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 August 24
Albany Democrat Herald: In Eugene, the University of Oregon is trying to persuade students to vote to increase their fees to pay for a planned $135 million expansion of Erb Memorial Union. It's one example of what's wrong with higher education. Under the proposal, student fees would go up by $351 a year, at a time when the exploding price of higher education has caused many students to take on unmanageable debt. ... Everywhere you look in the rest of the economy, saving money is the name of the game. That should apply to the university too.
The Washington Post Is Too Easily Impressed By Paul Ryan
Media Matters for America: A Washington Post article on Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) proclaimed him a "budget guru" and described him as "wonky" because of the vocabulary he used to discuss the federal budget. But economists have said that Ryan's reputation as a serious and "wonky" policy expert is undeserved and that the budget he has proposed is "fraudulent." And Ryan has acknowledged that he has not even bothered to determine whether the budget plan that he is now campaigning on will balance the budget. ... Economists also say that Ryan has little understanding of monetary policy. In a post to his blog titled "Paul Ryan's Nutty Views on Monetary Policy," University of Oregon economist Mark Thoma said that he doesn't "understand why someone with such a clownish views is lauded as a policy wonk." After summarizing Ryan's views on monetary policy, Thoma concluded: Ryan is not a well-informed policy wonk with new, exciting ideas. He's a policy idiot. Don't let this guy anywhere near the policy levers.
SOU president receives contract extension, raise
Mail Tribune: Southern Oregon University President Mary Cullinan's contract has been renewed for another two years with a $20,000 increase in pay. The State Board of Higher Education this month approved a $10,000 annual "longevity adjustment" increase, retroactive to 2011-12, and a 5 percent increase in salary, bringing her annual pay to $205,236. Her contract was renewed in June. Similar 5 percent increases in pay were approved for five other presidents in the university system. ... Newly appointed University of Oregon President Michael Gottfredson, who was hired at an annual salary of $540,000, did not get an increase.
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Late mentions for August 23
Italian-American Group Suing Columbia for Misuse of Building Development Gift
New York Times: La Casa Italiana is on Amsterdam Avenue, on the same block as the Columbia University president's house. ... For decades, the house served as a hub for Italian scholarship and community at Columbia. The university's Italian department resided in the building. A donated collection of some 20,000 volumes of Italian literature lined the shelves. Now, though, some descendants of the original donors are suing the university because it is no longer honoring the intent of their forbears' gifts. ... But Susan Gary, a professor at the University of Oregon School of Law who reviewed the document that marked the transfer of La Casa Italiana to Columbia, said that even if the attorney general took up the case, which she considered unlikely, the donors would probably not be able to force Columbia to meet their demands. "If there is a written document that sets out a restriction, that could be enforceable, but the restriction, if there is one, is pretty loose," Professor Gary said.
Meditate Your Way to Better Mental Health
Hive Health Media: Our mental health is a precious thing that should be guarded and nurtured as much as possible. Without it, we will experience greater hardship in life and unnecessarily reduce the happiness that is possible for all of us. Pharmaceuticals are often the go-to for many, with increasing numbers of people feeling like they need drugs simply to cope with everyday living. ... Data published in June 2012 from the University of Oregon suggests that meditation produced specific changes in the brain that may contribute to reduced symptoms and development of mental illnesses as well as improve overall sense of well-being. The researchers used MRI techniques to observe the brain while the students were practicing meditation. Positive results were seen after just two weeks and significant changes after one month--and at this point, the participants had only been meditating 11 hours.
Habitat Restoration Creates Jobs, Boosts Local Economies
Ecosystem Marketplace: Ecotrust released data today that demonstrates how watershed and fish habitat restoration in Oregon creates jobs. Ecotrust found that restoration projects generated $977.5 million in economic activity and as many as 6,483 jobs between 2001 and 2010. ... A recent University of Oregon report found that an average of 90 cents of every dollar spent on restoration stays in the state, and 80 cents of every dollar spent stays in the county where a project is located.