In the midst of ASUO committees trying to hit the 3.5 percent budget cap, some committees are having to be merciless with during the budget hearing process. For the Athletics Contracts Finance Committee, that has come in the form of having to defund the United States Student Association for the 2014-2015 school year.

During the ACFC’s Feb. 18 budget hearing, the committee voted to not have a hearing with the USSA  since they missed the deadline on turning in funding paperwork.

“We voted not to hear the USSA because they hadn’t informed us about the possibility of missing their deadline,” ASUO Senator and ACFC board member Josh Losner said. “We’re keeping with a tight budget this year due to the cap, so we need to focus on the hearings that make the deadline.”

Corporate Secretary for USSA, Lamar Wise said that the problem with reaching the ACFC’s November deadline is that the USSA’s fiscal year doesn’t begin until January, meaning that the USSA wouldn’t have the proper information to fill out the paperwork until two months after the deadline.

“In January is when we have our board meeting to talk about the fiscal year, and I think Losner was upset with the alleged lack of communication that we gave the committee, even though we were pretty upfront about our timing issue beforehand,” Wise said. “If it doesn’t get passed, then there won’t be any representation from the UO on a national level. It’s important for UO, but also for Oregon, that we have representation on a national level in D.C.”

The USSA is the country’s largest and oldest student led organization that advocates for laws that help support students. The USSA is involved at the local and state level, but its most notable action takes place in Washington D.C. With the ACFC paying for the membership fees, every student at the UO becomes a member of USSA. The UO is one of the only universities in the country that has a direct membership contract with the students.

According to Wise, the USSA is looking to make an appeal to get a hearing.

“You can only appeal if there was something wrong with the process, or if you’re requesting a different dollar amount,” Wise said. “The basis of our new request is that we’re going to be asking for about half of our previous request in the hopes of having a positive conversation with the committee and the USSA.”

The USSA’s original request was $24,531, but the new amount that the group will be requesting to the ACFC is $10,000, according to the USSA budget request form.

For five moths, the unauthorized homeless campsite, Whoville has survived everything from snow, record low temperatures and an eviction notice from the City Council. Though its latest victory came in the form of an eviction extension through April 1 — with the construction of a third legal homeless campsite in the works to replace the transient settlement — it looks as if Whoville will officially shut its doors one month from today.

Whoville is a DIY homeless campsite that’s been on Broadway St. for the past five months. The city has deemed the site as an illegal campsite, and they’ve been working on clearing out the area for the last two months. The Council’s initial March 1 evacuation date for Whoville after an initial 30-day eviction notice was issued in early February has been extended one month following the proposal of a new homeless site.

At a Eugene City Council meeting on Wednesday night, City Manager Jon Ruiz proposed a third city authorized homeless shelter campsite be erected in order to replace Whoville. The Council voted yes on the proposal with a vote of 5-2. Though there’s no official date on when the new site will be up, the City Council is looking for Whoville to be closed down by April 1.

“They made the decision on Wednesday, and now we’re waiting to see when we should leave here and find a new place to stay,” said Whoville resident Nathan “Red” Showers. ”The one problem with these sites from the city is that they only allow like fifteen or twenty people for each site.”

The two city-approved campsites only allow fifteen people per site, but there’s no word yet on what the capacity at the new site will be. According to Showers, Whoville currently has 30-40 occupants.

The new campsite will be located near the Chambers Street overpass and Northwest Expressway.

There’s no such thing as an unsatisfied breakfast customer at Glenwood Restaurant. Unless of course you loved the food so much that you’re disappointed there aren’t any seconds. It’s doubtful you’ll be saying that though, since they’re more than generous with their portions.

Located near the University of Oregon campus on Alder St., Glenwood Restaurant has been a cornerstone of good food at a reasonable price for students for 35 years. Where Glenwood shines its brightest is during breakfast time where they’ll scramble up any type of food you can think of with their fresh and locally grown eggs.

Take for example the Novia Scotia Scramble which is scrambled eggs with fresh smoked salmon, green onions and a bit of cream cheese with a side of delicious home red potatoes. The Novia Scotia Scramble is a hometown favorite according to Ignacio Rodriguez, a waiter who’s been serving at Glenwood for over 10 years.

“Our big breakfast rush comes around 9 a.m. or so, and it’s usually students finishing up their first class or just before they go out to start,” Rodriguez said. “The omelette is probably one of our other biggest sellers in the morning time.”

Glenwood’s Continental Omlette comes with diced ham, bacon, onions and bell pepper stuffed inside two eggs, and it also comes with a side of home potatoes.

“Convenience plays a large role in making my decision on where to eat,” UO Senior Shannon Hartley said. “Glendwood is right off campus and it makes it a really convenient spot to eat at. I also love the college atmosphere and fair prices.”

Outside of Glenwood being an ideal place to get some food before you start off the day, the restaurant also has a private outside seating area that works as a great place just to sit back and relax with your friends.

“In the spring me and some buddies head out to Glenwood and sit outside in their small outdoor eating area which is super nice,” UO junior Conor McGough said. “I’ve only been there a few times but each time I’ve been totally satisfied with the service and selection. It’s also a great spot to take the parents when they come visit.”

Glenwood’s doors open at 7 a.m., but if you’re not a morning person don’t worry. Glenwood’s open till 9 p.m., and you’re able to order breakfast items all day.

With its homestyle Italian feel, fresh ingredients and a list of wines that would impress any wine connoisseur, Beppe and Gianni’s Trattoria is the ideal restaurant to take your special someone for a fancy night out.

Beppe and Gianni’s uses fresh and local ingredients daily to make sure that the restaurant is consistently at its highest standards. Even its seafood comes in fresh every day from Newman’s Fish Market.

Chef Brett Adamo has been cooking for Beppe and Gianni’s since it first opened its doors in 1998. According to Adamo, one of the many great things about Beppe and Gianni’s is that everyone from all parts of the community is frequent customers to the restaurant.

“We get a lot of people throughout Eugene coming to our restaurant on a regular basis,” Adamo said. “People from the university — both students and faculty — come in here often, too. And also people from the neighboring communities in Fremont and Hendricks park.”

Located on 19th Avenue and Agate Street, Beppe and Gianni’s is close enough to the university for students to get to, and its prices are low enough that they don’t cause too much damage to a student’s wallet.

“Our handmade stuffed pasta, ravioli and fresh seafood are some of our more popular dishes,” Adamo said. “The capelli di vescovo is also a really popular order.”

The capelli di vescovo is a “fresh handmade pasta stuffed with swiss chard, prosciutto, ricotta and parmesan cheese in a brown-butter sage sauce,” according to the restaurant’s menu.

The prosciutto and ricotta serve as fantastic complements to the plate’s sauce.

“I really like Italian food and theirs is fantastic,” junior business Michelle Virgin said. “They have a really nice atmosphere there too, and it’s just a great place to go to for a date or even with your family.”

Beppe and Gianni’s is only open from 5-9 p.m. during the weekday and 5-10 p.m. on the weekends. The restaurant gets crowded quickly and they only accept reservations for parties of eight or more. If you arrive at Beppe and Gianni’s and there’s a wait for a table, be sure to sample their wines at the bar. You can also order an appetizer from the bar while waiting.

The Caspian Mediterranean Cafe has become UO students’ dream spot for a fresh and cheap cheeseburger near campus.

“A lot of burgers definitely come out of the kitchen,” Caspian chef Ryan Richards said. “I’ve realized that people are looking to get a burger at pretty much any hour we’re open.”

The big draw toward the cheeseburgers at Caspian is that they’re only $6.95 — and that comes with french fries and a soft drink. But if you’re looking for good food at a cheap price at Caspian, burgers are not your only option. Anything on the menu — from shawarmas to Mediterranean burritos — cost less than $10. According to the café’s Yelp review page, the restaurant’s biggest draw is the big bang for your buck.

For over 20 years, Caspian has been giving students a cheap and healthy alternative. The restaurant manager, Elhaam Yazdi’s goal is to a make sure that the food is always at its best quality for both new and returning customers.

“New people are definitely always coming in and finding out about us,” Yazdi said. “But the students are always our biggest returning customers.”

Students aren’t the only returning customers though. Approximately 20 years worth of word-of-mouth recommendations has given Caspian a solid list of frequent customers that include non-students who live in the surrounding area. Stephen Wagner is one of those customers, and what keeps him coming back is the gyros dinner — five strips of spiced beef over a pita, served with a side of feta salad and tzatziki.

“I can’t get enough of it,” Wagner said. “I’ve lived around here for a couple of years now, and I’ve always come back not just because of the food, but it’s also just a good environment here. They make an effort to remember you.”

Arguably one of the best parts about Caspian is that they’re open till 2:30 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday. So when you’re looking for the ultimate midnight snack, look no further.

For a few minutes the ASUO Senate was able to say that one of its committees budget’s was approved last night – even if only for it to end up back to square one.

During Wednesday night’s senate meeting, the body approved the EMU Board’s 4.41 percent budget increase. After its approval, ASUO President Sam Dotters-Katz voiced his plans to veto the budget. 

Dotters-Katz was in support of the budget only if he was allowed to review it with all of the other budgets so that he could be certain that none of the four committee budgets he was reviewing go over the 3.5 percent cap. According to the Green Tape Notebook – the ASUO’s handbook – the ASUO President only has three days to review the budget and send it to the UO administration after Senate has approved it.

The other budgets won’t be ready for approval until the next senate meeting, meaning that Dotters-Katz would have to look at the EMU Board’s budget separately from the other committees.

“I’m going to have to veto the budget,” Dotters-Katz said. “This has to be done as one thing, and I have to make sure that this fits under the cap. It has to be done that way.”

Although senate passed the budget, a portion of the body was still concerned that it wasn’t yet free from fiscal inefficiencies that could still be cut – specifically the $24,000 that was allocated to the Student Activity Resource Center.

“Personally I’m not in support of the $24,000,” Senator Helena Schlegel said. “I commend you for going under your benchmark but there is a cap,  so every cut that can be made should be made.”

Senator Schlegel and Amy Jones made a point that since this is SARC’s first year as a program, giving them $24,000 seems like putting too much into a center that’s still working out how much money it actually needs to properly operate. Senator and EMU Board member Miles Sisk’s response was that SARC is a center that’s here to stay, and SARC will be an integral part in the new EMU.

“This is their first year, and they needed to experience how much they needed. Now they’ve realized that they’re not able to provide their services at this current service level,” Sisk said. “This budget that we’re asking for SARC is money that this program needs to operate every single year. Putting it off now just means that this is something that we’ll just be asking for year after year.”

Jones and Schlegel made an attempt to postpone the budget by tabling it, but both of their efforts failed. If Dotters-Katz does go through with his veto, then the EMU’s budget will be presented during the March 6 senate meeting with all of the other committee budgets.

Live coverage of Wednesday night’s ASUO Senate meeting:

Student Agenda

Student’s Speaker’s List

Though the snow has melted, evidence of its destruction is still prevalent on campus two weeks after Eugene’s ice storm. According to the University of Oregon Campus Operations, making all the proper repairs around campus is still going to take some time. As of now there’s no end date in sight.

“It’s been pretty catastrophic what the snow was able to do to the campus,” campus arborist John Anthony said. “We’re still assessing just how much damage has been done.”

What made the 2-6 inches of snowfall in early February more dangerous than December’s snowstorm was the rain that occurred during the day, which would then freeze over at night and add unfamiliar weight to tree limbs. The result: hundreds of breakages that left branches falling and breaking light posts, electric wires and damaging cars throughout Eugene.

Campus Operations is currently in the process of picking up all the fallen branches, as well as cutting down the branches that are in pedestrian areas that have the potential to break and fall. After they’re done cutting the branches, the next phase is to cut down the trees that were left vulnerable as a result of the snow storm.

“After we’re done with removing all the hazardous limbs, we’ll be moving on to taking down the trees that have some root damage or have been deemed dangerous for some other reason and is in a high traffic area,” Landscape Maintenance Supervisor Phillip Carroll said. “We’re currently making a master list of what trees need to be removed.”

Although they’re still in the assessment stage of what trees need to go, Campus Operations has removed some trees that have been considered an immediate danger to students.

On Feb. 23, a tree was removed in the Lawrence Courtyard. The tree was split directly in half, and one side of the tree was leaning against the Lawrence building, located near the Allied Architecture building. It took the service crew all day to remove the tree, but by the end of the day they were able to remove all hazards the tree posed.

The trees being removed vary in size. They can be anywhere from 15-20 feet tall or the size of a building.

“My philosophy during this entire time is to be thinking years ahead,” Carroll said. “We’re taking into account the history, the value, the size and what would be an appropriate replacement for a tree that has to be removed.”

Follow Craig Garcia on Twitter @CraiGarcia

The Public Interest Environmental Law Conference is looking to be a crowded event for all the wrong reasons.

On Thursday night, radical feminist activist, author and controversial figure Lierre Keith will be speaking at the PIELC, a four-day environmental law conference put on by University of Oregon law students. Keith’s controversy stems from her views on trans people, particularly that she’s considered by most people in the LGBTQ community as transphobic.

“I think ‘transphobic’ is a ridiculous word. I have no strange fear of people who claim to be ‘trans.’ I deeply disagree with them, as do most radical feminists,” Keith said when asked about her views on trans people. “I can’t fathom how mutilating people’s bodies to fit an oppressive power arrangement is frankly anything but a human rights violation. And men insisting that they are women is insulting and absurd.”

Those comments, as well as some others, have driven the UO LGBTQ community to petition the ASUO Senate to pass a resolution declaring their respect for the concerns of students regarding Keith’s presence. The resolution passed during senate’s Feb. 12 meeting, after being turned down in two prior votes. The resolution does not ask PIELC to remove Keith as a speaker, but rather calls for an alternative panel in which students offended by Keith who still want to or are obligated to attend the conference, can attend.

“At least four classes that I’m aware of are requiring their students to attend the conference,” graduate student and GTF in the environmental studies department Julie Bacon, said. “Students shouldn’t have to be forced to listen to someone who condemns who they are or what they believe in.”

When asked to comment on Keith’s lecture, the PIELC referred back to a statement they made which says that they stand by their decision to keep Keith as a keynote speaker.

“PIELC and the Co-directors do not align with nor endorse every viewpoint of any particular keynote speaker, and simply seek to further constructive discussion of today’s environmental issues,” the statement said. “PIELC is an opportunity for people of differing opinions and viewpoints to join together and find common ground. Any actions that threaten this peaceful discourse will be unwelcome at PIELC and will be met with the appropriate legal response.”

Protests, threats and violence has become an unfortunate commonplace at many of Keith’s talks. In a recent incident in San Francisco, Keith was attacked by three unknown assailants who threw three pies laced with cayenne pepper at her face. However that attack was based off of her stance on vegetarianism.

Regardless of their stance on Lierre Keith’s personal values, both her supporters in the Deep Green Resistance and many of those in opposition to her beliefs agree that violence on either side is unnecessary.

“If you look at what Keith said, you won’t find a single word that condones violence against anyone,” DGR member Rachel Ivey said. “We’re defending females rights to gather as a class. These allegations are based on a misrepresentation of facts.”

However, many in the UO LGBTQ community don’t agree with that, especially student Cordelia Finley, and was a co-writer of the resolution presented to the ASUO Senate. Finley believes that bringing Keith onto the UO campus will only bring a negative and unwelcoming environment to future LGBTQ supporters.

“Bringing Lierre Keith here is like bringing a white supremacist on campus,” Finley said during a senate meeting. “Even if that person wouldn’t speak about white supremacy, it sends a message that we’re willing to give money to people that shouldn’t be allowed to be here.”

Keith’s presentation will begin around 7:30 p.m. in the EMU Ballroom on Thursday, Feb. 27.

The ASUO Constitution Court responded to ASUO Senator Ryan Fritsen’s motion of clarification which asked why the court decided to hand four ballot measure decisions regarding OSPIRG financing to the University of Oregon administration instead of the court handling it.

Fritsen’s broke down his motion into five questions. The first question asked why the court decided that the four ballot measures needed a to implement federal law into their decision, and his second question asked why did the courts think that they could not interpret federal law.

In Fritsen’s third question, he asked how this decision is consistent with previous court rulings. He gives an example of last year when the court decided that it was allowed to interpret a U.S. Supreme Court’s decision for one of its cases. The fourth question asked what previous precedent leads the court to believe that if a measure involves federal law that it should be handed to the administration. The fifth and final question asked was what the court hope to achieve by setting this precedent.

Fritsen presented his motion to the court on Feb. 20, and the court responded five days later to all of his questions.

“The interpretation of this case at all is an issue that is outside of this Court’s discretion, but the reasoning is still consistent,” the constitution court wrote in response to Fritsen’s motion. “If the Court misapplies the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision, the University could face legal consequences.”

In regards to Fritsen’s second question, the court stated that they didn’t feel it was proper for students who haven’t passed the Oregon bar exam to be interpreting laws outside of the ASUO constitution. In response to the court interpreting U.S. Supreme Court law in a previous case, the court did take some fault on its previous actions.

“When the Court issued its decisions it operated from an incorrect understanding of its scope,” the court wrote. “The Court had interpreted Article 2 § 3 of the ASUO Constitution, which states that ‘(n)o agency or program of the ASUO shall make any rule or take any action abridging the privileges and immunities of any person or program under the Constitution and laws of the United States or the State of Oregon,’ to mean that it could, in fact, interpret state and federal law. The University Administration’s response following the issuance has since confirmed the appropriate purview of the Court.”

In Fritsen’s fourth question regarding why federal law needs to be handled by the administration, the court said that the administration has established that due to previous situations, the administration are the only ones who are allowed to deal with matters of federal or state law. The court’s final answer to Fritsen echoed the same sentiments that were mentioned in its fourth answer.

Follow Craig Garcia on Twitter @CraiGarcia