Five weeks of our five month 2015 Session are already past. Despite the turmoil of the last few weeks, we have passed bills that help Oregon and its residents.

Governor Brown’s Motor Voter Bill passed in the Oregon House by a 35-24 vote, and it is awaiting action in the Senate. Motor Voter will make voter registration simpler, more convenient, and more secure by using the data that the Department of Motor Vehicles currently collects for drivers’ licenses. The goal of House Bill 2177 is to put a ballot into the hands of every eligible voter. Currently, too many eligible voters are not registered or have become inactive simply because they moved to another Oregon address. This bill saves Oregon taxpayers time and money while increasing participation in or democracy.

Under NEW Motor Voter, the stringent proof of citizenship already required by the DMV will make it easier to determine who is eligible and who is not. It streamlines registration for eligible voters so they can participate in the voting process, the cornerstone of a healthy democracy.

Corporations found to owe damages in class action lawsuits because they hurt, injured, endangered, or ripped off their customers can retrieve and keep all unclaimed victim compensation funds under current Oregon Law. House Bill 2700, which passed out of both House and Senate, changes that. The bill allows judges to direct half of the unclaimed dollars to non-profit programs that addresses the specific damage done. The other half will support Legal Aid of Oregon so that they can provide critical access to legal services for those most in need, such as seniors and victims of abuse.

I look forward to both of these bills being signed by our new Governor, Kate Brown.

My bills addressing greenhouse gases, consumer protection, and tax fairness are moving forward. Stay tuned.

Oregon has a lot of work to do, and we have legislation coming up that enable us to fix and maintain our roads and bridges, better fund our schools, and help Oregon achieve energy independence.

Please feel free to contact my office anytime with questions and concerns about any issue, and watch for updates about upcoming legislation.

Phil Barnhart
State Representative
Central Lane and Linn counties
(503) 986-1411 – rep.philbarnhart@state.or.us – 900 Court St NE, H-279 Salem, OR 97301
https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/barnhart   

The post Guest Viewpoint: State Representative Barnhart’s Legislative Update appeared first on Emerald Media.

An open letter to the campus community:

OASA has been following recent developments regarding the upcoming litigation filed against the University of Oregon in January.  We are deeply concerned about the recent revelations by Jennifer Morlok and Karen Stokes from the University Counseling and Testing Center (UCTC). They allege that they were asked to provide “non-standard care” and that the UO administration accessed the student’s records without the student’s consent or a court order. [1,2]

First of all, we would like to thank Jennifer Morlok and Karen Stokes for placing the survivor’s needs first despite the personal risks they took by filing a report about potential illegal and unethical behavior. We are happy to see that the UO has counseling staff that dedicates themselves to the safety of survivors, and the campus community as a whole. People like you are essential for making our campus safe again.

OASA cannot and will not comment on the legality of these actions – that responsibility falls on the court. Regardless, we assert that what is legally permissible is not always ethically justifiable. We are deeply appalled by the attempt to advise Jennifer Morlok to provide “non-standard” care for the student because of her intent to file a lawsuit against the university. Not only is it appalling that anyone outside the therapy process attempted to interfere with a therapist’s treatment plan, but that apparently, according to some elements at the UO, the level of care students deserve to receive seems to depend on whether or not they exercise their rights according to Title IX. If the UO is serious about not undermining “on-going commitment to support the student inside and outside of the classroom” and its “priority to provide support and services to any student in need and make our campus a safe place for all members of our community”, it would publicly condemn this attempt and make sure that this incident did not set the precedence for future litigations. [3]

We would be deeply disappointed to learn that the UO General Counsel did, in fact, access the student’s treatment records in December 2014 (one month before the actual lawsuit was filed). While we respect UO’s right to defend itself against litigation, accessing these records without consent or a court order solely because of an intent to file a lawsuit is a breach of trust and compromises the safety of everyone seeking counsel at the UCTC. If the student had not filed a lawsuit after all, the reasons for accessing the records would have become obsolete, but the records would have still been accessed. We acknowledge that the UO had not read the student’s records, but it does not change the fact that students’ therapy records at the UTCT are not safe from nonconsensual access. The confidentiality policy does not mention this scenario either, leaving students with a false sense of safety. [4]

We also reject the argument that this procedure was acceptable because it is common practice. Common practices like these are detrimental to combating sexual violence on campus and are the reason task forces, review panels and activist groups on sexual assault had been initiated in the first place. This litigation was a great opportunity for the UO to demonstrate its commitment to supporting and respectfully treating survivors of sexual assault. Unfortunately, we have seen the complete opposite so far.

We know that for some survivors and other students seeking confidential services, the UCTC is not a safe space anymore. It undermines the great work that staff like Jennifer Morlok and Karen Stokes do. OASA has done research on alternative institutions to seek counseling and we received written guarantees that treatment records would only be surrendered with a court subpoena. The following is a list of on-campus facilities you can reach out to for support. The written guarantees can be found on our Facebook page: [5]

• The Center for Family Therapy, located in the HEDCO building (17th and Alder). https://education.uoregon.edu/admin-unit/hedco-clinic
• The Psychology Clinic, located at Straub Hall (near the Rec Center). We are still awaiting written confirmation. http://psychology.uoregon.edu/psychology-clinic/

We advise that students seek counseling in these institutions until there is full transparency about the UCTC’s confidentiality policies. Off-campus resources can of course also be consulted. A resource list can be found on our Facebook page as well. We deeply regret this development and hope that everyone at the University of Oregon will swiftly focus on creating a safe environment on campus for all students where every survivor of sexual violence receives the treatment they need and deserve.

[1] http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/32755990-75/uo-therapist-alleges-potential-illegal-behavior-in-student-lawsuit-case.html.csp

[2] http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1658111-letterofconcern-2-8-15.html

[3] See Interim President Coltrane’s email to the campus community on 01/08/2015

[4] http://counseling.uoregon.edu/CounselingServices/ConfidentialityPrivacyPolicy.aspx

[5] https://www.facebook.com/UOOASA

The post Guest Viewpoint: A letter to the campus community from OASA regarding the lawsuit against UO appeared first on Emerald Media.

Dear Students,

On Saturday, February 21st, the ASUO Senate will be allocating over $15 million of your student fee dollars to pay for programs, departments, contracted services, the EMU, and of course, football and basketball tickets from the Athletic Department.

Out of the $15 million ASUO budget, students spend $1,695,348 paying for the football and men’s basketball ticket lottery. This comes down to about $71 per year that students pay through their mandatory fees for the chance to go to our athletic events. We, the undersigned, think this is too high.

When we ran to represent the student body, we were determined to try and fight for more student football tickets and be good stewards of your money. We know personally how frustrating it is to sit and wait on GoDucks.com only to find out that we, once again, did not get a ticket.

However, when the ASUO began negotiating with the Athletics Department this year, we were surprised to find out that not only was there absolutely no chance they were going to give us more tickets, they were requesting $169,000 more from students than last year, for the same number of tickets. A 10% increase!

We were infuriated.

Now, they say that they will likely begin cutting student football tickets if we don’t give them at least a 3% increase (~$50,000). Their actions are greedy and deplorable. They’re acting like a business focused solely on profit, when they should be working towards supporting the academic side of this university. Why isn’t there an expectation on our campus that athletics give back to students? Students aren’t even guaranteed a ticket.

It’s time to get our priorities straight.

We can think of much better ways the ASUO could spend $50,000 rather than dumping it into the general Athletic Department budget, which numbers at nearly $100 million. $50,000 could go towards maintaining late night 79x bus routes. $50,000 could pay for increased SafeRide shuttles and Sexual Assault prevention programming on our campus. $50,000 could pay for much needed increases for student stipends, supporting those who work tirelessly to make the culture of our university one-of-a-kind. There are so many uses for this money, all of which are more impactful than giving it to Athletics for no new tickets.

After an article came out in the register Guard saying that the Athletic Director would fundraise millions in order to pay for his own salary increases ($700,000/year) and those of other Athletic department staff, we had had enough. We find it fundamentally unfair that the Athletic Department can find it within their hearts to fundraise for themselves, yet they resort to threatening to cut student tickets if the ASUO does not give them their requested increase. Is it actually that hard for them to raise $50,000 on top of the millions they already plan to raise? We don’t think so.

To put this further in context, Eric Roedl, the Athletic negotiator with the ASUO, made $170,000 in 2012, but now makes $212,074 according to the public records presented on UOMatters. A $42,000 increase in just two years! This, by itself, accounts for nearly all of the increase the Athletic Department is now demanding from the ASUO in order for them to not cut football tickets. Does anyone actually believe that the Athletics Department is working to reduce their financial burden on the already-struggling student body?

At some point, someone needs to stand up and shine a light on the enormous difference that exists between what the Athletic Department deems as “necessary” and what students deem as excessive. Many of us struggle to afford our education as it is. We should not stand for our own Athletic Department to treat us as another lucrative source of funds to line their own pockets with. It’s time for them to start giving back and support students of all financial backgrounds.
We don’t understand how the ASUO, in good conscience, could increase the Athletic Department’s budget $1 unless we guarantee that students get more football ticket. If more tickets is not an option, we should not agree to charge students more for the same amount of tickets.

Sincerely,
Rebecca Rhodes
Senate President
Senate Seat 10: DFC

Miles Sisk
Senate Vice President
Senate Seat 6: EMU Board Chair

Abel Cerros
Senate Academic Chair
Senate Seat 20: Undeclared

Yelin Oh
Senate Seat 1: PFC Chair

Quinn Haaga
Senate Seat 2: PFC Vice Chair

Katelyn Klosno
Senate Seat 3: PFC

Andrew Lubash
Senate Seat 7: ACFC Chair

Megan Williams
Senate Seat 9: DFC Chair

Will Iverson
Senate Seat 11: Business & Economics

Francisco Morales-O’Conner
Senate Seat 12: Undeclared & Language Studies

Connor Lasken
Senate Seat 14: Pre-Business & Allied Arts

Hao Tan
Senate Seat 16: Life Sciences

Lizeth Marin
Senate Seat 17: Law & Social Sciences

Dylan Haupt
Senate Seat 18: Math, Physics, & Architecture

Amy Laube
ACFC Member

Andrew Dunn
ACFC Member

Megan Gleason
ACFC Member

Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber just can’t catch a break these days.

From discovering that his fiancée illegally married someone so that they could obtain a green card to dealing with the realization that she has also been using her influence for personal financial gain — he may want to turn to eHarmony for help.

Cylvia Hayes, the governor’s fiancée, fessed up about her illegal marriage. She also came forward about purchasing land in her past to illegally grow marijuana and is now being accused of using her self-identifying title as “first lady” to gain consulting work and big bucks from companies that conducted business with the State of Oregon.

One of the most troubling accusations is that Hayes reportedly received $118,000 for a fellowship with a green energy group, a tidy total that did not match the one she filed on her annual earnings report.

It comes as no surprise that a recall effort has begun. The effort is led by the former policy and campaign managers for the campaign to elect republican Dennis Richardson for governor — whom Kitzhaber defeated in 2014.

Secretary of State Kate Brown invalidated a recall petition because under Oregon law, an official must have been in office for at least six months prior to the launch of a recall. The recall can’t be initiated until June, however, an ethics investigation is already underway and won’t be due until March.

Given the delay, wouldn’t it be sensible to have a cooling off period? Give Kitzhaber some time to decide what he’s going to do about separating his personal life from his political life and how he’s going to win back the public’s trust.

Cylvia Hayes apparently lacks good judgement. She has made extremely poor decisions and Kitzhaber’s primary lapse appears to be allowing her to run roughshod over ethical considerations and use her position to garner and sell influence. Because she is close to the governor, her behavior raises red flags, but there’s still no evidence of illegal acts on Kitzhaber’s part.

It’s inappropriate for her to be making money from people who are doing business with the state but then again it’s being judged that the only reason for hiring her is that she sleeps with the governor.

I think the main concern is whether any of these “ill gotten gains” she profited from have gone into his pocket. If not, then the case is primarily against her, and again, it’s largely circumstantial. It may look bad and may even lead to the governor’s undoing, but at this point where’s the evidence that a crime has been committed by him?

In the interim, Hayes should step down from any and all contracts she holds with businesses seeking favors from the State of Oregon, and agree not to take any more on while her fiancé remains in office.

After all, there’s more than just a little political opportunism here. Republicans who lost against Kitzhaber are clearly trying to take advantage of a scandal to win what they couldn’t in the general election.

Given there cannot be any recall effort launched until June, and the ethics investigation won’t be completed until sometime in March, why the rush to judgement? Let’s take a little time to get this right.  It could be that Kitzhaber should choose his romantic partners more carefully. At a minimum, he owes the people of Oregon an explanation. In the meantime, he should show Hayes the door and lock it behind him.

Until we know for sure what happened, everyone should take a break from the witch-hunt and give Kitzhaber some time to sort it all out and present his case. Until then cut him some slack.

I wonder how many Americans celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. By celebrating it, I don’t mean how many had a barbecue or went skiing while rejoicing in not having class for a day. What I mean is: how many took the time to reflect on his amazing legacy? There’s more than a little irony in creating a day of leisure to commemorate an individual whose legacy of personal sacrifice and hard work are the antithesis of taking it easy.

It’s even more troubling given the obvious need for King’s message of peace and advocacy in the face of troubling violence, war and undeniable discrimination. One wonders where we would be without his sacrifices today?

If he were still living today, would he be proud of how far we’ve come? Or would he be dismayed by how far we have to go? African Americans cannot be legally restricted from voting anymore, but it is readily apparent that a variety of tactics are being employed at polling places to dampen black turnout. According to recent census data, black median household income is only 60% of what whites enjoy. The Poverty Index for blacks is nearly twice what it is for whites. Home ownership for whites is 28 percent higher than for blacks. Blacks receive fewer tests and less medication than whites for heart disease and diabetes.

The list of disparities is endless. Yet some of the biggest stories of the past few years have focused on the killings of unarmed black youth at the hands of police and vigilantes. Hoodies and Skittles are the banal memes of the ongoing killings of young black males.

Here at the University of Oregon, the trends are equally discouraging:
• Faculty of color at the UO comprise only 14 percent of the total faculty.
• According to the office of the registrar, only 5,119 (20.9 percent) of undergraduate students at the UO are an ethnic minority.
• Only 468 of that total number are African Americans.

One has to wonder what King would say? According to the NAACP, of the 2.3 million people incarcerated in the U.S., one million are African-Americans. The organization also notes that though whites use drugs at five times the rate of African-Americans, blacks are sent to prison for drug offenses at an astronomical 10 times more often than whites. Can anyone really say that racial discrimination no longer exists in the U.S.?

Nearly 50 years after King was assassinated, the U.S. continues to struggle with racial disparities, with a lack of equality in employment, education and opportunity. Ironically, the U.S. can point to military service as one of the few places where black participation has actually flourished. Ironic because one of King’s forgotten legacies is his insistence that civic advocacy and demonstrations be peaceful and that military spending was siphoning money away from where it could be better spent.

What, then, are we to make of this legacy that is both inspirational and invigorating, yet in so many ways unrealized? How do we take stock of such potential and promise in the face of persistent poverty? What do we do to move forward when there seem to be an increasing chorus of voices that argue that there is no need to do anything at all? What would King say about an American populace that cannot muster the time or attention to get up and vote?

Conjecture is easy. Arriving at answers that move us forward is harder. I went to see the movie Selma the other night. The compelling story of courage and resiliency in the face of violence, ignorance and repression was deeply moving, principally because so much of it is consistent with our national character. It’s the story of a people seeking freedom and the most basic of rights, to be treated equally. But racism is still very much alive and well. It remains stubbornly resistant.

One of the least understood aspects of King’s birthday is that it is the only federal holiday that is meant to be observed as a day of service. In other words, celebrating it means doing something to improve your community. It represents an opportunity to make progress, to continue fighting for a goal that is worth achieving. Fulfilling King’s legacy of peace and equality is something that is worth working for.

Follow Bayley Sandy on Twitter: @bayleyjsandy

There are plenty of things 20-somethings have to be thankful for this thanksgiving. Parents who pay our phone bills, campus clubs who give out free coffee during finals and dead week, siblings that make extended family gatherings not so awkward, professors who grade on a curve, Marcus Mariota… The list really goes on and on.

But contrary to popular opinion that millenials only care about themselves, there’s a lot that we are grateful for. Here are the funny, tender and simple things University of Oregon Ducks are thankful for this thanksgiving.

“I am thankful for my best friend whose mom is coming to Eugene to make us a Thanksgiving dinner. I’m going to have someone who means as much as family does to me, with me here.” –Brynn Allen, senior from Placerville, California.

“I’m thankful for the gas money my parents are giving me to go get fried chicken at my Grandma’s house in Albany.” –Haley Morris, senior from Livermore, California.

“Thankful to be a senior in college and to have seen my own personal growth. I’m very thankful for my college education. And my new roshe sneaker boots—they’re really warm.” –Mona Corby, senior from Portland, Oregon.

“I am thankful for my childhood. Having the opportunity to experience life has made me realize how much my childhood has shaped me into the person I am today.” –Nicolas Capistrano, junior from Portland, Oregon.

“I am thankful for professors who cancel class when I wasn’t planning on going anyway.” –Brooke Barker, senior from San Francisco, California.

“This Thanksgiving I am thankful for the food on the table and friends and family to share it with.” –Carlee Myers, senior from West Linn, Oregon.

“I am thankful for the amazing opportunity to study abroad in France this summer!” –Jennifer Eyler, sophomore from Los Angeles, California.

“I’m thankful for my supportive friends and family who are always here when I need them the most. I am also thankful that I am graduating on time and will be done with college in a few months.” –Meris B, senior from Portland, Oregon.

“I am thankful for being able to spend time with my family and for all of the great opportunities they have given me!” –Kabir Samra, senior from West Linn, Oregon.

“I’m thankful for all of the opportunities I’ve had at the University of Oregon and the constant support of my loving friends and family, who ground, challenge and inspire me.” –Lili Wagner, sophomore from Redmond, Oregon.

“I am thankful for being able to wake up and get a veggie quesadilla from Caspian. Also thankful for Brail’s at noon on a Sunday.”–Kaitlyn Garish, senior from San Jose, California.

“I’m thankful for a lot of things. I guess, especially as a senior, I’m thankful for all of the people that have been part of my college experience.”–Stephanie Palomino, senior from Clayton, California.

“I’m thankful for my parents and all of the support they have given me these past four years as I’m about to graduate college. I’m also grateful for all the friends I’ve made in college because without them there is no way I would have been able to survive these past four years.” –Dom Carrillo, senior from Woodland, California.

“I’m thankful that coffee exists. And I’m thankful that I have supportive friends and family!” –Brynn Harrison, senior from Canby, Oregon.

Me? I’m thankful for my mom who changes all traditions just to make sure our entire family can be together for Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for my dad who always has all of the answers and gives them wrapped in a terrible dad joke. I’m thankful for my brothers who make me laugh until my stomach hurts. And I’m thankful for my community here, and at home, that is filled with people who support and challenge me every day.

(If that seemed too corny, know that it is because my life has been shaped by Nora Ephron rom-coms.)

So whether you’re having your first friendsgiving, enduring uncomfortable racist jokes from that one uncle, sitting around a picnic table with your family or in front of the TV watching football with your cousins, remember to be thankful for whatever it is that makes you most happy.

Follow Bayley Sandy on Twitter: @bayleyjsandy

What are you thankful for? Let us know on Twitter with #ThanksUO

Emerald editor Bayley Sandy sat down with Congressman Peter DeFazio and Republican Nominee Art Robinson, the two candidates for Oregon’s 4th Congressional District, earlier this week to discuss issues ranging from the legalization of marijuana to creating jobs for Oregonians. The two are vying for the  4th Congressional District, which encompasses Eugene, Springfield, Roseburg and Corvallis.

Tuesday, Nov. 4 is the general election day, and ballots are due by 9 p.m. that day. Oregon is a vote by mail state, but if you would rather hand in your ballot in and skip the stamp, there will be ballot boxes placed around the EMU.

Each candidate answered the following questions:

1. If elected to congress, what would be your top priorities? (DeFazio 0:19, Robinson 0:22)

2. Students continue to be faced with rising fees and loan costs. What will you do to improve this situation? (DeFazio 6:17, Robinson 0:43)

3. Students need jobs, both while they are in school and when they graduate. What will you do to increase the number of well paying jobs in Oregon? (DeFazio 3:50, Robinson 2:15)

4. A popular issue in Oregon and across the nation has been the legalization of marijuana. Subsequently, this issue has made its way onto our ballot. Where do you stand on this issue? (DeFazio 8:18, Robinson 4:14)

5. The nation seems paralyzed by partisan politics. What would you do to foster bi-partisan solutions to the problems facing America? (DeFazio 10:04, Robinson 5:49)

6. Many University of Oregon students are impacted by immigration. Where do you stand on the DREAM Act and on the treatment of immigrants in this country? (DeFazio 13:27, Robinson 11:10)

7. What would you do to address violence against women both on campus and in homes? (DeFazio 14:43, Robinson 13:13)

8. Closing remarks. (DeFazio 16:31, Robinson 14:40)

Congressman Peter DeFazio was elected into the U.S. House of Representatives  in 1986. He is the longest serving house member in Oregon’s history, and if re-elected he will have served his 30th year by the time the next election rolls around. He received a Master of Arts from the University of Oregon, and served in the United States Air Force. DeFazio currently holds the position of Ranking Member on the Committee on Natural Resources, and he sits on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

DeFazio Video

Art Robinson has been the Republican Nominee for Oregon’s 4th Congressional District since 2010. Robinson received a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego. Before running for Congress, Robinson was a faculty member at UCSD, and later became one of the co-founders of the Linus Pauling Institute (formerly the Institute of Orthomolecular Medicine) at Oregon State University. 

Robinson Video

Editors Note: There are cuts in the film purely for time saving and stylistic purposes. No content has been intentionally cut, however during the DeFazio interview at approximately 12:15 our camera malfunctioned and we lost 10 seconds of content.  

It’s 9 p.m., on a Friday night when the girls living above me start blasting “Turn Down For What.” That’s when I know it’s time to put down the Taco Bell and get ready for the campus bar crawl.

If you’re 21, this routine is familiar and you know it too well. You just have woken up from a nap, stopped your Netflix binge or returned home from Hilyard Market with an oversized beer that you insist “tastes really great” in hand. Some nights it is all three of these things, in that order.

If you’re not 21, don’t worry — you won’t grow out of house parties and frat live outs for at least a few more months.

The crawl begins at Taylor’s Bar and Grill. Although sometimes it begins at Rennie’s, but “only if you’re meeting friends for a beer or something,” I frequently overhear someone say in the line at Taylor’s.

The bouncers wave some regulars through, which makes me question how much you have to go here to have your face that recognizable, or rather what are you doing to make yourself that recognizable and for some odd reason those who are waved through seem to always brag to their friends about it.

Taylor’s is the place you go to see all of the people who you try to avoid on a daily basis. Seriously, I always run in to that one annoying guy from PR class who likes the sound of his own voice.

I rarely hear of people not starting their night at Taylor’s since Taylor’s is the quintessential University of Oregon bar you’re just obligated to go to.

But from there it can go one of two ways. Max’s Tavern or Webfoot.

It seems like people who love Max’s hate Webfoot, and vice versa. Finding people who genuinely enjoy both just doesn’t happen. I see students run toward Webfoot yelling, “Let’s go to Fratty’s!!!” While stumbling over themselves and their friends every step of the way.

Sometimes it seems like owning a Ralph Lauren polo is a criteria among others to get into Webfoot.

Webfoot is a sports bar with limited seating, but a very specific frat-star crowd. Max’s is a bar where people stand on the benches, and once it passes midnight you can’t physically move through the crowd.

Max’s is where everyone ends up at the end of the night. It is crowded and is almost always out of Blue Moon, but you’re missing out if you don’t close Max’s.

It is even more fun when they have a DJ. They always play throw backs that get everyone on their feet singing and playing the air guitar.

Even the thought of the popcorn at Max’s is enough to get me and my roommates off of the couch and in to the bars.

The best part of any Friday night is closing at Max’s. They always play the same closing song, everyone crams inside and the booths are packed with students standing on tables. I will never be able to hear “Sweet Caroline” without thinking of standing on the chairs at Max’s singing at the top of my lungs.

Regardless of the time of the year, you can be sure people are participating in the campus bar crawl. You’ll start at Taylor’s, end at Max’s and complete the night with a quesadilla from Caspian.

Within the last six years, the University of Oregon has been governed by four presidents with an average shelf life of only around 1.7 years. These guys have nothing on a Twinkie.

For those of us graduating in the spring 2015, we will have seen three different presidents to date.  Meanwhile, student bodies at other colleges can’t remember a time when their president wasn’t in office. Portland State University’s President Wiewel has occupied his post for six years. Oregon State University’s President Ray has been in office for 11 years, a Methuselah-esque timeline by our standards.

But here on UO campus, the presidency has come furnished with a banana peel. President Richard W. Lariviere lasted nearly 2.5 years before the state Board of Higher Education decided he was a tad too independent for their liking and let him go. Michael Gottfredson, who stepped down after just two years over so-so fundraising totals and a poorly handled sexual assault investigation, followed him. Provost Scott Coltrane was appointed interim president in August. At press time, he was still there.

According to the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the average tenure for a college president in 2012 was seven years, down from 8.5 years in 2006. The American Council on Education (ACE) found that a “typical” college president is “a married white male who is 61 years old” and most commonly holds a doctorate in education.

ACE also determined that female presidencies constituted only 26 percent of top leadership in American colleges, an increase from 23 percent in 2006. When you consider that female graduates now account for 60 percent of all American baccalaureate degrees, that’s a rather sobering statistic. Equally bothersome, racial and ethnic minority presidencies slipped from 14 percent in 2006 to 13 percent in 2011.

By my count, Oregon has had 16 university presidents in its 138-year history. Guess what? All white. All male.

Now, to be fair, most UO students wouldn’t be able to pick the university president out of a line up. Perhaps, that’s okay. But on the other hand, maybe it’s not. The university president is supposed to be a visible leader, move UO forward, raise money, build buildings, support great research and increase our visibility and prestige.

That is why we need to be aware of who is in charge. We need to pay attention to who is picked as our new president and who is picked to do the picking. A presidential search committee has been appointed. They are reportedly hard at work trying to find someone to lead the university. According to UO’s home page, “The 14-member committee includes representatives from the board, the faculty, academic leadership positions, another Oregon public university and the public at large.”

Beatriz Gutierrez, the ASUO president, will be a part of the decision making process alongside the esteemed alumni, business owners and administrators. One undergraduate student and one graduate student will accompany her, though neither has been announced yet.

Julie Brown, University of Oregon’s Media Relations Director said, “Students should care about the presidential search, because the university president is the chief ambassador for the university – with donors, elected officials, other universities, etc.”

“It is the top position to get additional support for the teaching and learning environment students are immersed in every day,” Brown continued.

Brown is right. We should care. We need to care. We need to become involved. We may never meet our president, but the decisions he or she makes every day directly affect us. From keeping our tuition at a reasonable price to advocating on our behalf to hiring faculty, our president has an important job and we should take our role in the hiring process seriously.

Student involvement in the search is vitally important. The board wants our help, and we owe it to the university that we love to find a great person who will stick around and push the University of Oregon forward.

What if that great person turns out to be a woman? What if we decide to do something lasting and make history at the same time? What if we did something different this time?

Because if we go down the same trail we’ve gone down in recent years, then I’d suggest that a Velcro nameplate accompany the next president.

Follow Bayley Sandy on Twitter @BayleyJSandy

It takes a special kind of person to be a dad. It isn’t a job for those easily scared, intimidated, or unable to be creative. Dads have to be able to fix a flat tire, but willing to have tea parties with their 5-year old daughters.

Girls are expected to be best friends with their moms. They’re the ones we go to when we’re 14 and need boy advice, need to shave our legs for the first time, and start that awkward developmental stage. But dads, they’re the ones who scoff at all of those things — and make us laugh every step of the way. My dad is truly my best friend.

My dad is the kind of dad who gets up early to fill my car up with gas before I start my drive back to college. My dad is the kind of dad who says, “Oh, good,” to a 16-year-old when she’s hysterical having just broken up with her boyfriend. My dad is the one who takes me home, instead of to the hospital when I have a broken ankle. In his defense, I think he would have preferred to hold me in his arms instead of see me in a hospital gown.

Dads are the fixers. They know what is wrong with your car, can snake a drain and buy you a tool set as a going away present. But they also teach you how to snap, and initiate late night dances in the kitchen.

Dads will watch Cinderella with their 3-year-old daughter a million times (or nowadays, Frozen) because it is her favorite. Or Ferris Bueller’s Day Off every time you miss school for a sore throat. They teach us the importance of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and James Taylor — but don’t allow Bieber within earshot.

When I left for college my dad and I had a stereotypical father-daughter relationship. We didn’t talk about the stuff that seemed most important to an 18-year-old girl. Mostly because I was focused on college parties, boys and which yoga pants to wear to class — and there is nothing my dad would enjoy talking about less than those things.

With every new day away from my parents, I came to a new discovery that I couldn’t wait to tell them. As a typical young adult, I was always on Facebook — and like a not-so-typical dad, mine was always on too. We talked about anything and everything. He knew about all of the things I was learning in my political science classes, and told me every day that he wanted me to come home and that he loved me.

We now chat on Facebook everyday. It’s just our thing. Maybe it’s because we’re both always on, or because neither of us like talking on the phone. But my dad and I — we have a special relationship, unlike any other. He’s my first text when something great happens, and I can always count on him to crack a joke when I really need it.

My dad taught me to be a feminist. He instilled the importance of working hard for every achievement, and never letting someone tell you that you can’t do something because you are a woman. No one was ever going to tell him that his daughter couldn’t do something — or that a man could do it better.

Nothing annoyed me more as an adolescent than to hear someone say, “You are JUST like your dad!” But now, there is no greater compliment. If you’re lucky, your dad is an incredible, inventive, dependable, hilarious person. He makes the world a better, more balanced place.

Here’s to all of the dads out there. Here’s to the dads who set up our fishing poles, and make fun of us for needing them to. Here’s to the dads who teach us the importance of standing up for ourselves, but kiss us on the forehead when times get tough. Here’s to the dads who dance with us at the end of a long day, and let us stand on our feet while we glide together.

Today is about how awesome all of our dads are, so make sure you give your dad a hug, a phone call, a card, or a laugh. Let him know that you love him for all of the big things he’s done, but especially for the little things.

Happy Father’s day to all of the Dad’s, and especially to my papa.