UO E-clips, March 29-31

University of Oregon ready to open new Portland campus -- (The Oregonian): The University of Oregon has had a presence in Portland since 1884, but the Eugene-based school is about to magnify its visibility in a renovated green and historic home that will open its doors to students Monday. UO is consolidating and expanding its Portland operations in a complex of three historic buildings on Couch Street in Northwest Portland's Old Town and Chinatown near Saturday Market and the Burnside Bridge.

Ex-University of Oregon officials still get paid as consultants (Associated Press, appearing in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and KTVZ.com): John Moseley, Lorraine Davis and Dan Williams all retired as vice presidents at the University of Oregon in the past four years, but they're still working as consultants, drawing benefits and large salaries. For a little less than half-time work, Moseley is paid about $109,660 a year to develop UO's interests in Central Oregon. Williams gets about $100,000 as the president's liaison to the athletic department. And for about $83,560, Davis oversees support services to student athletes and other administrative projects.

The Olympic Trials: Business Impacts (Oregon Daily Emerald): The impact of the Olympic Trials, to be held from June 27 to July 6, is expected to be felt far beyond Hayward Field, with visitors projected to spend millions of dollars in the Eugene area on food, lodging, and other goods and services. The event will pump dollars into the local economy, and some Eugene-area business leaders are preparing with more staff. The area is seeing new or expanded services, including a flight to San Francisco in a larger jet, thanks in part to the Olympic Trials. No one knows exactly what to expect, because Eugene last hosted the Olympic Trials in 1980. This summer's Olympic Trials will be somewhat of a dry run for when Eugene hosts the same event again in 2012.

Diversity training in Eugene (KPTV Portland): NEWSCASTER: People in Eugene are about to get some controversial training in preparation for hosting Olympic athletic trials. But some are asking, is this just the case of people wanting to be good hosts, or is it the city going overboard. For KPTV, Dan Springer has more. REPORTER: Eugene, Oregon likes to call itself Track Town. And this summer it will host the sport's second biggest event, the Olympic trials. But with 1,100 mostly black athletes coming to a town that's only two percent African American, some feel the locals could use a little diversity training.

Fight climate change on two fronts (Register-Guard Guest Commentary): Can we solve global warming? Will solutions require reverting to the Stone Age? Some warming is now inevitable. To avoid severe climate change -- which economists believe would trigger a Great Depression magnitude drop in gross domestic product -- and to eventually allow the climate to restabilize, scientists say global emissions must level off by 2015 and be reduced by about 80 percent or more by mid-century. We need to cut emissions by about 2 percent a year for the next 42 years. Although success will require big shifts in thinking, behavior and energy systems, numerous assessments show that it is possible to reduce emissions by 80 percent if we act quickly. Dramatically increased energy efficiency and use of renewable energy are two core elements of a winning strategy.

Ore. inmates, college students take classes together (Associated Press, appearing on KCBY.com): A group of students at the University of Oregon is helping spruce up the library at another kind of school - the one of hard knocks. They were among the first to take part in a new state program, going to Salem once a week to take a class alongside a group of inmates at the Oregon State Penitentiary. Now they're gathering books to help their former classmates maintain their newfound appreciation of literature. Katherine Philipson, a sophomore majoring in international studies, said the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program allowed her to see prisoners and the prison system in a different light. She said she was impressed with the thoughtfulness inmates brought to the class.

UO moving ahead on alumni center (Register-Guard): The third piece of a building triad that would create a new eastern entrance to the University of Oregon is in the planning pipeline. The university has filed preliminary design documents for a five-story, 70,000-square-foot alumni center on a piece of property known as the “Franklin triangle” on Franklin Boulevard. The site is a triangular plot across Agate Street from Oregon Hall and just north of the UO’s new arena site and the Hamilton housing complex. The alumni center, along with the proposed $200 million basketball arena and a proposed academic center for student athletes, would create a new main gate to the UO at its Agate Street entrance off Franklin. Construction on the arena and academic center are expected to begin this summer.

Can baseball make cents? (Mail Tribune): When Pat Kilkenny announced the resurrection of University of Oregon baseball in July, it came with a promise: that Oregon wouldn't use athletic-department funds to do it. Kilkenny and other baseball backers would have to support the team by themselves. Skeptics question whether the Ducks can fulfill their promise, especially considering some repeat national champions have failed to break even. Since 2002, Oregon has become one of only a handful of athletic departments across the nation to be self-sufficient, meaning it operates entirely without funding from the university's general fund. Baseball is slated to become another piece of the sustainability puzzle, according to Oregon officials.