UO E-clips, Nov. 3-5

Resource fees may be combined with tuition in 2009 (Daily Emerald): The Oregon University System's fee committee made a progressive step Friday in meeting with the State Board of Higher Education. The committee presented its proposals to the board, offering OUS institutions various fee structures to go about eliminating resource fees during the next three to four years. The resource fee discussion has stemmed from concern that students are unaware of the extra costs the fees procure, which are not covered by financial aid packages. Programmatic resource fees, based on a student's area of study, can cost students hundreds of dollars, but some students remain unaware of PRFs because they are charged separate from tuition.

Cheering for change (Daily Emerald): The University was home to multiple events on Saturday afternoon that featured cheers, chants and large groups of people committed to a common cause. Along with the football game at Autzen Stadium, approximately 350 people gathered at the EMU Amphitheater to celebrate the "Step It Up" campaign's second Day of Action, a crowd that far exceeding event organizer Jesse Hough's initial goal of 100 participants. ... The event, which was organized to draw attention to the problem of global warming, featured appearances by Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy, law professor Mary Wood and a surprise visit from University President Dave Frohnmayer.

A challenge to the recording industry (Inside Higher Ed): The way things currently stand, a motion filed in federal district court in Oregon last week could force a legal reevaluation of the recording industry’s strategy of rooting out students who illegally share copyrighted material using peer-to-peer networks. Or, it might not. The outcome hinges on which of the Oregon attorney general’s arguments, if any, will persuade the court that subpoenas served on behalf of 12 recording companies circumvent established legal procedure. On September 17, the companies issued subpoenas to 17 “Does” -- who were identified only by their IP addresses -- via the University of Oregon, where they are all students. Such subpoenas are commonly sent to universities, which can match the addresses to the Internet accounts assigned to individual students.

First hurdle cleared for new UO arena (AP): The state Board of Higher Education voted to let the University of Oregon ask the Legislature for $200 million in state bonds to pay for a new basketball arena just east of campus. If state lawmakers authorize the bonds this February, university officials will return to the board for approval to sell them. The university wants to break ground this spring and have the arena ready for the 2010 basketball season. The arena would have at least 12,500 seats and replace McArthur Court, the hallowed home to the Ducks since 1927. Board members were mostly interested in the financial analysis showing that the UO athletic department can afford to pay back the state debt.

Futuristic board more than times (Register-Guard): A renowned designer with roots in the historic past of Hayward Field has created the plans for a video scoreboard that is envisioned as a dynamic part of the future of the venerable track and field facility. “I felt very strongly that you have a lot of old, historic things going on around here, but there are some things that should be unabashedly modern and moving forward, because that’s the way the sport is,” said Tinker Hatfield, the former University of Oregon pole vaulter who graduated with a degree in architecture and later became a prominent designer of shoes for Nike Inc.