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 September 10
The Register-Guard:Anne Dhu McLucas, former dean of the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance and a highly regarded ethnomusicologist, was identified Sunday as the second victim in a double homicide that occurred Friday night at a rural property south of Eugene. She was 71. The other victim was 73-year-old James Gillette, her domestic partner. The Lane County Sheriff's Office on Saturday arrested 36-year-old Johan Stevon Gillette on two counts of murder. McLucas and James Gillette were a couple for about five years, friends said, and lived together at his rural home south of Eugene ... No additional information, including how the two were killed or a possible motive, was released Sunday.
Eugene officer joins new UO campus force
The Register-Guard: The University of Oregon has hired away a third member of the Eugene Police Department brass in its drive to build a fully fledged police department on campus ... The push toward a campus police force came in the wake of the 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech University that killed 32 people and wounded more than two dozen others ... Next spring, the agency will seek permission from the Board of Higher Education to arm its growing force of officers, but, in the meantime, it will seek the approval of faculty and students, some of whom have opposed arming officers in the past.
Make the Most of Your College Fees
US News & World Report: The sticker price of a college education often includes a handful of mandatory fees to cover on-campus services ... While some schools list out each fee--common charges include technology, health, building, and student activity fees--others lump them into one flat-rate tuition charge, and students typically pay for these services whether they use them or not ... As colleges become smoke and tobacco free, health centers are also aiming to help students who want to quit smoking, says Paula Staight, director of health promotions at the University of Oregon, which gives students free nicotine patches or gum to help them kick their habit.
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Media mentions for September 9
EDITORIAL: Put new drug tests on hold
The Register-Guard: The University of Oregon has decided to begin random drug testing of student-athletes before a scheduled campus hearing next month -- and before the administration consults with the University Senate, as required by the university's constitution and other campus policies ... They could put the new random testing program on hold and more rigorously apply the UO's current policy of testing with cause, which responds to signs of drug abuse among athletes with counseling, followed by a series of sanctions. That would allow the UO to take a more thoughtful, methodical -- and potentially more effective -- approach to protecting student-athletes from illicit drugs.
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Late mentions for September 7
KVAL:The University of Oregon's Department of Public Safety has a new leader at the helm. Pete Deshpande started his new job this week as the department's police captain. The former Eugene police officer and captain has over 22 years of experience in police work. He said he can't wait to get started helping the department during a time of transition into a fully operating police department. "I had a great run at the Eugene Police Department and I'd love to parlay some of those things that I learned into success here," he said. "And as you know, we're going to have to work very closely with Eugene police to make this work. Deshpande received both a bachelor's and a master's degree from Oregon. His father is a professor emeritus there, his mother also received a master's and his children both attended school there as well.
Two dead, one arrested for murders south of Eugene
KVAL:One man was arrested in connection to two murders that happened Friday night at a property on Needham Road, the Lane County Sheriff's Office said ... LCSO officials reported finding two people dead on the property. After an investigation of the property, police said they arrested 36-year-old Eugene resident Johan Gillette on two counts of felony murder. The two victims were Eugene residents James Fredrick Gillette, 73, and Anne Dhu McLucas, 71. McLucas was a professor and former-dean of the University of Oregon's School of Music. Unconfirmed reports from a friend of James and Anne said that they were in a domestic partnership, and that the couple was murdered by James' son, Johan.
Renewables barely displacing fossil fuels, study indicates
HydroWorld: Although we understand that renewable generating technologies need to be developed to reduce the use of fossil fuels, in reality this displacement is not occurring, according to a letter published in the June issue of Nature Climate Change. Author Richard York, a professor in the Department of Sociology and Environmental Studies Program at the University of Oregon, says each unit of energy from non-fossil-fueled energy sources displaced less than one-tenth of a unit of fossil-fuel-generated electricity over the past 50 years.
University of Oregon opens Pandora's Box with random drug testing of athletes
Examiner.com: Sports and drugs have been linked closely together for many years, with drug testing regularly lagging behind as it relates to drug usage amongst athletes. The old "test when you suspect" model appears to be changing, however, as the University of Oregon is about to take the most aggressive position ever witnessed when it comes to college student athletes and drug usage: 365 day random drug screenings of student athletes. Earlier this year ESPN reported that as many as 60% of the student athletes at the University of Oregon smoke marijuana. As a result, school officials have adopted a new, test-anytime policy that may end up doing more harm than good upon closer inspection. In fact, it may open Pandoras Box and end up presenting an entirely new set of problems, especially as they pertain to athletic department revenues (more on that in a little bit).