UO E-clips, May 30

Veterans learn about proposed GI Bill’s shaky status (Register-Guard): Veterans headed back to school could get more financial help under a proposed boost in federal education benefits, but the future of the proposed new GI Bill is shaky: The Senate and House each have passed a version of the bill, but President Bush has threatened to veto it. Local veterans learned more about the status of the proposed legislation Thursday at a round-table discussion on the University of Oregon campus attended by Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden and Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio. The proposed GI Bills would have particular significance for Oregon veterans because they offer more support to National Guard members and Army and Marine reservists who have served on active duty. About 30 veterans attended Thursday’s event, including Marine reservists Justin Lovell and Miles Miller, both UO students. They said the amount they receive for schooling, just over $300 a month, doesn’t put a dent in their $2,500 tuition.“We just want more information on how it’s going to change,” Lovell said. “Right now it’s not nearly enough to cover expenses.”

Costner sings for the love of the game (Register-Guard): An old Zimbabwean proverb says, “If you can walk you can dance. If you can talk you can sing.” We all know Kevin Costner can dance (with wolves), but his country-rock band is a new phenomenon in the scope of his long career in the public eye. This weekend, up to 5,000 ticket holders will find out how Costner, one of the most recognizable names in Hollywood, can sing as he leads two shows at the Hult Center that promoters expect will sell out -- or come close to it. … The concerts are a fundraiser for the newly re-formed University of Oregon baseball program, headed by Costner’s friend, coach George Horton. The events’ organizers say they hope to raise $200,000.

Olympic Trials join obesity fight (Register-Guard, guest viewpoint): Our community will reap many benefits from the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials -- Track and Field. The achievements recorded on the track or in the field and the memories created at the free Eugene 08 Festival will lift our spirits for days. The improvements to our parks and community facilities and the upgrades at historic Hayward Field will remain long after the last race is run and the last spectators catch their flights home. But there will be a more lasting legacy of Eugene 08: the inspiration of the next generation -- to become leaders, to be more active, to overcome the obesity epidemic and to lead more healthful lives.

Study looks at changing home styles from the inside out (Register-Guard, Springfield Extra by Thomas Hubka, UO Department of Architecture’s distinguished visiting professor): Can the history of a city be revealed through your home’s floor plan? The answer is a simple yes. The University of Oregon Historic Building Survey class has focused on Springfield’s housing in order to document and understand the full range of the residences that make up the community. While most architectural surveys focus on the exterior style of a house, my students are venturing inside to look at the arrangement of rooms in an effort to understand how a house functions for its occupants. Springfield’s typical housing, like most throughout Oregon, has not been the subject of extensive architectural research or documentation. Outside of the Washburne Historic District, the many types of everyday housing have rarely been studied or even named.