UO E-clips, Oct 27-28

FANS GIVE WINGS TO BLACKOUT PLAN: Dark-colored University of Oregon T-shirts are flying off the shelves in preparation for the game against USC -- The Register-Guard (Go Big Green? If you were a University of Oregon football fan in the 1970s, you might remember that slogan. But when the Ducks return to Autzen Stadium on Saturday after a couple of road games to take on the mighty USC Trojans in a nationally televised, much-hyped game that could well decide the Pac-10 champion and the league's Rose Bowl representative, it could be more like "Back in Black." ... Berry's Facebook group, however, drew the concerns of the UO's Office of Student Life -- a student-run group that provides services to students -- not long after it was created because the original Facebook group name was "Autzen Blackout," Berry said. "They didn't want the university painted in a bad light," said Berry, who was at the Ducks' game at Boise State on Sept. 3, and knows what that can be like. ... Phil Weiler, a UO spokesman, said there is no "controversy" over Berry's group and it is strictly a student-organized effort. "This isn't that big of a deal to us," Weiler said.)

ESPN Brings Priceless Exposure to University of Oregon -- KEZI 9 News (ESPN's College Gameday will be back in Eugene for the Ducks home game against USC.  With the crew comes nearly two million viewers who tune in for the two-hour pre-game show.  "You can't put a price on that kind of exposure," says Assistant Athletic Director Dave Williford. But, if you had to put a price on it, what could it cost? Paul Swangard in UO's Warsaw Sports Marketing Center took an educated guess.  "An advertisment on ESPN College Gameday Show is probably going to run you into the six-figures for 30 to 60 seconds of the advertising time. That two-hour window will probably generate in the neighborhood of a half million dollars of visibility, the school would have had to gone out in the open market and try to acquire with real dollars." But the combination of a home game...against USC...with ESPN...on Halloween could prove to be a recipe for financial success. "While you can't put a hard price on it, we're talking about a million dollar Halloween which would be a nice piece of candy," says Swangard. View Story)

Police prepare for rowdy holiday: "Party patrols" around the west university neighborhood will start on Friday -- The Register-Guard (Lots of people dressed in police uniforms will roam the streets of Eugene's west university neighborhood on Halloween. Of course, they won't be trick-or-treaters in costume. They'll be the real deal -- Eugene police officers patrolling the area to make sure college parties don't get out of hand. Beginning on Friday and continuing on Halloween night, officers with the police department's "party patrol" will focus on the west university area -- the student-heavy neighborhood where, over the years, drunken riots have occasionally spilled into the streets.)

Compare and Contrast: When doctors are given a public report card, the resulting competition can serve patients well -- Wall Street Journal (Every month, doctors from the 14 clinics of HealthEast Care System around St. Paul get together to talk about their work. They focus on specific measures for each physician's patient group, such as blood-sugar and cholesterol numbers for people with diabetes. Then the doctors ask themselves how they--and their patients--can do better... "They're definitely at the forefront," says Judith Hibbard, a senior researcher at the University of Oregon who has studied public-reporting efforts. Her research has found that public reporting motivates health-care providers to work harder on improving care, largely because of concern about their reputation.)

Powerless, or Passing the Buck? -- Inside Higher Ed (College presidents recognize the need for major changes in big-time college athletics but doubt they can do anything to bring about reforms, according to a new survey of campus leaders released Monday by the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics at a meeting to mark the group's 20th anniversary. ... "I'm surprised that college presidents feel they have limited power to alter their programs," said Nathan Tublitz, co-chair of the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics, a collection of faculty senate leaders from major campuses, and professor of neuroscience at the University of Oregon. "There's plenty they can do.… Presidents are being wimpy when it comes to this subject, and they're being somewhat hypocritical. For the past eight years, under the leadership of Myles Brand, the presidents have pushed for a greater role in the NCAA. Now that they have more power, they're saying the NCAA can't do anything to improve matters. ... Why don't some presidents just come out and take a stand?")

University of Oregon program joins Gresham to look at a more sustainable future -- The Oregonian (Gresham's development will get help from University of Oregon students and professors. The city was chosen as the subject for the first "Sustainable Cities Year," a collaboration with an interdisciplinary team of 250 students and 14 professors, working toward a more sustainable, livable city. Students will gain real-world experience as the yearlong program analyzes suburban development, possible designs and locations for new buildings, development of a brownfield site, incorporating natural light into transit hubs and ways to make schools more sustainable.)

UO Announces Weekly Farmer's Market on Campus -- KEZI 9 News (Good news for fruit and veggie-lovers at the University of Oregon: a weekly farmer's market will come to campus starting Thursday, October 29. The Associated Students of the University of Oregon (ASUO) announced the official launch of the campus market that will bring fresh fruits and vegetables to the UO students.)

UO prof advocates cleaning up map language--Coos Bay World (A University of Oregon professor asserts that the word "squaw," in reference to Native American women, packs as much degradation as other racial slurs. And yet, there are still dozens geographic features in Oregon that hold the name Squaw. In a presentation before half-a-dozen attendees at the North Bend Public Library on Saturday evening, Debra Merskin outlined why the word should be scrubbed from state maps. She also advocates for popular culture to take a sensitive approach in portraying Native American women.)