Grayson donation

still up in air
The future of the name “Grayson Hall” is still in doubt, and the fate of Jeffrey Grayson’s $800,000 donation to the University is still up in the air as lawyers representing the University of Oregon Foundation continue discussions with court-appointed receiver Thomas Lennon.
Grayson, a Portland businessman, donated the money to the University in 1997. His company, Capital Consultants, is accused of embezzling $355 million from investors and union pension funds. Last fall the company was shut down by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Securities Exchange Commission.
Lennon has said that many of Grayson’s donations to various causes were made with money that did not belong to him — including the donation to the University.
In 1997, Grayson pledged to donate $1.5 million to the University, of which the University received only $800,000. The money was used in the $4.25 million renovation of the University’s former law school. The building was renamed Grayson Hall in honor of Grayson and his wife Susan and has housed the University’s history department since September 2000.
Along with returning the money, many have advocated renaming Grayson Hall; among them, Daniel Pope, head of the history department, and alumnus Michael J. Malos, a Portland physician who has characterized Grayson’s crime as “one of the worst financial crimes in U.S. history.”
Representatives from the Foundation office announced that there are no new developments in the case. University officials have made no announcements regarding a possible name change.

— Leon Tovey

Housing department

is welcoming walk-ins
Still looking for a place to live?
According to Michael Eyster, director of University Housing, room is still available in the University’s seven residence halls and probably will be for the rest of the year.
“We haven’t had to turn anyone away — in fact, we’ll take walk-ins today if we get any,” Eyster told the Emerald on Monday, adding that he would be surprised if walk-ins didn’t continue to show up.
While final numbers were not available at press time, Eyster had predicted that the number of students in University housing would be similar to those of 1996, when 3,285 students packed the University’s residence halls.
With University enrollment reaching an estimated 18,600 students this year and plans for new residence halls still in the preliminary stages, rumors that housing officials would be forced to put students up in motels and the lounges of residence halls began to circulate. However, according to Eyster, the only people currently lodged in temporary housing are the approximately 30 students now living in the lounges of residence halls awaiting rush into a fraternity or sorority.

— Leon Tovey