Convocation will welcome students and staff
to the University tonight
Convocation 2003 — an official welcoming of University students, faculty and staff — will take place at Beall Concert Hall at 2:30 p.m. today.
University President Dave Frohnmayer will deliver his convocation speech, otherwise known as his state-of-the-University address.
Other speakers include Senior Vice President and Provost John Moseley, who will deliver the official welcome speech; University Senate President Lowell Bowditch, who will speak on behalf of the senate; and Vice President for Academic Affairs Lorraine Davis, who will introduce new faculty.
Music will also highlight the event and will be followed by a reception. All students, faculty and staff are welcome to attend.
–Jared Paben
Molly Ivins to promote
new book in Eugene
Best-selling author and syndicated columnist Molly Ivins will give a sold-out speech at the McDonald Theatre on Saturday night. Ivins is the second liberal Texan to hawk a book in Eugene in less than three weeks, following hot on the heels of populist pundit Jim Hightower.
Ivins will be talking about President George W. Bush’s administration, and her new book, “Bushwhacked: Life in George W. Bush’s America,” which she co-authored with Lou Dubose.
“Molly is a very eloquent writer and she definitely has a wide following,” said Anthony Zurcher, Ivins’ editor at Creators Syndicate.
“(Ivins has) a very unique voice,” Zurcher said. “(She appeals) to liberal and moderate Democrats who are looking for someone who will stand up to President Bush.”
Ivins is a former political reporter at The New York Times and has been a Pulitzer Prize finalist.
“She’s quite a writer,” said Cozmic Pizza owner Joel Thomas. “She’s very inspirational for a lot of young women.”
Cozmic Pizza will host a $30-a-plate reception for Ivins after her speech. The proceeds will go to various peace organizations, Thomas said.
“We’re really excited to have her here.”
— Chuck Slothower
Songwriter Elliott Smith found dead at 34
Indie musician and singer-songwriter Elliott Smith died at 34 on Tuesday in his Los Angeles apartment. He was found with a single stab wound to the chest in an apparent suicide.
Smith grew up in Dallas, Texas, and relocated to Portland as a sophomore in high school. He began writing songs as a teenager and called himself “Elliott” in middle school, claiming that Steve sounded too “jockish,” and Steve Smith had too much alliteration. After graduating from Lincoln High School he attended Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass. Upon receiving his degree, Smith returned to Portland where he and Neil Gust, a friend from college, started the regional favorite punk band Heatmiser.
At this time Smith also began producing solo efforts. His early work was well received critically, and in 1998 he received an Academy Award nomination for his song “Miss Misery,” an original composition for the Gus Van Sant film “Good Will Hunting.” Van Sant, also a Portland resident, had met Smith through mutual friends.
His music, often dark and brooding, was featured in other movies including “American Beauty” and “The Royal Tenenbaums,” which included “Needle in the Hay,” a song about heroin addiction. Smith was not coy about his own problems with addiction and depression, often choosing to address such issues in his music. Smith had released five full-length albums and was working on his sixth solo effort, “From the Basement on the Hill,” at the time of his death.
— Steven Neuman
