UO E-clips, Nov. 15

Hiker finds guide book believed to belong to missing professor (KGW.com): Searchers looking for a missing University of Oregon professor got their first clue when a hiker found part of a guide book believed to belong to Daming Xu, authorities said Thursday. An independent hiker working in cooperation with the Lane County Sheriff's Office located part of the book down a creek drainage Wednesday, about seven miles from where Xu was last seen by a couple hiking Olallie Mountain in the Three Sisters Wilderness. A seven person team of volunteers from Eugene Mountain Rescue entered the drainage Wednesday but were unable to find additional clues, according to Sheriff Russel Burger. A focused search in the drainage area continued Thursday. Due to the remoteness and ruggedness of the area, only trained searchers were being used.

Language Learning Solutions rebrands as Avant Assessment (MarketWire): Language Learning Solutions today unveiled a new corporate name, Avant Assessment, and brand identity. The move is part of a broader strategy to position itself for growth in the burgeoning language assessment field. Avant designs, develops, delivers, scores and reports Web-based language assessments for the diverse needs of education, business and government. The announcement was made at the 2007 ACTFL Annual Convention and World Languages Expo in San Antonio, Texas, where the company is exhibiting at booth No. 455. … Avant Assessment (www.avantassessment.com) was founded in 2001 in Eugene, Ore., as Language Learning Solutions. The company is the recognized leader in the Web-based language assessment field. Avant designs, develops, delivers, scores and reports four-skills, Web-based language assessments to meet the diverse needs of education, business and government. The company has an academic research partnership with the Center for Applied Second Language Studies (CASLS), a National Foreign Language Resource Center, at the University of Oregon and also works closely with other partners to deliver a suite of online assessment tools for diverse fields.

Art museum and course evaluations debated (Daily Emerald): The University Senate voiced its discontent with the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art's new reporting structure at its meeting Wednesday. The Senate unanimously passed a motion urging University President Dave Frohnmayer to restore the reporting relationship to the Provost's Office once a new executive director is hired for the museum. Sherwin Simmons, head of the art history department, presented the motion and made a case for its passage. "There's never really been a satisfactory explanation" for Frohnmayer placing the museum under University Advancement, Simmons said. "It seems to me that the change in reporting relationship has suggested to everyone that there's something different about our museum. And that I think has created an issue in our present search that is somewhat awkward to explain."

Kilkenny says Ducks not likely to play ball at Civic Stadium (Register-Guard): The University of Oregon, which needs a ballpark for its reborn baseball program, made it clear Wednesday that it is not likely to ride to the rescue of Civic Stadium, the longtime home of the Eugene Emeralds. In a letter to local government officials, UO director of athletics Pat Kilkenny stated that the university will not purchase land for a new ballpark, that it intends to own any facility in which the Ducks play, and that it hopes to have a facility in place for the 2009 season. All those factors weigh heavily against Civic Stadium -- which is owned by the school district and leased to the Emeralds, and which would require extensive renovation -- as a long-term solution for the Ducks. Instead, unless other alternatives become available, Oregon is presenting itself as prepared to build its new stadium on property it owns near Autzen Stadium, perhaps on or near a portion of the stadium’s east parking lot, and intending to move forward early next year.