As the 2025-2026 school year comes to an end, the seniors at The Daily Emerald are quickly approaching their final print issues and bylines. As their time on The Emerald comes to a close, they reflect on their time working at the paper and the things they will remember fondly looking back on their college days.

Q: What have you done at The Emerald?

Jasmine Saboorian: Campus News Editor
: I started at The Emerald during the winter term of my sophomore year as a news reporter. The following year, I was a senior news reporter, and now I’m Campus News Editor. It’s been such a great journey –– I’ve loved every step of the way.

Sean Avery: A&C Writer, Film and TV
: I have worked for The Emerald for nearly two years as the film and TV writer. I have written a wide swath of pieces, including film festival coverage, profile stories, music reviews, and more, but I specialize in film and TV news/reviews.

Molly McPherson: Photo Editor
: I have been at The Emerald since my freshman year. First as a photojournalist, and then as Photo Editor for the last two years.

Tristan Hoffman: Editor in Chief
: During my sophomore year, I started at The Emerald opinion desk. I quickly realized my affinity for editing and decided to pursue the role of News Editor. This year, I am the Editor in Chief. I never thought I would be in this role at The Emerald, but I’m so grateful for all of it.

Brady Ruth: Sports Editor
: I started working at The Emerald Sports Desk during my freshman year, covering softball. I knew nothing about it. Since then, I’ve covered lots of different sports and gotten the opportunity to travel all across the country, covering Oregon football as Sports Editor.

Q: What is your favorite piece you’ve worked on at The Emerald?

McPherson: My favorite piece I’ve ever worked on has to be my most recent photo story of the New York Liberty vs. The Toyota Antelopes. I came into college wanting to work for the New York Liberty so getting the chance to cover them was an amazing experience.

Saboorian: I did a profile story when President John Karl Scholz got elected. He wouldn’t speak to me personally, so I talked to a lot of different people about him. The story actually ended up winning a Pensiero Award, which was really rewarding. Getting all of those perspectives on him really helped to round out the story.

Avery: That’s a tough one. My favorite article would have to be my profile piece on Willow Kasner. Although it stretches beyond my beat, it was probably the most fulfilling piece I’ve ever written. Willow is an incredible person and I’m honored to have gotten the chance to share her story with readers.

Hoffman: One of my favorite stories I’ve edited was Ruby Duncan’s School of Music and Dance Investigative story. That story started being researched when I was still the Investigations Editor. The story was wild, and Ruby really had a passion for it, which I loved. It also had an impact on the policies surrounding professors, which I was really glad to be a part of.

Ruth: My favorite has to be the feature that I wrote about the Oregon first baseman. It was fun to tell his story. He’s a guy that’s kind of overshadowed on the team by a lot of star-studded names, so it was cool to be able to write about the season he was having. At the end of the season, he was named for First Team All-Big Ten, which was cool. I was onto him before anyone else was.

Q: What was your favorite part about working at The Emerald? What will you miss?

McPherson: I’ll miss the incredible people who make up the Photo desk. In my four years with The Emerald, I have made the most amazing friends. I can’t wait to see what they all do as they continue to blossom into the world.

Avery: My favorite thing about working at The Emerald is the freedom and support to write about things I’m deeply passionate about. It’s a welcome environment for creatives to really put a unique stamp on the publication.

Saboorian: As an editor, I’ve loved teaching reporters about journalistic-style writing. I’m so passionate about it, so it’s been a great opportunity to pass on those skills to my reporters. I’ll miss the people the most. We’ve gotten to bond both inside and outside the newsroom, which I’ll really miss.

Hoffman: Seeing early-career journalists step up to the plate and overcome challenges has been amazing. Helping them learn and helping them grow has been my favorite part of the Emerald, for sure. I’ll miss being in a student newsroom. Having friends in the newsroom that you can rely on is a special experience I’ve had here.

Ruth: I will miss the opportunities, especially for beat writing. To be able to follow a specific team and know the ins and outs of their season and players is something special. I’ll also miss the opportunities I’ve gotten to travel to cover games. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to cover Oregon’s football season this year; it was unforgettable.

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

McPherson: I plan to work as a designer for an advertising agency post-grad.

Hoffman: This summer, I’ll be doing business reporting for The Oregonian as a Snowden intern. After that, I hope to travel or start my career in the world of journalism.

Saboorian: I actually graduated last term. Right now, I’ve got an internship through the Snowden program at the SOJC. I’ll be at Lookout Eugene-Springfield, and I’m starting next Monday!

Ruth: Post-grad, there aren’t any set plans yet, but I’m throwing my name out there for as many media jobs as I can. I’m not totally set on writing; I think there’s a lot to be done in the world of broadcast media and broadcast journalism. I’m not limiting myself to anything, specifically, but I’m not hard set in my plans yet.

Avery: In the future, I want to travel and write about the world. I want to tell stories about fun and interesting people within and outside of the entertainment industry. The dream is to write for a high-caliber entertainment publication one day, like Variety or Letterboxd — wherever the wind takes me.

Congratulations, seniors!

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Summer is on the horizon. The sun has finally returned here in Eugene and classes are coming to an end. Spring is transitioning into summer and students are filled with anticipation for the freedom ahead — a vibe best captured by a good playlist. With a blend of breezy indie and nostalgic hits, this playlist is perfect for a day down at the river or a grad party in the backyard.

1. “Spring Into Summer” – Lizzy McAlpine

This song from McAlpine –– great for your playlist title track –– explores transitioning between the old and the new. Full of nostalgic warmth and expert lyricism, McAlpine tells a story of love and loss over warm chords and loopy melodies.

2. “Sol Del Sur” – Sun Room

This next track from Sun Room, a SoCal band created during the pandemic, brings in the surf rock needed for a sunny day by the river. With optimistic lyrics yearning for a place where the sun never sets, Sun Room brings levity with echoey vocals and clean guitar riffs.

3. “What I Got” – Sublime

Sublime! Who doesn’t love Sublime on their summer playlist? This track from their self-titled third album is full of excitement and good energy. It’s great for relaxing in a hammock in between classes on campus or strutting to take your last final of the year.

4. “Nova Scotia 500” – Boyscott

Boyscott’s lyrics and melodies in this song evoke a sense of adventure, which is perfect for that building feeling of summer anticipation. The song was written in memory of the band’s trip to Acadia National Park, evident through their lyrics about climbing mountains and swimming in the bay. It’s one of my favorites on the playlist.

5. “Semi-Charmed Life” – Third Eye Blind

This song is a nostalgic, scream-out-loud with your friends hit. From Third Eye Blind’s first studio album, it’s a great song to play on full volume in the car with friends. Lead singer Stephan Jenkins rattles off the lyrics in a rhythmic way that will bring up the energy at any late-term function.

6. “Float On” – Modest Mouse

“Float On” is a great pick for quelling that nervous feeling of wondering what comes next. Modest Mouse reminds listeners that no matter what, everything will be A-okay. Whether you’ve backed into a cop car or lost your job, the point of the song is that life floats on. For graduating seniors, this is an obvious pick.

7. “Ventura Highway” – America, George Martin

What’s better than America’s “Ventura Highway” blasting from the speakers as you fly down the highway with friends heading to Lake Dexter or Willamette National Forest? With longer days and nights stronger than moonshine (if you’re of age, of course), June is the perfect month to listen to this folky classic.

8. “Better Together” – Jack Johnson

And, to round it all off, Jack Johnson. Mr. Curious George himself brings sweet, nostalgic vibes through his lyrics about boxes of photographs and postcards. The song reminds listeners that life can be scary, but having your favorite people by your side makes it easy. His blissful riffs and melodic chords bring a sense of happiness that’s great to end off this spring-into-summer playlist.

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Another local band is making waves in the Eugene alternative/indie scene: Moonbear. With a creative sound and talented musicians on board, Moonbear is certainly a growing band to look out for.

With Sebastian Brown on bass, George Lerczak on guitar, Cameron Roche on drums and Lauden Jones on guitar and vocals, Moonbear leans more towards alternative rock mixed with shoegaze indie. The band lights up venues all over Oregon, from revered house show spots to bars like Fathoms on the weekends.

The band was started in March 2022 by Brown and Jones. They decided to start a band together after meeting in a music theory class at Lane Community College. Later, Jones met George Lerczak in an audio engineering class and asked him to join Moonbear.

“I thought he was way too good to be in our band,” Brown said. “We got him, and we’re not gonna let him go.”

Each of the band members have been passionate about music for the majority of their lives, citing middle school bands or instruments gifted from their parents as the beginning of it all.

The quirky band name, Moonbear, is courtesy of a misheard lyric from “Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus” by The Strokes. The lyric says, “Dancing on a moonbeam,” which one of the band members misheard as “Dancing on a moonbear.” To this day, the member who misheard the lyric is still debated frequently among the band.

Their favorite shows they’ve played have been Monster House’s final show, the WOW Hall Halloween show and a festival in rural Oregon where they got to play on the wing of a plane. For the Halloween show, they all dressed up as witches as they performed.

Releasing two EPs and two singles over the course of 2024, the band is working hard to release new, original music for their fans, with over 2000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Each member implements their musical influences into the songwriting process, citing Interpol, The Strokes and The Beatles as their biggest influences. Their biggest songs on Spotify include “Medusa,” “Baby’s First Television Set” and “Dogfight.”

When asked to describe what their songs are about, Brown said, “They’re a great balance between really depressing lyricism and groovy sounds.” Jones added, “I just want them to be really honest. The lyrics are honest thoughts and feelings about the world around me.”

In the future, the band is hoping to continue releasing music and to go beyond the bounds of Oregon, possibly playing shows all down the West Coast. They want to get the message out that they are extremely grateful for all of the people who support them, and they are excited for what’s to come.

To hear more from Moonbear, you can check them out on Spotify @Moonbear and follow them on Instagram @moonbear.band for show dates and release updates.

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On the last weekend of April, The Non-Stop Players performed their opening weekend show of “Guys and Dolls” at the Actor’s Cabaret and Annex in downtown Eugene. Directed by Karen K. Olsen and put on by The Non-Stop Players, the show is well worth buying a ticket for.

“Guys and Dolls” tells the story of two romantic struggles: the first between a showgirl, Miss Adelaide, and a craps game manager, Nathan Detroit. Detroit runs from married life throughout the show, to the dismay of Miss Adelaide. The second is between traveling gambler, Sky Masterson, and local mission worker, Sarah Brown. Masterson enters a bet with Detroit that he can get the lovely Miss Brown to accompany him to Havana, Cuba.

The show is full of ups and downs, as the characters balance love and their own ambitions in 1950s New York City. With enthusiastic dance numbers and charming leads, the show is a hard one to pull off. Although they had a few rough moments –– particularly with the ensemble crew –– The Non-Stop Players still performed the show well.

The quaint dinner theatre venue provided a great setting for the classic romantic comedy musical. Viewers could enjoy dinner before the show, followed by dessert and drinks as the actors performed the show on stage.

The intimate setting was lovely, making visitors feel like they were part of the show as they watched actors on stage perform. For Eugene locals looking for a great place to spend a weekend evening, I would suggest trying out the Actor’s Cabaret. It’s a lovely venue with kind staff and good service. Who doesn’t love dinner with a show?

Despite the lack of onstage chemistry between Brown (Hannah Rudkin) and Masterson (Spencer Williams), their performances together were sweet and full of laughs.

A highlight for the two actors was Rudkin’s drunken rendition of “If I Were A Bell.” Williams chased her character around the stage, keeping her from toppling over into the audience. Rudkin’s angel-esque voice echoed through the theater, bringing Sarah Brown to life on stage.

The true highlight of the show was the other lovable bickering couple: Jillian Vogel as Miss Adelaide and Hayden Shoop as Nathan Detroit. They pulled off the heated, love-filled arguments well and had impeccable comedic timing during their time on stage together. Shoop and Vogel’s respective performances were both right on the money, bringing “Guys and Dolls” to life beyond a reasonable doubt.

Vogel as Miss Adelaide enamored the crowd as she whined, cried, giggled and sneezed her way across the stage. A personal favorite of mine was “Adelaide’s Lament” during the first act, as she waited for her fiancée to finally commit to marriage. Her vocal creativity and range as Miss Adelaide truly shone. She was a delight to see.

Nicely-Nicely Johnson (Garett Poncho) and Benny Southstreet (Reece Miller-Reynolds) were also a charming pair on stage, delivering fun musical numbers and quick banter as they prepared for the craps game ahead. Although there were some stumbles from the ensemble crew, these leads brought “Guys and Dolls” to life, embodying their characters with grace and accuracy.

My personal favorite part of the show was the work done behind the scenes. The sets were creatively done, cleverly morphing the stage at the Actors Cabaret into different parts of old New York City. The costumes were show-stopping, embodying the characters and the time period perfectly. The choreography made great use of the space and showed immense creativity. My sincerest applause goes to the crew; their work shone brightly on stage Saturday, April 26.

Overall, I would recommend seeing the show. Shortcomings can be overcome, and the show is well worth it for the laughs and lovable energy the cast brought to the stage.

“Guys and Dolls” will be onstage May 2-4, and May 9-11 at the Actors Cabaret and Annex of Eugene. For tickets and more information, visit their website.

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It’s officially the end of an era. Beloved house show venue Monster House will be closing its doors following one last hurrah. The final show will be held on Monster House’s two-year anniversary, making for a bittersweet night to remember.

Titled “The Farewell,” this special show will go from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. with multiple bands rocking the house for the very last time. The lineup is as follows: Cosplay Jesus, Titans of Industry and Moonbear will play first, followed by Mothra, GrrlBand, 12 Gauge Trixie and, finally, Bowl Peace to close out the evening.

The show will also have a few stands for people in the crowd to visit, similar to a music festival. There will be a face and body painting stand as well as jewelry and clothing vendors.

The residents of Monster House, Jett Hulen, Kameron English and Logan Taylor, are excited for the show but sad to be closing out such a memorable time in their lives. According to them, running the house show spot has been amazing, and with their final show approaching quickly, it feels bittersweet.

Hulen, English and Taylor threw their first house show on May 25, 2023. According to Hulen, they began throwing house shows because the members of Bowl Peace, a local band, saw their backyard and suggested they start hosting shows there. Since then, it has been a whirlwind of weekend shows, with hundreds of people returning time and time again for electric performances and a welcoming vibe.

They decided to call the spot Monster House because of its uncanny resemblance to the ghostly house from the iconic Halloween movie “Monster House.” The name quickly stuck as word spread around campus about a new spot to see local bands perform.

Since then, Monster House has held many shows; however, some more special than others. For one of their shows, Bowl Peace performed original songs and covers atop the roof of their van. Another arguably fitting show for the spot was on Halloween, when people showed up in costume, and bands covered a variety of spooky classics.

“My favorite show was the most recent back-to-school one. A ton of people showed up because everyone was excited to be back in Eugene,” Hulen said. “We got up on the roof of the shed out here and just saw all the people that were here, like a sea of people. That was crazy.”

Hulen, English and Taylor emphasized how great the house show community has been to host, especially as their spot has gained notoriety. As time has gone on, people have learned to respect the rules and perpetuate a positive environment while still having a fun time.

English’s favorite parts of the shows are the mosh pits and crowd surfing. “It gets crazy out there, but that’s what we love about it,” he said. English also said that he will miss the energy and love the visitors have for Monster House.

That energy will surely be present at the farewell show coming up this weekend. Hulen and Taylor have friends and family coming into Eugene to celebrate the occasion and to say goodbye to the beloved spot.

Admission to the show is $7. Doors open at 4:45 p.m. For students hoping to celebrate and say goodbye to this classic house show spot, this farewell show is the perfect way to do it.

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Looking for a fresh read, an expensive old textbook or collage materials? This discount book sale might be the place for you. Lane County Fairgrounds is hosting The Friends of the Eugene Public Library’s annual giant book sale this weekend, with free admission. The book sale started in 1979 and has remained a classic Eugene tradition ever since.

The event will be held at Lane County Fairgrounds at the Lane Events Center Performance Hall Saturday and Sunday, April 12 and 13. On Saturday, the sale will go from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The last day of the sale will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own bag or box to haul all their treasured finds away.

At this beloved annual event, students and community members can buy books or other types of media for just $1 to $2. Thousands of books, from classic novels to cookbooks, will be sold at a discounted price, as well as CDs, DVDs, novelty items and audiobooks. The sale will also feature special collections, which will include unique books for a slightly higher price.

The sale will feature a vast variety of book genres. Students looking for a specific book for a literature class or an older textbook might just stumble upon it at the book sale. 

The sale will also have large stacks of magazines, perfect for collage or other art projects. Last year, the sale included a large collection of Life Magazines from the ‘50s to the ‘70s for just $1 apiece. This could be a gold mine event for art-loving students looking for materials.

As prices rise across the country, events like these are important for the local community. Benefitting both the charity organization and the customers, the sale aims to provide books of any kind to the people of Eugene for a low price.

Linda Ague, Friends of the Eugene Public Library president, said events like these that help support local libraries and encourage reading are more important than ever.

“Libraries aren’t just important for the resources that they are. It says something about a city. It shows how much we care about everybody and how much we want them to be able to participate in a bigger life than what might be available to them,” Ague said. “For children, that is vital. Not everybody is able to afford books. Libraries foster imagination and provide a space where everyone is welcome.”

Friends of the Eugene Public Library has been collecting book donations for the past year to prepare for the charity event. Over 400 volunteers helped gather, sort and transport the donated books. 

The nonprofit organization works to support the library by raising money for programs and projects like the Summer Reading Program and the Imagination Library. These programs help provide free books for the children and teens of Eugene. They also help fund a variety of other programs at the Eugene Public Library.

Ague was a middle school librarian for many years and is a major advocate for supporting young readers through these public resources. She spent many years watching the impact that books have on young children, throughout their developmental years. 

“When the kids would ask what the book was about, I would say that it is a conversation between you and the author,” Ague said. “They’re going to tell you a story, and you’re going to bring your story to it. It will be a different story for every kid that reads that book.”

The sale will have books available to all ages, from local children to older members of the community. With large tables bursting with books of every kind, this event is not one to miss. Offering admission and a large collection of books to peruse, the giant charity book sale is a welcome reminder of how the people of Eugene continue to support important public resources like the Downtown Library.

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Modern art can be anything these days, but can it be AI-created? University of Oregon sophomore Chad Bertman thinks so.

As students settle into the spring term and the weather gets warmer in Eugene, the Erb Memorial Union opens a new gallery, entitled “From My Fingertips.” The gallery will showcase art prompted by Bertman and artificially generated by ChatGPT. The open-source AI model just released its newest update, allowing users to generate artful images in any style based on a few descriptive words.

Bertman, a sophomore studying economics, found this update exciting and immediately started generating anything he and his friends found funny or interesting, like morphed pictures of Vice President JD Vance.

A recent online trend has emerged, where people take popular photos of celebrities or album covers and convert them into a Studio Ghibli style art piece, which inspired Bertman heavily.

However, Bertman believed he could take this idea further and get more creative with it. He had always wanted to do something worthwhile on campus, so he reached out to the EMU staff to create a gallery for his generated images. Bertman operates under the notion that anything can be modern art, so why can’t AI? “Work smarter, not harder” is his mantra.

Despite the online uproar over AI generation stealing artists’ work and harming the environment, Bertman sees AI as a way to take advantage of the art world for his own benefit.

“Hey man, these other artists spend ten hours painting while I’m playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and drinking with my buddies,” Bertman said. “It’s instant art. Who’s really winning here?”

One of the generated art pieces in the gallery is of former UO quarterback Bo Nix generated in the Rick and Morty art style. Bertman decided to include this image at the forefront of the gallery because it was his and his friends’ favorite.

Another image features football head coach Dan Lanning generated as Lieutenant Dan from the movie Forrest Gump. Bertman and his friends are big football fans, so this piece was fitting as well.

The EMU staff was concerned that most of the images Bertman submitted were comedic, so he also submitted a few serious ones. One depicts trees in a watercolor style and another has a Van Gogh-inspired depiction of The Duck.

Bertman has received intense backlash from students on campus who claim that AI art steals from creators, is soulless and harms the environment with its excessive water usage, effectively contributing to climate concerns.

When asked how he responds to these controversies, Bertman laughed and said, “The future is now. Why waste time and money on art supplies when I can just type a prompt into my phone and get something just as good out of it?”

Considering the climate change argument, Bertman does not believe in it, so it is not a concern for him.

The gallery, “From My Fingertips,” will open on April 1 in the Rosewood Gallery of the EMU. For more information, consult the EMU events calendar.

Writer’s note: This is a fictional story. I do not condone the use of AI-generated art. The use of AI-generated art in this article was to make a point of how stupid and pointless it is. Support your local artists — people like imaginary student Chad Bertman are the worst.

Disclaimer: All quotes and facts in this article are completely satirical and fake, in light of April Fools Day.

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Looking for fresh Mediterranean food that’s locally sourced? Atlas might be your new lunch spot. Nestled between The Duck Store and The Webfoot, Atlas is a build-your-own bowl Mediterranean restaurant. The restaurant opened a month ago, and the team at Atlas aims to provide the campus community with fresh, healthy bowls and wraps, with endless routes for customization.

With modern decor and a fresh feel, Atlas is a bright and welcome addition to the short list of dining options available near campus. Dave’s Hot Chicken and Jersey Mike’s are student staples, but some may be looking for a healthier option after a stressful midterm or before a night out.

One of the most appealing things about Atlas is its commitment to fresh and local ingredients. Their pita breads are made in-house — pressed and baked right behind the counter, coming out fresh for customers. They also make all of their dressings and hummuses in-house, with interesting options like red-pepper walnut hummus and yam vinaigrette.

The owner of Atlas, Gabe Garboden, has committed to sourcing ingredients locally and making them as fresh as possible for customers. Without a freezer on-site, Atlas serves fresh ingredients only, making their menu stand out amongst other local restaurants.

“We wanted to make a really fresh, locally-focused menu,” Garboden said. “We work with as many local vendors as we can. It’s tough with seasonality and our menu, but when things are in season, we try to keep our ingredients local as possible. Our tomatoes, for example, are one of our highest local items.”

The menu features a variety of choices. Start with a pita or bowl, choosing between greens, grains or both as a base. Then, pick between four protein options: grilled chicken, harissa steak, sweet and spicy chicken or falafel.

Next, hit the veggies. At Atlas, you can add as many veggies as you want, free of extra charge. They offer a large variety of Mediterranean vegetable options, including corn, fresh cucumber, colorful tomatoes and even artichoke. Finally, choose from a variety of dressings to finish off the bowl or pita wrap.

Atlas also features a few bowl and pita recipes on their menu, pairing specific ingredients together for a certain taste. Garboden recommended Atlas’s new Falafel Harvest Bowl. With falafel, mixed greens, brown rice, red-pepper walnut hummus, red onion, corn, pepperoncini, goat cheese, yam vinaigrette and cilantro, the bowl and pita recipes are full of flavor and variety.

When asked why he chose Mediterranean cuisine for his restaurant, Garboden said, “I think it’s a cuisine that a lot of people don’t have a lot of experience with. It’s also an area that hasn’t seen this kind of restaurant. We’re hoping to change that.”

Prices are reasonable for a student demographic, running between $12-15 a meal. For the liberal portions and fresh ingredients, stopping by Atlas is well worth it. Students who are looking for fresh, healthy food need look no further than right at the top of campus on East 13th Avenue at Atlas.

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On the bottom floor of the Erb Memorial Union, sandwiched between study areas, lives a place chock full of creativity, passionate artists and free resources. Carrying the tagline “Immerse, Innovate, Inspire,” the Craft Center aims to provide students and community members with resources to create whatever they please, using a wide variety of mediums.

This January, the Craft Center released a new month-long exhibition on the third floor of the EMU. Entitled “Process and Projects,” the exhibition aimed to share artist’s creative processes along with their finished pieces. From glassblowing to embroidered mixed media pieces, the exhibition showcased many of the different mediums available at the craft center. The pieces were created by passionate staff members and student workers, showcasing emotional events and themes through artistic means.

Within the center, there are multiple studios for different mediums, including darkroom photography, woodworking, glassworking, paper arts, printmaking, fiber arts, jewelry and metalsmithing, painting and drawing and ceramics.

“It is a place to belong,” Jennifer Salzman, director of the craft center, said. “You don’t have to be good at anything in particular or defined by a major. You don’t have to be part of a team. You can simply come and be yourself and find where you want to be.”

Salzman created a piece for the exhibition herself, entitled “Peggy’s Life.” The embroidery and photography mixed media piece weaves common threads of the life of her recently deceased mother, Peggy, and her own. “Peggy’s Life” incorporates an embroidered poem and printed photography. Salzman created the piece to celebrate the life of her mother and to illustrate the connection they continue to have in their hearts.

“I don’t really look at it as a piece about grieving,” Salzman said. “I look at it as a piece about remembrance and love and continuing that connection even though she’s gone.”

Noelle Pflanz, administrative programming assistant in the craft center, created a similarly themed piece for the exhibition. Pflanz put together a large embroidery piece inspired by barn quilts. Barn quilts are large quilts that are customized to showcase a family’s history and displayed on the side of a barn. Pflanz grew up in upstate New York, where barn quilts were a prevalent part of the landscape and an important symbol during her childhood.

Pflanz’s piece is all about family and natural landscapes. She started the piece right after her stepfather was diagnosed with brain cancer and worked on the piece for six months, finishing it the day after he passed away.

“When we came up with the idea for ‘Process and Projects,’ it really hit home for me because, throughout the process of making this piece, I was really processing what it means to be at home and to be with family,” Pflanz said. “It was a really important piece.”

The two family-inspired pieces by Salzman and Pflanz illustrate the craft center’s importance as a place of emotional expression, personal process and creation of meaningful products.

“Process and Projects” featured a variety of other pieces with differing ideas and mediums. A glass blown abstract lamp entitled “Fire Box” by Samuel Decker, pro-staff member, stood out among the pieces featured. A colorful acrylic painting of a young woman sitting beneath the moon also caught eyes among the collection. Painted by Emerald Sky, a student staff member, the piece is entitled “A Love Letter to the Moon.”

The exhibition also included photos highlighting technical processes within the craft center, hence the name. Close-up photos of welding, embroidery, glass blowing and ceramics littered the walls in between the various art pieces.

The exhibition was intended to inspire students and community members to explore art in any way possible, whether through emotional expression or by trying out a skills workshop. Students of any major can visit the craft center during open hours and see what it has to offer.

The EMU is a hive for students on campus, filled with restaurants, places to study and a plethora of resources, free for students. Many students may not know that the EMU also has a very packed upcoming events calendar, put together by the Student Activities Board.

The Student Activities Board, or SAB for short, is a student-led organization that puts together fun events on campus. Many of these events, held in the EMU, provide an opportunity for students to get in touch with the campus community free of charge.

SAB has just released their winter events calendar on their instagram (@uo.sab) — organized aesthetically with class withdrawal deadlines, registration reminders and all of their upcoming events. Some are weekly, some are one-time events, but all hold the common theme of ducks coming together as a community on campus.

Bingo in the EMU: Mondays, 6:00 to 7:30 PM, EMU O Desk

Bingo in the EMU is a great way to spice up an otherwise Manic Monday. Join the SAB team at the O desk for weekly bingo with prizes for the winners.

Tuesday Treats: Tuesdays, 11:00 AM, EMU Steps

Stop by the EMU steps on Tuesdays for a quick sweet treat on your way to class or the library. Limited gluten-free and vegan snacks are also available for students.

Trivia Nights: Wednesdays, 6:00 to 7:30 PM, EMU O Desk

Held weekly, SAB trivia nights are another great way to spend a Wednesday night, especially for competitive, Jeopardy-loving ducks. Get a team together for a chance to win Duck Bucks. These trivia nights aren’t repetitive; each week is a different theme. Check out @uo.sab on Instagram for more information on themes and rounds.

SAB’s Tea Party: Thursdays, 1:00 PM, EMU O Desk

As advertised on a SAB flyer on Instagram, students can, “Stay warm this winter and join us for a cup!” The tea party is a great stop in between classes. Grab a cup of warm tea and enjoy the coziness as you finish out your weekly work.

Sound Lounge: Open Mic Nights: January 16, February 27, 7:30 to 10:30 PM, EMU Redwood Auditorium

Looking for a way to share your talents? Look no further than SAB’s open mic nights! Students can get up on stage and let their light shine through performance. For shyer students, join the audience for the free snacks, drinks and performances by your fellow ducks.

Ducks After Dark Movie Nights: 8:00 PM Doors, 8:30 PM Movie, EMU Redwood Auditorium

If students are looking to see some new releases without hitting the theaters, Ducks After Dark is a great option. SAB has put together five movie picks for Winter Term, held biweekly.

How to Train Your Dragon: Week 1, January 9
The Substance: Week 3, January 23
Gladiator II: Week 5, February 6
Wicked (with a sing-along and photobooth): Week 7, February 20
My Neighbor Totoro (with a raffle and trivia): Week 9, March 6