those areas. Could be more fun than it has been for years. Anand E. Holtham-Keathley Eugene SELF-SERVING RANT After reading Chris Eidemiller’s Viewpoint [6/5] I have come to the conclusion that EW will print anything, including this rant, which is total crap. First, we need to remember that the vast majority of scholarships are given to athletes who fulfi ll their time at the UO, and very few leave to pursue a pro career. I do not understand why an early departure would ruffl e Eidemiller’s feathers. Would he care if a math scholar left early to work at NASA or a chemistry student left to pursue a career with 3M? Also, the UO does recruit in-state. Many athletes in all sports are from Oregon and the Northwest. I could go on about this self-serving VIEWPOINT rant, which clearly is an avenue in which Eidemiller can fulfi ll his desires to bash the UO, but I will end by saying good riddance; you will not be missed. John Carlson Eugene Berwick, OBF Executive Director John Evans and OBF Artistic Director Matthew Halls deserve enormous praise for funding and designing this visionary program. David Wade Eugene THANKS TO KITTY NOT ALL FOR PROFIT I hope we can all thank you, Mayor Kitty Piercy, for your important letter to UO Assistant Vice President Greg Rikkhoff. Is it just me thinking that gender inequality has increased? For some, sexual assault is to be expected? Or for some, we should only elect men? I really appreciated her strong position for women and I’m sure she knows more than most, as mayor, how we must make some changes. Ruth Duemler Eugene Your recent article neglected some critical information as to the “marketplace” for Common Core curricula, at least in math. There are a number of open, free or very low-cost resources — some supplementary, some full curricula — which teachers can now use thanks to the Common Core. • Illustrative Mathematics, which pro- vides individual tasks along with extensive commentary to help with classroom use and promote teacher professional under- standing. Every task is approved both by a teacher and a university mathematician. (Also, see our videos for teachers about fractions. Coming soon: curricular maps.) • Eureka Math/EngageNY, a full cur- riculum developed from the ground up by teachers working with national experts, which are freely available (including full teacher materials) in perpetuity. • Dan Meyer’s Three-Act Tasks, teacher-written real-world problems at middle- and high-school levels. Dan also has a great TED Talk, “Math Class Needs a Makeover,” which speaks to the need for curricula to change signifi cantly. VISIONARY PROGRAM The new $7.25-million Berwick Acad- emy for Historically Informed Performance Practice cements the Oregon Bach Festi- val’s position as the preeminent Baroque music festival in the U.S. The Academy will impact Baroque music performance throughout the country for the next 50 years. It will generate constant national attention to OBF and to the UO’s already outstand- ing music department, entitling Eugene to a new moniker: “Bach Town USA” (thanks to Nancy Pobanz for this insight). UO alumni Andrew and Phyllis CONTRIVED ARTICLE Since I have previously written with regards to Jake Klonoski’s views on Afghanistan, I felt compelled to respond to his wife’s feelings regarding Memorial Day [5/22]. BY DENNIS HEBER T It’s Up to Us WILL CIVIC STADIUM CONTINUE TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY? N ew architectural drawings reveal a beautiful, renovated fi eld and grandstand with massive old-growth structural timbers — capturing the vision shared by civic leaders and Works Progress Administration who in 1938 designed and built Civic Stadium for public use. The site was then deeded to School District 4J for a token $1, and 4J is now selling it. We are determined to raise the $3 million needed by early September for the restoration of the stadium and fi eld so the city will follow through to purchase the property. It will ensure that the promise is kept: that Civic continues to be used for the public good. That’s a no-brainer when the probable alternative is another big-box store with out-of-state ownership like Fred Meyer. Civic sits on a large (10.2 acre) property and potential partners have expressed interest in sharing the site. Some would like to build a fi eld house for youth sports in the current parking area. Many agree that Eugene needs a versatile indoor venue where cultural and educational events exhibiting Eugene’s unique commitment to healthy living and sustainability could be held year-round. Who is involved in making this historic community treasure beautiful and utilized again? If not you, then 4 • Mathalicious, computer-based real- world projects, for example, a great unit on the dangers of texting while driving (requires a subscription, but for individual teachers it is pay-what-you-can). • Khan Academy, which has been up- dating its content to be more conceptually demanding and useful as a classroom sup- plement (still in process), and still gives it away for free. The list goes on. All of these resources are much better than just about anything available — free or expensive — four years ago. Moreover, individual teachers have better tools to share in a community that is building across the country. I met just yesterday with a teacher from Kalapuya High School in the Bethel School District who is doing some neat things, and I urged him to share more widely. If the corporations are planning to “cash in,” they’ve made a big mistake. Those producing high-quality materials and giving them away can now, thanks to the Common Core, team up nationally to serve students and teachers. Dev Sinha Assoc. professor of mathematics, UO June 12, 2014 • eugeneweekly.com you likely have a friend or neighbor who says, “I love that place; we’ve got to save and restore it!” There is diverse support for the continued public ownership of the Civic site. Athletes from neighboring South Eugene High School want to use the fi eld for their fi eld sports again. Adults fondly remember playing and watching baseball and football at Civic. Young soccer players would love to play at Civic, and with their families watch the minor league teams of this increasingly popular sport. UO, LCC and NCU students would like to play ultimate Frisbee, rugby, lacrosse and other fi eld sports in the heart of the city. Local bands like The Sugar Beets want to play concerts on the fi eld. Local promoters have expressed interest in bringing outdoor summer concerts to Civic. Area wineries have asked to rent the space for cultural events. Classic car lovers want to show their beauties at a classic venue like Civic. Add your favorite community event to this list! The Friends of Civic Stadium’s fundraising plan is based on the viable “community fundraising pyramid.” The base is comprised of the people mentioned above — those who have used or would be using Civic. In addition to donating, some are sponsoring house parties and benefi t concerts. The mid-levels of the pyramid represent those of us who can afford to give a tax deductible gift of $50 to $5,000. (Donations can go into an escrow account and will be returned if we are not able to meet the city’s deadline.) Individuals giving in this range join more than 25 businesses in our new Civic Partnership Program, helping us get the word out to their customers (please contact me at scscivic@gmail.com if your busi- ness is interested in participating). We hope you will support Civic by patronizing our business partners listed on our website. Further up the fundraising pyramid are the foundation and corporation grants supporting historic preservation and safe, healthy opportunities for youth recreation. The pyramid’s “capstone” will be gifts from those who can make a very large donation to the commu- nity. Their participation depends on the pyramid base demonstrating that it deeply values Civic as an im- portant regional public asset for future generations. Community support is growing every day and we hope you will join in. Volunteer, get a lawn sign and donate at friendsofcivicstadium.org. Thanks for supporting Civic! Dennis Hebert of Eugene is president of Friends of Civic Stadium. To donate go to savecivicstadium.org
