A group of Police Commissioners from the City of Eugene reviewed a draft policy last night regarding citizens filming police officers.

Prior to Policy 415, most departments did not have a policy to dictate the rules associated with recording police, said Pete Kerns, Eugene’s Chief of Police.

Police Commissioner Bill Whalen said an important part of the policy is that members of the public are able to record freely.

The drafted policy respects that citizens have a First Amendment right to video and audio record police on duty in a public place.

The drafted policy states that “officers should assume that they are being recorded at all times when on duty in public.”

Police Commissioners discussed and edited the policy, proposed changes to the language, and voted upon them at the meeting.

Commissioner Claire Syrett said she is in favor with the overall gist of the policy.

Syrett said the policy essentially states that citizens can videotape officers except in certain situations.

According to the draft policy, citizens may record as long as they do not get in the way of police actions. For example, getting in the way of an officer can include tampering with a witness, or jeopardizing the safety of an officer or victim.

Kerns attended the meeting and said students at UO recorded him when he went out on a ride-along on Halloween night and had to interact with students.

“It violates social norms but it’s not against the law, so I did not tell them to stop,” Kerns said.
Kerns also said in situations when an officer is in danger or has to use force, citizens should not feel violated if the officer tells them to move away.

“It is common for citizens to assume when they are told to step away that it is because the officer is afraid of being recorded, when in reality officers just don’t want to be distracted from what they are doing,” Kerns said.

The Police Commission will meet again in April to further discuss the precise language used in the policy and vote upon any further changes.

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Dead week is inevitable. Stress isn’t.

Every year, the University of Oregon puts on a program, called Stress Less, during week 10, which is a string of events that focus on activities to destress the student body.

Meditation is just one of the activities that several departments on campus organized for students to participate in at the Stress Less event today at the Student Recreation Center from 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. There were also massages, acupuncture and dance activities.

Jude Kehoe, a meditation instructor at the UO Health Center, said that as humans we have over one-hundred thousand thoughts a day on average. Kehoe said this figure is likely higher for students, which is why it is important for them to find ways to de-stress.

Kehoe led students through meditation this evening, aimed at inducing the relaxation response within the body. The techniques offered ways for students to learn how to calm their mind. She said meditation helps students become calm observers of their thoughts and puts the chattering of their mind in the background.

Suzie Stadelman, the suicide prevention coordinator at the Health Center and the main coordinator for the event, said the UO Student Mental Health Advocates hosted the first Stress Less event in fall 2013.

Stadelman said the event received positive feedback in the past and so a few campus departments came together this term to collaborate for the event.

“The goal is to provide an opportunity for students to destress and also learn the importance of keeping stress at a manageable level,” Stadelman said.

Because the number of collaborators for the event has continued to grow, Stadelman said they are able to offer more activities.

Juan Rivera, president of Student Mental Health Advocates and a coordinator of the event, said in the past the event only featured meditation and yoga. Rivera said around 60 people turned up. Whereas today, they handed out 550 stress kits.

Hannah Engle, a sophomore and intern at SMHA, handed out healthy foods like hummus, fruit and pita chips at one of the Stress Less stands located inside the entryway of the rec center.

“Students I talked to seemed very thankful that we were here doing this and thought the event was a good idea,” Engle said.

Paul Rohde, a licensed psychologist and a research scientist at Oregon Research Institute, said he approves of the activities at Stress Less. However, he said that activities like yoga and acupuncture take practice and consistent use to be maximally effective.

Stadelman said that since the event continues to expand and receive positive feedback, it is likely that Stress Less will become a week long event next term.

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The Office of the President held the first public forum discussing the issue of sexual assault on Monday at the Ford Alumni Center.

Student groups have made over 120 recommendations for the administration in the past year to deal with the issue of sexual violence on campus.

Interim President at the University of Oregon, Scott Coltrane, spoke for the first half of the forum, explaining the administration’s course of action.

Coltrane said the administration will meet with groups and review feedback this month. He said the administration will create a plan and hopes to share it by the end of March.

Spring term, the administration will create an advisory council to handle the issue. The council will appoint a new coordinator to revise and implement the plan, and conduct more climate surveys.

The administration then invited attendees to ask questions regarding the issue and course of action.

A member of the University of Oregon’s Senate Task Force Addressing Sexual Violence, Karli Smith, expressed her concern with the administration’s emails and asked whether the nature of the messages will change.

“Our messaging has not always been on the right topics or with the right message, and we’re working on that,” Coltrane said.

Alex Smith, a therapist and grad student, said he thinks the administration needs to ensure confidentiality for victims to create a culture that supports survivors.

Coltrane agreed and said $500,000 will be put towards programs and increased staffing to handle the issue.

A number of students felt dissatisfied with the way the president answered their questions.

Graduate teaching student and member of UO’s Coalition to End Sexual Violence, Dana Rognlie, asked the president how much the administration spent on sexual assault lawsuits. Coltrane would not disclose the information. He also did not comment when Rognlie asked whether the president’s office would send a formal apology for the way it has handled sexual violence.

The forum then broke into five groups to brainstorm recommendations for the administration.

Some students left at that point. A member of the Coalition to End Sexual Violence, Kathleen Pioveson, said it was pointless.

“We have already given them recommendations and we want to hear from them,” Pioveson said.

An impartial moderator led each group for the remainder of the forum. Members of administration attended, including Coltrane.

Coltrane said that his group discussion focused largely on improving sexual assault prevention in residence halls, and educating mandatory reporters like Resident Assistants on their options in reporting situations.

Vice President of Student Life Robin Holmes, also participated.

She said her group discussed the importance of transparent communication on the issue. Her group also agreed that establishing a strong message of what the University of Oregon stands for and its values will be beneficial in dealing with the issue.

Holmes said she felt the forum went well in that the dialogue and emotions expressed will drive change and therefore must continue.

“The fact that we are attempting to talk about it and come to a solution is a good step,” she said.

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Here’s a breakdown of week 8’s crime:

Drug violations: 4

Trespassing: 4

Theft: 3

Bike theft: 1

Graffiti: 2

A considerable number of crimes occurred on the west side of campus this week, including graffiti and two cases of illegal drug possession.

The University of Oregon Police Department’s campus crime log recorded a case of phone harassment and stalking which occurred at the HEDCO Education Building.

Two cases of theft occurred at Knight Library on Feb. 26.

The crime log recorded a total of 14 incidents for Week 8.

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The University of Oregon will offer the largest vaccination effort in the nation against meningococcal disease since the FDA approved the strain B vaccination four months ago.

This past week, vaccinations were available for students who sought them out early.

Starting Monday, the mass vaccinations will be offered at Matthew Knight Arena, and Albertsons, Walgreens, and Safeway.

According to a Risk Manager at UO, Deb Donning, triple the amount of people will be available to administer the vaccination next week. Students without health insurance will also be available to get vaccinated for free.

The mass vaccinations will extend for longer hours, starting at 8 a.m. to 10 p.m, Monday through Thursday. Students are highly encouraged to get the vaccination to minimize their risks of getting the bacteria Meningococcemia which causes meningitis.

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Laurie Gribskov walked her dog through Washburne park, located just south of campus, a few weeks ago around 4:30 p.m. Gribskov did not observe conventional park activities, like kids playing or families having picnics. She heard rustling from the bushes and saw UO students nestled inside smoking marijuana.

Gribskov is one of many local residents who have noticed their neighborhood park turn into a popular place for university students to smoke weed.

“This is a family park, and many neighbors have kids in elementary schools,” Gribskov said.

Unfortunately, Gribskov said college students even smoke in the park when elementary school students get out of school. She said parents are concerned, because they don’t want their kids to witness illegal drug activity.

According to Kelly Putnam, Station Manager at the West University Public Safety Station, 57 calls have been made for service to Washburn Park so far this year. Police have issued 21 citations for drug use at the park. 19 of these citations were issued to UO students, according to Public Information Director for the Eugene Police Department, Melinda McLaughlin.

Because of the noticed drug use in the park, the city councilor, the EPD, UO personnel, and neighbors met on January 15 to discuss the issue.

Those at the meeting agreed on the importance of reporting incidents and ensuring that students are held accountable for smoking in the public space.

They proposed short-term efforts that include:

• The UOPD analyze the data, look for patterns, step up patrols
• Potentially adding Park Watch
• Continuing to report cases to the EPD

According to the notes taken at the meeting, it was proposed that new students be informed of the issue during their UO orientations starting next year. Meeting attendees agreed that further efforts should be made to educate students, parents, and families. The group will meet again to discuss the issue on February 26.

When police issue students a citation, the information is sent to UO’s Office of Conduct & Student Standards. In September, the university extended its code of conduct to apply not only on but also off campus. The change means that students caught now face the same punishments for smoking marijuana off campus as they do for smoking in the residence halls. Sandy Weintraub, UO Director of Student Conduct, could not be reached for comment.

UO Director of Neighborhood Relations, Karen Hyatt, said she has been aware of the issue in the park for several years.

McLaughlin reported that already, just a few months into 2015, the number of service calls made to the park has reached half of the total from 2014.

After noticing this trend, McLaughlin said the EPD has conducted enforcement efforts and been in communication with nearby residents.

Hyatt said students need to recognize that smoking marijuana in public spaces is illegal.

“Even when marijuana becomes legal after July 1st, smoking it in public places will still be against state law,” Hyatt said.

The EPD, neighbors, and the university hope that continued reporting of incidents and increased police patrolling will keep the situation under control and limit the number of students smoking marijuana in the park. This will mean that that kids and neighbors will feel more comfortable using it for its lawful purposes.

Here’s a tally of this week’s crime:

Drug violations: 1

Trespassing: 1

Theft: 6

Bike Theft: 1

Crimes were evenly scattered around campus.

The University of Oregon Police Department’s campus crime log recorded 70 liquor and drug law violations this week that were submitted by the Dean of Students.

There were four cases of laptop theft in the past week, which occurred at Knight Library, Susan Campbell Hall and Columbia Hall.

Two cases, one of attempted sexual assault and the other of sexual assault, occurred on campus Monday. The crime log does not list the specific locations of the crimes.

Updates to come.

Since many students had midterms this week, it is not surprising that there were fewer drug violations than usual. The UOPD recorded nine alcohol law violations this week, and only six cases of illegal drug activity, on the University of Oregon Police Department’s crime log.

Liquor violations: 9

Drug violations: 6

Trespassing: 2

Theft: 2

Bike Theft: 1

More crimes happened on the west side of campus this week, and multiple cases of trespassing and theft occurred. On an interesting note, an individual was caught by police on the Autzen Footbridge for nudity.

Emergency Management and Continuity, the University of Oregon Police Department and the Counseling and Testing Center recently released training videos to staff, faculty and students in an effort to increase awarenes of how to respond to violent situations.

The Violence Prevention and Active Shooter Training videos explain warning signs of violence, resources to reach out to and steps to take in the midst of situations involving firearms.

Shelly Kerr, Director of the University Counseling and Testing Center, said that the Emergency Management Staff previously presented this information live in classrooms, and that it was well received.

“There were just too many requests, so the next step was to make it available to all faculty, staff, and students,” Kerr said.

 In the first training video Kerr says that in life, “We take risks every day without thinking about it.” She emphasizes that knowing how to react in potentially dangerous situations is important.

The first video highlights common indicators of violence. It lists concerning behaviors to look out for.

As listed in the first training video, these signs include, but are not limited to:

– A background of violence
– Quarrelsome behavior
– Threats
– Blaming others for problems

The Center for Personal Protection and Safety produced a video, “Shots Fired on Campus,” as another resource to teach students how to respond to an active-shooter situation on campus. Below are some of the tips which I found most significant in the video.

– Have a “survival mindset”
– Be able to quickly take action
– “Be mindful, not fearful”
– Don’t panic, or be in denial of what is happening

In the training video, University of Oregon Police Lieutenant Andy Bechdolt stresses the importance of listening to police and doing what they say, because it’s their job to differentiate between the main threat and those who are innocent.

According to Bechdolt, it also helps to be familiar with your daily environments.

“When you go into a room, an office, or a classroom, look around and see where potential exits are,” Bechdolt said in the training video.

A 2013 study by the FBI showed that out of 160 active-shooter cases in the U.S. between 2000 and 2013, 66.9 percent of them ended before police arrived at the scene.

“Incidents are over in a matter of minutes, most often before law enforcement arrives,” former Supervisory Special Agent for the FBI Eugene Rugala said in, “Shots Fired on Campus.”

If you have any questions, you are encouraged to contact the university’s Emergency Management & Continuity staff.

A female UO student was robbed in a parking lot of the Spencer View Apartments last night, between 6:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

A campus crime alert email notified campus of the incident today at noon.

The suspect approached the student and stole her bags. The woman then sprayed the male with personal pepper spray as he ran away.

The man was last seen fleeing the parking lot in a red vehicle, which was being driven by an unknown black male.

The suspect has been described as a white male about six feet tall with a beard and long blonde hair.

The incident is still under investigation. If you have any information about the crime, contact the UOPD at 541-346-2919.