Week 10 was dead week not only for students, but apparently for the University of Oregon Police Department as well.

Beside nearly 100 incidents of drugs and alcohol violation in the UO residence halls, which reflect housing violations from late November, 18 incidents were recorded on the UOPD’s campus crime log in the last week.

Of the small pool of incidents, marijuana possession and bike theft made up the bulk of week 10′s logged crimes. Four arrests were made on campus.

To see what each pin on the map represents, click on the icon in the upper left hand corner for a key. Stars on the map reflect incidents with multiple violations.

Click here to read last week’s campus crime wrap-up.

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The presidents of Oregon’s seven public universities aren’t satisfied with Gov. Kitzhaber’s 2015-2017 higher education budget, according to a statement released this morning.

Though the $626 million budget is almost a 25 percent increase from the 2012-2014 budget (which allocated $521 million), it’s not as much as the Higher Education Coordinating Commission recommended, according to The Oregonian. The presidents of the universities want funding to return to “pre-2007 levels.”

“We commend the Governor for his efforts to end a decade of cuts to Oregon’s universities,” said the statement the presidents released in response to the budget announcement. “And while this budget is a step in the right direction, it will not do enough to control tuition, expand access and position Oregonians for a lifetime of opportunity.”

State funding for undergraduate degrees in Oregon has been cut 38.2% by the state since 2007, according to data provided by University of Oregon Public Affairs. But enrollment and the amount of students receiving degrees has continued to grow in that time: The number of degrees awarded annually at Oregon’s universities is up 31.9%, from 12,735 in 2007 to 16,799 in 2014.

“Oregon’s universities are key to the economic health of our state,” the statement said. “Jobs are driven by growth in Oregon’s industries, and they demand a diverse pool of college graduates. Oregon needs to rebuild a strong middle class with a workforce that is trained for today’s economy.”

The statement was signed by the presidents of Eastern Oregon University, Oregon Institute of Technology, Oregon State University, Portland State University, Southern Oregon University, University of Oregon and Western Oregon University.

Crime numbers during week nine at the University of Oregon rose from week eight, with a total of 45 calls, up from 24.

The past week’s numbers, which were unusually high in drug and liquor violations, may have been the result of Oregon’s last home game against Colorado. 

 The crime log hasn’t been updated since Thanksgiving day.

To see what each pin on the map represents, click on the icon in the upper left hand corner for a key. Stars on the map reflect incidents with multiple violations.

Follow Dahlia Bazzaz on Twitter @Dahliabazzaz

The Community Alliance of Lane County organized a vigil at 5 p.m. this evening in the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza on the corner of Eighth Avenue and Oak Street in Eugene. The event was attended in part by members of local social justice organizations and student groups such as the NAACP and the University of Oregon’s Black Student Union.

Tarik Richardson, a University of Oregon student and co-director of the BSU, said that the vigil is in “support of the people of” Ferguson, Missouri, following a grand jury’s decision yesterday to not indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown in August of this year.

The event is aimed at both supporting further civil action against Wilson and opposing “a system that continues to exhibit the signs of imbalance when it comes to its people of color,” according to the announcement about the vigil, which was posted to the website of the Eugene-Springfield chapter of the NAACP.

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Crime is down this week from 37 incidents last week to 24. For the second week in a row; however, drug crimes outnumbered thefts on the University of Oregon Police Department’s crime log. Here is a breakdown of some this week’s highest crime numbers:

– Drug violations (possessions of marijuana, meth, illicit drugs): 5

– Liquor violations (open container violations, minor in possession): 4

– Theft: 2

– Burglary: 2

– Bike theft: 2

Based on the map below, the incidents don’t seem to have any central geographical location; though the bulk of the calls have a slight concentration in the northeastern parts of campus. To see what each pin on the map represents, click on the icon in the upper left hand corner for a key. Stars on the map reflect incidents with multiple violations.

Follow Dahlia Bazzaz on Twitter: @dahliabazzaz

Search and rescue crews found two University of Oregon students at approximately 1 a.m. today near Mount Jefferson, according to a Eugene-area Flash Alert.

Psychology major Alex Solomon and human physiology major Tyde Kaneshiro called 9-1-1 after getting lost on a hiking trail without adequate clothing or supplies for the weather.

The two were found using the GPS coordinates from the cell phone they used to call for help. They were discovered warming themselves by a fire, uninjured.

SAR members were focused to hike “13 miles round trip, in the dark, over uneven and icy terrain,” according to the alert.

The Marion County Sheriff’s office reminds hikers to always dress for conditions and take enough supplies for an overnight stay.

Eleven drug violations, some added via University Housing data, totaled almost 30 percent of the 37 incidents recorded in the University of Oregon Police Department’s crime log for this week. Bean and Barnhart Hall were the sites of six total citations.

Here’s the breakdown of some of the remainder of the 37 incidents on the log:

Here’s a breakdown of the rest if the week’s top crimes:

– Seven criminal trespasses

– Five alcohol violations (MIPs, DUIIs, Open Container violations)

– Five theft-related calls, including robbery

– Three bike thefts, a surprisingly low number compared to previous weeks

Check out the map below to see exactly where and when this week’s crimes occurred. Click the icon in the upper lefthand corner of the map to see the map’s key. Stars mean the incident involved multiple crimes.

257 liquor and 87 drug law violations were added to the University of Oregon Police Department’s crime log on Nov. 4. All of the incidents, which took place primarily in the residence halls, were handled through student conduct.

Although the incidents were only added recently, they reflect violations that have taken place throughout fall 2014. UOPD Public Information Officer Kelly McIver said that University Housing, which handles the bulk of liquor and drug violations in student housing, periodically sends data to the UOPD to be put on the crime log.

Otherwise, Week 6 numbers reflected normal campus crime trends trends – bike thefts and substance violations. The Kid Cudi concert on Nov. 6 likely contributed to the cluster of incidents surrounding Matthew Knight Arena on the same day.

Follow Dahlia Bazzaz on Twitter @dahliabazzaz

The University of Oregon Police Department issued a campus crime alert this morning after a UO student reported that he was robbed and assaulted around midnight on Saturday.

The victim told police that he was walking on Agate Street with four other friends when an unknown male and an accomplice approached them. The primary suspect, described as a 6-foot-tall medium-build white male with tattoos and large ear piercings, stole the victim’s wallet and assaulted him and two other friends.

No description of the suspected accomplice has been released. More details to come.

This incident is still undergoing police investigation. The UOPD asks that anyone with additional information regarding the incident call 541-346-2919. Any updates will be posted on the UOPD’s website. 

Campus Operations came away with an abundance of project ideas after its annual Campus Night Safety Walk Thursday evening.

About 20 people, comprised mostly of representatives from the University of Oregon Police Department and Campus Operations, showed up to offer suggestions about which areas on campus need better lighting.

After a short presentation on proposed locations for new light fixtures on campus led by Garrick Mishaga, the exterior team supervisor for Campus Operations, attendees were given the opportunity to point out any areas they felt were problematic.

Here is a list of possible locations up for lighting adjustments:

– Near the dumpsters outside the Lillis Business Complex

– 12^th and Kincaid, near McKenzie Hall

– Sorority row on Alder Street

– University Street near the MacArthur Court and Pioneer Cemetery

The event concluded with a walk to all the areas of concern on campus.

Mishaga said that ideas from this event make up almost all of CO’s project plans for the year. Though the bulk of the tasks taken on by CO involve replacing lights and lighting fixtures, UOPD takes suggestions for added security measures from the meeting as well.

The university has spent upwards of $100,000 uprooting light fixtures and replacing old bulbs with bright LEDs in the last two years.

But sometimes the most concerning spots are those that the university has no control over – like the Pioneer Cemetery. Though it appears integrated with campus, the university does not actually own the grounds.

Tim King, a representative for the cemetery and former CO employee, said that while a few accommodations have been made in response to university requests (trimming of branch limbs and shrubbery to make hiding in the dark more difficult), there are “major restrictions” involved with adding any lighting to the area.

“The cemetery has a budget of about $6,000 a year. That wouldn’t even pay for one fixture,” said King.

The owners of the cemetery have also expressed concern that lighting might encourage more traffic to the area at night, said King.

CO has worked around these restrictions in the past by making sure the pathways around the cemetery’s perimeter are lined with light fixtures.

Though limits exist to what the university can do about Safety Walk suggestions, King said that the event has managed to stay alive (despite periods of waning participation) for two decades because of a “can do” attitude.

“Money’s always tight, but we make it work,” he said.

If you still haven’t taken the Emerald’s poll about which spots on campus you think are worth fixing, you can here.