Author Archives | Will Campbell

Oregon’s new distracted driving law and fines: ‘very tough’ on offenders

Starting Sunday, you can now be pulled over in Oregon for texting or talking while driving – and the initial fines reach up to $1,000.

University of Oregon Police Department spokesman Kelly McIver said the new law is “very tough.”

“It’s one of those things that everybody does nowadays. They’re tied to their phones or tied to their devices. There’s way too high a percentage of people distracted on the road,” he said.

Oregon’s new distracted driving law aims to suppress the increasing traffic accidents and deaths tied to texting or talking while driving. A report from the state’s Distracted Driving Task Force found that distracted driving causes one crash every three hours.

UOPD has issued two distracted driving citations stretching back to the beginning of 2016, according to McIver, and those were both tied to DUII arrests.

McIver said he expects police to issue more distracted driving tickets after the law comes into effect, and hopes the new law is “a good deterrent and will keep people’s eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.”

Penalties:

Tickets for first-time offenders will cost between $130 and $1,000 if it doesn’t involve a crash. But with a crash, the offender could be fined up to $2,500. A second, non-crash offense could cost $2,500. A third offense could cost $6,250 and a year in jail.

There are ways to get the fine waived. For a first-time offender, taking a distracted driving course can erase the fine but not the driving offense.

Here are some exceptions to the law:

  • If you’re over 18, you can still use a hands-free or built-in interface in your car, and you can only press or swipe those devices. No typing.
  • You need to be parked to use your phone. You can’t be stopped at a light or a stop sign.
  • You can legally use your phone to call 911.
  • Police, firefighters and EMS can use their phones while driving.

For more information, visit http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Safety/Pages/Distracted.aspx

 

 

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Student debt forgiveness program may get axed by Trump administration

Here is a relatively easy way to get rid of student debt: 1) work for the government or a non-profit, 2) keep up with student loan payments for 10 years and 3) apply for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, a federal government program that many former students currently rely on to solve their debt troubles.

But the Trump administration on Wednesday signaled it may cancel the program in an effort to cut $10.6 billion from federal education funding.

The Washington Post said in an article that it acquired budget documents, which are supposed to be released to the public next week, mentioning the cuts. There are no further details provided.

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program began in 2007. The Washington Post reports over 550,000 people are “on track to receive the benefit.”

Ashley Coleman, assistant director of the Financial Aid and Scholarships office, is one of those people. She said if the federal government denies her the program, she may not be able to fulfill her dream of buying a house.

Ashley Coleman, a UO financial aid counselor, is depending on the federal program to help her clear her debt and buy a house. (Courtesy of Ashley Coleman)

Coleman, who is $44,000 in debt, is shocked by the possibility of the federal government denying her the debt relief, particularly after she is halfway through the 10-year-long commitment.

Coleman graduated from University of South Dakota in 2010, and her employment here makes her eligible because UO qualifies as an employer to offer eligibility for PSLF.

Coleman is frustrated because she would have chosen a different payment plan if she knew the program would fall through.

Michelle Garibay is also a UO financial aid counselor, who graduated from Western Oregon University. Like Coleman, she is relying on the program to allow her to buy a house instead of paying off student debt.

“It’s kind of scary,” Garibay said. “It just puts a lot more pressure on budgeting your money every month and trying to pay down your loans.”

Michelle Garibay is also relying on the program. (Courtesy of Michelle Garibay)

Garibay and Coleman both counsel students on the program, which number about 200 per year, they said. The two hold workshops every term, but they tell students to be wary of relying on the program because of the turnover in the federal government.

“Administrations change all the time; rules change,” Coleman said.

Coleman said Oregon has 1,614 employers with people submitting paperwork for the PSLF program.

“It’s a scary time to be in higher ed,” Garibay said.

The Trump administration plans on releasing the documents next week, supposedly detailing the future of the PSLF program.

Follow Will Campbell on Twitter: @wtcampbell 

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The Atlantic publishes UO journalism professor Alex Tizon’s story on slavery posthumously

The Atlantic published University of Oregon professor Alex Tizon’s posthumous story on slavery Tuesday morning, and announced it will run on the cover of the June edition of the magazine.

“Alex did not know that we would be putting his piece on the cover of this issue; he died the day we made that decision, before we had a chance to tell him,” Editor Jeffery Goldberg stated in an editor’s note.

Tizon’s wife, Melissa, told The Atlantic, “This was his ultimate story. He was trying to write it for five or six years. He struggled with it. But when he started writing it for The Atlantic, he stopped struggling. He wrote it with such ease.”

On The Atlantic’s website, some of the comments on the story, called “My Family’s Slave,” read, “This is so incredibly sad,” and “I cried reading this.”

Tizon, a Pulitzer Prize winner, died in his home in March at age 57.

He was a beloved professor at the University of Oregon.

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“Cutting into the bone”: Why ASUO leaders endorsed the 10.6 percent tuition increase

In January, when ASUO Vice President and UO senior Natalie Fisher first heard the tuition increase would reach 10.6 percent, she wasn’t surprised.

She first heard of the raise during a meeting of the Tuition and Fees Advisory Board, a group the University of Oregon set up to create more transparency in its tuition decisions. Fisher, a political science major, serves on that board.

What did surprise Fisher was when she realized that she and ASUO President Quinn Haaga would be the only student government representatives from five Oregon colleges to advocate for any tuition increase at all.

Students in the crowd last Thursday “shamed” Fisher after her endorsement of the tuition increase to the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission; and although she realizes it sounds “oxymoronic,” she doesn’t want tuition to increase, even though she is advocating for it.

Students cheered and took to celebrating on social media after the tuition increase failed.

But Fisher doesn’t feel she is understood.

Natalie Fisher, a political science major graduating this school year, says she has been “caught between a rock and a hard place,” while making her decision to endorse a 10.6 percent increase. (Image from Linkedin)

“I feel as though I saw no better option,” Fisher said of the 10.6 target number during the TFAB meeting in January. Members, including students, faculty and staff, had been testing different scenarios in a custom tuition calculator made by Jamie Moffitt, the university’s finance expert.

Download the tuition calculator here.

Fisher, born in Bend, Oregon, said the university needed to balance cutting faculty jobs and increasing tuition.

And so the board landed on 10.6 percent — a little more than a halfway compromise between a 0 percent tuition increase with cutting enough staff to solve UO’s financial problems entirely, and a 20 percent tuition increase, which would also solve UO’s deficit.

Fisher recalls conversations during those early meetings in which TFAB members would say that any tuition increase under 10.6 percent “would be cutting into the bone of the university.”

She said she remembers pressuring other TFAB board members, including Brad Shelton, UO vice provost for budget and planning, asking him what he thought was the most the school could cut.

“Brad [Shelton] said he wouldn’t be comfortable with more than 9 million dollars” in faculty cuts, which left them with a 10.6 percent tuition increase.

“What is so tragic is this was our best option. We will be asking students to pay more for significantly less services next year,” Haaga said to the HECC board last Thursday.

Fisher felt in no way manipulated by the school, and she said she represented the entire student body’s collective best interests. She said faculty cuts hurt students too, which she feels many don’t acknowledge.

“While all of these students are celebrating this [vote], how many professors went home and cried to their spouses and said, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to have a job next year’?” Fisher asked.

She ultimately blames the state government for UO’s money issues. When she talks with politicians, they often comment on UO’s new buildings and sports teams; they think the school is being irresponsible with its money.

“A lot of people have this idea that the University of Oregon is bleeding money because we have a couple nice buildings and a football team that has a lot of uniforms. That’s such a false narrative,” Fisher said.

On Wednesday, ASUO is hosting a phone bank to lobby state legislators to give more money to UO. The event is called the WTF Phone Bank and will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the EMU Call Center. ASUO has scripts prepared for students.

Now the university is holding talks with HECC members, trying to convince them to reconsider votes on the 10.6 figure as soon as this month, according to a statement from Oregon State University leaders.

“If at least five of the voting commissioners agree to provide approval, the HECC will convene a meeting within the next two weeks to reconsider the votes,” according to the OSU statement.

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UO President Schill hints at further job cuts after HECC denied UO’s proposed 10.6 percent tuition increase

UO spokesman Tobin Klinger told the Emerald today that 54 non-tenure track faculty positions have been cut for the upcoming school year.

That number may increase, according to President Schill’s letter to the UO community Friday.

In the letter, he stated that the UO “will be forced to make even deeper cuts … than are already anticipated, including cuts that will likely affect student support services, academic programs, and jobs,” if the Higher Education Coordinating Commission’s decision stands.

The HECC voted Thursday to deny the 10.6 in-state tuition increase.

Schill also stated in the letter that he would like the HECC to reconsider its vote.

UO will now be forced to reassess its options. It has the option to adjust the tuition increase number and resubmit it to the HECC. Another option is to set the tuition increase to 5 percent, which would not require voting from the HECC and be automatically implemented. UO could also lobby Oregon lawmakers to change the requirements for raising the tuition above 5 percent without HECC approval.

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ASUO torn between decision to increase tuition or make further staff cuts

The current and incoming ASUO slates don’t agree with each other on the 10.6 percent tuition increase recommended by President Michael Schill.

Current ASUO President Quinn Haaga and Vice President Natalie Fisher travelled separately from other University of Oregon students to Salem on Thursday for the vote on whether tuition will increase 10.6 percent for in-state students.

Haaga and Fisher were both in favor of the 10.6 percent increase, which failed to receive enough votes yesterday. The state committee citied a need to minimize the university’s cuts. Some protestors at the meeting responded by saying, “shame” after Fisher’s statement endorsing the increase.

But incoming ASUO External Vice President Vickie Gimm testified against the tuition raise during the Higher Education Coordinating Commission meeting. She advocated for low-income students and said Haaga and Fisher did not represent her.

Vickie Gimm (Aaron Nelson/Emerald)

“As puppets of the administration, the current student body representatives speaking in favor of the tuition increase are graduating seniors who should not be speaking on behalf of the students who will be affected by this decision,” Gimm said.

Gimm also said the tuition increase affects low-income students of color at UO, referencing Gov. Kate Brown’s letter to HECC that recommended the commission to decline any tuition increase over 5 percent.

Haaga and Fisher say the school will now face an even greater deficit than the $8.8 million deficit that the school planned to accompany the 10.6 percent tuition increase.

“What is so tragic is this was our best option,” Haaga said to the HECC. “We will be asking students to pay more for significantly less services next year.”

But with the denied tuition increase, Haaga fears the school will cut more faculty to make up for the loss in revenue.

Haaga and Fisher, during the ASUO campaigns last year, advocated for minimizing tuition increases. Fisher was quoted in a video from the Emerald saying, “One-hundred percent, we will fight to do everything we can that [the Board of Trustees] do not keep increasing our tuition.”

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Updated: 2017-18 UO tuition increase fails in Salem

The University of Oregon’s $945 tuition increase hit a wall today when the Higher Education Coordinating Commission voted not to pass the hike in Salem.

Students from the Oregon Student Association protested the meeting by wearing orange life jackets and holding signs reading, “Students are drowning in debt.”

The HECC, a 14-member board in charge of funding of higher education in Oregon, followed Oregon governor Kate Brown’s recommendation to vote down any tuition hike over 5 percent.

“This is a tremendous set back for the University of Oregon,” said UO spokesman Tobin Klinger in a statement to the Emerald. “We must now go back and quickly evaluate the impact of this vote on the university’s overall financial picture, assess our options and determine our next steps.”

The rejected plan proposed a 10.6 percent increase for residents and 3 percent for non-residents. For both types of students, this equates to an extra $945 per year.

ASUO President Quinn Haaga traveled to Salem for the meeting with other UO students. She said she was surprised to hear the decision because she thought it would be similar to the UO Board of Trustees meeting in March, when board members passed the tuition increase.

“As of now, it’s difficult to say if it is a success,” she said. “It’s too early to say what it will mean for the university.”

She said she is still extremely concerned about staff and faculty cuts at UO.

Haaga said that the Oregon Student Association had a huge influence on the votes because the HECC members “were literally looking at students who could be priced out of the university.”

The HECC board also voted on tuition increases for other schools. The board passed tuition increases for Western Oregon University and Southern Oregon University. It denied an 8.3 percent increased for Portland State University, along with the University of Oregon’s 10.6 percent.

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Updated: Former Ducks player Colt Lyerla escapes from corrections center

Update 3:38 p.m: Lyerla was apprehended and taken to the hospital after police were called to a private residence to respond to a drug overdose, Hillsboro police say.

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Colt Lyerla, former Ducks tight end, escaped from custody out of Washington County Corrections Center yesterday, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive. Lyerla triggered an alarm at 4:55 p.m. and escaped out of a window in the first floor of the corrections center. Police issued a warrant for his arrest, and are actively searching for Lyerla.

(Washington County Courthouse)

Lyerla was sentenced to six months in jail last month for counterfeiting $50 bills. He was also arrested last month for heroin possession.

After the sentencing, Lyerla told the judge he plans to leave jail as a “better person and a better man,” The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

Lyerla played for the Ducks for two seasons with head coach Chip Kelly but left the team in 2013 after Mark Helfrich took over. Lyerla has had multiple run-ins with the law for cocaine and heroin use since leaving the team.

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UO cuts drug and alcohol abuse prevention program, 18 jobs

Next school year, UO will eliminate its Substance Abuse Prevention Program, which offers classes on substance abuse counseling.

A letter sent by the UO College of Education yesterday told faculty that the Substance Abuse Prevention Program will be slashed because of the quality of instruction, rigor of the curriculum and enrollment of undergraduates in the program.

UO will cut 18 non-tenure track faculty positions, according to the letter.

The program came under scrutiny beginning in 2006, when a review identified 14 specific actions that needed to occur to fix the program within a 10-year period. They included adherence to UO minimum course syllabi standards, monitoring faculty credentials and grading policies, according to the letter.

A similar review was conducted last year by a group of external faculty. They found that the SAPP was still inadequate in those 14 points.

SAPP offices in Esslinger Hall were closed during hours of operation on Friday afternoon. No SAPP employees could be immediately reached by the Emerald.

SAPP offers courses such as SAPP 407: Coping with Stress and Depression and SAPP 407: Addictive Behaviors.

SAPP is a program that isn’t funded through tuition but rather charges students a “self supported fee,” according to documents on the SAPP office wall.

One of the quotes on the wall states, “’The best teachers I’ve had at the U of O have been in the SAPP department. I think everyone should be required to take a SAPP course while in school.’ –Madison, Class of 2014”

Randy Kamphaus, Dean of the College of Education and author of the letter, wrote that in September he will make an effort to set up substance abuse classes in the Counseling Psychology and Human Services department.

A document briefing the announcement is available here: SAAPBriefingDocument04072017

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Graduation 2017: What you need to know

  • The last day for students to apply for undergraduate degrees is Sunday, April 30, according to the UO registrar website. Apply on DuckWeb under the Student Menu tab and click Apply for Undergraduate Degree.
  • The commencement ceremony for all graduating students is Monday, June 19, at 9:30 a.m. at Matthew Knight Arena.
  • New this year, students need to register for a seat at the graduation ceremony. Register for tickets here. Each guest also needs a ticket to the ceremony. If students register before May 10, they will receive two free guest tickets. After May 10, UO will distribute the remaining tickets to the students who already registered and new registrations.
  • Matthew Knight Arena opens for the ceremony at 7:30 a.m. and the seating is general admission.
  • UO plans to stream the graduation ceremony online here.
  • Parking and travel: Guests can park at Autzen Stadium, and UO will provide a shuttle to Matthew Knight Arena before commencement. The shuttle begins running at 7 a.m. More information is here.
  • Caps and gowns are available from The Duck Store here.

For more information, visit the June 2017 UO Commencement website.

Individual Department Ceremony Schedule

Guests will not need tickets for these ceremonies.

Saturday, June 10

Creative Writing MFA 12:30 p.m. at Gerlinger Hall

IMPACT 12:00 a.m. at the Living-Learning Center South

Thursday, June 15

 Masters of Accounting 6:00 p.m. at Beall Concert Hall

Friday, June 16

MBA/Ph.D. Business 6:00 p.m. at Beall Convert Hall

Saturday, June 17

Philosophy 11:00 a.m. at Beall Concert Hall

UO School of Music and Dance 3:00 p.m. at Beall Concert Hall

Sunday, June 18

Cinema Studies 12:30 p.m. at Straub Hall, Room 156

Clark Honors College 4:00 p.m. at the Matthew Knight Arena

Conflict and Dispute Resolution Master’s Program 1:00 p.m. at the William W. Knight Law Center

Ethnic Studies 12:30 p.m. at Science Green, West of Deschutes Hall

General Science 12:00 a.m. at Willamette Hall

Lavender Graduation (for LGBTQIA+ students) 5:30 p.m. at the Knight Library Browsing Room

Linguistics 4:00 p.m. at Straub Hall Auditorium

Non-Traditional Student Graduation 3:00 p.m. at the Knight Library Browsing Room

Planning, Public Policy & Management (PPPM) 1:00 p.m. at Women’s Quadrangle, North East of Susan Campbell Hall

School of Journalism & Communication (SOJC) 12:00 p.m. at the Matthew Knight Arena

Theater Arts 3:00 p.m. at Robinson Theatre

Women and Gender Studies 4:00 p.m. at Science Green, West of Deschutes Hall

Monday, June 19

Anthropology 4:00 p.m. at Condon Hall East Lawn, east of Condon Hall

Applied Information Management 12:30 p.m. at the Redwood Auditorium

Asian Studies 4:00 p.m. at Science Green, west of Deschutes Hall

Biology 4:00 p.m. at Women’s Quadrangle, north east of Susan Campbell Hall

Chemistry 4:00 p.m. at Willamette Hall, Atrium

College of Education 4:00 p.m. at the Matthew Knight Arena

Comparative Literature 4:00 p.m. at the Erb Memorial Union (EMU) Ballroom, room 244

Computer Information Science 12:30 p.m. at Science Green, West of Deschutes

Earth Sciences 12:30 p.m. at Willamette Hall

East Asian Languages and Literature 4:00 p.m. at Science Green, West of Deschutes Hall

Economics 12:30 p.m. at the Knight Library South Lawn

English 12:30 p.m. at the Memorial Quadrangle, East of Prince Lucien Campbell Hall

Environmental Studies 12:30 p.m. at Women’s Quadrangle, NorthEast of Susan Campbell Hall

Folklore 12:30 p.m. at Memorial Quadrangle, East of Prince Lucien Campbell Hall

General Social Science 4:00 p.m. at the Erb Memorial Union (EMU), Green – SE side of Erb Memorial Union

Geography 12:30 p.m. at Condon Hall East Lawn

German and Scandinavian Studies at the Erb Memorial Union (EMU) Ballroom, room 244

History 12:30 p.m. at Straub Hall

Human Physiology 12:30 p.m. at the Knight Law Center East Lawn

Humanities Consortium 12:30 p.m. at the Erb Memorial Union (EMU) Ballroom, room 244

International Studies 12:30 p.m. at the Erb Memorial Union (EMU) Amphitheater

Latin American Studies 12:30 p.m. at Gerlinger Hall

Lundquist College of Business 12:30 p.m. at the Matthew Knight Arena

Mathematics 4:00 p.m. at Straub Hall Auditorium

Physics 12:30 p.m. at Willamette Hall Atrium

Political Science 4:00 p.m. at Knight Law Center East Lawn

Psychology 12:30 p.m. at Erb Memorial Union (EMU) Green, outside SE side of the EMU

Romance Languages 4:00 p.m. at the Erb Memorial Union (EMU) Amphitheater

Russian, Eastern European and Eurasian Studies 4:00 p.m. at the Erb Memorial Union Ballroom, room 244

School of Architecture and Allied Arts 4:00 p.m. at the Knight Library South Lawn

Sociology 4:00 p.m. at Memorial Quadrangle, East of Prince Lucien Campbell Hall   

 

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