After a year of campaigning, advocates for green energy are close to powering the new Erb Memorial Union with solar panels.

OSPIRG and the Sustainability Coalition have been advocating for increased solar energy use in Oregon throughout the year, but within the past few weeks, both groups have made statewide progress concerning their cause.

During ASUO elections, OSPIRG proposed a ballot measure that asked students if they supported the goal of Oregon’s energy consumption rising from 0.02 percent to 10 percent by 2025. The measure won by 89 percent.

Members of OSPIRG then met with Oregon Energy Advisor Margi Hoffman and Governor Kate Brown on June 3 to discuss how the state can increase solar energy consumption.

In states where solar energy is becoming more popular, governors have been involved and active in creating a plan, said ASUO Finance Director Shawn Stevenson, who was present at the meeting on June 3. Stevenson hopes Kate Brown will follow suit by working with OSPIRG and others, he said.

“Margi sounds happy to really work with us and open the door for the cooperation with OSPIRG,” Stevenson said.

Environmental Oregon intern Caitlin Feely said the meeting was a lot about developing the relationship between OSPIRG members and environmental advisers. OSPIRG can come up with ideas concerning solar energy and sustainability, then reach out to the advisers for guidance.

Stevenson added that solar energy consumption is also supported at University of Oregon, specifically by the ASUO.

The Sustainability Coalition has been pushing the idea of placing solar panels on top of the newly renovated EMU. They recently requested a grant from outside the UO to help fund the solar panels, but did not receive it.

A few weeks ago, though, ASUO allocated $40,000 of its unused funds toward developing the solar panels. Although the coalition originally asked for $50,000, it is almost certain that the solar panels are being built.

People involved in the building of the new EMU want it to be rated high on the sustainability scale, said EMU Director Laurie Woodward. They want the building to have a large number of LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) points, which are used by the U.S. Green Building Council to evaluate how environmentally friendly a structure is.

If the EMU has at least 80 LEED points, the building will be labeled “platinum,” which is the highest level of sustainability.

Solar panels are a small part of this, and will secure the building with three LEED points.

“We could use the student union as a teaching place for students,” Woodward said. “As a place to share and encourage values of sustainability and looking at environmental impact.”

The entire project will cost $150,000 and money allocated toward building the EMU will help fund the project, she said, adding that it will take several decades to take back the cost.

Students like Dalton Fusco, a member of OSPIRG and the Sustainability Coalition, say it is worth it.

“I think that Oregon should be a leader in green building,” Fusco said. “And that was a way to show other universities and the rest of Oregon that we are.”

When Daniel Mariscal finally got a chance to bring his prized motorcycle all the way from Alabama to Oregon, he realized he had no one to ride with.

This thought prompted Mariscal to start a motorcycle club on campus, where those interested in riding could connect. Whenever he saw someone holding a motorcycle helmet, he handed them a flyer and asked them if they wanted to get involved.

One of these people was Daniel Wesselink, who joined the club as an executive member.

He liked Mariscal’s vision of creating a positive community for riders to connect.

“I don’t want people to think that we’re a bunch of little hoodlums on street bikes,” Wesselink said.

Instead, Wesselink wants motorcycle riders to share their passion, learn about the vehicle they’re driving and recognize the strong community created around those who ride motorcycles.

This community manifests through the club’s almost 300 followers on Facebook, about a third of which are community members that are not affiliated with the university.

Some of these people actually ride motorcycles, while others just have an interest in them.

Wesselink emphasized that the group’s following is extremely diverse. Although most followers are students between the ages of 18-25, members include doctors, policemen, firefighters, retirees and so on.

One of the reasons why the club has appealed to so many people off campus is the popularity of motorcycle riding in Eugene, according to Wesselink.

Some of these members participate in activities including group rides and going to Portland to watch the races hosted by the Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association. Members also sometimes volunteer at these events, helping assist riders by the track.

Members are also planning a motorcycle stunt show with professional stunt riders, which will most likely take place in October.

Aside from these events, those involved with the club also spend time acknowledging the importance of safety when riding motorcycles.

“The thrill, the adrenaline is definitely something that’s popular. People like to go fast,” Wesselink said. “But with that in the club, we always establish that there’s a time and a place to do that.”

Wesselink and other members seek out mentors that help illustrate how to be safe while driving by showing how to change a tire, set up a bike for winter, and so on.

One of these mentors, general manager of Cottage Grove Yamaha, Dino Deschaine, said that when concerns arise about safety it is important for someone to be available to address them.

He added that beyond implementing the safety of its members, he recognizes how the Motorcycle Club helps create the strong connections that Mariscal had hoped for.

“I always encourage younger people to find groups they’d like to participate in,” Deschaine said. “Where they feel like they belong to somebody. They find themselves some kind of purpose.”

When Daniel Mariscal finally got a chance to bring his prized motorcycle all the way from Alabama to Oregon, he realized he had no one to ride with.

This thought prompted Mariscal to start a motorcycle club on campus, where those interested in riding could connect. Whenever he saw someone holding a motorcycle helmet, he handed them a flyer and asked them if they wanted to get involved.

One of these people was Daniel Wesselink, who joined the club as an executive member.

He liked Mariscal’s vision of creating a positive community for riders to connect.

“I don’t want people to think that we’re a bunch of little hoodlums on street bikes,” Wesselink said.

Instead, Wesselink wants motorcycle riders to share their passion, learn about the vehicle they’re driving and recognize the strong community created around those who ride motorcycles.

This community manifests through the club’s almost 300 followers on Facebook, about a third of which are community members that are not affiliated with the university.

Some of these people actually ride motorcycles, while others just have an interest in them.

Wesselink emphasized that the group’s following is extremely diverse. Although most followers are students between the ages of 18-25, members include doctors, policemen, firefighters, retirees and so on.

One of the reasons why the club has appealed to so many people off campus is the popularity of motorcycle riding in Eugene, according to Wesselink.

Some of these members participate in activities including group rides and going to Portland to watch the races hosted by the Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association. Members also sometimes volunteer at these events, helping assist riders by the track.

Members are also planning a motorcycle stunt show with professional stunt riders, which will most likely take place in October.

Aside from these events, those involved with the club also spend time acknowledging the importance of safety when riding motorcycles.

“The thrill, the adrenaline is definitely something that’s popular. People like to go fast,” Wesselink said. “But with that in the club, we always establish that there’s a time and a place to do that.”

Wesselink and other members seek out mentors that help illustrate how to be safe while driving by showing how to change a tire, set up a bike for winter, and so on.

One of these mentors, general manager of Cottage Grove Yamaha, Dino Deschaine, said that when concerns arise about safety it is important for someone to be available to address them.

He added that beyond implementing the safety of its members, he recognizes how the Motorcycle Club helps create the strong connections that Mariscal had hoped for.

“I always encourage younger people to find groups they’d like to participate in,” Deschaine said. “Where they feel like they belong to somebody. They find themselves some kind of purpose.”

When Jocelyn Lehrer founded The Men’s Story Project, she wanted to create spaces where male-identifying people can explore their identities without the social standards of masculinity. On May 26 and 27, students at the University of Oregon and members of the Eugene community will take part in actualizing Lehrer’s vision.

“There’s a lot of preventable pain and suffering in the world that’s connected with social issues about masculinity,” Lehrer said. “The big secret is that most men are not comfortable with the social expectations about masculinity that are placed upon them, and yet, we continue as if there’s nothing to talk about.”

The purpose of The Men’s Story Project is to provide a platform where men can speak about their experiences concerning societal expectations of them, and challenge social norms.

Lehrer added that these social norms often contribute to transphobia, homophobia, violence toward women and violence between men, fraternity hazing, and anything concerning a man’s desire to prove himself as manly. She also said that some men don’t want to ask for support for fear of being labeled as weak.

“Every problem that I just mentioned to you has underlying roots in social ideas about masculinity and gender relations,” Lehrer said. “And so the more that we can challenge those underlying ideas about masculinity that contribute to those kind of problems, the better.”

Eleven people who identify as male from all ages and backgrounds will be speaking about their personal experiences during The Men’s Story Project. Some of these experiences will concern the challenges associated with being a man of color or identifying as transgender, among others.

These stories will be presented through song, prose, monologue, dance, poetry and so on.

In 2009, Clover Mathis participated in The Men’s Story Project event at UC Berkley. He performed a dance with a younger dancer that represented an older man serving as a guide to a younger man.

He said he wanted to get involved with The Men’s Story Project when he was studying the way society defines masculinity.

After participating, he found that the project encourages people to discover themselves in separation from societal expectations of men.

“We must ask ourselves: ‘who are we?’” Mathis said. “And maybe get a different definition of manhood.”

Aaron Porter, president of the Men’s Center, said that part of accomplishing this is by listening to less-heard stories of others and their experiences, while also educating oneself on how to build healthy relationships and live healthy lives.

He said that currently, society places men in a box that limits their character to the social definitions of manhood.

“Let’s throw away the box all together, and let’s be healthy human beings. Let’s talk openly about the crap that’s going on around us that men are perpetuating that’s really unhealthy. And let’s celebrate the beautiful things that men around us are doing,” Porter said. “The men that are not just a part of the problem. But let’s talk about the ways that men we know are part of the solution.”

Hilyard Street between Broadway and 11th Ave. is now clear after being blocked due to a fire.

On Monday afternoon Eugene police were notified of a fire at an apartment complex at 940 Hilyard Street.

Residents of the complex have been evacuated and there were no injuries.

Two units in the apartment complex do not have suitable living conditions due to the fire, and electricity in the building is out.

The Red Cross will be responsible in finding housing for tenants with inhospitable living conditions.

The cause of the fire is unknown, but was likely caused by tenants leaving their stove on and forgetting about it, according to Community Service Officer Bishop.

Bishop also said when it’s sunny, it’s less likely that heating caused the problem.

On Wednesday night, the University of Oregon’s Cultural Forum hosted an event in which two professional YouTubers shared insight on how to become successful and earn money on YouTube. The two YouTubers, Greg Benson and Stuart Edge, answered the following questions before the event.

Greg Benson:

Do you think being a professional YouTuber is something young people can or should aspire to be?

I think anyone can aspire to be a professional YouTuber if that’s their passion. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to make a career out of YouTube. It can be more than a full time job. In fact, it usually is. The more time you put into it, the more time you get out of it. But, if that’s what someone has in their heart and what they really want to do and they don’t mind putting in extremely hard work and long hours to get there, then sure, why not?

Is there a set of steps people can take to become successful on YouTube, or is success more serendipitous?

Luck is certainly an enormous part of success on YouTube. There are three things basically that you need. Luck would be one. Another would be talent–some tangible form of unique talent. And then the last would just be the willingness to work really, really hard. That’s not going to guarantee you success, but it’s going greaten your chances in the long run.

Do you ever get a bad reaction to your videos and how do you approach these situations?

There’ve been plenty of pranks and videos that I’ve put up that have offended people for one reason or another and I’ve received a lot of hateful comments, but you kind of have to take those with a grain of salt. I know what my intentions are. I know I never mean to hurt anyone. I always try to do the right thing and if people just don’t like a certain video then I shrug it off and move to the next one.

Stuart Edge:

Do you think being a professional YouTuber is something young people can or should aspire to be?

No. I don’t think you should aspire to be a professional YouTuber. Because there’s only so much that you could do. I think what you should do is figure out what you want to be, like a professional singer or a professional magician or whatever it is, and aspire to be that. And then use whatever social media to get to the biggest aspect of that. Which, it’s kind of all the same thing–whether you say YouTuber or magician. But I think you need to just have that mindset of always going for the bigger picture.

What advice would you give to people who are trying to start out on YouTube but have limited resources?

It’s not about the resources, because I started out with limited resources. Really it’s if you can tell a good story. You can have the crappiest camera equipment. You can edit on the simplest editing software, but as long as you figure out a way to tell a good story then that is all that matters.

Is there any advice you want to give to college students that are either starting out or wanting to get involved with YouTube?

We all look up to people and are fans, but there comes a point where you need to be the one that people are going to fan over. In a nutshell, just work hard. Make it happen.

About one trillion dollars will be spent on nuclear weapons in the U.S. within the next 30 years, according to the internationally recognized organization Global Zero.

Global Zero’s mission is to phase out all nuclear weapons by 2030 and allocate the money spent on nuclear weapons to things like education. In late March, a small group of students at the University of Oregon joined the movement.

Although Global Zero isn’t officially recognized by the ASUO yet, the group is still advocating for its cause and is growing on campus.

“We know that youths and young people have been critical to every social movement that has been successful in the history of the United States,” Zack Deutsch-Gross, a Global Zero field organizer said. He added that this is why it’s important for Global Zero chapters to be active on college campuses.

Elizabeth Vargas, publicist of UO’s chapter, said that after the Cold War, arguments concerning the use of nuclear weapons and their effects faded. Consequently, one of the primary ways that students are getting involved with Global Zero is by raising awareness and getting young people to understand how important the argument is.

Global Zero’s argument is that the existence of nuclear weapons is not only dangerous: It is outdated as well.

“These are weapons of the past that don’t address today’s security challenges,” Deutsch-Gross said.

Global Zero argues that the U.S. government only uses nuclear weapons as a deterrent–that it’s producing nuclear weapons it isn’t using.

Since members believe the weapons are outdated, they propose the idea that the money currently used for the modernization of nuclear weapons can be used for other purposes. One of these is getting rid of student debt.

Students in the U.S. collectively have about 1 trillion dollars in debt, which is roughly the same amount of money that’s set to be spent on nuclear weapons within the next three decades.

When Global Zero members in each state meet with congressmen to discuss the potential elimination of nuclear weapons, they often discuss how the money spent on nuclear weapons can go toward other things.

“We can’t live in a world where you have to have a college education to get a job, but you can’t afford a college education,” Vargas said. “To have a trillion dollars in student debt and be spending a trillion dollars on these weapons is unacceptable. And I think that’s kind of the conversation.”

Members of UO’s chapter are meeting with Congressman Peter DeFazio at the end of the month.

They also had a chance to attend a conference at the United Nations after they became a chapter. They spoke with government officials as well as ambassadors from countries including Pakistan, Sweden and Iran.

Brian McInerney, founder and president of Global Zero on campus, said that people at the conference were in support of Global Zero’s mission. According to McInerney, domestic politics is what’s making the elimination of nuclear weapons difficult.

He said that members of Global Zero still have an optimistic take on this situation.

“Our grassroots movement and other movements like us will spread information,” McInerney said. “People will realize how much money it costs and how useless these weapons are and will stand up and make their voices heard and change something.”

More information can be found at http://www.globalzero.org and https://www.facebook.com/uoglobalzero.

Mongolian. French. English. Kurdish. Nepali.

These are just a few of the languages that people will hear this year at World Poetry Night, which takes place May 13 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Knight Library Browsing Room. The event will feature poetry, some original and some not, in a variety of languages recited by University of Oregon students and community members.

This is the twelfth year that the Mills International Center will have hosted the event. It coincides with its mission to provide a place for international and domestic students to connect and learn about different cultures.

During a dinner, about 30 people will recite poetry that they have submitted. The microphone will then open for anyone to present during the last half-hour of the event.

World Poetry Night coordinator Alex Burgdorfer said that he hopes the event inspires people to continue learning about others and their cultural backgrounds and find an appreciation for the beauty of language.

“You can really get to know someone by how they speak,” Burgdorfer said.

Pooria Manoochehri, an international student from Iran, attended World Poetry Night last year and noticed how the poems help people understand and connect with each other.

“You hear different languages and you don’t necessarily understand them,” Manoochehri said, “but you totally understand [the poems] not because you know the language, but because you know the feeling- this cultural, global feeling that we all share.”

He said that after a stressful week filled with exams, listening to the performances of others helped him feel at home.

Manoochehri enjoyed this feeling so much, that he decided to sing a traditional Kurdish poem this year called Shirin Shirinam with two of his friends. This song is about a man missing his love when she is absent.

He said that although people may not understand the words that he is singing, they will be able to feel the vibe of the song. With any poem being performed, the audience should feel whether it’s heroic, romantic, sad and so on.

Atsan Senghor, an international student from Senegal, is also reading poetry at World Poetry Night. One of the poems she’s reading is called “Femme Noir,” in which the author depicts his admiration of African women and praises Senegal as if it’s a woman he loves.

The poem was written by the first president of Senegal, Léopold Sédar Senghor. He happens to be Atsan Senghor’s great uncle.

Senghor is also reading a poem written by an author who was born in France, but spent much of his time in Senegal. The poem, “Afrique” by David Diop, emphasizes how the people of Africa will rise through hardship.

Senghor enjoys reciting these poems, but she also values listening to the language and culture represented through the poems read by others.

“We really have people at UO from not well known parts of the world and through an event like World Poetry Night we can kind of travel virtually to those destinations,” Senghor said. “It’s just music to your ears when you go there and you hear all these different languages.”

As of Monday, University of Oregon is offering the entire Microsoft Office 365 software package for free.

All UO students, faculty and staff can now download the software at no charge by logging in at office.uoregon.edu with their UO email.

The applications that the installment comes with are Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, among others. It also comes with unlimited OneDrive storage, which allows users to upload files that can be viewed on different devices.

Patrick Chinn, director of strategic communications at Information Services, said that Information Services has never initiated anything that effects the entire campus like this before.

Information Services made the decision to make Office 365 widely available because the price of the license that allows it do this is now significantly cheaper than the license that it used to have, which provided the program only to certain departments at the university.

More information can be found at it.uoregon.edu/about-office-365.

This story is one part of a series of articles on sexual assault awareness at the University of Oregon. Read Emerald editor Sami Edge’s letter to find out why we’ve dedicated today’s edition of Emerald Monday to the topic.

Several groups on and off campus share information to raise awareness about sexual assault and promote consensual relationships, while others provide themselves as a resource for sexual assault survivors.

OASA (Organization Against Sexual Assault)

OASA originally began as a task force in 2012 committed to raising awareness about sexual assault and prevention, while also advocating for alternatives to mandatory reporting in the hopes that a survivor’s assault would be investigated only with the survivor’s consent.

When the task force ended, OASA continued as a student group that promotes the end of sexual assault. Members facilitate projects including a photo campaign that centers on healthy relationships as well as the Coalition for Consent, which is an open group that meets every few weeks to discuss consent in sexual relationships.

“We fight for a change and fight for survivors on campus,” Kelsey Jones OASA’s public relations coordinator, said.

SWAT (Sexual Wellness Advocacy Team)

Volunteers for SWAT raise awareness about sexual assault by developing presentations every year and performing them for different groups on campus, including clubs, classes, and fraternity and sorority life.

“We’re not so much talking at them, but talking with them about these topics,” SWAT member Brian Stevenson said. “It is a really fun way to try to make one step towards some level of social change.”

Stevenson said in the past year, sexual assault awareness has been getting much more attention and more people are aware of SWAT and its mission.

When people join, they take classes about SWAT, consensual relationships, bystander interventions and more. After three terms, they can join volunteers in their presentations.

SASS (Sexual Assault Support Services)

SASS is a non-profit off campus organization that offers services to survivors of sexual assault and those that are close to them in Lane County. This is primarily through a 24/7 support line, 24/7 crisis response and a drop-in center during the week for people to speak with advocates for survivors.

“Everything that we do, we’re held to pretty high standards when it comes to the training that we receive and the way that we provide services,” BB Beltran, SASS executive director, said.

Although those that provide service do not offer advice, they provide survivors with options to help empower them with the ability to make informed decisions.

Women’s Center

The Women’s Center staff aims at providing a safe space for survivors of sexual assault. They also coordinate events that raise awareness about sexual assault, which are often survivor centered.

This includes Take Back the Night, an event where survivors share their experience and students rally against sexual assault.

Safe Ride

Safe Ride provides free rides to UO students at night so they don’t have to walk alone or in small groups, which reduces the likelihood that they will be in harmful situations.

“They don’t have to be drunk, they don’t have to be sober,” Tiffany Prizzi, Safe Ride volunteer coordinator, said. “We’re no questions asked.”

Being sensitive to survivors of sexual assault:

(Provided by the Office of the Dean of Student Life.)

-Maintain confidentiality of the survivor and their experience.

-Do not assume what their feelings are or tell them how they feel

-Understand that different survivors will have a variety of emotions.

-Don’t judge their actions or blame them for anything. (Questions about what someone was wearing or how much they’d had to drink can contribute to “victim blaming”.)

-Listen to them and believe them.

-Respect their decisions.

-Let them know the resources available to them, without insisting that they take action.

Prevention tactics

If you’re taking a stroll through campus, you’ll notice the blue-light safety call buttons strategically scattered around. Are they really being used?

Phone app Circle of 6 allows a student to pick six friends who, when they feel unsafe, they can send a message to with just two clicks through pre-written messages. LiveSafe enables students to track crimes on campus and allows anonymous reporting. The app bSafe has a GPS feature that allows friends or guardians to track the user as they travel.

Although technology can be beneficial in preventing sexual assault, it’s not always the most reliable. The following risk reduction suggestions were given by the UOPD:

-Keep your beverages in your control.

-Look out for the well-being of friends who may be incapacitated.

-Schedule a pickup from ASUO’s Safe Ride (541-346-RIDE [7433] ext. 2) or the Designated Driver Shuttle (541-346-7433 ext. 1)

-Encourage friends to travel in pairs or with trusted companions, especially at night or in remote areas. Be aware of surroundings.

Resources 

On-campus

The Crisis Intervention and Sexual Violence Support Services Program (541) 346-SAFE – 24-hour hotline; accommodation and legal service; All university faculty, except for some under Title IX, are required reporters to the university about any incidents involving sexual harassment.

University Health Center (541) 346-2770 – Provides students physical and emotional support following a sexual assault; Has the ability to collect evidence upon the student’s request, but members are not required to report an assault to law enforcement

University Counseling and Testing Center (541) 346-3227 – Provides confidential psychological services to students

UOPD (541) 346-2919 – File a police report; Help survivors plan out immediate safety planning and understand the process of reporting

Off-campus (all are non-profit)

Sexual Assault Support Services (SASS) (541) 343-SASS (7727) – 24-hour hotline Offers information, referrals and peer counseling to survivors

Womenspace (541) 485-6513 – Provides services to survivors in Lane County, including emergency shelter, 24-hour crisis line, legal advocacy, etc.

Lane County Victim Services (541) 682-4523 – Utilizes volunteers assigned to the court advocacy unit, the protective order unit and the family violence unit