This paragraph is from an AP story by Michael Marot about Rulon Davis, a defensive-end competing in the NFL combine who survived a horrible accident:
In July 2005, he was rear-ended on a California highway, thrown off his motorcycle and into the path of an oncoming semitrailer, which ran over both his legs. Somehow, Davis survived with no broken bones and no ligament damage, though he couldn’t walk for a month and had to retrain his legs.
In July 2005, Davis was rear-ended by a semi on a California highway while riding a motorcycle, throwing him off the bike. The semi ran over both of Davis’ legs. Somehow, his bones weren’t broken and his ligaments weren’t damaged, but it took Davis a month to relearn how to walk.
Hmm.
UPDATE: Husseman also incorrectly listed the top four football positions in terms of highest average score on the Wonderlic test. (He claimed they were offensive tackle, quarterback, center and guard.) The correct order is offensive tackle, center, quarterback and guard.
Jeffrey Maxwell, a marine and student at Western Oregon University, was approached by campus security on Jan. 28th for having a pocketknife clipped to his pocket. According to his sister, Kim Maxwell, the situation escalated from there to “a huge ordeal” where Jeffrey had to remind the security guards to remain professional. Monmouth police arrived, and he was arrested for possessing a firearm (two shot derringer) in a public building. He was also issued a formal trespass barring him from school property.
Except that with his valid Oregon concealed handgun license he was statutorily exempt from the prohibition on gun possession in public buildings. Since he had not committed a crime, the Polk County DA quickly dropped the charges, issuing a statement to the Oregon Firearms Federation’s attorney (who is representing Maxwell) that said, “I believe the Monmouth Police Department issued the citation in good faith and that there was an arguable violation. However, a careful reading of the statue and the facts led me to conclude the charge was not in the best interest of justice.”
Unfortunately, Jeffrey is not free and clear. According to an Oregon Firearms Federation news alert, a tribunal of four students and one WOU staff member sentenced him to:
“a psychological evaluation stating he is not a threat to himself of others” and a mandatory “ten page paper” ” with references, “citing, but not limited to:
1) the importance of following the law, even through civil disobedience.
2) the importance of accepting responsibility for one’s actions
3) and recognizing the impact possession of weapons on college campuses has on others.”
This is not the first time a permit holder has been caught on campus with a concealed weapon. Last term, a student here at the UO who wishes to remain nameless was detained by DPS and the Eugene Police Department. He was not charged with any firearm related offenses, but the police did seize his weapon (a snub nosed revolver) and his shoes. The UO student was initially expelled from the University, but upon legal threats the expulsion was reversed, but the student was required to attend alcohol abuse and anger management classes.
While it is completely legal, it is clear that if a student is caught carrying a concealed firearm even with a valid license they will be harassed. (The UO student got his shoes back after a couple days.)
More updates to come. Also, in the next issue there will be an in depth look at the history of concealed carry in the Oregon University system. (This new case could have interesting implications in regards to UO graduate student Brian Stubbs’ failed lawsuit against in the University regarding his carrying of a concealed firearm. For more on that case, check out Tyler Graf’s article in Vol. 21, issue 7/8, pg. 16.)
It is my pleasure to report that OSPIRG may be no more. In a unanimous vote tonight, the Athletics and Contracts Finance Committee canceled OSPIRG’s contract, completely defunding the group.
The ACFC’s budget must still be unanimously approved by the ASUO Senate, but even if the Senate rejects the budget, it doesn’t have the power to write or modify contracts *. For the moment, it would appear that OSPIRG is dead in the water.
OSPIRG was given another opportunity to present its case tonight, and members said they were presenting new information. On further questioning, though, one OSPIRG member was forced to admit that their presentation was “a different perspective on the same information.”
One presenter claimed that the ASUO would see a 1,300 percent return on its “investment” of $120,000. It was a little redundant when he then started a sentence by saying, “Now, I’m no economist, but …”
The ACFC first motioned to approve OSPIRG for a $27,866 budget, but the committee could not get clear answers on how that would affect the group.
The ACFC continually pressed the group to explain exactly how their budget would be affected by the cut and what services they could still provide, but OSPIRG waffled every time. When ACFC member and Senate President Alex McCafferty asked for a “yes, no or maybe” answer on whether or not a campus organizer could still be provided for $27,000, one of the presenters said they would have to talk to the OSPIRG board of directors.
This is what caused the committee to vote down its original proposal and later motion for a zero-percent budget.
The room was split between OSPIRG supporters and detractors (left to right, coincidentally). ASUO Executive Sam Dotters-Katz spoke out against the group several times throughout the hearing.
“The issue that I have is not the good things they do for the world,” Dotters-Katz said. “But the purpose of the Incidental fee is not to save the world. It’s to improve the experience of students on campus.”
Department Finance Committee member Brendan Good had strong words for OSPIRG as well, saying “a pig is still a pig, anyway you look out.” (He handed out flyers earlier that said OSPIRG wasn’t kosher. Get it?)
Several ASUO Senators spoke against the group also, such as Derek Nix and Demic Tipitino. Tipitino recommended that OSPIRG be completely defunded and return next year to apply as an ASUO program. (Programs are required to have strict, line-item budget.)
On the other side, Jesse Hough, who ran for ASUO vice-president last year, said that defunding OSPIRG would silence students. Actually, his exact words were, “You’re tearing out my larynx here!”
Former ASUO Senator Diego Hernandez, displaying his trademark wit and tact, also told Dotters-Katz to “shut up” at one point and later went on to accuse several in the room of sexism (for disagreeing with a female OSPIRG supporter, presumably).
All the cries of “student empowerment” and sexism were for naught, though. After about an hour and a half of hearing speakers, the ACFC called the vote to question. ACFC member Tina Snodgrass, after a moment of deliberation, gave the final “aye” for a vote of 4-0-0.
It’s unclear how this will all play out, but kudos to the ACFC for taking a firm stand against the unethical practices of OSPIRG. We’ve been for fighting for this for a long time, and I hope this is truly the end of OSPIRG at the University of Oregon. Until that last nail is finally in the coffin, though, you can count on the Oregon Commentator to keep you updated.
*Senate President and ACFC member Alex McCafferty, in a comment below, says this isn’t the case. I’m assuming then that the ACFC budget must only pass a majority vote by Senate.
Oregon Commentator Production Manager Drew “Thunderlove” Cattermole is also an executive producer at Duck-U, a student-run television program. So Drew did the only reasonable thing and put together an Oregon Commentator News segment. Look upon our works, ye mighty, and despair!
OSPIRG’s budget hearing is today, and a lot of people are calling for its head. (I’ve always been partial to a good ol’ “draw and quarter,” but that’s besides the point.)
OSPIRG, for those not in the know, is a “public interest group” that funnels money from college campuses into statewide lobbying efforts. For example, the OSPIRG chapter at the University of Oregon gets more than $100,000 in student money each year. Once again, that’s 100k of student money forcefully taken and spent off campus for lobbying purposes. (OSPIRG also has the gall to send volunteers to campus to shake down students for even more cash.)
Portland State and Oregon State have already defunded their respective OSPIRG chapters citing the aforementioned money-funneling. Even some ODE columnists have gotten into the act.
We here at the Commentator have been railing against OSPIRG and its nefarious ways for nigh on 25 years now. In fact, we spearheaded a campaign that got it defunded back in 1998, but the ASUO brought the group back through dark, political magick. I, for one, eagerly await tasting the yummy, sweet tears of its supporters.
The hearing is at 3:30 p.m in Straub 154, for all those interested. I will be twittering the proceedings.
This, ladies and gents, is what it’s all about. For generations, the OC has railed against the ever-rising Incidental Fee. For decades, we’ve been the only folks who have given a shit about trying to hold it steady or bring it down. And then Sam Dotters-Katz was elected. For some crazy reason or another, Sam actually agrees that saving students I-Fee money is a worthy cause, and unlike any ASUO president (that I’m aware of) he has actually made the effort cut the Incidental Fee. That’s right, for Spring term, your incidental fee has been cut from $195 to $95. The best part? He also proved that fiscal responsiblity is not code for “racist (or otherwise despicable) defunding of student groups and services.” Rather, Dotters-Katz used the overrealized fund to buy down the fee, saving students $100 for Spring Term and eliminating an irresponsible, unaccountable million dollar (or more) annual giveaway. I’ve never found a record of the fee being cut in this manner before in ASUO history, and the fee for Spring Term will be the lowest it has been in over a decade.
As part of a proud tradition of OC fiscal conservatives, I can’t help feeling immensely proud that our magazine and this website helped carry the torch until this moment. Fighting for fiscal responsibility in the ASUO has always seemed like tilting at windmills, but this confirms that every little bit makes a difference. I’m sure other alumni can speak to how improbable this development sounds. If half the students who came to the UO could bring their idealistic sights down to an attainable goal (like saving every student $100 per term) this campus would be a better place. Congratulations to Sam for keeping his commitment to this goal, despite the many distractions and temptations to just do ASUO business as usual. This is a historic achievement! Hit the jump for Dotters-Katz’s press release.
The editorial boards of the Oregonian, the Portland Tribune and Just Out have all issued calls for Portland Mayor Sam Adams to resign following yesterday’s announcement that he had sex with an 18-year-old and lied to cover it up.
The Portland Police Association is also calling for Adams’ resignation, which isn’t all that surprising given the traditional antagonism between the mayor’s office and the PPD.
Questions are also being raised over the hiring of a Portland Mercury reporter who had confronted Adams’ about the relationship.
In early 2008, Amy Ruiz confronted Adams about the relationship but then later dropped the story. By the end of the year, she had joined Adams’ staff as a planning and sustainability policy adviser even though she had no experience as an adviser.
For the record, you should never trust a journalist who goes into government work. It’s like a firefighter becoming a pyrotechnician. (Okay, that’s not the best analogy, but I couldn’t think of a better one. Seriously, though, how one can hold a job documenting the folly and foibles of bureaucracy and then decide to join said bureaucracy is beyond me.)
Last night’s ASUO Senate meeting was the kind that makes me embarrassed to be associated, however tangentially, with student government. At the heart of the meeting was the confirmation of Athan Papailiou to Senate Seat 9, and the “discussion” dragged on for hours, complete with mudslinging and crying (seriously).
Papailiou was appointed to the seat by ASUO Exec Sam Dotter-Katz. He had previously served several years on Senate, one as Senate President. But despite his qualifications, Papailiou had one fatal flaw: The student unions hate him because he is fiscally conservative.
By the time of his hearing, the Boardroom was filled with representatives from the various unions, such as our old friend Diego Hernandez, and they were all there with the expressed purpose of sandbagging Papailiou.
The confirmation hearing started out appropriately when Sen. Gower accused Papailiou of threatening to file grievances against the Senate if he was voted down. Hernandez followed suit by bringing up some controversy from last year. He had to be interrupted by Senate President McCafferty for being too “sarcastic” (read: douchebaggey).
One by one, the other student union members proclaimed with quavering voices how “threatening” Papailiou was to student programs, how minorities were being “silenced.” They were trotting out all their classic catchphrases, such as “safe space” and “institutional oppression.” Sen. Carina Miller broke down in tears towards the end of the hearing, saying how hard it was to be one of the only people of color on the Senate and how she didn’t feel “safe.”
(Sen. Rajabzadeh commented shortly afterwords about how she, as a woman of color, never felt unsafe on Senate, but this was quickly lost in the ensuing drama and grandstanding.)
But frankly, that’s all B.S. The real reason Papailiou was attacked was because two years ago he advocated for a zero percent benchmark budget increase for student programs. And as we all know, fiscal conservatism is racism according to the bunker mentality that pervades the ethnic studies crowd.
When it was finally called to question, the vote came down 5-8-3, with Senators Scandalios, Nix, Gray, Rajabzadeh and Reid voting for Papailiou.
Senate has been surprisingly civil this year, but last night’s meeting was a return to form. Several Senators wondered aloud how the body was going to be able to function after what happened. By the way, my confirmation hearing was not held, and, after last night, I am reconsidering my decision to apply. Not because I fear being railroaded by the MCC et al, but because I don’t think I could hold down the bile.
P.S. You can get up to the minute news during Senate meetings through our Twitter account. ODE reporter Alex Tomchak Scott also twitters during meetings.
P.P.S. Jonathan Rosenburg was appointed to Constitution Court.
ASUO Exec Sam Dotters-Katz has appointed former Senate President Athan Papailiou to the seat recently vacated by Kate Jones. Papailiou is a strong advocate for fiscal responsibility and a friend of the Commentator. He was elected on the Campaign for Change slate and served as Senate President for most of last year.
Also, after consulting with my Senate Exploratory Committee, I have applied for the vacant journalism seat on Senate. Both of our confirmation hearings will be on Wednesday and will be hilarious. For example, here is the cover letter I sent along with my application:
Dear Associated Students of the University of Oregon;
I am writing to apply for ASUO Senate Seat 19: Journalism. I am a journalism major and nominally more intelligent than a trained circus bear, which, from what I’ve seen, qualifies me for the position.
I am interested in the position because the chairs in the ASUO Boardroom look really, really comfortable. Sometimes there are also snacks for ASUO Senators. I am so down for that. I wish to become a part of the ASUO nobility and trod the lowly plebs beneath my gilded feet.
I’m a firm believer in strong, autocratic government. My biggest influences in this regard are, in ascending order: Teddy Roosevelt, Ghengis Khan and Conan (the barbarian). Enclosed is my application, my resume and a picture of me shaking hands with President Frohnmayer. (He’s my bro.) I look forward to hearing your response. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely,
I just got an email informing me that the Oregon Commentator has once again been chosen as one of ten finalists in the America’s Future Foundation College Blogger Contest. Last year we had the pleasure of being chosen as a finalist, and we took second place. The official list of finalists hasn’t been announced yet, but the judges this year are:
On an aside, I’m reminded of when we first found out we were in the contest last year. Someone asked, “What do you think our odds of actually winning are?” to which then Managing Editor Jake Speicher deadpanned, “I’d say about one in 10.”
Nazi paraphernalia and booze. Seattle police fatally shot a man, described by his friends as a “history buff,” after responding to reports of gunfire. When they approached his house … well … I’ll let the AP take it from here:
Seattle police spokesman Jeff Kappel said that when police knocked at the door, a man dressed in a German military uniform opened the door brandishing a long rifle with a large bayonet attached.
Kappel said the man pointed the rifle at one of the police officers, and refused several orders to drop the weapon. Two officers shot him several times.
The man was taken to Harborview Medical Center, where he later died.
Police searching the house found a large collection of German military and Nazi regalia and a lot of alcohol, Kappel said.
Remember, kids: Friends don’t let friends get smashed and dress up as Colonel Klink. (Although I’m going to go out on a limb and say the rifle was the main problem.)
The UO administration is going to push 2010 graduations forward a week, meaning during finals week, so as not to conflict with the NCAA Track and Field Finals. From an email sent out to the deans and directors listserv on behalf of Senior Vice President and Provost Jim Bean:
We are planning ahead to accommodate a scheduling issue for June 2010. UO has been awarded the NCAA Track & Field Finals June 9-12, 2010. This coincides with UO commencement ceremonies currently scheduled for June 10-12, 2010. After careful consultation with many groups, we are moving commencement back to June 3, 4, 5, 2010 (not this year) but not changing any class or exam schedules. This means that commencement ceremonies will be held June 3, 4, 5, 2010 and final exams will take place June 7 -11, 2010. Thus, seniors graduating spring term 2010 will march in commencement before they take their final exams. This is not ideal, but the preponderance of feeling was that it was the better solution.
It’s completely asinine to make seniors complete their finals and deal with graduation all in the same week. I usually have trouble taking the “athletics have completely supplanted education in American universities” argument too seriously, but this is just ridiculous. The email, by the way, was sent our way by everyone’s favorite gadfly Professor Bill Harbaugh, who had this to say:
I suppose the next step is to appoint our Athletic Director – a booster who doesn’t have a college degree and got the job after donating $2 million to buy out his predecessor – UO’s next President.
I’m guessing this is somehow related to the hundreds of thousands Phil Knight has given to UO to supplement Frohnmayer’s salary, and to the millions he (with some from AD Kilkenny as well) has given to the Frohnmayer’s Fanconi Foundation.
Today’s Eugene Weekly cover story is on the recent surge of gun sales in light of Barack Obama’s victory. The writer, Rick Levin, chalks it up to the usual suspects: NRA hysteria and rednecks.
But is stocking up on guns and ammo really such a bad idea? Consider that Obama has tapped Eric Holder to be attorney general. Holder is a notorious supporter of gun control and even signed an amicus brief in support of D.C. in District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court case that struck down D.C’s unconstitutional handgun ban.
It doesn’t help that Levin also happens to be a self-aggrandizing dumbass. To wit:
Apparently, I’m a very good shot with the high-powered stuff. A dead eye. The first time I squeezed the trigger of a 9-mm Glock, I drilled a kill-center shot into a paper target strung about 20 feet away. Almost took off the thumb on my left hand, too, when the slide kicked back and hit my second and third knuckle, opening up a bloody wound that — once I realized I hadn’t accidentally killed myself or anyone else — only added to my feeling of bad-assedness.
Loading a gun, holding a gun, shooting a gun like that is no joke. It’s like wielding the power of God.
Perhaps when addressing such topics in the future, the EW could choose a writer who doesn’t have his head stuck up his ass.
