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 23
Jewish studies not just for Jews
The Canadian Jewish News: In order for the academic pursuit of Jewish studies to continue, it must appeal to a broader audience outside the Jewish community, said Judith Baskin, a Jewish scholar, author and professor ... “At the end of the 21st century, more and more students who choose undergraduate majors and graduate training in Jewish studies are non-Jews,” said Baskin, who has spent 40 years in the field of academic Jewish studies. She cited changing demographics as the reason for this shift ... “The future of Jewish studies in North American universities will depend on the field’s continuing appeal to a larger constituency” ... [Judith Baskin is the Associate Dean of Humanities in the College of Arts and Sciences and a Professor in Judaic Studies at the University of Oregon.]
Fire code displaces UO frat and sorority members
KMTR: Some students at the University of Oregon are forced to stay at a hotel until their sorority or fraternity houses comply with the fire code. Several of the homes have metal fire escapes, but the Eugene Fire Marshal says each house has to prove the fire escapes will work in an emergency. Deputy Fire Marshal Sandra Johnston explained, “If certain areas, certain floors, certain parts of the building do not have those required exits, then the house needs to make other arrangements for the areas [whose safety] we can't guarantee.” One Sorority, Alpha Phi, says 38 women were displaced last week because the fire marshal told them no one could sleep on the third floor of their house. The sorority as to pay for hotel rooms until the city approves permits. The sorority’s leaders say those were submitted to the city weeks ago. At least five homes with fire escapes are having trouble complying with the fire code. They hope to have the problems fixed in the next few weeks.
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Late mentions for October 22
New Program To Help U of O Students' Houses Be More Energy Efficient
KLCC: A new program at the University of Oregon is hoping to save students money by cutting home energy costs. The Student and Community Outreach for Residential Efficiency Program, or SCORE, will provide assessments for students living off-campus. The assessments provided by student auditors include home improvement techniques and behavior changes such as turning off unused lights or spending less time in the shower. One of the program's sponsors, Jerry's Home Improvement, is providing free weatherizing products like weather stripping, and pipe insulation. SCORE Marketing Coordinator, James Walton says helping the environment isn't the only positive element.
OR: Big money, cynicism turn voters away from major political parties
Watchdog.org: A growing cynicism over the influence of money in state politics and a failure to connect with the powers that be is prompting Oregon voters to reject major party allegiances and join the ranks of third parties, experts and minor party leaders say. The decrease in major party support is part of a larger trend that started about 30 years ago, said Joseph Lowndes, associate professor of political science at the University of Oregon in Eugene. “It’s kind of a movement away from the parties being democratic channels between the citizenry and the government to kind of being self-contained,” Lowndes said. “They don’t operate in the same way as they once did. There’s less of a role for people in the electorate to be involved in parties.”