University of Oregon continues to work on water fixtures with elevated lead levels in four residence halls as 2,510 students moved in Sept. 22.

The results of the high lead levels in fixtures in Walton, Barnhart, Hamilton and Bean halls became available on Sept. 14, according to an email to residents the same day. Earl, Global Scholars, Carson hall and Living Learning Center are not affected. More than 20 percent of the tested fixtures are confirmed not safe for human consumption.

The source of the problem is still to be determined, according to UO spokesperson Kelly McIver. After the initial reports, the university is retesting all the fixtures to identify the issue. McIver said for Barnhart Hall, the problem was with the aerators, which could be cleaned or replaced. UO is still working on retesting the other residence halls.  

“We are moving as fast as we can,” McIver said. She could not provide an estimated time frame when all the affected fixtures will be repaired.

As the university is sending the water samples to a lab in Seattle, the tainted faucets have been “closed off,” UO housing director Michael Griffel said outside of Bean hall on move-in day. Residents and their parents have been informed of the situation, Griffel said. Bottled water and dispensers have been provided for the incoming freshmen.

According to the university, UO is testing all fixtures dedicated to drinking-quality water, such as “drinking fountains, break-room sinks, bottle-filling stations, instant-hot fixtures or food-prep sinks,” in the residence halls. UO Housing encourages students to not consume water except for washing purposes. With water from bathroom faucets, UO is sampling about 10 percent of each fixture type on each floor of a building. Utility or lab sinks are not tested.

Water from all residence hall dining facilities is safe to drink.

The water from the affected faucets has more than 15 parts of lead per billion, which is unsafe for human consumption, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency. High lead levels in water can contribute to negative health effects, especially for pregnant women, infants and young children under 6.

Brett Sloan, the father of an incoming freshman, said although he is concerned with many things on move-in day, the water was not one of them.

“It is what it is,” Sloan said as he was holding two groceries bags in front of Hamilton West. “It’ll get fixed eventually. As long as there’s an alternative, we feel comfortable with it.”  

Business major Brandt Aicher’s family echoed Sloan’s sentiment.

“Yes, we are concerned about it, but it’s not a big deal,” Bob Aicher said. “Hopefully it will get fixed soon.”

UO is not the lone case of high lead levels.

Officials confirmed multiple cases of elevated lead levels in water at Sheldon High School, Kennedy Middle School and the district’s Education Center in Eugene in June. Back in August, Portland fell to the bottom of the national list of elevated levels of lead in drinking water, the Oregonian reported.

In response to the growing problem, the University of Oregon’s Environmental Health and Safety Office launched a comprehensive drinking water monitoring plan in late May 2016. According to McIver, the program has been collecting building water samples sporadically this year, with the focus on living spaces and child care centers. Results from Vivian Olum Child Development Center and Moss Street Children’s Center came back earlier and showed the water was safe to consume.

The program will eventually test water in every building on campus, McIver said. According to the timeline, the tests are to be carried out every year or every five years. For buildings that currently suffer from elevated levels of lead, the university will continue to test those again within a year, according to McIver.

The University of Oregon has named its new interim vice president for student life and vice president for student services and enrollment management, UO President Michael Schill announced in an email to campus.

Kevin Marbury, the current director of physical education and recreation, has been named interim vice president for student life. With background in higher education administration and student life, Marbury was director of recreation and wellness at Old Dominion University and vice president for student life at Edward Waters College.

At UO, Marbury led the recreational programs and facilities at the UO to become the benchmark of excellence for universities across the country, Schill said.

“I am confident in Kevin’s ability, with the support of the already outstanding team of directors, to maintain the exceptional student experience at the UO while we conduct a national search for new vice president for student life,” Schill said in the email.

Marbury will take over Robin Holmes’ position, who is leaving UO for a position at the University of California System, Schill announced on Sept. 12. Her last day is set to be on Oct. 18.

Holmes, starting as a psychologist in 1992, contributed in redeveloping the Student Recreation Center and Erb Memorial Union, as well as developing an eight-year-long housing plan to support “our residential university mission,” the email said. Holmes has been with the UO for nearly 25 years.

The UO also named Roger Thompson as its new vice president for student services and enrollment management. Thompson has been the university vice president for enrollment management for six years. With this promotion, Thompson will also be in charge of University Housing, Academic Extension, the University Health Center and the University Counseling and Testing Center.

The change will go into effect Oct. 19.

Thompson, starting in 2010, “has helped make tremendous strides in our student recruitment and retention efforts, including significant growth in the diversity and academic quality among incoming students,” according to the email.

Schill said he expects the two new vice presidents to quickly adapt to their roles.

“I know each will be supported by the excellent existing employees and departments, and each is committed to our shared vision for the UO, to supporting student success and experience, and to maintaining the strong upward momentum we have built together,” the email stated.

When Amy Schenk started to work for “Vote Yes on Measure 97,” she was doing it because a friend asked her to.

But as Schenk learned more about the measure and its potential consequences, she said she was in the right place.

Schenk, ASUO local Affairs Commissioner, is involved with local politics that have immediate effects on students. She was in charge of organizing the protest against the tuition increase and helped found the UO Students for Tuition Transparency student group.

This time, the project is different.

Measure 97, or Oregon Business Tax Increase Initiative, is on the ballot this November as an initiated state statute. If it passes, the state will increase corporate taxes by 2.5 percent on corporate gross sales that exceed $25 million. The increase would translate into roughly $3 billion extra in Oregon’s general fund and become the biggest tide of new tax revenue in any state in the nation this year, The New York Times reported.

According to the language of the measure, the new tax revenue would go back to state spending on education, healthcare and senior services, but it does not bind the legislature to a specific plan.

The measure will not help boost state funding for higher education; however, Schenk says it will help increase funding for Oregon’s K-12 program and ultimately have an impact on University of Oregon.

“[The measure] will not directly affect students in higher-ed,” she said. “But our K-12 program is not ideal. With tax money that can help K-12 level students, hopefully that would give them a chance to go to universities.”

Oregon is among the lowest in high school graduation rate nationally — 69 percent in 2012-2013. Schenk said students have to deal with large class sizes that limit one-on-one time with their teachers.

“I want to make sure that students in Oregon are cared for,” Schenk said. “But the more I work on it, the more important I find [the measure] is.”

But not everyone is happy with the measure. Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce President Dave Hauser emailed chamber members last month, calling the proposed tax on certain corporations’ gross sales an “unprecedented tax increase,” the Register-Guard reported.

“After research and presentations from advocates, opponents and tax professionals, our Local Government Affairs Council and board of directors voted to join forces with businesses across Oregon to oppose Measure 97,” Hauser wrote. “Educating our members and working to defeat this measure is a priority for our chamber.”

He also pointed out in the email that the new tax revenue is not guaranteed to be spent on education, healthcare and senior services.

Oregon governor Kate Brown gave her endorsement to the measure via email sent to supporters in August.

“I support Measure 97 because there is a basic unfairness in our tax system that makes working families pay an increasing share for state and local services, including public schools, senior services and health care,” Brown said in the email. “Our state cannot move forward and meet Oregon’s growing needs over the next decade without a more stable revenue base. Measure 97 is an important step forward, and I will make sure the funds the measure yields go ­toward schools, health care and seniors, as the voters expect.”

Schenk said she has faced some opposition from businesses while advocating for the measure.

“I think it’s the misinformation that big corporations are sending out,” Schenk said. “Small businesses are scared that it will hurt them.”

Schenk is counting down the days until the election. “Fifty-four more days,” she said at the interview. “My plan is to spread the word and advocate students on every level until then.”

Elevated lead levels were found in the water of at least four residence halls, including Barnhart, Walton, Hamilton and Bean Halls, UO Housing Director Michael Griffel said via email to residents on Sept. 14.

More than 20 percent of tested fixtures have elevated lead levels, according to the email.

Griffel encourages residents to not use water from bathroom faucets or drinking fountains for drinking or cooking. He also noted that water bottles or dispensers will be handed out to occupants. Water usage for personal hygiene and washing “is fine.”

Many students will be staying in these dorms prior to the first day of classes and could affected by the water. They have been informed about the lead levels via printed flyers and emails, the UO reported.

Carson Hall had one fixture with elevated levels that will be repaired. The Living Learning Center water is safe to consume. Results are not in for Earl Hall. Global Scholars Hall has not been tested but is not expected to have issues.

University Housing is ensuring that water used in dining facilities is safe for consumption.

“Like many public agencies with lots of buildings, the UO has been voluntarily testing for lead as part of a water quality monitoring program launched in late spring,” the release on AroundtheO reported. The testing results for residence halls has recently become available.

The water from the affected faucets has more than 15 parts of lead per billion, which is unsafe for human consumption, according to the Federal Environmental Protection Agency. High lead levels in water can contribute to negative health effects especially for pregnant women, infants and young children under 6 years old.

The UO has not received reports of any medical conditions supposedly resulting from lead in its drinking water, the email stated.

The UO’s Environmental Health and Safety Office has been pursuing a comprehensive update of its drinking water monitoring plan, using EPA-recommended best practices. Its first step was to test drinking fountains and bottle spouts in all UO buildings for lead content, the email stated.

Earlier in 2016, UO tested water samples from the Vivian Olum Child Development Center and Moss Street Children’s Center, which were safe to consume.

UO Communications Director and Public Information Officer Kelly McIver was not available to comment immediately.

Thirty crimes were reported to UOPD from Sept. 2 to Sept. 11, eight of them were during Game Day against the University of Virginia.

The Emerald went on a ride along with UOPD during the game from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.

To monitor the crowd of 54,000 at a Ducks’ football game, UOPD has to collaborate with EPD and the Sheriff’s office, officer Adam Lillengreen said. UOPD is specially tasked with keeping the peace in the student section and on the field. For the game on Sept. 10, UOPD had six security officers and eight to ten sworn police officers working. Most of them worked a 12-hour shift, while some, including Lillengreen, had to pull a 16-hour shift.

Lillengreen said it is a joint effort of the all three departments to control the crowd, keeping the stadium and campus safe. On Saturday, only two officers, Lillengreen and Troy Phillips, were on duty on campus. The department’s biggest concern was mostly alcohol related, Lillengreen said.

Beside one DUII violation on Franklin Boulevard and Walnut Street, UOPD also dealt with a case of disorderly conduct resulted by excessive alcohol consumption.

According to the police, he was alone at Autzen stadium and only provided police with his first name. Officers at the scene found neither Brandon’s wallet nor identification documents on him.

As the pair of police carried Brandon into the facility, he couldn’t lift his head off the ground and eventually refused to walk.

A look into my crime wrap up going up on @DailyEmerald tmr: A trip to Buckley Detox house w UOPD. Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/6Ffrhj6pJh

— Trân Nguyễn (@tranngngn) September 13, 2016

Brandon, a male in his 20s with dark hair, was wearing a plain white shirt and black plants. He was placed in a small cell-like room. He failed to sit up straight and started screaming slurs when he realized his situation.

“Look, man, we are nonpolice here,” a staff tried to calm Brandon down before Brandon interrupted him by repeatedly screaming and sobbing, “Fuck you all. Let me go.”

A staff member finally took his blood pressure, which was 140/92. She said Brandon was most likely under influence of alcohol and “he will be fine.”

The two police officers then took the cuffs off and closed the heavy metal door behind them. The narrow window showed a peak into the room – Brandon passed out with his face down on the ground.

Brandon’s shoes and phone were kept outside of his room after staff at Buckley House finished checking him in (Tran Nguyen/Emerald)

Since UOPD is still understaffed, the two officers on campus had to stay available for situations at most times – misdemeanors such as open container are usually overlooked during these times, Lillengreen said.

Lillengreen’s duty of the night was to keep impaired drivers off the roads and to patrol poorly lit roads as pedestrians walked back from the game.

UOPD officer Adam Lillengreen stopped a vehicle as he saw a minor was laying in the trunk of the car. (Tran Nguyen/Emerald)

The Ruth Bascom Bike Path, which connects Autzen Stadium to downtown Eugene, is especially dangerous at night, Lillengreen said. This also includes the “poole yard,” an empty lot next to the train tracks, which is a hotspot for criminals and sex offenders to lurk around, he said.

Throughout the patrol, Lillengreen stopped to talk to pedestrians walking home from the game, a street musician named Todd and a homeless man, who Lillengreen called “an opportunist.” The man said he has been arrested recently for punching a lottery machine, but he has been keeping his nose clean from meth.

“I don’t believe him when he said he was clean though,” Lillengreen said after we drove away. “It’s sad to see somebody goes down hill like that.”

University of Oregon Foundation unexpectedly announced its plan to divest on its website Sept. 8.

“We are proud to lead the Pac-12 in adopting the first ever environmental, social and governance considerations to help inform our investment decisions,” a statement signed by Chief Investment Officer Jay Namyet said.

UO Foundation, an independent entity from the university, is responsible for overseeing all endorsements for the institution.

Out of its $719 million budget in 2015, UO Foundation has spent 1.5 percent on fossil fuel infrastructure, according to Climate Justice League. This could equal as much as $4 million, the Emerald reported. According to the announcement, this will no longer be the case.

“We intend to let those carbon-based investments –which were initiated many years ago– expire without renewal, ending our investment in carbon-based fuel sources,” the statement read.  

UO students, faculty and staff have been calling out UO Foundation for its investment in fossil fuel for years. Since 2012, Climate Justice League and its sub program, Divest UO, has held multiple rallies and protests for divestment.

In 2014, 73 percent of students voted in the student government election to see divestment. The UO Senate voted unanimously on a resolution to recommend the foundation to back off from the fuel industry in Jan. 2015.

Most recently, Divest UO held a 35-day sit in in Johnson Hall and a mock wedding in April 2016, urging divestment. During that wedding, student groups asked private donors to give their money to a nationwide divest fund, which is a tax deductible donation. The money would go to the UO Foundation if its organizers decide to divest by the end of 2017.

Back in June, Divest UO took their concern to the Board of Trustees meeting again.

Michael Dreiling, associate professor of sociology, led the discussion, offering his support for the group, the Emerald reported.

“One of the fundamental things that students who attend our university leave with is how serious [climate change] is,” Dreiling told the Board. “The Divest movement is an effort to say, ‘This is serious.’”

In an email with the Emerald on Aug. 28, Divest UO member Joey Ng said the group planned to organize “a public symposium” with administration. Another member, Matt Stephens, said the group will keep working this school year.

The University of Oregon Board of Trustees met Friday to discuss the tuition and fees setting process, financial aids, cluster hiring and the Presidential Assessment Report.

The Tuition and Fees Advisory Board will be meeting at least five times from November to January, Provost Scott Coltrane said at the meeting. The board, led by VP for Finance and Administration Jamie Moffitt, includes members of faculty, staff and student representatives.

TFAB is setting out to educate students on the matter, Moffitt said. “It’s a complicated issue,” she said.

Trustee and UO alumnus Ann Curry suggested the committee have more interaction with students on the issue. She said TFAB should expand the timeline so that it can present the information to the campus community and let them think through all the items in order to provide meaningful feedback.

Last year TFAB came out with its recommendation of a 4.76 percent tuition increase for resident students and 4.46 percent for non-resident in late January after cancelling all the remaining meetings. That prompted a rally of more than 70 students, followed by an open forum in which students criticized administration for not listening to their feedback.

Coltrane said this year’s open forum will be hosted in mid-January, and tuition for 2017 will be decided in late February.

There are many uncertainties about the tuition for fiscal year 2017-2018 because of state funding, Coltrane added.

In response to UO President Michael Schill’s initiative to improve UO research, UO has hired 10 tenure-track faculty in energy and sustainable material, biology and psychology for the 2017 school year.

As for Schill, trustees said they were pleased with his first year, calling it “the honeymoon” at the meeting.

Board of Trustees Vice Chair Ginevra Ralph said the feedback has been “overwhelmingly positive.” Curry said the excitement on campus about the University’s progress “is the beginning of the renaissance period.”

Schill said the success was a group effort.

“We will continue to get better and better,” he said. “It’s a joint product, not just me.”

The board also listened to an update on UO Portland, which will be the location for the next Board of Trustees meeting in December.

A judge has ruled that the male University of Oregon student who was suspended for an alleged sexual assault on a female student will not be allowed back on campus fall term to finish his undergraduate degree, the Register-Guard reports.

Lane County Circuit Judge Josephine Mooney rejected the male student’s request to postpone the two-year suspension, saying the suspension would not leave him with “permanent harm.” She came to the decision after she weighed his interest in graduating against the interests of both his accuser and the university, Mooney said.

The judge also stated that her decision is for the safety of the student accuser, who has reportedly suffered from panic attacks, academic consequences and fear of seeing the male student.

The male student, who is identified by the pseudonym “John Doe” in court records, stated during Tuesday’s hearing that he was falsely accused of an off-campus sexual assault. He also stated that university officials gave him an unfair disciplinary hearing before banning him from campus for two years.

The male student said officials violated his right by adding new evidence, a “guilty text message,” after the closure of UO’s investigation and not allowing him sufficient time to respond.

Eugene attorney Lissa Casey, representing John Doe, said in court Thursday that he has already suffered consequences, including having his situation exposed and needing to hire lawyers to fight the suspension. She also said the decision allowing UO to enforce the suspension “only makes [the male student’s] damages in any future civil rights lawsuits that much higher.”

The University of Oregon Board of Trustees voted unanimously to dename the controversial Dunn Hall during its quarterly public meeting on Sept. 8. It will be called Cedar Hall until a new name is chosen.

UO President Michael Schill said he would recommend a process for determining a new name at the next meeting.

“What we should do is name Dunn Hall … for someone who does further our ideals of inclusion, does further our ideals of commitment to diversity and that we go about that process of determining that name through an inclusionary process on campus that with hopefully be both healing and educational,” Schill said.

The denaming was the first item on the board’s agenda. Three public comments were made at the meeting, including those from ASUO president Quinn Haaga and Vice President Natalie Fisher.

“I love the University of Oregon, I have always since I was a little girl,” Fisher said. She urged the board to rename Dunn Hall, as “it’s the least the university could do to make students, especially marginalized students, feel safe on campus.”

Haaga also urged the board to take action immediately, as well as launch an investigation into all buildings’ names on campus.

Schill credited the Black Student Task Force for bringing the problem to the administration’s attention. He said “racism has no place on campus.”

With over 1,000 comments from the community in the initial forum, Schill said it’s clear that the campus wants a change. He said denaming buildings has a strong symbolic impact, but “symbols are less important than action.”

Board member Andrew Colas supported the movement.

“I wholeheartedly support the renaming of Dunn. And if we get to Deady, I’ll support that too,” Colas said.

During Schill’s presentation of the President’s Report, he spoke extensively on the university’s progress addressing the 13 demands made by the Black Student Task Force in fall 2015.

Administration has made progress on most of the demands, but there are five left to focus on, Schill said. Among these are the construction of a Black Cultural Center, hiring an African-American student retention specialist and altering graduation requirements to include Ethnic Studies 101.

Schill said making Ethnic Studies 101 mandatory for 21,000 students is impossible, but the university will work to shorten the list of courses that satisfy the two multicultural course requirements. Schill said administrators are making progress on the other demands.

Schill ended his president report with comments on UO’s budget and fundraising goals.

“This is a year of great budget uncertainty, especially considering state budget cuts,” he said.

The state is in a deficit of $1.2 billion. If the state passes measure 97– a bill that increases corporate minimum tax when sales exceed $25 million– in November, it would also alter UO’s budget, but in the opposite way.

Schill said UO is on-track for its ambitious fundraising plans, having raised over $23 million so far this quarter.

In addition to the denaming, the board voted to extend funds for two multi-million dollar renovations for Pacific Hall and Oregon Hall. Both projects are in early design phases.

Vice President and Provost Scott Coltrane also spoke at the meeting, introducing seven new administrators to the board. The introductions included Vice President for Research and Innovation David O. Conover, Dean of Students Kris Winters, Dean of School of Journalism and Communications Juan-Carlos Molleda and Dean of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts Christoph Lindner.

The board will continue the meeting tomorrow, starting at 9:00 a.m., to discuss the process for setting tuition and fees.

Follow @DailyEmerald for live updates.

** This post has been updated to reflect responses from the former players and their attorney

Federal Judge Michael McShane of the district of Oregon dismissed multiple lawsuits Thursday, Sept. 8 filed by three former University of Oregon basketball players last year court documents show.

All three players, Brandon Austin, Dominic Artis and Damyean Dotson, were expelled and banned from campus for allegedly raping a female student in March 2014. They later filed lawsuits stating that university officials were biased towards their cases and violated their rights. They were seeking $10 million and $7.5 million in their lawsuits.

Attorneys for the university sought dismissal of the lawsuits on Aug. 9, 2016, stating that the university has a duty to respond to alleged sexual assault on campus, in accordance with federal Title IX protections. The university attorneys also argued the plaintiffs, under legal advisement, chose an administrative conference, partly because expulsion was removed as a possible sanction, according to court documents.

“That said, nothing in the complaint or incorporated documents suggests that the actions of the University were motivated by gender bias or that the University deprived Plaintiffs of a due process right,” the court document said.

This is the latest episode of lawsuits surrounding the alleged rape case of the three former basketball players in March 2014.

Since then, the university has settled with the alleged victim for the amount of $800,000 and a full-ride scholarship. The university also settled with two former counseling center employees for $425,000 in July. About the same time, director of the University Testing and Counseling Center Shelly Kerr was fined by the Oregon Board of Psychologist Examiners for failing to take reasonable precautions to protect the student’s confidential mental health information.

It appears as though this series of cases is not over. According to The Oregonian, the plaintiffs’ lawyer Alex Spiro said, “We are redrafting the pleadings and moving forward with the case pursuant to court’s decision.”

Because the former players’ claims were dismissed without prejudice, they can be appealed within the next 30 days.