It's out with the old and in with the new at the Baker Downtown Center at the corner of High Street and Broadway.

A remodel project-in-progress, the center consists of a three-building complex that now provides a home for University Printing in the former press building and for Continuing Education on the ground floor of the north building.

Later this year, University Archives will occupy the basement of the north building, and the Oregon Career Information System will move to both floors.

In the south building, part of the second floor still undergoing remodeling will provide a future home for the National Career Information System.

After The Register-Guard moved to its new facility on Chad Drive, the university signed a 10-year lease with Guard Publishing that includes the possibility of four 5-year options for renewal.

With this new leased space, the university can relocate departments that have been paying rent in other locations. It also can provide new storage space for University Archives, which has been storing materials in University Housing basements and in leased space in Glenwood.

The Baker Center includes a 150-seat classroom that will be used primarily for Continuing Education programs, says Allan Chung, University Planning. The classroom can be divided into three smaller units, each seating 50. A small conference room adds functionality to the new space.

However, he says the biggest benefit of the lease came from University Printing's move almost three years ago to the relatively spacious building (22,000 square feet) in downtown Eugene. That relocation freed 12,000 square feet in Allen Hall, enabling Journalism and Communication to update and add facilities and to consolidate its units in one location.

"The biggest result of this project has been changing the space from a single tenant to a multi-tenant building," Chung says. "When The Register-Guard was here, they only had a single mission. Now we are planning for many departments with many different needs."

With space still available, planners are working to find suitable tenants for relocation to the center.

Prohibited discrimination grievances filed by UO employees and students have declined nearly 38 percent, dropping from 16 claims in 1997 to 10 claims in 1998, according to the annual report issued at year's end by Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity.

Such complaints are defined as discrimination based on age, disability, national origin, race, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, religion or veteran status.

"One explanation for the decline in grievances has to do with the continued training of faculty and staff on issues of discrimination," says Sidney Moore, human rights investigator. "As more people in the campus community are taught to recognize inappropriate behaviors, it becomes easier to avoid these behaviors."

In addition, he says, this education helps supervisors remain aware of the climate in their departments, so they are better able to recognize potential problems and stop them before they rise to unacceptable levels.

An alternative explanation for the reduction in claims, Moore says, could be that those being discriminated against are unaware that these behaviors are prohibited, or that they are unaware of how or where to report grievances. To combat this problem, he says, education about discrimination and sexual harassment will be emphasized for faculty, staff and students so they can better recognize prohibited behaviors and know how to respond appropriately.

"Students and other harassment victims should know that harassment is not their fault and there's no need to feel ashamed," Moore says. "Eliminating the stigmas which accompany reporting discrimination will go a long way toward ending the discrimination as perpetrators begin to recognize that action will be taken to stop their discriminatory behavior."

Lobby Day, a joint venture of Legislative Relations and the Alumni Advocacy Program, is scheduled for Feb. 24 at the State Capitol in Salem.

This event is for all alumni, faculty, staff and students who are able to get the day off and meet with legislators to discuss the UO's legislative agenda and to address concerns that affect higher education.

Kirk Bailey, Legislative Relations director, will have a training session about meeting with legislators, including the all-important dos and don'ts. President Dave Frohnmayer also will be on hand for questions and comments. Music in the Capitol rotunda, provided by the UO Gospel Choir, is the featured entertainment.

Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Capitol, with training getting underway at 10:15 a.m. The floor session is expected to start at 11 a.m., followed by a lunch and an afternoon of small-group meetings with legislators.

"This event provides an important forum for those who support the university to discuss higher education issues," says Alan Contreras, Legislative Relations. "It's the ideal opportunity to meet one-on-one with their own state legislators."

If you plan to attend or for more information, call Contreras, 6-5023.

RECOGNITION AWARDS will be announced in April for outstanding classified employees and officers of administration who have worked for the university for at least one year. Nomination forms, distributed campus-wide last week, list award criteria that the selection committee will consider in picking recipients. Submit nominations to Miki Powers at Human Resources no later than Feb. 11. For information, call 6-2950.

NOMINATIONS FOR THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD, one of the university's highest honors, are being accepted until Feb. 12. Up to three awards may be awarded in one year. Recipients are persons "who by their knowledge and skills have made a significant contribution to the cultural development of Oregon or society as a whole." The awards will be presented at this year's June Commencement ceremony. Send nominations to Dave Hubin in the President's Office. For information, call 6-3036.

SEVERAL JUDAIC STUDIES COURSE-DEVELOPMENT FELLOWSHIPS of $2,000 each are available for 1999­2000 to faculty applicants from all areas of campus. Proposals for new courses or to transform existing ones should result in classes that will become regular parts of departmental curricula while supporting the interdisciplinary mission of the Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies. Submit proposals for courses in "Foundations in Judaic Studies" or in "Topics in Judaic Studies" to Richard Stein, English, by Feb. 15. For information, call 6-3971.

THE FIRST COMPETITION FOR THE MARGARET MCBRIDE LEHRMAN FELLOWSHIP, supported by an endowment created by UO trustee and NBC News producer Margie Lehrman, is underway. The inaugural fellowship will provide a stipend of $10,000 for the 1999­2000 academic year and will include a waiver of tuition for graduate students in Education, Journalism, Creative Writing, English, Theater Arts, Literature and other academic areas. Applicants, who must be approved by their department, should possess a strong academic record, demonstrate financial need and intend to focus their studies on communication and/or writing. For application guidelines, call Maggie Morris, 6-3028. Submit the application packet to the Graduate School by March 1.