Monday
September 19, 2011 82/49 Sunny
Oregon State University, Corvallis, Ore.
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Union, university reach tentative agreement after eight months
Fall Sports! A preview of the sports for the fall Sports, Page B1-8
OSU: A place
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Vol. CXV No. 9
future engineers or
Nationally recognized college of engineering home to most students on campus By Kristin Pugmire The Daily B arometer
Only a school with a good engineering program was going to snag sophomore Davis Weymann — and he’s not alone. “A good engineering program was a prerequisite for any college I applied to,” Weymann said, a prechemical engineering student. Oregon State University currently offers more than 200 majors, minors and special programs (more than any other college or university in the state of
Oregon) according to the university website. With such a diversity of choices, it may seem unlikely that any single subject could account for much more than a fraction of the student body, but think again. According to OSU’s most recent enrollment summary, roughly 3,600 undergraduate and 700 graduate students were enrolled in the College of Engineering in the spring of 2011, nearly 20 percent of the student population. This hasn’t always been the case, however. Enrollment in the college has increased 8 percent in the past two years, according to See ENGINEERS | page A8
Alexandra Taylor | THE DAILY BAROMETER
Maggie Neel speaks to members of SEIU about the tentative agreement reached with OUS in the MU Ballroom last Thursday. Members of the union will vote on the agreement within the next three weeks. n
Features of the contract include a cost of living increase, possibility for raises, less mandatory furloughs, employee contribution to health care By Don Iler
The Daily B arometer
In the wee hours before dawn Sept. 15, bargaining teams from the Oregon University System and the Classified Employees Union reached a tentative agreement after a grueling 19-hour negotiation session in Monmouth, Ore. The agreement came after eight months of bargaining. Classified employees, who work at many diverse jobs at Oregon State University — from custodians to office workers — are represented by the Service Employees International Union Local 503. The previous contract had expired in June. Many workers had been dissatisfied with the mandatory furloughs workers were forced to take with the previous contract. The furloughs, which are unpaid days workers must
take off, were a sticking point for much of the negotiations. The union has complained that the burden of furlough days has not been equally shared between administration, faculty and classified workers. “It has something good for everyone,” said Maggie Neel, SEIU bargaining table representative for OSU. “But the one big frustration is furloughs.” Furloughs would be taken in a three-tiered system, with employees who were paid more taking more furlough days than those who were paid less. The new agreement also includes less furlough days for all workers than the previous contract. There are no planned furlough days for administrators or faculty. Other features of the agreement include: -Two cost of living increases over the next biennium; -No more step freezes, which will allow employees to receive raises based on longevity of service; -Creation of a new 10th step, which will allow those who See SEIU | page A13
Alexandra Taylor | THE DAILY BAROMETER
Bike thefts to increase with more students n
Experts say preventing bike thefts across campuses may be a matter of attentiveness By Camille Jacobson-Ingram The Daily B arometer
As students return to Corvallis for fall term, thieves are seizing the opportunity to take their pick from the influx of student-owned bicycles. “Universities are a target rich environment,” insists Sgt. Vonn Schleicher of the Oregon State Police. Bike theft continues to be a problem throughout Oregon State University and neighboring universities, and those who work to prevent theft and recover stolen bikes have no reason to believe the thefts will let up anytime soon. “We notice that when we are hit with an increase in bike theft, the University of Oregon is hit too,” Schleicher said. “They’re actually fairly sophisticated crime rings.” When confronting the statistics on the rise of bike theft, there is no denying the prevalence of the problem.
As indicated by statistics provided by Bob Brown, a representative from the Department of Public Safety, bike thefts have seen a sharp increase in the past four years. Brown’s data confirms that theft rates have risen from 62 stolen bikes in 2007 to an alarming 100 stolen bikes in 2010. Though the numbers may indicate reason for students to worry, both Brown and Schleicher assure students that they have the power to prevent theft. “When you get your bike, record the serial number,” Schleicher said. This simple act can allow police to enter the serial number into a database that logs bikes which have been stolen. Schleicher also urges students to register their bike with public safety. This service is available free of charge and supplies students with a sticker to put on their bike indicating that it has been registered. The sticker alone serves as a major deterrent to criminals. Perhaps the easiest way to preAlexandra taylor | THE DAILY BAROMETER vent theft is to make sure you lock With bike thefts on the rise in Corvallis and OSU, experts recommend properly securing bicycles by locking the frame and both tires. Students can register their bicycles with the Department of Public Safety on campus. . See BIKES | page A13