Thursday Oct. 27: “Motoring Out of Time: Histories of Technology and Development in Tanzania” at Knight Library Browsing Room (1501 Kincaid St.), 12-1:15 p.m., free

Led by Dr. Joshua Grace, a renowned historian, this lecture will focus on cultures of technology, mobility and development in Tanzania from the 1870s to the 1980s. Dr. Grace’s research examines the ways in which Tanzania transformed infrastructure left over from technologies of colonial powers into tools for pursuing different visions of social and economic change. These advances in their society contested hierarchies of race, class and gender.

Dr. Grace’s previous works include published journal articles and academically reviewed essays on Tanzania’s technological modernization. He is a recipient of both the Fulbright and Andrew W. Mellon research fellowships. His work provides an alternative narrative to the dominating twentieth-century representations of technological backwardness and economic underdevelopment in Africa.

–Franklin Lewis

Thursday-Saturday Oct. 27-29: The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Actors Cabaret (996 Willamette St.) 7:30 p.m., tickets $16-48.95

This cult classic boasts one of the longest theatrical runs of all time and has a massive folk culture built around audience participation. Created in 1975, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is still wildly popular today, perhaps because of its focus on sexuality and today’s undergoing transformation of sexual hegemony.

This live action reenactment of the film focuses on a proudly self-declared transsexual, a young couple treading uncharted territory in a radically sexualized environment and killer rock music;` this film reaches out to its alienated audiences on several different levels.

Tickets are available at http://www.actorscabaret.org/rocky-horror

–Patience Greene

Friday Oct. 28: Warren Miller’s Here, There & Everywhere at McDonald Theatre (1010 Willamette St.) 7:30 p.m., $19 

Warren Miller, a renowned ski and snowboard film director and producer, presents his 67th annual film in Eugene this Friday. His work features numerous experienced and talented snow athletes, such as Olympians Seth Wescott and Kaylin Richardson, and submerges its viewers into the snowy depths of high-adrenaline snow sports.

Travel through backcountry grounds on snowy peaks and speed down seemingly vertical mountainsides. Warren Miller himself is featured in on-screen interviews and he speaks of his adventurous golden days on the slopes. This year’s film takes the audience where he has been: here, there and everywhere.

Tickets are available here: http://www.ticketswest.com/venues/mcdonald-theatre/1696/

–Carleigh Oeth

Friday Oct. 28, Sunday Oct. 30: William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts (1 Eugene Center), 7:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., tickets $34-59.50

The Eugene Opera is hosting an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s comedy Much Ado About Nothing at the Hult Center’s Soreng Theater. With music by French composer Hector Berlioz, the adaptation focuses on the main plot of Shakespeare’s famous play: the love story between fierce Beatrice and goofy, laughable Benedict. While the dialogue is in English, the actual music is sung in French with supertitles in English. Eugene Opera’s intimate performance of Much Ado is a great chance to see a classic play done in a new way. Student discounts are available.

Tickets are available here: http://eugeneopera.com/much-ado-about-nothing/

-Sararosa Davies

‘Spooky’ Spaghetti Feed at Winston Churchill High School (1850 Bailey Hill Rd.) 6-8 p.m., kids $5, adults $10, grandparents free

This year’s Spaghetti Feed Fundraiser, presented by Whole Earth Nature School, is the third annual Churchill High School spaghetti feed and is a “spooky” theme in honor of  Halloween. The spaghetti dinner is made entirely from scratch with food exclusively donated from local businesses. Look forward to a raffle, a free chocolate fountain and a costume contest.

Raffle tickets are $1 each or $10 for 12, but each guest who arrives in a family friendly costume will receive two free raffle tickets. All donations made during the event will go toward Whole Earth Nature School’s scholarship funds and expenses for their Equity Project.

-Carleigh Oeth

When Matt Thomas tasted kombucha [kom-BOO-cha] for the first time, he had no idea what to expect — let alone what he was drinking.

“I wasn’t ready for that super vinegary weirdness,” Thomas said about his first-ever sip of the mysterious liquid.

Thomas, a 2002 University of Oregon graduate, is founder and CEO of Townshend’s Tea Company and Brew Dr. Kombucha. Today, many people share Matt’s initial feelings toward kombucha: somewhat curious but possibly averted by the drink’s bizarre nature.

After the fermentation process is complete, Jeremy Sigrist pours the kombucha through cheese cloth into this jar for storage. (Christopher Trotchie/ Emerald)

Describing Kombucha’s contextual identity doesn’t exactly make your mouth water, but it’s a beverage that has been gaining popularity in recent years. Wonder Drink and GT’s Synergy are just two of the brands that have propelled kombucha into being the multi-million-dollar industry that we see here in the U.S.

The “vinegary weirdness” is a carbonated refreshment that falls somewhere between bitter and sweet. But even some Kombucha aspirants aren’t quite sure what they’re drinking.

Kombucha is a fermented fusion of tea, sugar, and symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.

SCOBY is a living organism that has a mutual relationship with other bacteria, said Thomas. The SCOBY consumes and thrives on the nutrient solution provided by the tea and sugar, and during the fermentation process, it looks like a large, gelatinous piece of flan. By the time the finished product is ready for consumption, it is essentially the leftover waste product of the SCOBY’s digestion. 

Kombucha is a beverage many people have heard of, perhaps tasted, or at least seen in the local natural food stores. The drink has been embraced in the Pacific Northwest, popularized by its supposed health benefits.

Long before evolving into an American pop-culture health sensation, Kombucha formed its roots in ancient history. Much speculation surrounds the beverage’s origin, however it is mostly believed to be of Asian descent.

According to Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety journal, Kombucha dates back to 220 B.C. in China during the Tsin Dynasty when it was known as “Mo-Gu.” In 414 A.D., a Korean physician named Dr. Kombu introduced the fermented drink to Japanese Emperor Inkyo.

Since the drink’s introduction, Kombucha has undergone many name changes as it became popular in other cultures over the years. In Russia, names such as Kvass replaced Mo-Gu, and after making its way to Germany, the drink appeared as Kombuchaschwamm and Heldenpilz.

Also at the forefront of the industry is Matt Thomas’s Brew Dr. Kombucha, a brand local and unique to the Pacific Northwest. Brew Dr. stems from the fruitful line of Townshend’s teahouses and has flourished in individuality, reaping the benefits of the company’s previously formulated line of artisanal and apothecary teas.

In order for kombucha to grow it needs to be stored in a warm place. Jeremy Sigrist and his roommates place their SCOBY culture on top of their water heater . ( Christopher Trotchie/ Emerald )

“The fact that we’re a tea company first really sets us apart,” Thomas said. “While some companies add juice for flavor profiles, we were always committed to the idea of making kombucha where we never add anything except really good tea and herbs.”

Thomas graduated from UO with business and Spanish degrees and started Townshend’s Tea Company roughly a year after graduation.

“I educated myself about tea because I knew there was a lot you could do with it that wasn’t being done,” Thomas said. “I believed in it, and I knew there was a big potential for it.”

The company was originally Thomas’s brainchild from a business project he completed for a senior business class, but the idea snowballed into a successful brand — and eventually a Kombucha company too.

“All the successes I had at the teahouse came from listening to what my most enthusiastic customers liked, what they wanted,” Thomas said. Customer demand was great enough that he decided to explore the possibilities of Kombucha.

According to Thomas, in order to meet food safety requirements the pH of kombucha must register below 4.6 — vinegar-level acidity, Thomas said — because the beverage is raw and unpasteurized. If the brew falls any higher on the pH scale, harmful bacteria can grow causing the solution to change completely. Once a batch is ready, it is moved to a chilled environment, which halts the fermentation process.

The next step is bottling the kombucha and then it’s out for sale.

But to UO student Jeremy Sigrist, kombucha is more than just a refreshing drink to purchase from his local Whole Foods; it’s also a hobby.

Sigrist tasted kombucha for the first time at ASUO’s bi-annual Street Faire. As a tea drinker, he became interested and spontaneously found himself at a local natural foods store with his roommate buying a SCOBY kit.

“It’s a drink my roommate and I really enjoy, so we looked up the recipe and decided to give it a try,” Sigrist said. “It’s really easy and fun.”

Unlike the massive kegs used for brewing by companies like Brew Dr., Sigrist’s home brew was made in a 1-gallon glass container, and his total costs — including the SCOBY kit, tea, sugar and vinegar — were under $30. Sigrist and his roommate keep the gallon of fermenting liquid in their tiny water heater closet to support the fermentation process.

“Seeing the SCOBY grow is the most interesting part,” Sigrist said. “You’re kind of rooting for it to succeed.”

Although Sigrist is a dedicated kombucha brewer, he did not preach about the drink’s wellness benefits. There is a decent amount of discussion surrounding whether kombucha is a legitimate health aid: some people swear by its probiotic properties, claiming it helps with anything from gut detoxification to curing cancer, but others argue against this due to the limited research that has been done directly on the benefits of drinking kombucha.

Jeremy Sigrist shows off his latest batch of Kombucha. ( Christopher Trotchie / Emerald )

However, a closer look at Kombucha provides some answers to why and how it is considered a wellness beverage. The scientific journal ResearchGate states that microorganisms derived from Kombucha offer similar dietary benefits as yogurt, miso, tempeh, and is high in probiotics, fiber, amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins, and more. These elements are derived from the SCOBY and are what enable Kombucha to offer perceived health benefits such as detoxification, improving digestion and boosting the immune system.

“It’s a really good daily habit,” Matt Thomas said. “A lot of naturopaths are starting to prescribe it as part of people’s diet.”

Halloween is rapidly approaching. While creepy clowns walk the streets and a scary amount of work piles up for students, The Emerald recommends some classic Halloween movies that made our Halloweens a little less scary as children.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Don’t let the festive title fool you. This quirky Tim Burton classic has all the makings of a great Halloween movie: a talking skeleton, a floating ghost-dog and, of course, a few ghoulish villains. Jack Skellington, a citizen of Halloween Town who has had a bit too much Halloween for one lifetime, has his world turned upside down, quite literally, when he accidentally ventures into Christmas Town. The events that follow are hilarious, tragic and filled with random bursts of song. For anyone who is offended by the early arrival of Christmas aisles at the grocery store, this movie will reassure you about the horror that ensues when mixing Halloween and Christmas. – Leanne Harloff

Hocus Pocus (1993)

This 1993 film takes place in Salem, MA and epitomizes Halloween: fun, spooky, and full of myths — or at least what the townspeople think are myths. When three children mistakenly release a coven of ancient witches from their spell on Halloween, the kids must race to prevent the witches from becoming immortal before the night is over.

Complete with spells, potions, a zombie and even a talking black cat, Hocus Pocus is a classic Halloween movie and a ‘90s favorite. It’s the perfect movie to get you into the Halloween spirit.

– Carleigh Oeth

Halloweentown (1998)

Siblings Marnie, Dylan, and Sophie have never been allowed to go out on Halloween. So when their magical grandmother comes for a visit, the children take a chance and follow her to her hometown: Halloweentown. They discover not only that they are descendant from a long line of Good Witches, but also that skeletons, ghosts, and goblins are real and lead normal lives. There are no costumes inHalloweentown — only evil spirits.

Halloweentown is a comedy-adventure that offers explanations for all things Halloween-themed from pumpkins and phantoms to trick-or-treating. It’s a movie that ‘90s kids will appreciate.

You can even visit Halloweentown just in time for the festivities, just a couple hours outside of Eugene in St. Helens, OR. – Carleigh Oeth

Scooby Doo on Zombie Island (1998)

Scooby and the gang have been solving mysteries since 1969, but the late ‘90s saw a lack of enthusiasm for the crime-solving crew. Of all the things to revitalize the classic series, the direct-to-video Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island managed to bring the classic mystery franchise into the 21st century.

After solving mysteries becomes monotonous due to the monsters always being an elaborate hoax, the members of Mystery Inc. decide to go their separate ways. You can’t keep the Scooby-gang away from a good mystery though, and they’re soon back together to solve one more big case. But this time there’s a catch: The monsters are real!

With a screenplay written by Glenn Leopold (Nickelodeon’s Doug) and revised by Davis Doi (Dexter’s Laboratory), animation from the Japanese studio Mook Animation and a soundtrack by composer Steve Bramson and Third Eye Blind, the film serves as one of the highest points in the entire franchise. – Mathew Brock

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-rabbit (2005)

The much-loved Wallace and Gromit short film series made its way to theaters in 2005 with The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. This animated adventure comedy focuses on the titular protagonists coming to the rescue of a small British village plagued by a mutant rabbit shortly before a vegetable competition. As stop-motion Halloween entertainment, it’s hard to top, and the claymation figures are still beautiful to watch in motion more than a decade later. The movie is also subtly touching and includes just enough tugs at the heartstrings to keep everyone invested. It’s pure fun and a great Halloween movie for any October occasion. – Dana Alston

The Addams Family (1991)

For fans of dry, dark humor, it’s hard to go wrong with The Addams Family. Based on the cartoon and popular television series, Barry Sonnenfeld’s chaotic family caper follows the America’s favorite family of ghouls and creepers as they face a plot to steal their vast fortune. Highlights include children Wednesday and Pugsley staging a fake-blood-soaked sword fight for their school play (to the shock of the audience) and Christopher Lloyd’s performance as the completely deranged Uncle Fester. The whole affair is completely ridiculous, but also unbelievably entertaining thanks to the actors all playing it straight. Think Beetlejuice mixed with a madcap comedy like Clue. – Dana Alston

In Eugene:

Friday, Oct. 7: Forest Veil at Sam Bond’s Garage (407 Blair Blvd.) $5 door, show 9:30 p.m., 21+

Portland based singer-songwriter Forest Veil celebrates the Oct. 14 release of her new album, Zoolights, at Eugene’s Sam Bond’s Garage.

Known in her last two self-released albums as Moniker, Forest Veil’s sound can be classified as “doom-folk,” a composite of psychedelia and dreamy post-rock. Her voice is smooth with omniscience but carries dark and smoky undertones, submerging her listeners into an enigmatic otherworld.

Personal empowerment, mysticism and emotional reality are common themes in songs from past albums, such as “Giver/Feast of Bones” from her 2014 album, The Cruelest Month.

Accompanied by her band, Forest Veil’s show will be opened by Salmon Doza, a local Eugene band. Grab a drink, mingle and enjoy the show.

Saturday, Oct. 8: Eugene All-Ages Poetry TSlam at Tsunami Books (2585 Willamette St.), Free

Have a craving for some creative, live poetry? Head down Willamette Street to Tsunami Books after the football game this weekend and take a seat for a few hours while you listen to the Eugene community slam some poems.

If you want to participate in the TSlam, get there at 7 p.m. so you can be on stage at 7:30.

The Pacific Northwest’s own Robert Lashley, a semifinalist for the PEN/Rosenthal fellowship, will be performing his own poems, and maybe even poems from his book The Homeboy Songs, a collection paying tribute to the black community of Tacoma, Washington.

Musical busking band Fiddling Big Sue and Tom will also be performing from 6:30 to 7:30.

The TSlam itself begins at 8:30 p.m., and if you end up in the top three, you’ll win a prize. There’s even free tea to sip as you listen. If you don’t have time to get to the Poetry TSlam, definitely make sure to visit Tsunami Books another time for a great collection of used books and vinyl records.

Sunday, Oct. 9: Grateful Dead Jam at Hi-Fi Music Lounge (44 E. 7th Ave). Free. Doors 7 p.m., show at 8. 21+.

Let your wistful yearnings be satiated by The Jerryatrics, a Grateful Dead cover band.

The four members are from Eugene and they mirror the musical stylings of the Grateful Dead. Better yet, the concert is completely free, the only admission being your Deadhead loyalty and eagerness to get down to funky instrumentals.

The Jerryatrics will be performing the classics and fan favorites, dabbling in albums like Shakedown Street and reaching all the way back to the Dead’s debut album, The Grateful Dead.

If you fit the nostalgic combination of being a college student and a Grateful Dead fan, your fanship and adoration might be somewhat tragic because you’ve probably never had the opportunity to see the group perform live — unless you were lucky enough to attend the “Fare Thee Well” show, the band’s final performance and 50^th Anniversary in Chicago during July 2015.

The Grateful Dead have always stood for something greater than themselves, greater than dollar signs, even greater than music itself. The group has long been a symbol of love and community, and their sound specializes in bringing people together.

Sunday, Oct. 9th: The Head and the Heart at McDonald Theatre (1010 Willamette St) $39.50 advance and $42.50 at door, doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m.

Coming off the release of their newest album Signs of Light, Seattle based indie folk band The Head and the Heart will be playing the Mcdonald Theatre this Sunday at 8 p.m.

British wunderkind and “Brazil” singer Declan Mckenna opens. Songs like the Lumineers-esque “All We Ever Knew” and the swaying “Let’s Be Still” have garnered the attention of radio stations all over the country in recent months. The Head and the Heart’s songs build like summer anthems, all drawn out and filled with stomping drums. There will be hollers of the “Ho Hey!” kind.

If the rainy weather is starting to get you down, revive yourself with The Head and the Heart’s positively breezy Americana.  If this type of indie folk isn’t your thing yet, go see them anyways and get there early to see opener Declan McKenna play.

Sing-alongs may happen and with the catchiness of Signs of the Light, they will probably be encouraged. By the end of the show, members of The Head and the Heart will have you in the palms of their hands.  You’ll be stomping and hollering all the way back to campus. Yes, you might even snap all the way through the rain.

In Portland: 

Friday, Oct. 7: Brian Wilson presents Pet Sounds at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (1037 SW Broadway) $49.50-$94.50. Doors at 7 p.m. show at 8

On Friday at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Brian Wilson will celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest and most influential albums of all time, the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. The concert will also feature Beach Boys Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin.

Due to conflicts between Wilson and Mike Love (Love kicked Wilson and Jardine out of the Beach Boys), the current lineup of the Beach Boys are touring separately and will be playing at the Hult Center in November.

The concert will feature hits and favorites including “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times” and “God Only Knows.” Likely, Wilson will also feature many of the highly orchestrated songs from the Smile Sessions.

As college students, we all develop our own niche study habits. Whether we are cramming for finals or just having another coffee date with our textbooks, a suitable location can be imperative to our studies.

With the Knight Library’s newly shortened hours, scoping out an alternate study spot is as important as ever. Escape the dorms, your bedroom or inundated locations and consider these spots around Eugene next time you bring out the homework.

John E. Jaqua Law Library (1515 Agate St.)

The University of Oregon offers many places to study near the heart of campus, such as Allen Hall or Lillis, but UO’s Law Library is a sizable, quiet and often forgotten alternative. The fourth floor is limited to JD, CRES, and LLM students, but the second and third floor are open to everyone. Most importantly, it’s open late on weekdays.

Marché Museum Café (1470 Johnson Lane)

Tucked behind UO’s Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Marché is conveniently located. It offers numerous tables, food that is strictly seasonal and regional, and, of course, coffee — the key ingredient that fuels college students.

Espresso Roma Café (825 E. 13th Ave.)

Just a short walk from Knight Library, Espresso Roma Café lives in the heart of campus. This location consists of two spacious rooms that offer dozens of tables, as well as food, coffee and even a quaint outdoor patio with coverage for the rainy days in Eugene.

Vero Espresso House (205 E. 14th Ave.)

If you live west of campus or simply love picturesque and cozy coffee shops, Vero Espresso House is worth a visit. In addition to a variety of coffee beverages, they offer wholesome breakfast and lunch options, which makes it the perfect place to stake out for a lengthy period of studying. This place is popular, so try to arrive before the rush.

Allan Bros Coffee Roasters (Beanery) (152 W. 5th Ave.), (2465 Hilyard St.) 

Yes, another coffee shop. There are two locations, but because they are a little farther from campus you are basically guaranteed a table for your studies. The W 5th location has later hours, but the location south of campus on Hilyard St. offers student discounts.

The Barn Light (Downtown) (924 Willamette St.)

Café by day, bar by night. Whatever you’re drinking, The Barn Light in downtown Eugene has late hours and was developed specifically for young professionals and students. It maintains a laid-back vibe while providing people with a suitable work environment. Its spacious tables are just begging students to study their hearts out — and maybe even treat themselves to a drink afterward.

Wandering Goat Coffee Co. (268 Madison St.)

With its late hours, the Wandering Goat doubles as a music and art venue in Eugene’s Whiteaker neighborhood. But this contemporarily grungy Eugene coffee shop provides a calm and warm atmosphere perfect for students — it even has a bookshelf brimming with issues of National Geographic magazines. They create their own organic and vegan eats, and their homemade biscuits and gravy are particularly scrumptious.

Both on and outside of campus, Eugene is home to numerous unique locations that are equipped and ready to support the local community of college students. It is only a matter of which will become your go-to study spot, any student’s home away from home.

Each year during the second weekend of July, nearly 45,000 people flood to the fairgrounds in Veneta, Oregon – a small town west of Eugene – to attend the ever-enchanted Oregon Country Fair.

The three-day fair, taking place this year during July 8-10, is an artistic smorgasbord of recreation. From local artistry and tasty treats to interactive events like yoga and meditation, the Oregon Country Fair has much to offer.

Expect to see captivatingly wacky outfits, copious amounts of body paint, people atop high stilts, upbeat dancing and overall constant activity.

Originally called the Renaissance Fair when it was founded in 1969, the Oregon Country Fair has been a developing non-profit organization that provides philanthropic support to a variety of communal needs.

The 446 acres of land, shaded by luscious canopies of leaves, are home to 18 unique stages that cater to a wide range of people. Whether it’s an upbeat musical performance like this year’s Afrolicious, a vaudeville circus act or a lighthearted puppet show, there is a stage for everyone.

Throughout the forested fairgrounds, endless nooks and booths border the main pathways. Kaleidoscopes, marbles, snow globes and paintings are among the hundreds of unique treasures to be discovered.

Among the fair’s many local artisans, jewelry makers Scott MacDonald and Rebecca Bashara will be hosting a booth at the fair for the seventh year in a row. Their work epitomizes the beauty of nature through found stones and intricate metalwork.

“The fair really is a place where people can come and share their crafts and comingle, and the public gets to experience the vitality of that,” MacDonald said. “It’s super contemporary, it’s alive; it has history, but it’s growing.”

The Oregon Country Fair is also renowned as a collaborative and friendly learning space. For example, University of Oregon Professors Stanley Micklavzina and Raghu Parthasarathy have held physics demonstrations at the fair since 2005.

“The OCF appealed to me because of the creativity at the fair,” said Micklavzina. “Showing the physics principles behind light, colors, sound and music in an entertaining way is always the goal.”

The professors now host an annual physics booth where they present small and interactive scientific experiments. You can find them this year at Energy Park.

The Oregon Country fair has an impressive repertoire of activity. But perhaps most significantly, it remains a heartfelt and enchanted community brimming with positivity and zeal. The fair encourages togetherness as well as healthy growth, exploration and provides a space where everyone is welcome.

Ticket prices range from $24-33 daily. They can be purchased online, or at the University of Oregon ticket office in person or over the phone.

Visit the Oregon Country Fair’s official website for a comprehensive schedule or to plan transportation to and from the event.

For the third year in a row, the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art’s Student Member Advocacy Council (JSMAC) presents INFLUX: A Night of Performance Art. The two-hour event will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 18. Submission is free, so come and support your local talent.

INFLUX is an event that showcases unique performance art created by University of Oregon’s artistically inclined students. True to its name, it is designed to be continually in movement and highly encourages participation from the audience members.

The event accepted submissions from a wide variety of University of Oregon students, whose pieces range from music to monologues to performances by groups like The UO Poetry Slam Team. This year’s lineup even includes an interactive and improvisational dance that will take place throughout the course of the event in the JSMA courtyard.

Student Hannah Andersen is returning to for her second year in a row to lead the dance with a soundscape created by Music and Dance Professor Christian Cherry.

“I think the more students in the arts at UO that can work together and collaborate, the better,” said Andersen, a UO Master of Fine Arts dance candidate. “We all need and desire outlets for creativity.”

Co-created by digital arts professor Ty Warren and JSMAC member Lindsey Keast, INFLUX was established as a fun and welcoming event that allows students to practice and share their creativity. JSMAC President Sarah Wyer hopes to fulfill this purpose and continue the tradition.

“The goal is to showcase the talent of our student artists of the University of Oregon and to provide a safe space for them to express themselves,” Wyer said. “It’s an exciting event, and we haven’t found any others like it on campus.”

In addition to the performances showcased by students, there will also be a piece made exclusively for spectators, titled “Mirror Me.” A frame will hang from the ceiling acting as a mirror, compelling people to mirror each others’ movement from the opposite side.

The event schedule will be on a digital program, accessible by spectators from their cellular devices.

Consistent with the theme of being influx, each room will have a slightly different atmosphere, some more active with dance and others calmer with refreshments, light mingling and a cash bar.

Come be a part of the artistic flow presented by INFLUX or simply relax and enjoy the unique talent that UO students have to offer.

The University of Oregon is filled with creatively motivated students. But with all the stress and craziness that college often brings, nobody can possibly have the time to start up their own business, right?

Uriah Dubey, a junior at the UO is one of the small handful of student entrepreneurs who found the time outside of school to manifest his dreams into a reality. Dubey, along with friends Austin Mahar and Kenny Bryan, created a clothing line named Dripped.

“I started it for the sole purpose of making my own clothes,” Dubey said. “I feel like there aren’t any brands that make exactly what I want.”

Dubey’s inspiration for the clothing’s design is largely drawn from his favorite brands, Supreme and A Bathing Ape Clothing Company. The Dripped logo of a raindrop is an expression of Eugene’s classic rainy weather, making the Dripped clothing line true to the roots of anyone from the wet Pacific Northwest.

The line, only about a month old, has sold nearly all of its first clothing prototypes, which consisted of hats, hoodies and T-shirts. The baby blue and light pink color scheme, termed “cotton candy capsule,” stands as a symbol of spring’s carefree vibes.

“You don’t see guys wearing light pastel colors very much,” Dubey said. “But those are like my favorite colors to wear in the spring and summer.”

Dubey said that he and his associates plan to switch up the colors for each new line of apparel, and Dripped clothing’s summer line will be love-themed in the spirit of wistful and timeless summer love.

The most recent line of Dripped clothing can be found on the company’s Instagram: @Drippedclothingcompany.

Another student entrepreneur at the UO is senior Ashlee Pierce. Pierce has her own sticker company named AP Designs, and has recently sold 200 of her stickers to the Duck Store near campus.

“I’ve worked in the retail business before, and it made me realize that I don’t want to work for anybody except myself,” Pierce said. “I want to be my own boss.”

After creating her own business as a platform to sell her designs, Pierce hired an intern to help take some weight off of her shoulders. Pierce still does the design, production and packaging, but her intern will help to market and network her designs within the college community.

Pierce’s designs began as doodles. As a member of Alpha Chi Omega, her initial idea was to make customized stickers for sororities, but after a bout of business-minded creativity, Pierce decided to expand her designs outside of Oregon Greek Life, and even to schools in Washington, California and Texas.

“My goal is to get into every campus store in as many states as possible, each with their own state outline,” Pierce said. “But as long as I love what I’m doing, that’s all that matters.”

Pierce’s designs are made for phones, laptops, water bottles and more. You can find her AP Design stickers in the Duck Store, or at her online Etsy shop: etsy.com/shop/APdesignsvinyl.

We’ve all had some sort of pet growing up whether it was the zany cat that followed you home from the bus stop or the puppy that you talked your parents into getting for your 10th birthday. As a youngster, your pet probably seemed more like a living stuffed animal that magically took care of itself.

But once the freedom and often unanticipated responsibility of college sinks in, what does it mean to have a pet? Does the reverie of a perfect and self-sustaining animal remain true, or are your childhood paradigms completely shattered? Four students at the University of Oregon, and their four very different animal companions, share what it’s like to have a pet in college.

Bunni Krass, a junior at UO, adopted an adorable black, six-month-old bunny about a year ago after seeing an ad on Craigslist.

“It was kind of a rash decision,” Krass said. “Before I had a car, it was hard to buy his food and bike home with it.”

Her bunny, Dabs, is an energetic black ball of fluff that follows her every move, acting more like a docile puppy than a bunny. And now that Krass has a car, taking care of Dabs has become much easier.

It seems that a common theme among pet-owners in college is the spur-of-the-moment decision to adopt something furry. Or in the case of Elisa Juarez-Sculuca, something spiky. She bought a hedgehog in February 2015 in Portland after a hiking trip at Silver Falls and named him Frank in honor of her late great-grandfather.

“Taking care of him is easy with my schedule,” Juarez-Sculuca said. “He is nocturnal, so he’ll sleep most of the day if he could.”

When he’s not asleep, Frank basically runs laps around Juarez-Sculuca’s living room or searches for dark and cozy places to nap. But the low-maintenance nature of a nocturnal hedgehog is not extremely common, and size does not always correlate with effort.

Junior Hanna Emerson owns a one-year-old tabby cat named Henry, who is energetic and sassy in the most endearing way possible.

“He’s a crazy cat, but having him probably helps me more than anything,” Emerson said, as Henry propelled himself onto the couch and nearly tore down the blinds from the window. “Cats are a lot different than dogs too, so he’s pretty self sufficient.”

Senior Max Lemkin makes owning a dog in college seem like a piece of cake. Lemkin has a one-year-old dog named Lulu who is half pit bull and half Labrador (as far as Lemkin can tell). Extremely playful and polite, Lulu is the dog incarnation of Jessica Day from FOX’s New Girl.

Lemkin got Lulu near the start of summer 2015, so his long break from school granted him the appropriate time needed to potty-train a new puppy.

“Having Lulu has definitely required me to wake up earlier and keep a tighter schedule,” Lemkin said. “But for the most part, I still do a lot of the things I normally did before, just with my dog.”

Whether it’s a dog, a cat, a bunny or even a hedgehog, each of these pets has its own unique way of brightening up its owner’s day. Although the initial responsibility of taking care of a pet in college can be somewhat of a reality-check, it is safe to say that the companionship pays off.

This is not a recommendation to run to the nearest pet store and buy the first fuzzy thing that charms you; however, increasing your responsibility is not the end of the world, especially if it means that you gain a loving companion in the process.

The bass coming from the Flatbush Zombies concert at WOW Hall could be heard down the street. The line to get inside stretched around the block and local petitioners sparked conversations with the people in line about their voting involvement. It seemed fitting for the event due to the Flatbush Zombies’ outspoken nature regarding people’s rights.

Inside, Rapper Remy Banks opened the concert and hyped the crowd that waited anxiously to see the Flatbush Zombies in the close proximity that is offered by the WOW Hall. The floor shook from the excitement when the three Zombies eventually entered the stage.

Each member of the hip hop group was perfectly characterized by their unique appearance: Erick the Architect sported a classic Red Hot Chili Peppers t-shirt, Zombie Juice flaunted his exceptionally large blue-and-green-colored afro and Meechy Darko wildly flung around his half-brown and half-white dreadlocks.

There are two types of concert-goers at WOW Hall: the ones who deal with the pushing and shoving of the rambunctious crowd in order to get closer to the stage, and the ones who stand on the benches that line the walls in order to guarantee a great view of the performers. But neither situation discriminates against a great time at a Flatbush Zombies concert.

The dynamic trio opened their set with “The Odyssey,” the first song off of their latest album titled 3001: A Laced Odyssey. Although this album has been a huge accomplishment and commercial success since its release in March, the group’s set list featured many of their old songs like “Thug Waffle” and “222.”

At one point, Darko led a bittersweet chant as a dedication to a few deceased but prominent rappers, such as Capital Steez and Notorious B.I.G. The crowd chanted along, and cheered an earnest appreciation and lighthearted remembrance.

The large screen behind the band was filled with geometric shapes and digital artwork. Bright shades of basically every color imaginable could be seen projected onto the enthusiastic audience, which stood as symbol of the upbeat vibe of the night.

As if the concert needed more hype, the trio even presented a new and unreleased song. In addition, each member did an a capella musical monologue, and Darko successfully crowd-surfed. The latter is proof of the dedication within the fans of Flatbush Zombies (or maybe they just didn’t want to get crushed).

The set came to a close with the group’s most famous song “Palm Trees,” but not before Darko emphasized one last message to the receptive Eugene audience: “Open your fucking mind.” The cheers that followed prompted an encore, and the group returned to the stage for two more songs.

The Flatbush Zombies deliver an astounding performance. They truly embody their music and create an exciting atmosphere for all who are open to it. A Flatbush Zombies concert, put simply, is to be in the presence of talent, passion, and entertainment.