The Lane County Public Health Department has reported multiple cases of influenza in Lane County and on the University of Oregon campus. The UO Health Center is trying to spread the word on the importance of getting flu shots and informing people of ways to stop the spread of influenza.

The Lane County Public Health Department has seen an increase in flu reports recently. Since December, Lane County has had 11 outbreaks of the flu, six in the last week, according to a health alert released by the department. They have received reports of seven deaths related to “influenza-associated infections” in the past month, such as retired UO professor Edwin Coleman.

Richard Brunader, a doctor at the health center, discussed the best ways to stop the spread of the flu and how they are trying to educate people more on the benefits of getting the vaccine.

“We are really trying, when people come in here, to say, ‘Hey, would you like to get the flu shot?’ So I have been looking at if we can do a better job in terms of education so that more people will know about it,” Brunader said. “It is more prone in the elderly. It’s more prone in the very young and those with underlying medical problems.”

The health center offers shots for $20 for students and $30 for faculty and staff.

Brunader said that modern medicine has prevented the flu from being as deadly as it once was, but that people can still get life-threatening cases. The biggest impact the majority of people will suffer from is time away from their busy lives.

“So how about if you’re going to school and you miss three or four days of classes?” Brunader said. “That’s the impact. The vaccine we have covers four different viruses and it takes about two weeks for the vaccine to be effective.”

In 2009 there were over 500 confirmed cases of influenza statewide. This season that number jumped to 700. Brunader stressed that the data does fluctuate over time, and this surge in cases does not indicate that the flu is on the rise. In fact, the data collected every year indicates that the flu remains steady, but it does depend on how many people decide to get vaccinated each year.

The most common ways for influenza to spread is through coughing, sneezing or even talking close to someone. People can also get the flu by touching a surface that infected people have also interacted with. Symptoms can vary from a fever to a cough and sore throat. The health center recommends scheduling a doctor’s appointment if you’re feeling ill or unsure.

The flu can be fatal for people who already have serious health conditions, as well as smokers, children, pregnant women and the elderly.

For more information regarding flu shots and how to schedule an appointment, visit the UO Health Center flu page.

Lane County Public Health also has a webpage that offers ways to get the flu shot and prevent the spread of the flu.

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Senate had a busy evening this week and we went to cover it! Here’s the recap.

Ten student organizations requested more funds or a reallocation of current funds during Wednesday’s Senate meeting.

First up was Student Mental Health Advocates. SMHA works with the National Alliance of Mental Illness to better aid students suffering from stress and mental illnesses.

The group requested a transfer of $200 into a food budget so that they can hold events to increase awareness for students. Senate approved the request.

Askelpiads is a pre-med student organization on campus that requested $2,977 be transferred from their existing budget that was intended for a past trip to UC Davis to be used for a future trip to OHSU. Students studying different areas of the healthcare field will be able to use the funds to get further training and attend speaker conferences. Senate approved the transfer.

Senate approved a request from The University of Oregon Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble for $590 to cover fees for upcoming competitions for their members. This request covers all members within the ensemble and associated fees.  

The Asian Culture Communication Association requested $1,500 for a photo exhibition. The hope for this exhibit is to expose people who might not be familiar with Asian culture to experience and learn about the diversity of Asia and the many cultures that reside there. The request was approved.

U R Awesome requested $100 for food and $50 for supplies for an upcoming dessert social. According to the group’s application, “Our Dessert Social is intended to be a social event for students to help create a stronger and more supportive community on campus. Students will be able to participate in speed friending activities that allow them to get to know their peers in a safe and inviting environment. Our main goal in hosting this event is that students will leave our event feeling more connected with their community and hopefully with at least one new friend.” Senate approved.

The UO West Coast Swing Club requested $925 for a dance convention at the Rose Garden in Portland. The group hopes to expand their exposure to different kinds of dance and build relationships with other groups who will be attending the convention. Senate approved the request by roll call vote.

BOTA asked for funding for a food budget for their group. The request was for $450 and, according to the group’s application, was intended to “encourage all UO students to attend and network with business professionals.” Senate declined BOTA’s request for funding because funds cannot be allocated to simply supply food for general group meetings. Food budget requests must be for special events.  

Students for Global Health requested allocating $700 towards weekly meetings and tabling events from one of their existing budgets. Senate approved.

Oregon Ballroom Dance Club requested $1,000 to be moved from an existing budget to a new budget so that they can bring in local professional dancers to teach members within the student group. Senate approved the request.

Women in Business requested to move $3,000 in a current budget to fund their upcoming gala event where students can have a one-on-one with professionals from various corporations in order to network and gain insight into various business roles. Seating is limited to 200 people. The total cost is estimated to be $13,000 and they have already raised $10,000.

There was controversy because of a past request that was not fully spent for the intended item and the group was requesting to move these funds from this past event to help fund this upcoming gala.

ASUO senate requested they return the excess funds back to surplus so that other organizations can use the surplus funds. The request was tabled for one week to further discuss the request and reduce costs. Some of the requested funds were going towards meals upwards of $27 as well as $1,000 for flower decorations.

After all the financial business was finished, the senate deliberated on creating a resolution in response to president Schill’s announcement that he will not recommend denaming Deady Hall. The announcement detailed efforts the university has taken to promote people of color on campus by actively seeking to increase student enrollment for African American students, creating a Black Cultural Center and denaming Dunn Hall. ASUO decided that they needed to publicly make a statement as well because they represent the student body. A working group was created to craft a resolution.

ASUO senate meetings take place every Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in the EMU Miller Room.

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The University of Oregon held a public forum regarding rising tuition costs in order to increase its transparency with the public. The forum was designed to allow students to speak with members of the Tuition and Fees Advisory Board, telling them how they think rising costs should be addressed and how it affects students.

The agenda for the evening covered the many reasons as to why, according to UO administration, a tuition raise is necessary. Jamie Moffit, vice president for finance and administration, opened the forum by discussing the university’s main revenue source: tuition.

“Over 80 percent of it [Education and General fund] is funded by tuition. I wish that weren’t the case,” Moffit said. “I wish we had more state support and other support but that is just not the reality. We try to get other funds from other places so we try get a lot of donors to give us support but that’s really a small percentage compared to the schools and colleges that come from the E&G budget.”

Moffit elaborated more on where the funds from tuition are actually going. Over 80 percent of funds go straight into people; meaning it goes to salaries.

“So when you have 80 percent of your budget invested in people,” Moffit said, “and those are the costs that year over year tend to go up and then 80 percent of your budget is funded with tuition, that causes a very difficult situation.”

According to data collected by UO, non-resident students paid 3.5 times more in tuition costs than Oregon residents did for Fiscal Year 2016. When that figure is broken down, non-residents paid 62.5 percent of the university’s total revenue. In dollars that is over $280 million. Residents paid 23.1 percent, totaling $104 million, while the state covered the remaining $64.8 million.

Brad Shelton, professor in mathematics, spoke after Moffit to elaborate on the purpose of the higher priced tuition.

“Non-resident students are paying three and a half times as much to attend the university as residents are,” Shelton said. “There are good reasons for that, but it is a reality that you have to keep in mind. If our non-resident tuition gets too high, students will start to choose to go to other universities, so we are very aware of where we are priced as a non-resident university.”

Fiscal year 2004 had the state covering over 40 percent of UO’s total revenue, significantly higher than fiscal year 2016 when the state covered less than 15 percent. This lack in education funding means that students will be making up the cost.

Students are not necessarily getting more for their higher tuition costs either. The university ranks below average for how many faculty members are available per student, with 66 faculty members for every 1,000 students. This is below the average of 94 for every 1,000 students. For non-instructional staff, the average is 186 staff for every 1,000 students and UO provides 113 per every 1,000 students. This is a major concern that the university is attempting to address.

In an attempt to be as transparent as possible and provide easily read information to the public, UO created a website detailing the essential information regarding tuition increases.

“The UO anticipates a total shortfall of $27.5 million between the proposed drop in state funding and another $25 million in projected cost increases, many of which are outside the university’s control,” the tuition website states. “The current budget realities mean it will be very difficult to keep the tuition increase below 5 percent.”

In an attempt to balance the budget for upcoming years, UO decided not to renew contracts for certain employees. This drastic shift in the budget for the university is attributed to the lack of financial support the college has been getting from the state over the past decade.

UO lobby day is March 9, a day for students and faculty to come to the capitol in Salem and lobby for increased state funding. The administration encouraged students at the forum to participate more in such events, saying that students and faculty coming together is the best way to ensure increased funding for the university.

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The first ASUO Senate meeting of 2017 happened! Here’s the recap.

ASUO appointed two new members; Hong Lei for Program Finance Committee and Clarice Beasley for Senate Seat 15.

Lei was appointed to PFC at Large position by a majority vote of acclamation. Senator Gimm was the only senator to vote against the appointment. Lei is a junior, majoring in accounting with an interest finance.

“What interested me most about the Programs Finance Committee is the opportunity to work with different student organizations on campus,” Lei’s application stated. “I have always had a keen interest in finance and as an accounting student myself, I hope to apply what I’ve learned from classrooms to ASUO’s mission statement.”

Lei was the Finance Coordinator for the Dean of Students IMPACT program. He was responsible for keeping track of the programs budget and offering recommendations for events based upon understanding of the budget.

Beasley was appointed to senate seat 15 by unanimous approval from senate. Beasley is a sophomore business major who campaigned during the last election for senate seat 14.

“I am interested in this role because I am interested in being a part of the change that will happen on this campus,” Beasley’s application stated. “I want to be part of a group that listens to students and presents concerns or discontent about current situations to administration, and moves forward with plans of action to reconcile those issues. It is important to me that the student impact on policy within this campus is not limited to those who hold senate seats or are involved in ASUO.”

Beasley believes that her position as a business major will give her a unique perspective and understanding of the student body and will benefit the senate.

Funding requests were the next major topic of discussion for senate with various organizations requesting funds from surplus for upcoming guest speakers and events on campus.

Native American Law Student Association (NALSA)

Was requesting  $800 from surplus for their upcoming speaker series. The money will be used to bring Professor Robert Miller, preeminent scholar on the Doctrine of Discovery, on Jan. 23. The funding was approved by a vote of acclamation.

Muslim Student Association (MSA)

The MSA was requesting $2,527 from surplus for their upcoming Spring Event, which is the group’s final and largest event of the year. Part of the funding will go towards bringing in a speaker to discuss Islam to “give non-Muslims and Muslims alike a better understanding of the complexities of the Muslim world altogether,” the groups application stated. The group was also requesting $430 be moved from existing spots within their budget to a different spot so the funds can be allocated for different use. All requests were approved.

Southeast Asian Student Alliance (SEASA)

SEASA was requesting $199 from surplus for one night of lodging at the University of Washington to attend a conference exploring various cultures and social issues. It was approved by a vote of acclamation.

The under-realized budget for this term is currently in a deficit and senator Young was requesting over $26,000 be moved from surplus to cover part of this deficit. The funding was approved unanimously.

The proposed stipend model is still being finalized before its July 1 implementation date. Gimm proposed small language changes to the current form to make it easier to understand. Senate eventually passed the proposal by making small changes to the verbiage of the form after half an hour of deliberation.

The proposed stipend model can be found here.

The senate agenda can be found here.

ASUO senate meets every week at 7 p.m. in the EMU Miller room. The meetings are open to the public.

The post ASUO Wrap-Up Jan 11 appeared first on Emerald Media.

The ASUO is busy planning the budget cycle that will impact students for the next few years.

Max Burns, President of the ASUO Senate, discussed the main-focus of ASUO for this term: crafting the I-Fee, the budget in which ASUO can operate for the next fiscal year.

“The primary focus is to get that budget passed,” Burns said. “If the tuition keeps rising the way it does we can’t keep raising the I-Fee, which is what we use to make this whole thing run.”

ASUO hopes to create a sustainable budget and re-categorize programs, such as Designated Driver Shuttle, into departments which will give them more regulatory freedoms.

“Going forward we are looking at moving programs into departmental finance committees, but what that will also mean is that we are going to open surplus requests up to departments,” Burns said.

Historically, requests for funding from the surplus have been for programs only, but now that some programs are being planned to move into departments those same groups will have access to the surplus.

The Program Finance Committee is meeting with over 200 student organizations over the next few weeks to obtain financial information to better craft the next budget. The Department Finance Committee is also meeting with upwards of 17 departments to obtain financial information from them as well.

Vickie Gimm, Senate Seat One on ASUO and PFC member, discussed the purpose of moving programs into departments and what benefits that might hold in creating a sustainable budget for the next cycle.

“Currently, under PFC [Program Finance Committee] we operate under a slow-growth model, and people felt like these six organizations should be exempt from that because they operate differently,” Gimm said. “The groups affected by this switch are Women’s Center, Men’s center, MCC [Mulitcultural Center], Safe Ride, DDS [Designated Driver Shuttle], and childcare subsidy. These six organizations are formally managed by professional staff members, hired and paid by the respective student organization to support and advise them.  This switch would enable student groups to have rollover funds, less limitations with using their funds, and apparently allow them to grow faster.”

ASUO President Quinn Haaga described how these budget changes and program shifts will translate to better services for students. The programs that are shifting into departments all have professional staff members that are partially funded by ASUO, so moving these programs with professional staff makes it easier in case of immediate needs for more funding. Currently any requests for funding increases must be brought to senate and approved, which can take significantly more time.

“It makes it easier, funding wise,” Haaga said. “It gives [programs] more autonomy and control over their own budgets. Exec will make our recommendation for what we think each committee should increase or decrease, and the senate has their own benchmark, and the committees have their own benchmarks, and so it’s everyone working together to make this whole package.”

DDS and Safe Ride will be moved into UOPD, giving those groups more resources and security so they can expand.

ASUO crafts the budget every Winter term in preparation for the next year, and the impact of whatever budget they propose will affect students for years. Any proposals that are set for implementation will not take effect until after Summer term of 2018.

The deadline for ASUO to craft the next budget is mid-February. After the final budget has been fine-tuned and approved by ASUO senate, the proposal then goes to President Michael Schill for approval. If Schill approves it then the Board of Trustees will have the final say in implementation.

The post ASUO hopes to make institutional changes Winter term appeared first on Emerald Media.

The University of Oregon Senate allowed a new sexual assault reporting policy to be sent to President Michael Schill for final approval in November after months of deliberation. The policy is expected to move UO forward in its efforts to combat and reduce sexual assault rates and to respect the wishes of students who report misconduct.

The policy comes after several high profile sexual assault accusations – three basketball players were accused of raping another student in 2013, and football players Tristan Wallace and Darrian Franklin are accused of sexual assault and are currently under investigation. At the last Board of Trustees meeting on Dec. 1, Senate President Bill Harbaugh discussed the new policy when giving his report.

“My feeling is that this new policy and the new resources and strong hires that the administration has made for the new Title IX Office and in Student Life, and efforts to provide more confidential support services to the survivors of sexual assault will improve the campus climate regarding sexual harassment and violence,” Harbaugh said. “That said, there is much more to be done.”

The policy, if approved by President Schill, will create a three-tiered system for faculty members with different levels of required reporting obligations involving sexual assault. According to the policy, the faculty of UO will be moved into three groups: Designated Reporters, Student-Directed Employees and Confidential Employees.

Designated Employees are legally required to report any sexual assaults that are made known to them to the Title IX office.

Student-Directed Employees are not required to inform any higher up officials if the student reporting does not wish it. Student-Directed Employees can offer support or information for any student reporting misconduct. However, Student-Directed Employees do not have the legal authority to address any claims made to them.

Confidential Employees are provided with more legal leeway to oppose court orders seeking documentation of reported sexual assaults against the wishes of the student reporting the incidents. Confidential Employees are also able to provide the same amount of information and support to students as Student-Directed Employees are.

“This policy is intended to encourage reporting by students who have experienced prohibited conduct,” the policy document states, “because it clearly identifies ‘responsible employees’ for reporting purposes, respects the wishes of students when they talk to other employees, and makes all employees at the institution part of the solution to prohibited conduct.”

UO spokesman Tobin Klinger discussed the policy and how it seeks to make faculty at UO more easily capable of helping students report sexual violence.

“Our previous definition has been to be as inclusive with the number of people who are mandatory reporters versus some places that are more excluded in certain areas,” Klinger said. “The Senate, working in consultation with the General Councils office and Title IX, are trying to find what the right definition for those reporters on the University of Oregon Campus.”

Darci Heroy, Title IX Coordinator at UO, emphasized how the new policy will seek to make campus safer for everyone.

“The main hope is that we will create or help students understand that we have a safer environment for reporting,” Heroy said. “The goal is to have as safe of an environment as possible. Part of that sense of safety comes from people knowing very transparently who has the obligation to report.”

The passing of the new policy to the next level of approval was met with applause from the large crowd at the faculty senate meeting. The policy now goes to President Schill for review and approval. He has 60 days to either approve and enact the policy or send it back for revisions.

“This demonstrates that we have come quite a way in the past couple of years because this was such a collaborative effort between faculty, administration and students,” Heroy said. “I think the process is really a good thing and a step forward for all of us.”

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The University of Oregon has released a statement postponing classes until Jan. 10. The postponement is due to extreme weather conditions that have plagued the entire state over the weekend.

The statement read, “While temperatures are expected to warm considerably in the Eugene area by tomorrow morning, the impact of snow, ice, and extreme cold stretching from Northern California to Portland and beyond has made it extremely challenging for students to return to campus in time for classes tomorrow.”

The statement continued, “There have been numerous flight delays and hazardous road conditions in many areas on the West Coast. For this reason, we are cancelling classes on Monday.”

Campus will be open according to the email but the new official start of Winter term is slated for Tuesday, Jan. 10.

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With the election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States, concern has risen from undocumented groups who are uncertain of their future within the country. The Human Rights Commission in Eugene has made recent pushes to create an ordinance to make Eugene a sanctuary city that would help further protect certain groups.

If the city council adopts policies to make Eugene a sanctuary city, undocumented individuals would be protected from possible deportation. 

The push to make Eugene a sanctuary city comes after a divisive election cycle that had President-elect Trump vowing to deport up to 3 million people who are undocumented from the US.

The Human Rights Commission recently helped pass a non-legally binding resolution by the city council of Eugene to make Eugene a sanctuary city, as a symbolic measure of support. The main-focus now is on creating an ordinance to officially make Eugene a sanctuary city.

Joel Iboa, a commissioner on the Human Rights Commission, discussed the urgency to pass this ordinance. 

“It is important to send a message to residents in Eugene to say it is a safe place for immigrants and that it recognizes the contributions of immigrants to our community,” Iboa said. “We will not be complicit in helping federal authority to rip families apart.”

During the city council meeting on Nov. 28, the topic of defining Eugene as a sanctuary city was part of the discussion. City council member George Brown voiced his opinion as to why it is necessary to move toward making Eugene a sanctuary city.

“Yes, I think we need to take more action,” Councilor Brown said. “I think municipalities and states can pass laws that might be a little bit at odds with national policies. I think we need to pursue and be more specific about Eugene being a sanctuary city and not have parents taken away from their children.”

The official response from the Eugene Police Department, provided by Melinda McLaughlin, the public information director, was that EPD has no legal authority to actively seek out undocumented individuals under the Oregon Revised Statutes: 181.850 (1).

“Local police have no legal authority to enforce federal immigration laws,” McLaughlin’s statement said. “No law enforcement agency of the State of Oregon or of any political subdivision of the state shall use agency moneys, equipment or personnel for the purpose of detecting or apprehending persons whose only violation of law is that they are persons of foreign citizenship present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws.”

On Monday, Dec. 5, there will be a special human rights commission meeting to discuss plans to craft an ordinance to make Eugene a sanctuary city. The meeting is open to the public and will be held in the Atrium Building downtown at 5:30 PM.

“We usually don’t have meetings in December,” Iboa said, “but we made a special meeting time because of the gravity of the situation and the urgency in which it needs to be finished.”

Link to the event page can be found here.

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Here is the recap from the last ASUO meeting of 2016.

Confirmations

-Carter Fritsch

Carter Fritsch was narrowly appointed as the ASUO Elections Coordinator after a divisive Senate questioned him for over an hour. There was controversy about his appointment because he has been involved with ASUO during his entire time at UO and has had access to information other applicants for the position may not have had.

Fritsch has worked with ASUO for the past 4 years in various positions. This was the first time he had ever run for a position within ASUO.

“I have worked for two years on the non-partisan volunteer-based Voter Guide project, helping bring the public image of elections to a more professional and unified standard,” he wrote in his application.

He has also never publicly supported an individual or campaign running for ASUO office. “I strongly believe I can use this role for the task it was meant to take on — ensuring a rigorous, fair, and efficient process by which the members of our student body can make the best choice to work on their behalf for the coming year.”

The final vote count for his appointment to Elections Coordinator was 15 aye, 7 nay and 1 abstain.

Fritsch thanked the senate and wanted to maintain transparency by allowing anyone to come and speak with him about any concerns.

Financial Business

-Black Student Union

BSU will be attending a conference in Washington D.C., and the group requested $4,980 from surplus to cover the remaining costs of travel and lodging to attend. The request was unanimously approved by the Senate. 7 members of BSU will be attending the upcoming event.

-Black Women of Achievement

BWA requested $2,705 from surplus for an upcoming conference in Texas. The request was passed unanimously by the Senate. Five students from the group will be attending the conference in hopes of gaining more experience in social justice and to foster more productive and informative meetings on campus.

-Sport and Entertainment Law Firm

After weeks of deliberation over funding from ASUO, the revised budget proposal from SELF was approved by the senate. The Oregon Sports and Entertainment Conference that is planned for early 2017 is estimated to draw 350 people. This request was deliberated over for weeks because of the large sum of money being requested. Currently, ASUO is in a budget shortfall and the need to be frugal with funds is a major concern for Senate.

$17,689 was approved for the OSEC which is less than the over $20,000 originally requested.

ASUO reminded the representative from SELF that if there are any extra funds that are not used they must be returned to ASUO.

The next ASUO meeting will be held the first week of Winter term, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. in the EMU.

The post ASUO Wrap-Up November 30 appeared first on Emerald Media.

A previous version of this story said that the suspect was shot by campus police.

A suspect in the attack at Ohio State University Monday morning has reportedly been shot and killed by police.

Eight people have been taken to the hospital on Monday morning after a reported shooting on the campus of Ohio State University. The shooting was first reported to the Columbus Fire Department.

Ohio State University sent out multiple emergency tweets Monday morning which urged anyone in the area to seek safety because of the active shooter.

Buckeye Alert: Active Shooter on campus. Run Hide Fight. Watts Hall. 19th and College.

— OSU Emergency Mngmnt (@OSU_EMFP) November 28, 2016

OSU emergency tweets stated that the scene was now secure and students were no longer being advised to shelter in place.

UPDATE 1/2 : Shelter in Place lifted. Scene is now secure. ALL classes are canceled on Columbus campus for the remainder of the day.

— OSU Emergency Mngmnt (@OSU_EMFP) November 28, 2016

Columbus Police report that it is unclear whether the assailant had a firearm. The vehicle that was used in the attack is still being searched.

This story is developing.

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