Oregon Daily Emerald

Higher-ed funding stirs state, campus

The Joint Ways and Means Committee heard testimony on the state's budget in 180 PLC

by Allie Grasgreen

Dozens of rain-soaked Oregonians waited eagerly outside 180 PLC Wednesday night for a rare opportunity to speak out about the state's budget. Despite the room's 230-person capacity, countless residents were still turned away. The lucky ones, those who gained admittance when a straggler drifted out during the testimonies, found themselves in a tense environment packed with the tired and frustrated begging the Joint Ways and Means Committee for the state funding they need.

Over the counter

Plan B, the emergency contraceptive, is now available without a prescription

by Trevor Davis

Students can now find an emergency contraception drug available over the counter at most major local pharmacies, according to the state Department of Human Services. Some pharmacies initially didn't carry the drug because of a packaging issue. Random calls to Eugene pharmacies by the Emerald revealed that seven out of eight pharmacies carry Plan B, but prices vary from $25 at the University Health Center to $45.

Constitution court rules rec center bill illegal

by Jobetta Hedelman

A Student Senate bill that would revamp oversight of the Student Recreation Center budget has been deemed unacceptable by the ASUO Constitution Court, but representatives who worked on the bill say the action outlined in it could happen anyway. Student Senate Bill 28 would transfer oversight of the rec center budget to a reorganized Student Recreation Center Advisory Board and fund it out of a new institutional fee instead of the incidental fee; however, the bill was deemed illegal by the court because the Senate has no authority to order the advisory board to change its bylaws, the ruling states.

Same-sex rights bills progress in Oregon legislature

by Jason N. Reed | News Reporter

Although marriage is be defined as the relationship between one man and one woman in Oregon's state constitution, same-sex couples are one step closer to being granted many of the same benefits and protections as legally recognized married couples. The Oregon Family Fairness Act (HB 2007) and the Oregon Equality Act (SB 2) are advancing the rights and responsibilities of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer, or LGBTQ, community.

Residence hall hosts panel on abstinence-only sex ed

Controversies, issues surrounding sex ed were the topics of the night at Collier Lounge Tuesday

by Colette Crouse | Freelance Reporter

More than 40 students and community members squeezed into the Collier Lounge on Tuesday night to listen to a panel discussion on approaches to sex education. Sponsored by the Hamilton Think Tank, the Community Conversation featured eight panelists, including advocates of safe-sex education and program directors from a federally-funded abstinence-only program called Stop and Think.

"Yeah! Pillow fight!"

Students, community members enjoyed 'organized chaos' in Wednesday night's public pillow fight

by Tess McBride

The large, red digital clock on the corner of 8th Avenue and Oak Street flashed between "9 C" and "5:59 p.m." A cluster of 10 University students and community members bounced from foot to foot, all of them holding pillows close to their bodies to keep warm.