UO E-Clips is a daily report prepared by the Office of Communications (http://comm.uoregon.edu) summarizing current news coverage of the University of Oregon.
Media mentions for October 19
‘Perversion files’ show locals helped Boy Scouts cover up
The Wichita Eagle: The publication Thursday of 20 years worth of secret records kept by the Boy Scouts of America reveal a widespread effort by the organization to cover up a scandal involving allegations of sexual abuse against 1,200 scout leaders. The records, known within the Boy Scouts itself as the “perversion files,” cover the years 1965-1985 and detail the names of the alleged perpetrators, their hometowns and other information ... Jennifer Freyd, a psychology professor at the University of Oregon and an expert on institutional betrayal, said: “The dynamics that can cause institutions to turn a blind eye are powerful dynamics that will show up over and over. Everybody can make a mistake. In the end, it’s the cover-up that will do you in.”
Eugene's University District gets new sculpture, neighborhood sign
The Oregonian: The duck is no long the big bird on the University of Oregon campus. A giant great-blue heron landed this week and doesn't look like it aims to leave anytime soon ... It stands atop a solid pedestal inscribed with “University District,'' the small enclave of businesses at the west edge of campus, which starts one block away to the east ... The project was funded by the University of Oregon, the Oregon Duck Store and the City of Eugene.
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Late mentions for October 18
Kozinski Says Ruling Will Chill Academic Freedom
The Wall Street Journal: Federal judges in California have sounded an alarm over a ruling they say could undermine academic freedom by making it easy for students to sue their professors. The March ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit breathed life into a discrimination lawsuit filed by a former Ph.D. student at the University of Oregon College of Education. The student, Monica Emeldi, said she was forced to drop out because she complained to administrators of an institutional bias against women in the program ... The University of Oregon is considering whether to appeal the case to the Supreme Court, said Randy Geller, the university’s general counsel.
Smaller share of Oregon high school graduates choosing Oregon colleges
Oregon Business: I received an email this week alerting me to two new academic scholarship programs for University of Oregon freshman starting in fall 2013 ... The goal of the new scholarships is to get more high-achieving Oregon students attending Oregon schools, said Michelle Holdway, UO’s associate director of financial aid ... In Oregon, the UO scholarships may be one step toward stemming high-school flight. According to Holdway, if the new UO scholarships existed for fall 2012, the university would have expected to spend approximately $2.7 million on Oregonians, although Holway said it is difficult to say exactly how many students will benefit when the programs go into effect next fall.
National Geographic:In 1841 James Clark Ross and crew in two tiny ships “Erebus” and “Terror” discovered Ross Island. They named the highest peaks after their ships and quickly recognized their volcanic origin. Erebus was in a state of vigorous eruptions at the time. Later in the early 1900’s British explorers explored parts of the island and found it was completely volcanic and composed of solidified lavas and associated deposits from explosive eruptions ... Paul Wallace is a professor at the University of Oregon, collaborating scientist. This is Paul’s first season in Antarctica.
College football gets tax breaks; fans 'contribute' millions for tickets
Sun Herald: “The mission of the university is being subverted by the focus on athletics,” contends Nathan Tublitz, a biology professor at the University of Oregon and a member of a national organization hoping to reform college sports. He notes that top-ranked students in Oregon's Honors College receive scholarships “of about $3,000. But a full scholarship for a football player including tuition, room and board, books, food, and all of the rest, is probably worth $40,000 or $50,000. That shows you the disconnect right there,” said Tublitz. Spending on athletes at Oregon has soared 244 percent in the last decade, according to the university's website.
KVAL: Don’t throw away your old 8mm, Super 8, 16mm, and VHS home movies. Instead, bring them to the University of Oregon's Knight Library on Home Movie Day, Sat., Oct. 20, from noon to 4 p.m. ... Local film experts and archivists will assess the condition of the film and offer advice on how to best preserve and protect these film formats from damage. Movies will be shown on projection equipment provided by the UO Libraries ... “If you’ve kept your older home movies all these years but don’t have a way to view them, here’s your chance to revisit the past through film,” says James Fox, head of the library’s Special Collections and University Archives and coordinator for Home Movie Day in Eugene.
Unemployment less of a drag on Portland's economy, U of O report shows
The Oregonian: Unemployment is taking less of a toll on Portland's economy, a new University of Oregon report shows. High rates of joblessness still weigh on growth in Central Oregon, the Rogue Valley and the Salem metro area, according to the U of O's regional economic indexes for August. But the jobless rate is now a “minimal drag” in Portland, U of O economist Tim Duy said ... Salem's manufacturing workforce also increased that month, but the gains are likely temporary, Duy said.
River initiative wins international award
Capital Press: The Willamette River Initiative of Oregon has been awarded the 2012 Thiess International Riverprize for excellence in river management. The award, presented at the Riverprize Gala Dinner in Melbourne, Australia, Oct. 9, is worth $300,000 and is the most prestigious environmental prize in the world, according to the International River Foundation. The Willamette River Initiative, established in 2008 by the Meyer Memorial Trust, makes grants to groups working to improve the health of the river and its tributaries and invests in the development of research and planning to identify restoration priorities. Key partners include the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, the University of Oregon's Environmental Sustainability Lab and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. “The Willamette River is a true American turn-around story,” said Matthew Reddy, CEO of the International River Foundation.