The independent student newspaper at the University of Oregon dailyemerald.com SINCE 1900 | Volume 109, Issue 101 | Thursday, February 7, 2008 NEWS The Science Factory’s laser light shows are intended to entertain all audiences BUILDING PROJECTS Allocation See a detailed breakdown of group requests for building funding. PAGE 3 committee OPINION PEC TACLE IN MY OPINION Part two of Joe to budget Vandehey’s series on wolves. PAGE 2 OF LIGHT PULSE $4.1 million The money, which came from student building fees, will be used to fix, construct facilities THE BAYSIDE BOYS The New York-based ROBERT D’ANDREA band creates punky News Reporter rock melodies. PAGE 8 Eight students and one University staff IN MY OPINION member will determine how to spend more than $4.1 million on building projects Lindsay Funston is in the coming months as the Student Build- addicted to trivia. PAGE 6 ing Fee Allocation Committee prioritizes projects from around campus. CAMPAIGN VIDEOS The committee will meet for the first Online video is being time in an orientation session Thursday used to promote morning. At least two more meetings are candidates. PAGE 7 expected to hear 14 project proposals. All full-time students in the Oregon University System pay $45 each term in student building fees, which are placed in a statewide pool to be used for capital construction of student facilities. Each university gets an portion approxi- mately the size of its contribution once every two years. The committee should decide which projects to move forward some time be- tween March 15 and April 1, according SAINTLY SOUNDS to Cathy Soutar, a planning associate and Talkdemonic crafts space analyst for University Planning. “folktronic hop” beats. A representative of the students on PAGE 5 the committee, usually the ASUO presi- dent, will then send recommendations to University President Dave Frohnmayer SPORTS for review. In past years, the committee’s consid- erations have included a project’s dem- onstrated need, its beneficial use to stu- dents and its level of support on campus, according to an ASUO document. Six of the projects the committee will consider come from the EMU. The EMU Board decided to pass on to the committee FOOTBALL all of the projects it had considered without prioritizing them. Ducks ink recruiting “The board looked at all of these propos- commitments. PAGE 9 als and felt they all had tremendous attri- butes to them,” EMU Director Dusty Miller SOFTBALL ONLINEVIDEO Go behind the scenes at said. “Not the same attributes, but ones Team eager to start that were worthy of consideration.” new season. PAGE 9 DAILYEMERALD.COM Included is a complete renovation of the EMU estimated to cost more than $77 mil- WOMEN’S JAROD OPPERMAN | Photographer lion. Miller said the overhaul, which origi- BASKETBALL TREVOR DAVIS AT A GLANCE nated in the EMU Master Plan of 2003, was News Reporter After two weeks on the included to keep the committee updated. road, Oregon returns he Science Factory in Eugene isn’t just for children. And it’s Laser Shows Other projects include renovations to the home for Cal and got more going on than astronomy — try laser beams and Student Recreation Center, renovations to Stanford. PAGE 10 rock music. Fridays (Feb. 8, 15) the University Health Center and a space for the Career Center in the new Alumni VIDEO The museum and planetarium near Autzen Stadium is host- 7 p.m. Santana, Will Smith, Blink 182 Ting laser light shows for two more weeks starting Friday. The pro- Center, according to Soutar. 8:15 p.m. U2 grams combine laser lights and music from bands such as the Beatles, 4:48 PSYCHOSIS Contact the campus and federal politics reporter Metallica, U2 and Pink Floyd. 9:30 p.m. Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” at [email protected] Watch first hand as an The planetarium used to show laser light shows about 10 years all-female cast sheds Friday Feb. 8 Late Shows light on the chaos that ago when it was operated by Lane Education Service District, resides in the human said Joyce Berman, executive director of the Science Factory. The 10:45 p.m. Led Zeppelin equipment became outdated, and the program stopped. mind. 12 a.m. Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of For extended DAILYEMERALD.COM The Science Factory started operating the planetarium about five years ago, Berman said. the Moon” COVERAGE & PHOTOS “We had continuing requests from people and the public who WEATHER came through here wanting laser shows,” she said. For more shows and activities, of proposals, The museum looked into purchasing new equipment, but the visit www.sciencefactory.org See pages 3 & 4 turn to LASERS, page 12 TODAY Showers 47°/39° Chinese New Year celebration brings in the year of the rat The Chinese Students and Scholars Association fireworks and scarlet lanterns Year, a 15-day celebration char- Guangdong Province. But Ji- FRIDAY decorating their homes. acterized by fireworks, feasts ang, a member of the Chinese hosted a celebration in the EMU Ballroom Showers 48°/40° Centuries later, people no and traditions. Students and Scholars Asso- MIKE O’BRIEN any humans that crossed its longer fear being devoured For University freshman ciation, got into the spirit while News Reporter path. Nián, as the mythological by a carnivorous mountain Fan Jiang, celebrating Chinese at CSSA’s Chinese New Year In ancient China, it was said lion-esque creature was known, beast, but Guò nián, which New Year is not the same in event in the EMU Ballroom that every 12 months, a man- was believed to be startled by literally means “passover of the United States, on the oppo- Wednesday night. SATURDAY eating beast would descend loud noises and the color red, the nián,” has evolved into site side of the world from her “When we say Happy New Showers 50°/41° from the mountains to prey on so people scared it off with modern-day Chinese New family and friends in China’s turn to NEW YEAR, page 12 EDITORIAL BOARD ELON GLUCKLICH | Opinion editor LAURA POWERS | Editor in chief KATIE MICHAEL | Managing editor BRYN JANSSON | Senior copy chief JOSH GRENZSUND | Columnist Thursday, February 7, 2008 OPINION JOBETTA HEDELMAN | Freelance editor NEWS STAFF (541) 346-5511 ILLUSTRATION IN MY OPINION | JOE VANDEHEY LAURA POWERS Editor in Chief KATIE MICHAEL Managing Editor JILL AHO Senior News Editor ERIC FLORIP News Editor ROBERT D’ANDREA TREVOR DAVIS ALLIE GRASGREEN JILL KIMBALL RYAN KNUTSON MIKE O’BRIEN THE CLOCKWORK MIND JASON N. REED News Reporters JOBETTA HEDELMAN Freelance Editor JACOB MAY Sports Editor Devil and God JEFFREY DRANSFELDT Senior Sports Reporter DOUG BONHAM KEVIN HUDSON Sports Reporters Wolf are figments LINDSAY FUNSTON Pulse Editor MATT SEVITS Associate Pulse Editor of the imagination THOM BREKKE KEVIN GLENN I apologize, dear reader, for my sleight of hand. In writing TIFFANY REAGAN Pulse Reporters last week’s article, I avoided any talk of the main focus of ELON GLUCKLICH debate: the wolf. I had to. Column lengths being what they Opinion Editor are, I started with the assumption that wolves needed to be NIK ANTOVICH DEBORAH BLOOM conserved and worked backward from there. JOSH GRENZSUND So please allow me the chance to remedy that today. MATT PETRYNI KAMRAN ROUZPAY Myths about wolves abound; some vilify, some romanti- JOSEPH VANDEHEY cize, and all falsify. While I wrote last week, I remembered Columnists BRYN JANSSON the words of Amaroq Weiss, a consultant on wolf issues Senior Copy Chief whom I had interviewed to get my facts straight: “The wolf is MINDY MORELAND neither God nor Devil; it’s a wolf.” Copy Chief NICOLE CLARK Everyone knows the myth of the Devil Wolf, the wolf of ALISON ECKER “The Three Little Pigs” and “Red Riding Hood,” all razor ANDREW GREIF ROBERT HUSSEMAN teeth and bloody jowls. This wolf, with all its accompanying TRISTEN KNIGHT myths, has the Rocky Mountain states returning to the wolf- KATIE WILSON Copy Editors trapping days of yesteryear in order to protect local interests, MICHAEL CALCAGNO or so they say. Online Editor This leads to the first wolf myth: Wolves are bad for ASHLEY SMALLMAN ADAM SPENCER our livelihoods. Multimedia Reporters According to this myth, wolves ravenously devour live- ASHLEY CHASE Design Editor stock, hurting already struggling ranchers and farmers. Yes, SHELLEY BOWERMAN wolves do kill livestock; however, they kill in such paltry NICK CUMMINGS numbers compared to other predators that the effect on live- LESLIE MONTGOMERY Designers stock overall should be negligible (and where it is not, wolves RYAN HEIDT can, by law, be moved). The presence of wolves may even Graphic Designer drive depredation down since the largest predator of live- CHAZ FAULHABER PATRICK FINNEY stock, coyotes, thrive in areas devoid of wolves. In fact, feral Illustrators dogs kill considerably more livestock than wolves, and the CHRISTIN PALAZZOLO Photo Editor current money being dumped into wolf killing might more MATT NICHOLSON effectively go into capturing and finding good homes for these Senior Photographer other canines, helping them while at the same time removing BRENNA CHEYNEY CHAZ FAULHABER | Illustrator BLAKE HAMILTON a larger threat to ranchers. DAVE MARTINEZ The Modern Cupid Then there is the hunter’s myth: Wolves are bad for JAROD OPPERMAN Photographers the environment. BUSINESS According to this myth, wolves kill far more prey animals (541) 346-5511 IN MY OPINION | DEBORAH BLOOM than they need out of pure blood sport, ruining natural en- JUDY RIEDL vironments. Yes, again, wolves kill; they are predators and General Manager that is what predators do. But they do not slaughter untold KATHY CARBONE Business Manager numbers of deer for the fun of it.