A 25-year-old man has been arrested for two burglaries that took place early Sunday morning, the Eugene Police Department announced this morning.

According to the release, Kerry Cargill Stabler, Jr. broke into two residences near campus —one on the 1600 block of High Street and the other on the 1700 block of Mill Street — and stole items from them just after midnight.

A 20-year-old resident at the High Street location called police after awaking to the sounds of someone walking inside his home and yelling. The resident confronted the burglar, who stole coats before fleeing.

Officers were already responding to the first burglary by the time the second report came in about stolen electronics on Mill Street just after 1 a.m. One resident was home, but did not awake, while other housemates returned to find their house had been burglarized.

After hearing a detailed description from the High Street resident, an officer located Stabler on East 20th and Hilyard Street as he was changing clothes behind the trunk of a car. EPD spokesperson Melinda McLaughlin confirmed in the release that officers then took Stabler into custody just before 2 a.m.

As officers took Stabler to Lane County Jail, he became progressively more uncooperative, according to the release. When he was taken out of the police car, he kicked his legs toward an officer. As he was being booked, he tried to pull away and physically confronted officers several times. The officers then applied further physical control.

Stabler is charged with one count of Theft I and Burglary I for the first break-in, and two charges of Burglary I and one of Theft I for the second.

The University of Oregon Police Department has hired former captain Pete Deshpande as its interim chief of police, according to a UOPD statement released Monday morning.

Deshpande served with UOPD for three-and-a-half years as a captain before retiring in 2015. He also served as an officer and commander with the Eugene Police Department for 22 years.

In the meantime, Andre Le Duc, Associate Vice President of Safety and Risk Services, will oversee the search with UOPD management to fill the position permanently. UOPD and other departments will form a search committee that will review applications and vet candidates.

Once finalists for the position have been chosen, Le Duc says there will be a period for community engagement and face time with the candidates, including meet and greets with university groups and local law enforcement.

The hiring of Deshpande comes after former chief, Carolyn McDermed abruptly announced her retirement on Friday after serving since 2008.

The announcement came as a surprise, since email records show that McDermed had a schedule planned out for this week just hours before her retirement.

“I can’t speak to any of the events that occurred before I began overseeing the UOPD [last December],” said Le Duc, “But I do know that Chief McDermed made her own choice to retire and I support that choice.”

LeDuc hopes that the search committee will be formed and ready to vet applications for the position sometime in March, with community engagement with finalists set for the end of Spring Term this year.

“The biggest distinction with university law enforcement is that there is an even higher expectation of the services we provide,” said Le Duc. “This really hinges around engagement, which is why we are aiming to have the community interacting with the candidates by the end of the school year.”

Stefan Strek has a friendly face outlined by trimmed sideburns. While listening in conversation, he nods and gives his typical response of, “Yeah, totally,” spoken in the voice one might imagine for a surfer dude. When asked a question, he answers in a deliberate cadence, trailing off periodically to gather his ideas.

Strek works for University of Oregon Housing at Carson Dining, greeting and ringing up hundreds of customers a day. He has worked for the UO’s Dining Services for seven years now, since he was a senior at South Eugene High School.

He’s now 25 and running for mayor of Eugene. Strek is not the typical mayoral candidate.

The primary election for the mayor is on May 17. Strek is running against three other candidates: Eugene Water and Electric Board commissioner Bob Cassidy, fundraising director for ShelterCare Lucy Vinis and Eugene City Counselor Mike Clark.

Strek says his unique perspective as a working class citizen sets him apart from other candidates.

Strek has no previous experience working in government, but he sees that as a benefit. “The other candidates are all the same,” Strek said. “They have the same friends, they have the same money and they have the same ideas. I think not having experience makes me more adaptable.”

Strek’s campaign adviser, Jacob Glasser, a fellow South Eugene graduate and UO food service worker who is active with the Service Employees International Union, says that Strek is still in the phase of his campaign where he is getting his name out there and figuring out his voter base.

“Stefan is the kind of person who, he might not know how to fix a problem, but he will address that problem head on,” Glasser said. “To people who would count him out because of his experience or who think he isn’t serious about this, I say, ‘Get to know him.’ ”

Some of the problems that Strek sees in Eugene are related to homelessness, something he attributes to administrative mismanagement.

“There are policies that don’t solve the problem and only harass homeless people,” Strek said.

Strek said he recently helped a homeless friend pay off a $50 fine for walking his dog downtown without a license. The license costs about $20 and expires every two years.

“The police don’t stop random people and ask to see their dog licenses,” Strek said, “If you look like an average citizen not on the streets, you’re not going to be asked to show your dog’s registration.”

Strek says as mayor he would talk to the police administration and find ways to change these policies. For helping the homeless off the streets, he references programs used in Salt Lake City, Utah and Austin, Texas that provide the homeless with jobs and therapy.

“We have a lot of very generous people here who have a lot of money,” said Strek. “I’ve talked to some of them, and they’ve said they would be interested in something like that here in Eugene.”

Strek hopes to have the support of many local businesses and unions come election time. “I think I can bring a lot of my experience working and connecting with people,” Strek said. “Just like everything there is a bit of a learning curve to this, but I’m figuring this out.”

Terry Shockley, the Eugene property manager who was indicted last week on two charges of wire fraud totaling more than $3 million, is scheduled to have his arraignment at 10:30 a.m. on April 6. Shockley’s lawyer, Mike Arnold, told The Register Guard that Shockley will plead guilty.

Shockley’s firm, TS Property Management, operated in Eugene under the names Property Management Concepts and Eugene Rentals. The firm was closed last year due to a court order.

Shockley was involved in similar fraud cases last year, in which he was found guilty. He has not paid the court fees or restitution for either of these cases.

Shockley was also served a lawsuit on February 19 from American Express Bank, which alleges that Shockley owes $34,324.40 for crediting services, The Register-Guard reports. Arnold said that he has not yet reviewed this newest suit.

The University of Oregon’s Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics hosted a watch party for the New Hampshire Primary in Gerlinger Lounge on Tuesday, Feb. 9.  A panel of scholars from the center led discussions during the broadcast about the primaries’ function in the democratic process as well as the unique populist platforms of the 2016 presidential election.

“The primaries are where the parties shape what they stand for before each election,” Wayne Morse Scholar and UO graduate Celine Swenson-Harris said. “It’s the first opportunity for voters to respond to these platforms.”

The New Hampshire Primary is the first in the country and follows the Iowa Caucuses.

Senator Sanders, who lost to Hillary Clinton by less than one percent of the vote in Iowa the previous week, won in New Hampshire by a landslide. Sanders received 60 percent of the vote, and gained the support of 15 delegates, with Clinton receiving 38 percent and 9 delegates.

On the Republican side, Donald Trump won with 35 percent of the vote and 10 delegates. Governor John Kasich and Senator Ted Cruz came in second and third place, each with less than 20 percent of the vote and with four and three delegates respectively.

The discussion panel for this primary is just one of a year-long series being put on by the WMC that will follow the 2016 election. The aim is to inform the campus community about the platforms of each candidate and party, but also focuses on political trends.

UO Professor of Political Science and coordinator of the WMC’s discussion series Dan Tichenor says that this year both are seeing a prevalence of anti-establishment candidates.

“Usually, there will be only one ‘movement politics’ – or anti-establishment – platform in one or both parties,” Tichenor said, “But this year we are seeing multiple populist movements on both sides, and we are even seeing them be frontrunners.”

For the Democrats, Sanders election reform and anti-Wall Street platform has given him a lot of media and voter attention. For Republicans, there are candidates with no political backgrounds and who run on strict anti-government platforms like Donald Trump, s Carly Fiorina (who dropped out of the race after New Hampshire) and Ben Carson.

Swenson-Harris says it’s a bit too early to say whether these populist candidates have enough traction to win the nomination or even the election on these platforms, but we are seeing them in the spotlight more so than in previous years.

One of the Wayne Morse Center discussion panels will feature a lengthier talk about populist politics, but the date is not certain.

Dozens of people attended a protest on the University of Oregon campus this afternoon that was organized by Divest UO — a joint student and faculty campaign opposed to the UO Foundation’s investment in fossil fuel companies —  to bring attention to its cause.

Beginning at roughly 12 p.m., the attendees listened to speakers from the UO community make their cases about fossil fuels’ relation to climate change. The rally group then marched to the Ford Alumni Center to protest the UO Foundation. After the march concluded, members of the UO Climate Justice League — a student group on campus — and 350 Eugene — a local environmental group — participated in a sit-in protest at Johnson hall.

The rally kicked off with speeches from — among others — Canadian author, filmmaker and activist Naomi Klein and UO associate professor Michael Dreiling.

“The climate is a’changing, and there is no denying,” Dreiling said to a then-growing crowd outside of the Johnson Hall administration building. “This January was the hottest that has been recorded in 135 years.”

The UO Foundation is a non-profit corporation that is responsible for deciding how to use financial donations the university receives. Because of this, it is technically not an arm of the University and does not have to answer to the UO Senate, which voted unanimously to ask the foundation to end divestment in fossil fuels last January.

“The UO is supposed to be preparing us for the future,” said Kaia Hazard, a Divest UO organizer. “But what is the [UO] Foundation doing? Destroying our future by investing millions in fossil fuels that are heating our planet.”

The UO Foundation spends 1.5 percent of the total university endowment on fossil fuel infrastructure, according to Climate Justice League. This could equal as much as $4 million.

While UO President Michael Schill has not taken a public stance on the UO Foundation’s investment in fossil fuels, he has encouraged the foundation to increase its overall endowment.

Once the march concluded, rally members comprised of students, faculty and Eugene residents entered Johnson Hall to conduct a sit-in and silently protest the actions of the UO administration. UO Divest leaders said that they hope the sit-in will continue until about 5 p.m.

Divest UO held a similar rally to today’s in April 2015.

More to come.

Freshman Jacob Armas was valedictorian of his Medford, Oregon, high school and received a Pathway Oregon scholarship to cover his tuition at the University of Oregon. The only catch: the scholarship wouldn’t cover the cost of housing. So his choice to live on campus in a residence hall meant he had to take out some loans and borrow money from grandparents to cover the cost.

“[My parents and I] were thankful for the program,” Armas said. “I would have gone to school either way, but it would have been a lot more expensive.”

By fall of 2017, all freshmen will be required to live on campus, even students like Armas who come from households that can’t afford to pay for college out-of-pocket. The UO’s reason: Enrollment and graduation data for 2006-2012 show that students who lived on campus were 80 percent more likely to graduate within six years. They also had a higher mean grade point average than off-campus students. But opponents of the policy in the UO community say these benefits don’t justify the forced cost.

Though over 80 percent of UO freshmen choose on-campus living, many opt to live off campus because it’s cheaper.

First-year student Sidney White lives in the Prefontaine Apartments with three other roommates. The four-bedroom rates are individually leased at $650, meaning each roommate pays this amount rather than splitting an overall rent.

White says she spends an additional $100 on food per month and $50 for parking bringing the monthly total at her apartment complex to $800, or $9,600 a year.

In contrast, the cheapest room UO offers is a standard double. With the standard meal plan, this costs $11,430 per year — about $1,200 more expensive than the same room type was for students back in 2012.

Students’ housing decisions come down to how much benefit they get for what they’re paying, according to UO economics professor Ralph Mastromonaco. His work focuses on housing markets and why people choose to live where they live. Some students may choose to live off campus to save money, and this decision may provide greater peace of mind and less financial stress.

“Students being able to live off campus for less money increases their utility,” Mastromonaco said. “If the university is going to take that option away, they have to provide a benefit for doing so.”

On-campus residents benefit from resources offered in residence halls. Some residents have access to live-in faculty who provide students with one-on-one counseling and academic assistance.

“Getting people through in four years is a financial benefit,” said Michael Griffel, director of University Housing at the UO. “The extra costs of not graduating on time or not doing well in school can add up tremendously.”

It’s also more convenient. On-campus students can get food with meal points and have quick access to study areas. There are also built-in opportunities for community events within the residence halls where students can make friends and relax.

Other Oregon universities have had success with this policy. Oregon State University has seen increases in student GPA and retention rates since enacting their own live-on policy two years ago, OSU housing official Brian Stroup said.

There is some doubt, however, that the resources offered by the residence halls are the only thing responsible for a student’s success.

A 2010 cross-institutional study based on numbers from the National Center for Education Statistics suggested that academic performance research, like what the UO points to, often disregards the possibility that not all students will thrive in the dorm environment. It also found that the residence type had little effect on first-year students’ academic performance.

A number of University of Oregon students prefer the privacy that living in off-campus housing offers. (Emerald Archives)

“If you’re a person who needs quiet and their own space, like me, then living off-campus is great,” White said.

Mastromonaco also suggests that this is an example of correlation not necessarily meaning causation. “If you were to tell me that students who live on campus are more likely to graduate, I would question whether housing was the reason, or if the students who choose to live on campus are simply the kind of people who graduate sooner,” Mastromonaco said.

Armas, on the other hand, said that the on-campus resources have helped him succeed in the residence halls. But he disagrees with UO’s plan to require freshmen to live in residence halls.

“I don’t think the dorms necessarily better prepare you for college,” Armas said. “Unless you already know who you are going to live with and where, it’s always a roll of the dice.”

Not all first-year students will be required to live on campus. For example, native Eugenians can just live at home. The main focus of the live-on requirement is for students coming straight to college from high school who will benefit most from help with the transition.

But UO Housing said there will be no exemption for students who cannot meet the cost. This could affect some students’ ability or desire to go to the UO.

“We are working really hard to offer a wide range of options for students with that concern,” said Anna Schmidt-Mackenzie, director of residential life and educational initiatives at the UO. She says that students often cite a total cost of about $10,000 per year for off-campus living costs.

To combat this, the university will be offering cheaper room rates starting the year of the live-on requirement. This is what other public universities have done, including OSU (which offers two reduced rates), to ease the financial strain.

“By 2017, we hope to offer a price point that matches that of luxury apartment living off campus,” Schmidt-Mackenzie said.

But comparing residence halls to luxury apartments off campus makes an assumption about what students living off-campus normally pay. Costs in an off-campus living situation are often split amongst roommates. In a dorm situation, both students in a two-person room are paying the full cost for less space.

Even from the standpoint of a luxury apartment with individual leases, the costs aren’t entirely comparable — as White’s yearly living expenses show.

“We offer a lot with our housing, and it is extremely hard to put a price tag on that,” Schmidt-Mackenzie said.

ASUO Senator Max Burns is working on a resolution opposing the housing requirement. Burns’ reasoning is that to force students to pay for all the housing costs, a few positive GPA statistics aren’t enough.

If passed, his resolution would not prevent the housing requirement but it may put pressure on the administration to consider the objections being raised.

“There’s no hidden agenda here,” Griffel said. “This really is about helping students graduate at higher rates.”

A previous version of this story reported that Pathway Oregon students are required to live on campus. This is not the case.

The City of Eugene received a notice from the Union Pacific Railroad Company that the railroads within the city limits will be sprayed with herbicides as a part of routine railroad vegetation maintenance. The spraying is set to begin on Feb. 15, should weather and train transportation allow it.

Union Pacific will be spraying the following airborne herbicides: Accord XRP, Activator 90, Oust XP, and Perspective, all of which are approved for commercial use. The chemicals will be sprayed in a 24-foot-wide pattern, 12 feet on either side of the tracks.

The Union Pacific is required by a Good Neighbor Agreement (a type of written agreement between two parties to ensure cooperation should problems arise) with the City of Eugene to notify before the start of the spraying season. The city of Eugene has no control over the spraying method, the chemicals used, or when the spraying happens.

As we move into February, the University of Oregon will begin its celebration of Black History Month, honoring African-American history and culture in America. UO groups have a full month of activities and programs for all to enjoy. The comprehensive list is below:

Black Women of Achievement Discussion Series: 

Every Thursday of the month, 6. p.m., Mills International Center in EMU

Hosted by the BWA, each discussion will center around different topics. The dates and subjects are listed below:

Feb. 4 – Rap, Then and Now! The rich culture and politics of rap
Feb. 11 – The blind stigma of mental health in the black community
Feb. 18 – Forgotten Pioneers: Black women in the revolution
Feb. 25 – Forgotten Pioneers: Black students in the revolution

Skate with the Black Student Union:

Saturday, Feb. 6, SkateWorld, 7-10 p.m.

The BSU will be putting on a roller skating night at SkateWorld in Eugene. Admission is $5.75 per person.

Days of Service – NAACP Saturday School:

Wednesday, Feb. 13 & 27, Lane Community College Downtown Campus 2nd Floor, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

An afternoon tutoring K-12 kids from the community with the Lane County Chapter of the NAACP and the UO’s BWA. There will be free parking at the Overpark Garage downtown.

Black, Then and There: A Tribute to the Harlem Renaissance:

Wednesday, Feb. 17, Ford Alumni Center Ballroom, 6-8 p.m.

This program, put on by the Division of Equity & Inclusion, will include music provided by the Roger Woods quartet, student tributes to leaders of the Harlem Renaissance and a tribute to a community member nominated by students, staff and the Eugene community. An RSVP is required by Feb. 12 at noon to attend this event.

Black Night of Achievement:

Thursday, Feb. 18, Global Scholars Hall, 6-8 p.m.

This night will celebrate the students, faculty and community members who have made a difference toward making our campus more inclusive and diverse.

African American Heritage Night:

Friday, Feb. 19, Moda Center in Portland, 5:30-7 p.m.

A night of fun and history with the Portland Trailblazers just before their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. There will be a post-game free throws event and photo opportunities with the players. Must have a game ticket to attend, however discounted tickets are available for participating groups.

Black Students, Staff and Faculty Social:

Friday, Feb. 19, HEDCO Education Building Lobby, 3-5 p.m.

A chance to connect with the black community on campus. Admission is free for all.

Out in the Night Screening and Lyllye B. Parker Speakers:

Wednesday, Feb. 24, PLC 180, 6-9 p.m.

A screening of Blaire Doroshwalthers’s documentary about the criminal case of four black lesbian women in New Jersey who were charged with assault after a fight broke out with a man who attacked them on a street in New York. This is part of the Lyllye B. Parker Speaker Series, put on by the UO Women’s Center, which will take place two days after the film screening (on Feb. 26). Three of the New Jersey 4 will speak in EMU Ballroom from 5-7 p.m.

I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America:

All Month, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art

This is a part of the larger From the Heart exhibit that is running through April. It features portraits and biographies of black women who influenced American culture, including portraits of Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou and Alice Walker.

Public commentary is now open on the University of Oregon’s latest proposal, which would raise tuition and fees. The proposal, if approved by the UO Board of Trustees, would go into effect on July 1.
For more information about the tuition hike, check out previous Emerald coverage.
The UO will be taking comments until 5 p.m. on Feb. 19. Those who wish to submit commentary must fill out an online form.