UO E-clips, Oct. 24-26

Would-be tree nuts: UO is a de facto arboretum well-known to guide Whitey Lueck -- The Register-Guard (There is a tree outside John Witte's window on the University of Oregon's campus: a wispy, wiry contraption that the instructor has been curious about since he switched offices to the west side of Prince Lucien Campbell Hall a year ago; a tree wedged in among a row of stately Norway maples lining the Memorial Quad. Witte decided to look it up recently, and he learned the tree's name: Caucasian wingnut, planted the year he first arrived in Oregon in 1976.)
 
People and Accounts of Note -- The New York Times (Art Directors Club, New York, presented its A.D.C. Grandmasters Awards to four educators. They are: Deborah Morrison, Chambers distinguished professor of advertising at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communications; Tom Ockerse, professor of graphic design, Rhode Island School of Design; Hank Richardson, design department head at the Portfolio Center; and Ron Seichrist, founder and president at the Miami Ad School.)

ESPN's College GameDay returning to Eugene -- KVAL-TV, similar stories found (ESPN College GameDay has confirmed it will produce its weekly college football preview show from the University of Oregon Saturday morning preceding the No. 10 Ducks' home game vs. No. 4 USC.)
 
Guest viewpoint: My kind of place by Richard Lariviere -- Register Guard (The sense of wonder I feel about Oregon and its flagship university is as potent now as on my first day — the character of the people, the quality of the institution, the geography, the colors, the perfect temperatures and the fun peculiarities of this community. Only a great place can claim Wayne Morse and Bill Bowerman among its heroes, have a statue of Ken Kesey in its civic square and crown a Slug Queen each year. Eugene exudes innovation, originality and extraordinary excellence. I am steadily coming to know this community and this state. ... I am discovering that Oregonians tend not to brag about themselves or their institutions. This was immediately striking to me, having spent 24 years in Texas. There’s a saying in Texas: “It ain’t braggin’ if you can do it.” As a newcomer, let me brag a little about Oregon’s flagship university.)

Why higher ed needs reform -- Corvallis Gazette Times (For Oregon State University, President Ed Ray has posed an ambitious goal of growing to more than 30,000 students in the next 15 years and making a number of reforms as well. In Eugene, the new president of the University of Oregon, Richard Lariviere, is talking about finding a new funding model for higher education in Oregon. The spirit of change is definitely in the air. Let us hope it does not result only in making the campuses bigger and getting more tuition payers to enroll.)
 
Minds Matter helps 19-year-old make tough 'rite of passage'—Oregonian (Story profiles a University of Oregon scholar. This fall, Mimi Gomalo, 19, enrolled as the only African American freshman in UO's Clark Honors College. She says she wouldn't be there without Minds Matter. The New York-based, all-volunteer program started its Portland chapter with 17 students three years ago, when Gomalo was a sophomore at Grant High School. Since then, it has expanded to about 50 students and 150 volunteers.)
 
UO faculty weighs union: Comparatively low pay and a rift with administration are driving the possibility of unionizing, organizers say--The Register-Guard, similar story found in KTVZ (Concerned about comparatively low pay and what some see as top-down management, faculty members at the University of Oregon are exploring the possibility of forming a union. The effort still is in the informational stage with meetings being held around campus to discuss the idea and hear from faculty members at other universities who have formed unions. Organizers say it's not certain if or when professors will be asked to vote on the question, but one said an election could be held before the end of the current academic year.)
 
Latest Taser incident will influence review of department policy--The Register-Guard (The controversial police use of a Taser on a Chinese student last month in Eugene will influence an ongoing review of the Eugene Police Department's policy governing the stun gun's usage, city police commissioners said Friday. Eugene police asked the Police Commission, a volunteer body, to review the department's Taser policy earlier this year. The department made the request after police officials announced that they want 60 additional officers to begin carrying the stun guns while on patrol. The city armed 40 officers with Tasers starting in January 2008.)
 
'Big Bang Theory' blows away Oregon scientists, too—Oregonian (While the quality of some television sitcoms can leave viewers feeling cheated out of 30 minutes of their lives, audiences and critics are raving about the CBS science-themed comedy, "The Big Bang Theory...." University of Oregon physics professor Steven Hsu says he not only watches, he also discusses episodes with colleagues. "We all think it is hilarious. It is very clever, although sometimes in ways only a real scientist would get. I don't know anyone who hates the show.")