As students glance over their syllabus while standing between the shelves of the UO Duck Store, they might notice that the name of their professor seems eerily similar to the name on their required books list.

For students in almost any field, this can be the case — the professor not only wrote a textbook, but requires it for their class.

To some, it might seem wrong for a professor to use their authority in the classroom and profit from the sale of a book, with potential concerns for bias in their own books and withholding the opportunity for students to read other texts on the subject.

On average, a textbook author can make anywhere from five to 15 percent in royalties for their textbooks, according to an article written by Dr. David Rees of Southern Utah University.

So if a University Math II textbook costs $110, at 10 percent per 30 students in their class, that’s $330. After teaching five, 30-student classes, that’s $1,650 in royalties alone.

But if a professor is an expert in their field, why wouldn’t they use the text they wrote — a text that is likely on the forefront of the discipline’s research, and perfectly suited for the course?

At the University of Oregon, there is no policy in regard to an instructor or professor writing or requiring a textbook they’ve written, according to UO Spokesperson Tobin Klinger.

Different universities have different policies. According to the American Association of University Professors, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University doesn’t allow a professor to require their written text unless the use is approved by departmental, collegiate and university-level committees. Professors at the University of Maryland cannot “personally profit from the assignment of materials” without authorization from a department chair. Along with UO, neither Oregon State University nor Portland State University have policies either.  

Beth Peters is a science major at UO who has had professors write many of her textbooks. For her, it’s a fine line of what is ethical and what is not.

“I believe that the books that my [science] professors have written are more acceptable because they are less factual and more procedural,” Peters said. “But I can see why it might be inappropriate for some professors to write their own textbooks if they only include their opinions and not the other side of the argument, and if they do it just to benefit themselves by having people buy their material.”

And in liberal arts, some students in that field find it questionable when a professor writes their own textbook, because of the limited points of view.

“I don’t think professors should regularly be assigning books they wrote for their courses, even if it is in their field of expertise and is within the subject of the course study,” said Jill Tydeman, a UO graduate. “Liberal arts subjects necessarily require a more broad perspective than would be allowed if the professor were teaching their own point of view and used their own work to support and contextualize it.”

Faculty at UO such as Janne Underriner, the director of the Northwest Indian Language Institute, are writing their own texts, but doing so with the intention of improving their classes and filling in gaps they might find in other textbooks.

For those who are specialists in their field, it might be the best way to teach in their subject. Underriner says writing a textbook is something that she and her colleagues have wanted to do with the Lane Community College program Chinuk Wawa for a long time.

“Every year we create handouts and edit them and add to them,” Underriner said. “We just really want more speaking activities, students want more opportunities to speak the language with each other and for us to create more audio material so students can hear the language. It’s been a dream for many years, and last year I just said, ‘let’s do it.’”

Underriner has taken to studying textbooks from Spanish or French, but with a language that has a smaller community, it’s difficult.

“There’s no place to go. There’s no other books to look at,” Underriner said. “It’s not like if I want to write a new Spanish textbook, then I can sit down and review 20 textbooks.”

It’s not only linguistics professors who write textbooks. John Russial, a professor in the School of Journalism and Communications, wrote his newspaper editing textbook in 2003 and still uses it in his classes.

According to Russial, the motivation to write a textbook for most professors is not in the money, but in filling gaps they see in the available textbooks. With his textbook, he can cover topics like search engine optimization in class.

“I wrote the text because a publisher asked me to, and I wanted to write several chapters on subjects that I didn’t think were covered well by other texts available,” Russial wrote in an email to the Emerald. “Plus, the other texts were expensive. I said I would write a text if the publisher would keep the price low.”

A Price Tag for Your Materials

For many students, a major concern when it comes to school is how much they will spend on textbooks and other supplies. According to UO’s Institutional Research, students are spending roughly $1,125 on books and supplies alone.

According to Alex Lyons, chief information officer for the UO Duckstore, textbook prices are driven by the publishers, despite what they try to do to circumvent those costs.

“We’ll try and source from wholesalers that work in a used marketplace. There’s also channels where we can offer rentals so we can further discount those prices for students,” Lyons said. “Because if we go direct publisher, that’s where our costs are the highest, and we pass along those savings to the students. But if we have to buy it new, our cost also goes up.”  

In a survey done by Cengage, 85 percent of students are financially stressed by textbooks and class materials, and 87 percent said that textbooks and course materials were overpriced and “not worth the money.”

Many students rent books through sites like Amazon or Chegg, but sometimes a textbook isn’t popular enough to be available.

“There were very few alternative options for textbooks when I was at UO,” said Jill Tydeman, a UO graduate. “I’m sure if I had been more tech-savvy I could have found them online, but I bought all of my books through the campus bookstore and tried to buy used whenever possible. I also leveraged friends and their connections to try to buy used books directly from other students.”

At a Financial Aid standpoint, the amount set for textbooks and supplies is averaged instead of using a nationally set figure, according to Associate Vice President and Director of Financial Aid, Jim Brooks.

“It’s up to the institution — they can use a figure, or they can use an average,” Brooks said. “Most institutions I know, including this one, use an average because it’s really hard to know what a student is going to spend.”

According to Brooks, students can get an increase on their allotment for class materials, but only with proof that they’re taking more than the average class load.

For many students, the ability to take a class may come down to their ability to afford the textbook.

Some professors are writing textbooks to advance their field of study, others to lower the cost of texts by arguing with a publisher to keep the price low. Despite these good intentions, textbook writing is an area where money can be made by anyone who is a professional in their field.

With UO having no policy on the matter while other universities have stricter requirements for one reason or another, the jury is still out on whether it’s okay for a professor to require their own text.

“If the professor is a subject matter expert and the course is so specific that there is little other source material on the subject, then I think it’s okay,” UO Alumna Allie Gavette said. “Otherwise, it feels kind of like they’re taking advantage.”

The post Required: Did your professor write your textbook? appeared first on Emerald Media.

In a lecture full of university students, political science professor and department head Craig Parsons occasionally needs to talk about Fascism, and even explain the ways Hitler inspired a country during World War II. In order to do so, he acts as if he sympathizes with fascism during a class period.

“I have a whole schtick about how a lot of people went over to Nazism and there is a reason for it,” Parsons said. “I get myself into effectively arguing a devil’s advocate position. And I hope everyone in the class understands that I am doing that, not because I am spontaneously inclined to argue for it.”

He doesn’t actually sympathize with fascism or with Hitler, but he acts neutral to most views in order to teach about the history of politics. Parsons is a registered Democrat and has personal views on modern politics, but in the classroom, he hides his opinions from students for a majority of the class.

In higher education, many professors consider how their political viewpoints will affect students and how they should teach to avoid persuading students with their authority. Approaches differ, but it is a widely held belief among university faculty that the purpose of education is to challenge students and facilitate the creation of their own opinions, not to persuade them.

“The cultish professor who self-evidently reinforces a set of political beliefs is not something that just about anybody openly and consciously says is okay,” Parsons said.

In the UO political science department, a majority of faculty are registered Democrats, according to voter registration data from the Lane County Elections Office. Of the 27 faculty members in the department, 14 are registered Democrats, two are registered with the Pacific Green Party, two are unaffiliated, one is independent and one is a registered Republican. Seven couldn’t be identified as being registered to vote in Oregon. At a minimum, over 50 percent of faculty in the department are registered Democrats, and a greater percent register with liberal-leaning parties.

At the law school, political diversity is even more skewed. Of the 44 law faculty, 30 are registered Democrats, meaning at least 68 percent of the law faculty are Democrats. Three are non-affiliated, one is independent, one is a registered Republican and nine couldn’t be accounted for in the registration data.

A news blog called UO Matters found similar statistics in a 2006 analysis that compared the political affiliations between the university’s departments. In that year, the business school had as low as 50 percent Democrats, while the School of Architecture and Allied Arts, now called the College of Design, had a high of 85 percent Democrats, and the university overall boasted 77 percent Democrats.

And in donations to political organizations, UO faculty and staff who donate to political causes almost entirely do so to liberal organizations. From Jan. 1, 2015, to July 14, 2018, faculty at UO donated over $235,000 to political organizations, with more than 98 percent of those funds going to liberal groups, according to Federal Elections Commission data. Over $56,000 was donated by UO faculty to organizations affiliated with either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, while roughly a total of $1,000 was donated to the campaigns of Donald Trump, Marco Rubio and Rand Paul.

UO history professor Steven Beda said that all universities aren’t always as liberal as UO, citing large donations from the military to universities during the cold war and robust donations to economics departments by conservatives such as the Koch brothers. Despite knowing the political leanings of his peers, he’s not too worried about how professors’ politics will affect students.

“What always frustrates me about this conversation when conservatives are like, ‘Oh my God, all these liberal professors are forcing these ideas down students throats,” Beda said. “You students are a hell of a lot smarter than that. I can go up there and preach propaganda if I want, but you guys aren’t gonna believe it.”

Beda did agree that UO is known for being a more liberal school, but said the culture could come from the city of Eugene and the ethos remaining from counterculture movements of the 1960s and 1970s.

Several universities across the country recognized that the majority of their faculty members are liberal and have decided to recruit professors in conservative studies to add political diversity.

Since 2013, University of Colorado Boulder has recruited visiting faculty on an annual basis to teach in its Conservative Thought and Policy program. For the 2018-19 school year, the university has invited two professors rather than one like in years prior.

One of the visiting scholars is W.B. Allen, who teaches political philosophy at Michigan State University. He’s been recruited to teach conservative thought, as he says, not to add diversity, but to improve students’ educations by challenging the campus culture.

“[Having a liberal culture on campus] can affect students’ learning outcomes in so far as they do not encounter often enough challenges to their way of thinking,” Allen said.

In response to the perception that colleges lean liberal, some conservative student groups on college campuses, such as Turning Point USA, offer college students online manuals such as “How to debate your teacher (and WIN!),” which describes how students can “defend their beliefs in the classroom.”

Aaron Covarrubias, a UO senior history major who identifies as conservative but doesn’t support groups like Turning Point, said he has received pushback from other conservative students who feel that college education is meant to “brainwash” students with liberal messages. Covarrubias said that in his experience, many conservatives on college campuses are just repeating talking points.

“I think a lot of conservative students aren’t making unique, organic arguments anymore; It’s regurgitating talking points in the conservative media, like Ben Shapiro,” he said.

UO doesn’t have a full department dedicated to conservative thought, but it does offer classes ranging in topics from “PS 465. LGBT Rights in the Courts,” to “PS 369. Southern Politics,” the latter of which looks at the development of the U.S. South from before the Civil War to the now majority conservative stronghold it is today.

Political science professor Craig Parsons says there isn’t one right way to deal with political bias while teaching a class. He said his approach is to remain as neutral as possible, to the extent that students might not be able to tell his opinions. But if a student were to ask about his thoughts, he said he would answer with his opinion, while acknowledging counter arguments and trying not to impose his authority.

Political science professor and head of the department Craig Parsons is a registered Democrat but acts neutral when teaching the history of politics. Parsons says that is “the most obvious way to create a space where students feel free to develop their own views.” (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

“I want to be very careful about my power as someone standing up both with coercive power over them, in terms of grades, but also in persuasive power, hopefully,” Parsons said. “It’s a good thing if professors have persuasive power — people want to hear what they have to say — but having both coercive and persuasive power, I think a good strategy is to try to be politically neutral.”

Other professors, such as Parsons’ colleague Joseph Lowndes, are more candid about their viewpoints.

“I am happy to be frank about my own political orientation with students in the classroom, but I’m just not sure that ultimately matters very much,” Lowndes said. “Any political phenomenon someone discusses in the classroom, there are a great number of ways to interpret that phenomenon and think about it, to dissect it and understand it. So to reduce it into an easy left-right dichotomy just closes down inquiry and discussion.”

Lowndes, who is registered with the Pacific Green party, isn’t too worried about revealing his opinions because he’s focused on his job, which is to help students think critically and engage in class and in the subject matter.

“A lot of my closest students — students who I’ve gone on to write recommendations for — have been conservative because they know I’m not out to get them,” Lowndes said. “I don’t see it as my job to make them a conservative or a liberal or whatever else, and I don’t think it should be the job of other professors either.”

In a three-hour political discussion class with a professor he knew to be liberal, senior history major Covarrubias said he felt safe expressing his beliefs.

“My professor graded me very honestly, and I knew he was very liberal, but he was very fair with me,” he said.

Covarrubias said that when he has taken political science classes, he felt that professors respected his views and let him speak his mind.

“In three years I’ve taken three political science classes and politics has permeated all departments at UO,” he said. “I’ve had classes where you know professors stand politically. I’ve never had a professor critique me or give me unwarranted criticism for being a Republican.”

Michael Tobin contributed reporting to the article.

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Eugene in the summertime: Students vacate campus, air conditioning is sacred and freedom reins for those remaining with few to no classes. Work and internships aside, the summer offers an invaluable opportunity to explore the local outdoors, try new things and have fun with friends.

The one thing that changes the experience, though, is having a car. Those four wheels close the gap between stuffy rooms and distant waterfalls or hot springs, and other cities for concerts and sightseeing. The Emerald has created recommendations for summer plans starting in Eugene for students with and without a car.

Go to the beach/river (car and non-car friendly)

Students can head to the beach, to picnic, fly a kite, dip their toes in the frigid water, etc. From Eugene, a one way bus ticket costs $25 – $30, so this feels like a road trip. For those who do make it out to the coast, near-by Florence has a couple novel adventures to offer. Aside from everything that Oregon’s beaches provide, summer adventurers can also head to the sand dunes for a wild time.

For more than selfies with sand, bored students can go sandboarding (like snowboarding but on a huge sand slope) or ATVing on the dunes, which both look absolutely ridiculous. From the videos, the latter looks like a bunch of spinning out in the sand, going fast right next to the ocean and dropping down sand dunes.

Dunes at the North Jetty beach near Florence, Ore. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

For those without a car or who don’t want to take a bus there and back (I don’t blame you), going down to the Willamette River is a great alternative. The water is just as cold, but not as salty, and there’s even sand on the banks. Staying cool in the shade by the river provides great relief from the summer heat.

For a relaxed version of going to the river, bring a hammock, a bluetooth speaker, a book, some friends, a bathing suit and sunscreen. A lot of students float down the river in donut and pizza shaped floaties, but if someone isn’t there to pick you up at the end of the float, it might be a long walk home.

The Oregon Country Fair (car and non-car friendly)

The Oregon Country Fair in Veneta is only 15 miles outside of Eugene, and the bus that students can ride for free makes a stop there every day. From July 13 – 15, the fair is a festival of concerts, art shows, world foods, culture and a circus all wrapped into one.

LTD has a free bus service either from Eugene Station or Valley River Center to the fair during the event. The last bus returns just after 8 p.m., so don’t be too late!

The fair is on 400+ acres of shaded land where people on stilts, others wearing body paint and many more in tie dye all enjoy the great weather and bountiful activities.

Explore Oregon (car)

The Emerald has already compiled a list (and video series) of the diverse ecosystems in Oregon, from the high desert, to the coast, to the mountain ranges and forests. This one is mostly only car-friendly because of how vast Oregon is.

The great thing about this state is its natural beauty. There are seven hot springs within a couple hours of Eugene that students can relax in this summer. Several state parks up and down the I-5 corridor, including Silver Falls and Multnomah Falls, offer breathtaking views, and slightly less trafficked gems like blue pool and Opal Creek can serve as an escape from the humdrum of day-to-day Eugene.

The suns sets at a jetty on the Oregon Coast. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

Oregon even has “seven natural wonders,” that could make a great summer bucket list for adventure-seeking students on break.

For non-car locals, exploring the outdoors is still a possibility and should not be underestimated. Eugene has much more to offer in the genre of hiking and camping than just going over to Spencer’s Butte, although sunrise and sunset hikes to the butte are nothing to scoff at.

Mt. Pisgah and its arboretum offer an alternative to Spencer’s. A similar uphill climb to a great view, there are even more trails to explore than just summiting, and a close river to cool off in after the hike. For those interested, it’s about eight miles by bike from campus, or the Lowell/LCC bus stops within four miles, for a scenic ride with less traffic to the arboretum.

Go to Portland (car and non-car friendly)

And of course, it’s easy to get up and leave for Portland throughout the Summer. Multiple different bus companies, trains and planes can take students to Portland at prices ranging from pretty cheap to not-so cheap in the order listed. Driving is an option, but it might be better to not have to deal with parking if the plan is to stay in the city.

Once there, the choices are vast. One reason to go is to experience the diverse eateries in this order: coffee, breakfast, coffee and snack, lunch, mid-day coffee, dinner, dessert and coffee. New restaurants and food joints are always popping up around town alongside well-reviewed Portland gems like Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Pok Pok, Salt and Straw, and Pip’s Original Doughnuts and Chai.

In pursuit of music, Asap Ferg, Blind Pilot, Billy Idol and Beach House are all performing in Portland over the summer. But live bands in bars and smaller venues can be just as fun for a warm summer night in the city.

The Timbers, Portland’s professional soccer team, are playing all summer as well and catching a live game can be fun for soccer fans riled up after the World Cup.

The post The Emerald Recommends: Summer in Eugene with and without a car appeared first on Emerald Media.

The ASUO Senate passed a resolution Wednesday night in a 12-to-six vote to endorse the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, a Palestinian-led movement. The resolution encourages the University of Oregon to boycott companies that proponents of the resolution say support the Israeli occupation of Palestine. 

The resolution is available here.

Over 200 students showed up to debate their respective sides and hear the senate discuss the decision. Students from groups such as the TAMID Group at Oregon, Oregon Hillel and Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights came to the senate meeting and expressed why they thought the resolution should or should not pass.

The student group Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights (SUPER) first proposed the resolution at last Wednesday’s senate meeting, and 30 student organizations have endorsed it so far. Similar resolutions have passed at colleges across the nation, such as at Portland State University in 2016.

ASUO Senator Montse Mendez Higuera, who voted to pass the resolution, said that there is a possibility the ASUO Constitutional Court — ASUO’s judicial branch — could strike the resolution down in the fall because the resolution is not “viewpoint neutral,” according to several ASUO senators. Mendez added that student groups were aware of this but still wanted to continue pushing on either side of the resolution to see the senate’s stance.

She said that students “wanted to see the senate actually take a stance on something.”

Several students who were against the passing of the resolution said they were worried about the possibility of a rise in the number of anti-semitic crimes committed on campus. One study conducted by AMCHA Initiative, a pro-Jewish organization, found that higher rates of anti-semitic crimes correlate with BDS activity on college campuses with large Jewish populations.

Attendees had 30 minutes of public forum at the beginning of the senate meeting in which those participants who wanted to speak had the chance to speak for two minutes. After senators discussed financial business, they opened the floor to debate on the BDS resolution.

Senators later voted to extend debate time twice — which was first limited to a single 20-minute period — adding up to one hour of total debate. Attendees had two minutes of time to speak about the resolution, and several students were reprimanded for going off topic.

Several senators also took up the microphone and expressed their thoughts. Internal Vice President Tess Mor said that this resolution was brought up at the last minute and was concerned that there had been “less than a week” to discuss the resolution, urging senators to vote against the resolution.

Junior Max Hoots supports the BDS resolution, but he said that coming to Wednesday’s senate meeting and seeing how emotional of an issue this was for people on the other side of it made him “take a step back,” yet he added that he was happy the resolution passed and that people got to share their opinions.

“I don’t want to see people upset, even if I think they’re wrong,” Hoots said.

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University of Oregon students were alerted around 4:30 p.m. today that a suspicious package was found in PLC. Students were warned to stay away.

UOPD Chief Matthew Carmichael said a faculty member in PLC reported the package to the police.

UOPD officers initially responded but couldn’t determine what the package was. Carmichael said they then cornered off the area and stopped anyone from entering the building.

The UOPD’s bomb-sniffing dog was brought by several officers to investigate the scene. Eugene Police Department’s bomb squad was also on-sight.

About 45 minutes later, students were alerted that there was no danger and the building was reopened.

According to Carmichael, the package was full of books.

Casey Crowley contributed reporting to this article

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College of Design students, faculty and staff were warned today that unsafe levels of lead were found coming from a water fountain in Fine Arts Building 125 A. The warning email said temporary clean water stations will be provided.

A map displaying water contamination levels around the UO shows there are multiple contaminated water sources on campus currently, including in sources at the health center. You can see the map here.

Kelly McIver, a spokesperson for the UOPD, said that water sources that are found to be contaminated are shut off until they are cleaned.

In 2016, water in various residence halls around campus were found to have about double the safe amount of lead in the drinking water, which the Environmental Protection Agency says is 15 parts per billion.

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The University of Oregon hosted “Intertwined: Journeys,” a free storytelling event, on Thursday and Friday. The event included 11 storytellers — undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty and staff — sharing stories of a journey they have made that had an impact on their lives.

Intertwined is a UO production through the Office of the Dean of Students that hosts events to give storytellers from the community an opportunity to share their stories with an audience.

This year’s theme of journeys brought a diverse group of storytellers to the stage. Stories were about anything from a literal cross-country journey, the journey of healing after the loss of a loved one, the journey after growing up being discriminated against or the journey of becoming closer to family.

“I felt like I had more of an open mind after hearing others’ stories,” said Stephanie Scott, a UO freshman majoring in photography. “Knowing that there are people out there that had to work a little harder or go through tougher times to get where they are now was breathtaking.”

The Intertwined storytelling series aims to share diverse stories about community members’ lives in order to build a better sense of community at UO.

The story that earned the most laughter and attention was a story about a cross-country hike told by UO classified staff member Piper Fahrney. The story starts with Fahrney in Arizona getting ready to start his hike to the east coast.

Fahrney comes upon a dead rattlesnake in Texas and decides to pick it up to cut off the rattle as a souvenir. A Texas police officer comes over to Fahrney and questions him about whether he was the one to kill the snake or not, all while Fahrney holds the snake with his hands in the air in surrender.

Fahrney describes this scene to the audience as one of the many “Oh shit, I am here” moments that he’s had in his life. Fahrney finishes his hike at the east coast and finishes his story with, “Oh shit, I am here.”

Melissa Schenter, a graduate student and graduate teaching fellow with the Office of the Dean of Students, helped organize Intertwined. Schenter opened the night by saying that through hearing others’ stories, we can all become better at taking the time out of our day to just stop and listen to what our community has to share.

“There are two big things that happen when we take more time to listen to each other,” Schenter said. “First, from a cerebral perspective, we learn more about the world around us by adopting different lenses. Second, we exercise our abilities to empathize.”

Although the goal of Intertwined is to build a better sense of community through the sharing of diverse stories, sometimes hearing stories of success can cause stress among listeners about whether or not their lives are going in the correct direction.

“I’m glad I have a second major and a minor to fall back on,” said Sarah Case, a UO freshman double majoring in psychology and sociology, after hearing one storytellers experience with being a Psychology major.

Case said that she wasn’t upset with hearing about the storytellers journey through the psychology major and how he ended up studying cultural psychology, but that she wouldn’t do it the way he did and hopes that her route through psychoanalytic and forensic psychology goes the way she wants it to.

“By listening to other peoples’ stories, we expand our own worldviews, which sometimes means challenging our own belief systems and assumptions,” Schenter said. “This means that sometimes listening can be uncomfortable — which is why it’s even more important to practice.

“Intertwined: Journeys” was an opportunity to hear culturally diverse stories about going from one point in life to another, and some of those journeys did include success. While the overwhelming feeling of the room was that of admiration, there was also a sense of urgency from some audience members to get to the successful point in their lives.

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At three different events throughout Tuesday, May 8, the University of Oregon hosted discussions about social activism in sports. People who have dedicated their lives to the world of sports talked about the growing tension that athletes, coaches and sports business professionals are creating through provocative uses of free speech.

Here are the highlights of the day:

At 10 a.m., UO alum Jordan Kent, who lettered in three sports while at UO and was then drafted to the Seattle Seahawks in 2007, moderated a discussion among two current UO student-athletes and one alum: Darya Kaboli-Nejad, a student softball player majoring in international studies, Mick Stanovsek, a student track and field runner majoring in advertising, and Johnny Ragin III, a former UO football player who played for the Tennessee Titans after graduating.

When Kent asked the panel why sports have evolved into platforms for activism, Kaboli-Nejad said there is no other option for her. “I chose to be an athlete. I didn’t choose to be brown.” She said that when people ask if she’s an activist, she says it’s not a choice, but it’s her life.

The same could be said for many athletes of color throughout history, notably Jackie Robinson whose playing baseball in the MLB was activism in itself, or the more recent case of Colin Kaepernick deciding to sit or kneel during the national anthem at football games.

Ragin III said that athletes are given a platform and it’s irresponsible not to use it. “A lot of athletes say they didn’t choose it,” he said, but he continued by saying that not to use the platform is to sacrifice a gift.

So why wouldn’t these student athletes capitalize on that platform and speak up about social issues? The three of them said that because the UO and the NCAA are businesses, they are risk averse and would usually prefer for athletes to keep away from controversial issues. Stanovsek said the feeling in the UO athletic department is for students to “stay in their lane.”

Whitney Wagoner, the director for UO’s sports marketing program, responded from the audience and said she hopes that any student who comes forward with an idea will be met with an open mind.

***

At 1 p.m., Wagoner moderated a panel discussion about the impact of activism on the business side of the sports industry. The panelists included Kristel Wissel, the vice president of community relations for the Portland Timbers, Mike Nakajima, who worked with Nike tennis for 27 years, David Higdon, the head of communication for NASCAR, and Brian Berger, the founder of the Sports PR Summit.

The conversation focused on the campaigns that companies and teams decide, or decide not, to run. For example, Nike launched a campaign for equality in 2017, and the Portland Timbers and Thorns, the Portland women’s soccer team, were the first US teams to support same sex marriage.

Higdon said what has changed over time is that there is a greater expectation for athletes and sports franchises to stand up for social issues. He said how sports can lead the way in such issues by making an example of the combined North and South Korean women’s hockey team that competed in the olympics, a foreshadow to the meeting of leaders from each country.

The reason an organization wouldn’t take a stand on an issue, according to Higdon, is because its stakeholders and sponsors are worried.

“Ninety-five percent of the discussions never make it to the public, and it’s primarily driven by sponsors who are uncomfortable with teams or athletes making statements,” Higdon said.

Berger said that when an athlete or a franchise makes a statement, they need to have a purpose.

“If you’re going to protest something, give me the direct goals so I know that we’re going to accomplish those things,” Berger said. “If Colin is going to kneel, I’m going to need to know why. Don’t just protest to protest.”

***

At 4 p.m. the final event of the day took place at the Ford Alumni Center. Dr. Harry Edwards answered question from two UO professors at the Keynote Address and Reception: “From Robinson to Kaepernick: The Evolution of Athlete Activism.”

Edwards organized the Olympic Project for Human rights, which motivated two African-American athletes to do a Black Power Salute at the 1968 Summer Olympics. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Sociology at San Jose State University and also got a PHD in Sociology at Cornell. At age 76, he works as professor of Sociology at University of California Berkeley.

The talk focused on the history of activism in sports through the eyes of Edwards and discussed how athletes today can use their position to fight against things like white supremacy and sexism.

Edwards said that when it comes to modern athlete activism, “Kaepernick is this generation’s Muhammad Ali.” Ali spoke out against the Vietnam war during his career and went to support other humanitarian causes later in his life.

Casey Crowley, Ryan Nguyen and Michael Tobin contributed reporting.

The post Here are the highlights from a day of conversations around activism in sports appeared first on Emerald Media.

Veteran newspaper executive Bill Kunerth will be the next president and publisher of Emerald Media Group, the Emerald’s board of directors announced Monday. He will begin July 1.

EMG board chairman Ben Schorzman said Kunerth is someone who can be the face of the Emerald, mentor future students, and bring a wealth of knowledge from the newspaper industry.

Kunerth has worked as the publisher for newspapers in California, Washington, Idaho and Alaska, which had circulation of up to 15,000 daily copies.

“He has more than 27 years of publisher experience. He brings a deep understanding of the business and he has a passion for journalism that really stands out,” Schorzman said.

Kunerth wanted to work in journalism since he was a child because his father had taught journalism at multiple universities and advised student newspapers throughout his career. Kunerth said his father was one of his greatest mentors growing up, always living up to his values of integrity and ethics.

Kunerth has worked in various roles at newspapers around the country and has experience with other student-run newspapers at college campuses including Central Washington University, Idaho State University and the University of Alaska.

“There is something special about student-run newspapers: The opportunity to take chances and innovate,” said Kunerth. “In today’s media age, being an independent voice is something that has been lost.”

Kunerth said in a presentation to the staff of EMG that the next publisher’s role will be to protect independent student journalism.

“I think the journalism being produced at Emerald Media Group is some of the best in the community. The fact that its autonomous, student-run and independent, it’s something that should be respected,” he said.

Schorzman echoed Kunerth’s sentiment, saying the Emerald is in a critical time, when media outlets are being bought up or folding altogether, and he said Kunerth understands the necessity to remain independent.

One way he said he plans to preserve the Emerald is by bringing in innovative ideas to increase profit from online and mobile platforms. He wants to maintain a diverse revenue stream and include new features in several EMG products.

The board chose Kunerth for the job particularly because he has a history of increasing revenue at news outlets.

“One part of his professional experience has been in fundraising. He was involved in a fundraising campaign in Alaska that raised over $660,000,” said Schorzman. “He has a lot of big-time experience that we were hoping to capitalize on.”

Kunerth said one of his highest priorities is quality journalism. Throughout his interview process, Kunerth said he wants to provide the resources and support to continue the Emerald Media Group’s legacy.

His mantra to various newspaper staffs in the past has always been, “The better the newspaper, the better the community.” He said the responsibility of a news outlet is to provide its readership with the awareness of issues and allow everyone to understand the state of the greater community.

“I’m passionate and committed to good journalism. Forthright honest reporting of the issues can bring out robust dialogue that provides the opportunity for a community to examine the issues.”

He said his vision for EMG is to uphold its reputation: “a relevant, independent voice for the University of Oregon.”

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Around 1:30 p.m. Friday afternoon, the power went out across the University of Oregon’s campus. The power for stoplights around town was reported to be out as well as at major apartment complexes around the campus area, including 13th and Olive and 2125 Franklin.

A spokesperson for Eugene Water and Electric Board said they were unsure about what caused the outage. Immediately after the incident, EWEB dispatched teams to look for possible causes like a downed wire or fallen trees or branches.

The power was restored to most locations within minutes of the outages.

This post will be updated as more information becomes available.

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