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Slant: Short opinion pieces and rumor-chasing notes News: News: News: Happening Peerson: Suzanne Ponsioen Clearing
the Air They were here holding down KWVA's airwaves before the current students came. And they'll be here after they leave. They're the bedrock of the station, the volunteer staff who keep it going through the summer and school vacations when most of the students are gone. Because of the way the station has evolved, and because of how open slots have been filled, KWVA's community DJs (people who live in Eugene year-round) also fill almost most of the prime time day and early evening spots. Meanwhile, the students, whose fees fund the station, get relegated to the graveyard shift, filling 95 percent of the time slots from midnight to 8 am. Many times they're stuck in those slots, referred to by all the DJs as "the ghetto," for more than a year. Sharif Lindell, now a junior, bounced around the morning shifts for almost two years before another DJ gave him his Friday morning slot. "It was a bummer," he said. "But you also have to pay your dues. The flaw is there's no step system. You do your time and then you don't necessarily get a different slot." The group of students currently overseeing and managing the station's operations want to see that change. On June 1, they held a meeting with all of the community DJs to enlist their help in finding a resolution. Dozens of emails had been fired back and forth prior to the meeting, and many of the community DJs showed up angry and ready to fight, having made the assumption that the student managers were going to strip them of their prime time slots or fire them altogether. "That was an assumption they made, and their assumptions were wrong," said Erick Olson, incoming news director for the station. The energy in the room was crackling, but the student managers and General Manager Charlotte Nisser kept the dialogue civil and achieved their goal of getting a list of suggestions and ideas from the community DJs, including enlisting them in working with inexperienced DJs as mentors. "Part of what we're trying to do here is address this as gently as we can," Nisser said. "Students are angry and frustrated. But we can't kick the community members off because we depend on them. They're also an extremely valuable asset to our station. What I hope to see is the DJs working more closely together as a community." Part of the impetus to address the issue came last winter when Dallas Brown, an ASUO senator, questioned whether or not KWVA should receive UO funding. In addition, another UO funded media source, The Insurgent newspaper, recently faced the threat of losing its funding, theoretically because it didn't have enough student involvement. "As we move toward being a bigger and better station, we face more scrutiny from the ASUO and The Emerald," said Jimbo Sandberg, assistant general manager. "As we become more visible, we want to be bulletproof." What that means from the perspective of the student board and Nisser is that the station needs to operate in such a way that it better fulfills its mission statement. Getting students more involved in the station's day-to-day and making sure students have the opportunity to DJ during some of the prime time slots is part of that. "It's always good when we see a student group taking the initiative by themselves without having the ASUO step in," said ASUO President Jared Axelrod. "I don't know anything about radio. Charlotte [Nisser] knows a ton about radio. So who better to have re-organizing KWVA than the people who know how to make KWVA better?" — Melissa Bearns KWVA broadcasts 24/7 at 88.1 FM. To reach the station, call 346-4091.
FREE SPEECH ON TRIAL The city of Eugene is pushing to prosecute anti-war activist Peter Chabarek, who was charged with criminal trespass for refusing to stop handing out anti-war leaflets in the Eugene Hilton during Sen. Gordon Smith's speech to the Rotary Club Feb. 21. Chabarek's attorney, Brian Michaels, filed a motion to dismiss the charge on May 12, arguing that the arrest violated Chabarek's free speech rights. On June 12, Assistant City Prosecutor C. Michael Arnold asked the municipal court to deny Michaels' motion. Chabarek and other activists had protested outside the Hilton before Smith's speech. They were not permitted inside the event itself, but Chabarek handed out anti-war leaflets in the hotel lobby, which is generally open to the public. The Hilton manager, Rotary Club president and EPD Lt. Peter Kerns all had asked Chabarek to leave, but he refused and continued to pass out the leaflets, which called Smith an "accomplice to mass murder" for his support of the Iraq War. Eugene police then arrested Chabarek and charged him with criminal trespass. In his motion to dismiss the charge, Michaels argues that because the Hilton lobby was being made available to the public at the time of Smith's speech, Chabarek's free speech rights should have been protected. Arnold, in a written response, contends that the Hilton lobby was not, in fact, serving as a public forum during Smith's event because the Rotary had leased the adjoining ballroom. Free speech rights don't fly on private property. The case echoes that of Perry Patterson, who was charged with criminal trespass after refusing to leave property leased by Monaco Coach during a 2004 Republican campaign rally featuring Vice President Dick Cheney. In March, the city dropped its charge against Patterson due to new information. But as Republicans increasingly lease private spaces for their quasi-public political events and protesters show up to exercise their free speech rights, the city expects to hear more cases like these in the future. — Kera Abraham
SUMMER'S FREE LUNCH Summertime's no time for hunger. In Lane County, according to FOOD For Lane County (FFLC) statistics, only about 26 percent of children who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches during the school year also find a free lunch during the summer. FFLC wants to change that. Starting Monday, June 19, FFLC is offering free lunches for children and youth. The 60 sites throughout the county include elementary schools like Brattain in Springfield and Bohemia in Cottage Grove; in Eugene, sites range from Amazon Park to the Boys & Girls Club to Peterson Barn Park. FFLC offers free meals to children 2-18 and to toddlers under 2 who are accompanied by a responsible adult, and the sites are sprinkled from Dorena to McKenzie Bridge and from Oakridge to Florence. Times are usually noon to 1 pm on weekdays, but some sites have slightly different hours and days. For more information, call 343-2822.
CORN DOGS, 1; LETTUCE, 0 With the retirement of their in-house food service supervisor, Springfield School District administrators face a spork in the road: Outsource, or keep school meal offerings in-house? Russell Schallock has led the district's house-operated program for eight and a half years. His menus provide your typical institutional fare: cheeseburgers, pizza and the innovative nacho dog. But he has also made strides toward healthier options, like 50 percent organic salad bars and whole-wheat buns. Steve Barrett, Springfield deputy superintendent, would like to see an increase in the hot lunch participation rates, which currently hover around 56 percent for elementary school students and 14 percent for high-schoolers. Barrett is not certain that outsourcing will solve that problem — or, for that matter, provide the nutrition education lacking in the current system. But he feels that something needs to change. Springfield School District's food service company of choice, Chartwells, serves about 2.5 million children per day and is part of the multinational Compass Group, which partners with Burger King and Wendy's. Their food meets USDA guidelines while providing meals heavy on meat and cheese, which they and other providers purchase as government commodities for rock-bottom prices. Although distribution networks and price restrictions made local food offerings difficult during Schallock's tenure, Chartwells may be even less likely to provide local or organic options. Meredith Whitten, project coordinator for the local Food On! Farm to Cafeteria program, argues that "by going to outsourced food, you're losing control of your own destiny." Several districts around the country have blazed a trail to a place where kids learn about nutrition, cooking and growing food as part of their school lunch programs. Local farmers provide much of the food, and kids grow some of their own in school gardens. That's unlikely to happen under an outsourced food service provider such as Chartwells. "The big guys at the moment haven't yet figured out how to incorporate local and organic foods into their distribution model," Whitten says. "It's just easier for a small system to do so." On June 12, the Springfield School Board voted for the road increasingly traveled. Beginning in fall 2007, Chartwells will provide district lunches. — Sarah Mazze
CARAVAN TO CUBA COMING Over the New Year's holiday of 1993-1994, kindergarten teacher Carol Cross visited Cuba. What she saw there surprised her — and kicked her life of crime into gear. Since her first trip, Cross has traveled 18 more times to Cuba, and says she "has no intention ever of obeying the immoral laws of the blockade." In November 2005, 182 countries of the U.N. General Assembly voted against the U.S. blockade of Cuba, with only the U.S., Israel, Palau, and the Marshall Islands voting for it. Cross comes to town Wednesday, June 21, as part of the Cuba Caravan. The caravan, sponsored by the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization's Pastors for Peace, travels across the country. Cross' caravan is but one of many heading to McAllen, Texas, and the Mexican border. On their way, caravanistas pick up medical and educational supplies to be taken to Mexico and then shipped to Cuba. The Pastors for Peace website claims that the U.S. blockade "causes shortages of food, medicine and other important supplies for 11 million people," and a report from the American Public Health Association in 1998 confirmed that the embargo caused malnutrition, lack of access to medical care, and poorer water quality. The Eugene stop of the Cuba Caravan is cosponsored by the Committee in Solidarity with the Central American People, the Central Presbyterian Church of Eugene, and Koinonia Center. Those wanting to donate can call CISCAP at 485-8633 for details. — Suzi Steffen
GOAL ONE GETS OFFICE An Oregon grassroots organization originally based in Lebanon has expanded and now has a Eugeneoffice. The Goal One Coalition (www.goal1.org) is dedicated to helping people and groups organize and advocate more effectively around Oregon land use planning. The group hired two Eugeneans; Jan Wilson as staff attorney and Lauri Segelas staff planner. Executive Director Jim Just of Lebanon will have a desk at the Eugene office, and space will be available for interns and volunteers and also for community meetings. The office is located at 642 Charnelton, phone 484-4448.
"Our name comes from Goal 1 of the statewide land use goals, which is citizen involvement," Wilson says. "Essentially, it's what Lauri and I have been doing individually, mostly in Lane County — helping people advocate for livability and sustainability in their own communities. Instead of being 'hired guns' and doing all the work for our 'clients,' we help people get the information and training and services they need to be effective themselves." Just was Goal One's first (and only) employee for the first two years of its existence, and he has been working for rural advocates around the state, helping them prepare testimony for local county commission hearings. He has also assisted people in bringing their own LUBA appeals, researching the issues, writing their own briefs and arguing their own cases. "Additional staffing became necessary as our workload became greater," Just says. "Also, it had become evident that we needed in-house legal capability, as our clients' demand for legal services was growing while the availability of pro bono legal assistance was shrinking. Eugene was the logical place for an office. A major portion of our work is centered in Lane County. There's a strong progressive community in Eugene and Lane County, it's centrally located, and that's where our staff lives (except for me)." An internship program though the UO Law School will help students get experience in land use issues. UO law professor Tom Lininger is on the advisory board along with Tom Bowerman, Bob Stacey and Dan Thackaberry. Board members include Nena Lovinger, John Foster, Mona Linstromberg, Linda Anderson, Cathy Bellavita, Robert Emmons, Tony Hayden, Cameron La Follette, Robert Mason, Holger Sommer, Nancy Staus, Michael Walker and Shelley Wetherell. — Ted Taylor
Lane County Herbicide Spray Schedule • Swanson Group (935-3010) spraying triclopyr, aminopyralid, glyphosate herbicides on 30,000 ft. of roadsides near Bear, Nelson, McVey Creeks in Deadwood and Greenleaf starting this week. (Regulated by Oregon Department of Forestry: 935-2283.) • ODOT spraying herbicides for noxious weeds along Hwy 36 from Junction City to Triangle Lake starting June 20. ODOT local IVM Coordinator Dennis Joll: 686-7526. Spray information: (888) 996-8080. • Lane County Vegetation Management Advisory Committee has three openings. Application deadline: 5 pm Friday, June 16. Call 682-6991 or visit www.co.lane.or.us/BCC/vacancies.htm Compiled by Jan Wroncy, Forestland Dwellers: 342-8332
CORRECTIONS/CLARIFICATIONS In last week's news brief, "When Race Matters," a participant at the NAACP forum reportedly remarked that an article in the R-G "was white supremacy." That should have been "was about white supremacy," referring to recent changes at Jefferson Middle School.
SUZANNE PONSIOEN
The granddaughter of Dutch magic realist painter Johan Ponsioen, Suzanne Ponsioen studied art therapy in Nijmegen, Holland. She worked with drug addicts and jail inmates as a therapist in Germany and Holland in the mid-'90s, then moved to Oregon and the former Livewood Commune on Fall Creek in '98. "We lived in a little wooden cabin," she says. "That's where Liva was born. I was a stay-at-home mom." Four years later, after she moved into Eugene, Ponsioen contacted Sister Margaret Graziano, art therapist and chaplain at the Lane County jail, about doing a class. "It was scary — the jails in Holland are more like a hotel — but I loved it from the start," she says. "The inmates are just ordinary people who made unfortunate choices." Now a full-time student in marriage and family therapy at the UO with a part-time job teaching teenagers at Looking Glass, Ponsioen still holds one class a month for 12 or so male inmates at the jail. Her own artwork is on view through July 8 in a three-person show at the Corvallis Art Center. Liva finishes first grade this week at the Family School. -Paul Neevel
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