Campus parents with child care needs are about to enter an era of broader choices and increased university support for their family responsibilities, according to Karen Logvin, Child and Family Services administrator.

On-campus day care facilities will expand this fall when the 5,400-square-foot first phase of the long-anticipated Vivian Olum Child Development Center is expected to open in a new building near East 17th and Columbia.

A family support policy, under development for three years and in force since last fall, spells out the university's commitment to considering and making reasonable accommodation for members of the campus community with family responsibilities.

"Taken together with our existing programs and commitment to being a family-friendly institution, these latest developments signal good progress toward achieving that goal," Logvin says.

By promulgating the new family support policy, the university has acknowledged the need to help its faculty, staff and student parents balance their work and personal lives, Logvin says. Crafted by the Committee on Childcare and Family Support, the policy was formed after the University Senate endorsed the concept.

"This policy makes sense for us as an organization, from bottom-line as well as human resource standpoints," Logvin says. "It signifies that we recognize that our employees have a life outside of work and that the two environments interact, sometimes in unexpected and unpredictable ways as well as in ways that can be planned for."

She says the policy can "be a guide, set a tone, remind us as employees and as supervisors that we can ask for reasonable and practical help in working out arrangements with our supervisors and departments to address family support issues."

As for bricks-and-mortar additions, bids are to go out soon for construction of the $1.25 million Olum center which will be built entirely with private funds.

The center is named in honor of President Emeritus Paul Olum's late wife, Vivian, a counseling psychology professor who died in 1986. Her career had focused on the developmental needs of children. Paul Olum donated the lead gift in the on-going fund-raising campaign by the UO Foundation for the project.

When completed, the 7,000-square-foot Olum center will offer programs for infants from six weeks to one year old, for toddlers from 24-30 months old, and for preschoolers up to five years old. Care for kindergarten-aged children (5-6 years) may also be available.

"The Olum center will help to alleviate pressure for day care space on campus, especially for children younger than two and one-half years," Logvin notes. "It also will enable the university to shift its focus to additional programs for family support."

The first phase of the Olum center will add about 40 spaces to the current campus inventory of approximately 250 child care slots, she says. Another 40 spaces will become available when the second phase is completed within the next several years. Parents will pay local market rates for care.

How children will be selected for the Olum center is under discussion, Logvin says, but she is seeking an equitable process. Registration will open during spring term, and the goal is to notify parents of the outcome by the end of spring term so they can plan for their child care needs in the fall.

The Olum center will add to four current programs offering care for babies through 10-year-olds. They are:

EMU CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT CENTERS, directed by Dennis Reynolds, for children 1-6 years old. Comprised of seven sites in East Campus, Westmoreland Family Housing and the EMU, this program primarily serves student families and some faculty and staff parents if space is available.

AMAZON CO-OP FAMILY CENTER, directed by Suzy Blanchard, for children 1-10 years old. This thriving program will get a new building, twice as large as its current facilities, as part of the first phase of the Amazon Family Housing reconstruction project. With capacity climbing from 50 to 100 children, the center plans to expand its programs for school-age children and to add baby care.

YOUNG CHILDREN'S CENTER, directed by Jane Wagner, for children 1-5 years old. Operated by the College of Education's Center on Human Development in the Clinical Services Building, it functions as a lab school for grad students in education, as well as a child care facility for faculty and staff families. Grants also support the inclusion of special needs children from the community.

BABY ROOM PROGRAM, for infants from six weeks to one year old. Parent-initiated and parent-managed, this program supports parents reentering the work force after birth or adoption. It currently consists of the recently established Agate Cottage Baby Room, 1655 Agate, which serves four or five families and provides space for up to three infants at a time. The establishment of another baby room on the west side of campus is under consideration.

The Association of UO-Affiliated Child Care Providers, created fall term, formalizes on-going consultation among the directors of these programs. Meeting monthly with Logvin, these directors share information, collaborate on such tasks as training students as day care assistants, and save money by jointly purchasing supplies.

As recommended by an outside consultant last spring, Logvin says efforts are proceeding to integrate Young Children's Center programs into the Olum center so both centers will offer programs that are rooted in sound early childhood education precepts.

Kim Toner, a faculty fellow with an early childhood education degree, is assisting Logvin with the Olum center project. They are consulting with representatives of the ASUO, which is paying part of the construction cost and is guaranteed slots for student parents, and they also are working closely with the Young Children's Center's parent advisory board.

For more information about UO child and family services, call Logvin, 6-2962.

Stan Reeves, a Eugene Department of Public Safety police sergeant with 17 years of experience in law enforcement, will be the new director of the Office of Public Safety, according to George Hecht, Campus Operations director.

The public information director for Eugene police since September 1995, Reeves previously was a patrol sergeant, served as watch commander and was a member of the department's campus patrol team. He will assume the UO position March 1.

A 1987 UO graduate with a bachelor of science degree in sociology, Reeves replaces Carey Drayton, who left the UO in September after five years to become the director of public safety at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Fla.

George Wasson, 61, never imagined he would have been at the university this long. "I never planned on spending 20 years here, but I never planned my life out to begin with."

Wasson, who received a master's degree in Fall 1994, was the oldest graduate-student graduate participating in last spring's Commencement. Now working on a doctoral degree in anthropology, he started as an undergrad in music education in 1953.

"I struggled a long time, so I took a break," he says.

He returned in 1968 to complete his degree in music and immediately began on a master's in counseling.

"Just as I started my master's program, I applied and was hired as an assistant dean of students. Eventually, through administrative reshuffling, it turned into academic counseling," he says. He served Academic Advising and Student Services until retiring in 1989.

"Even now, I have a number of students tell me my advice or guidance changed their lives. A lot of students have become some of my best friends. I have gone through their marriages, divorces, births and deaths. That is special and rewarding," he says.

Since 1992, Wasson has been enrolled in a graduate program in cultural anthropology. As a member of the Coquille Indian Tribe, he is focused on studying gaps in Coquille/Southwest Oregon history.

"There is so little known about the southwest coast of Oregon because the cultures of the people were dissipated so rapidly at the time of settlement and white contact. Almost nothing was collected of Coquille tradition, culture, history, ethnography and language. That's one of the driving forces for me, and I enjoy being a bridge between cultural anthropology and archaeology," he says.

Wasson spends time alone, and he enjoys reading, writing, listening to music and playing the piano.

Although Wasson does not have a personal motto for himself, he advises others, "`To thine own self be true.' If you do not believe in yourself, no one else is going to," he says.

--COURTNEY HEDBERG, COMMUNICATIONS

Don't be surprised if callers ask to be put on hold. That's because Telecommunications now entertains people on hold with the music of the Oregon Bach Festival.

Playing in callers' ears are Bach's Brandenburg Concertos and Orchestral Suites. They were recorded in Eugene by conductor Helmuth Rilling and the festival orchestra.

"If you like what you hear on hold, chances are you'll like the CDs even better," says Nancy Blake, festival merchandise director. To purchase copies or for other information, call 6-1320.

A three-year, $300,000 Ford Foundation grant will enable already exceptional Asian studies programs at the University of Oregon and at Lewis & Clark College in Portland to join forces for even greater strength and service to the Pacific Northwest.

"This program is a model of what can be done through collaboration between Oregon's public and private educational institutions," says Stephen Durrant, Asian Studies and Center for Asian and Pacific Studies director. "We're looking at this as an opportunity to enrich both places in a creative, cost-effective manner."

He says the exchange of faculty, joint research projects and student conferences and projects will be a great benefit to both institutions and to the region. The grant also will foster coordination of library acquisitions, joint production of a research journal and various other activities to encourage formal and informal faculty and student dialogue.

Lewis & Clark offers a major and a minor in East Asian studies. The interdisciplinary program draws on the expertise of 14 faculty in nine departments.

The university, which instituted one of the first interdisciplinary Asian studies programs in the United States in 1941, offers bachelor's and master's degrees in East Asian studies. About 60 percent of the 75 faculty in 20 disciplines affiliated with the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies focus their teaching and research on Asia and the Pacific.

Don't look in your departmental mailbox for the next issue of The Efficiency Update.

The first issue of the newsletter on implementation of the Higher Education Administrative Efficiency Act was printed and distributed on OSSHE campuses in November 1995. In the spirit of HEAEA, however, this publication will be distributed from now on in electronic form only.

The second issue, e-mailed to deans and directors in January, contains a progress report on implementation in the areas of human resources, purchasing and contracting, facilities contracting, and travel. It also discusses in more depth the increased flexibility now available to OSSHE campuses in purchasing and contracting.

To receive the January and future issues, arrange to obtain copies from deans or directors. To submit questions and comments, e-mail Susan Johnese at johneses@osshe.edu.

UO Job Line has employment information

For 24-hour information about employment at the University of Oregon, call (541) 346-2957. Menu choices include current job openings and how to apply for a UO position. The recording is updated as changes occur, says employment manager Chris Lonigan, Human Resources.

Spring Commencement plans begin

Mary Hudzikiewicz, Student Life, reminds the campus community that spring Commencement is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 15, at Hayward Field. This is the first time the spring ceremony has been held on a Saturday, and the starting time has been moved forward by 30 minutes. Several of the departmental ceremonies have new times on June 15, and several special ceremonies have been moved to Friday, June 14. For details, call 6-1148.

Child-Sitting Directory distributed

The Winter Term Child-Sitting Directory is just off the presses and copies have been sent to campus offices. Listed are students who are available to provide occasional, irregular or part-time care for children of UO faculty, staff and students. For details, call Karen Logvin, 6-2962.

`Copter flight to close lots, paths

To prevent possible injuries while a helicopter lifts a steel walkway to the roof of Knight Library on Sunday, Feb. 11, Public Safety officers will barricade Lot 20 starting at midnight Feb. 10 and will temporarily block sidewalks and bike lanes south of the library during the early-morning operation. Public access will be restricted from 6:30-9:30 a.m. Feb. 11, and area residents can expect noise from the helicopter's flight during that time. The walkway will provide improved access to rooftop mechanical units for maintenance staff. For information, call Mark Maguire, 6-2908.

Nominees sought for UO awards

Faculty and staff have until Wednesday, Feb. 14, to recognize the contributions and accomplishments of outstanding students by nominating them for major university awards, several of which include full-tuition scholarships. Students will be considered for all awards for which they are eligible. Winners of the awards will be announced during the annual Parents' Weekend awards luncheon on May 18. Submit nominations to Mary Hudzikiewicz, Student Life. For information, call 6-1148.

On the podium

Karen Logvin, Human Resources, joined with grad students Lee Ann Sheehan, Industrial Relations, and Bonnie Witkin, Counseling Psychology, and faculty member Erica Prince of Linfield College to present "Family Issues for Working Women" on Jan. 26 during the 15th annual Oregon Women in Higher Education conference in Portland.

In the spotlight

The Oregon Bach Festival's home page on the World Wide Web has been selected by the McKinley Group as a 4-Star Site, the group's highest rating. George Evano, Bach Festival, Jim Rusby, Music, and Steve McGrew, New Media Center, assembled the page (http://music1.uoregon.edu/obf/obfhome.html).

Hill Walker, Education, has been appointed to the newly formed Governor's Task Force on Juvenile Crime Prevention. Chaired by Attorney General Ted Kulongoski, the panel will identify ways the state can help local communities prevent juvenile crime. Walker directs the Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior.

Wayne Westling, Law, has been chosen to direct the University of San Diego's prestigious 1996 summer institute at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. The summer program introduces American law students to foreign law and legal institutions while sensitizing them to cultural differences that influence effective international legal dealings.

The newly constituted University Senate has elected Paul Simonds, Anthropology, as president and Carl Bybee, Journalism and Communication, as vice president, both to serve through May. In addition, 36 faculty have been elected to the body, with terms ending in May 1996 or May 1997.

Twenty faculty have been awarded 1996 Summer Research Awards. They are Alfred Acres, Art History; P. Lowell Bowditch, Classics; Françoise Calin, Romance Languages; Paul F. Collins, Psychology; Howard Davis, Architecture; Scott DeLancey, Linguistics; Karen J. Ford, English; Linda Fuller, Sociology; Robert Haskett, History; Ruth Kanagy, East Asian Languages and Literatures; Gary A. Klug, Exercise and Movement Science; Andrew Morrogh, Art History; Theodore W. Palmer, Mathematics; Dan Powell, Fine and Applied Arts; Judith Raiskin, Women's Studies; Patricia L. Rounds, Linguistics; Marjorie Taylor, Psychology; James Tice, Architecture; Cynthia Vakareliyska, Russian; and James P. Ziliak, Economics. Alternates are Suzanne Clark, English; Evlyn Gould, Romance Languages; and Alexandra B. Bonds, Theater Arts.

Five UO faculty are teaching classes or leading tours this winter and spring through the Eugene/Springfield OASIS Center. They are Doris R. Allen, Music emerita; Kappy Eaton, Public Affairs Library emerita; Orval Etter, Governmental Research and Service emeritus; Laura Aaron Sear, Museum of Art; Warren Smith, School and Community Health emeritus; and Herb Wisner, Biology emeritus.

On the move

Peter Bergquist, Music, retired at the end of fall term to pursue research on Orlando di Lasso, a late 16th-century Dutch composer. A faculty member since 1964, Bergquist and his collaborators on a $130,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant are compiling new editions of di Lasso's music that are more usable for modern musicians.

In memoriam

George Hopkins, Music emeritus, died Jan. 27 at age 98 in Eugene. Hopkins, who had been the oldest living UO faculty member, began teaching piano at the fledgling music school in 1919 and retired in 1967 but continued to give private lessons. A Kiwanis member for seven decades, he played piano for the club's weekly meetings. He also was a model railroader whose collection of vintage trains is known to model train fanciers nationwide. A celebration of life was held Feb. 2 at Cascade Manor where he lived with his wife Edyth.

Mary Morgan Stahl, Molecular Biology, died Jan. 22 at age 61 in Eugene. A research assistant for 30 years, she was the wife of Franklin Stahl. She was a cofounder of the Eugene Peace Information Center and dedicated herself to the pursuit of world peace.

In print

Richard Bear, Admissions, has published a new edition of Philip Sidney's "Astrophel and Stella" at http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~rbear/stella.html.