UO E-clips, April 16

Department reshuffles lineup in effort to boost revenue (Register-Guard): The University of Oregon department of athletics is undergoing a reorganization that includes both the promotion of a handful of current employees along with several hirings. “It’s more than a tweaking,” said Pat Kilkenny, the director of the department. “It’s an evolution of our staff.” At the top, Renee Baumgartner and Jim Bartko will see their titles changed to Executive Senior Associate Director, with the word “executive” added in the new job designation.

Councilor speaks out against city support for hospital at research park (Register-Guard): Make no mistake, Eugene City Councilor Jennifer Solomon wants McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center to move to Eugene. Furthermore, she thinks that in a perfect world, the University of Oregon’s Riverfront Research Park would make a fine hospital site. But she doesn’t believe it’s a realistic option, and she worries that her cohorts’ support for the research park site could work against the council’s shared goal of helping Mc¬Kenzie-Willamette find a new home in Eugene.

Favored companies new to the game (The Oregonian): For their $200 million basketball project -- the most expensive on-campus facility in the nation -- University of Oregon officials plan to ask the State Board of Higher Education to approve the hiring of a construction firm that has never built an arena. UO officials also want to hire an architect that never has designed an arena -- a firm it tapped as it was dismissing the project's first architect, experienced in arena design and selected through a public search. Hoffman Construction and TVA Architects, Portland firms that have worked on numerous Nike projects with company co-founder Phil Knight, were selected by a nonprofit group created within the UO Foundation and led by Howard Slusher, special assistant to Knight.

Oregonians make tough money choices to get by (The Oregonian): Escalating gasoline prices. Increasing grocery bills. Skyrocketing utility costs. They're in the headlines every day, but Oregonians are feeling the pinch in ways they haven't seen since the last recession. Tim Duy, a University of Oregon economics professor and the director of the school's Oregon Economic Forum, said working people are hurting more now because income levels haven't grown since the last recession in 2001. The American dream, he says, is moving out of reach.

Arbitrator: County worker’s off-duty offense no reason for dismissal (Register-Guard): An employee of Lane County government convicted of felony drug possession finds himself the center of controversy: His employer tried to fire him, but he’s determined to keep his job. Computer programmer John Chambers committed his offense on his personal time, but county supervisors say the crime has rendered him unable to fully do his taxpayer-funded job. … Marcus Widenor, an associate professor with the Labor Education and Research Center at the University of Oregon, said an employer seeking to fire an employee for an off-duty offense must show that the offense hurts the organization’s business or reputation; the worker’s ability to do his job; or the willingness of others to work with the worker.