UO E-clips, March 5

UO-area apartment project faces opposition (Register-Guard): Residents of a south Eugene neighborhood want to stop developers from constructing a seven-story apartment building they say would tower over nearby homes and smaller apartment houses. A group of neighbors wants the Eugene City Council to put a moratorium on plans for the 52-unit building at the northeast corner of East 19th Avenue and Alder Street, just a block south of the University of Oregon campus. A council work session on the issue is scheduled for Monday. One of the two Portland-based developers said the building meets all requirements for the property's high-density residential zoning but indicated a willingness to discuss concerns with neighbors.

The adventures of Zetaman (Willamette Week): Once a week for the past 18 months, Zetaman has donned his costume and patrolled downtown Portland, seeking out the needy with gifts of food and clothing. He goes armed with an extendable steel baton, pepper spray, and a Taser that delivers 30,000 volts -- enough to put a man on the ground. Those tools of the trade are to defend himself or people in trouble. But he doesn't pick fights, and so far he hasn't been forced to draw his weapons or apprehend anybody. ... Gordon Nagayama Hall, a University of Oregon psychology professor, says real-life superheroes probably have an inflated sense of self-worth, even as they help the innocent.

'Memoir' more about lies and consequences (The Oregonian): In an interview in advance copies of "Love and Consequences: A Memoir of Hope and Survival," author Margaret B. Jones was asked how it felt to have publishers involved in a bidding war for her just-published book. "It didn't seem real," Jones said. The bidding war was real, but that's about all that's true in Jones' story. Her real name is Margaret Seltzer, she is white (not half Native American), she grew up in Sherman Oaks, Calif. (not a foster home in South Central Los Angeles), she graduated from a private school (and was not a drug-dealing, crack-cocaine-cooking member of the Bloods street gang). Oh, and she did not graduate from the University of Oregon, as she claimed.

Youth climate movement gathers steam (Blue Oregon): Though largely unnoticed by the mainstream media, the youth climate movement has swelled to a torrent here in the Northwest. Its most impressive manifestation may have been "Cascade Powershift" -- a gathering of over 200 students from colleges and universities across Washington and Oregon, which converged on the University of Oregon campus February 8-11th. Three days of activism workshops, keynote speakers, and exchanging ideas for change were followed up on the 11th by sending delegations of students to Salem and Olympia, to lobby for firm action on global warming in their respective state capitals.

Standardized curriculum is stifling students (Register-Guard viewpoint by Paul Bodin , UO College of Education): Children develop confidence and skill as learners, and care about what they learn, because of their teachers. But the curriculum that teachers use, whether by choice or because of a district mandate, can negate educators' best intentions. This is happening today with the widespread use of standardized curricula that present one basic version of how content and time should be used to teach reading and writing to elementary school children. A packaged curriculum may look terrific -- wonderful layout, exciting photos and artwork, a who's who of famous authors, interdisciplinary themes, and a teacher's guide that lays out the whole sequence in detail. But appearances can be deceiving.

International Women's Day celebrated on campus (Daily Emerald): The ASUO Women's Center is in the midst of a week-long celebration of International Women's Day, or IWD. The celebration began on Monday with a documentary film screening of "Bride Kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan" and will end at 6:30 p.m. Friday with a concert and dance performance showcasing performers from the University and surrounding community. Aida Jolosheva, an international graduate student in international studies and public policy planning and management, is coordinating the celebration. The holiday has been recognized around the world since the early 1900s as a way of drawing attention to the injustices women face and to celebrate what it means to be a woman in different nations, Jolosheva said.

New ticket proposal a step in the right direction (Oregon Daily Emerald editorial): A new policy regarding ticket distribution for Ducks sporting events is being kicked around by the ASUO Senate, one that has less to do with waiting in line and more about logging in on time. Each Monday preceding a home football game, several thousands of students wait for hours in line, with no intention of attending morning classes, hoping instead to claim a ticket to Saturday's game. This problem has been acknowledged for years, but finally the Student Senate seems to be working toward a solution. The Senate is considering no longer distributing tickets from the EMU and Autzen Stadium ticket offices, but online, from GoDucks.com.