Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article said 0.4% of the student body participated in the special election and has been updated correctly to 0.004%.

On Jan. 24, the Associated Students of the University of Oregon certified and confirmed the results of the 2025 winter special election. 

Just 97 students voted, roughly 0.004% of the student body, in an election that lasted from Jan. 22 to Jan. 24, according to the ASUO certified and confirmed election results.

Students voted “yes” on both proposed ballot questions, approving the election reform package and changing academic committee bylaws.

Ninety-one point seven five percent of voters were in favor of ballot question one, which is an amendment to the ASUO Constitution that “refines election timing, streamlines processes and introduces ranked choice voting,” according to the election results. 

Now, regular ASUO elections will take place the second week of spring term with the election lasting from April 7 at 9 a.m. to April 11 at noon.

According to ASUO Elections Commissioner John Watson, the adoption of ranked-choice voting and randomizing ballots will make elections more fair and eliminate the possibility of runoff elections.

“In future elections, we’ll have ranked-choice voting, so you’ll be able to rank the candidates, and that’ll eliminate the need for runoff elections… The candidates being (in) randomized orders on the ballot (will) prevent any sort of bias from someone being higher up or lower down on the ballot,” Watson said.

A runoff election is a secondary election held when a first election does not result in a candidate receiving the majority needed to win.

According to the election results, the ASUO President-elect will now appoint the Election Board Chair immediately after their election, and the chair may appoint an optional non-voting member to oversee election advertising. 

The passing of question one also allows for student organizations to invite candidates to specific I-Fee-funded events.

I-Fees, or Incidental Fees, are fees that all students are required to pay through tuition.

“Let’s say you have a club meeting. If no I-Fee funds are spent at that meeting, then you can invite a candidate there easily, but if you spend I-Fee funds on that meeting, then you need to invite all the candidates to the meeting. If it’s an I-Fee funded event, all candidates have to be there,” Watson said. 

Eighty-eight point five percent of voters voted “yes” on ballot question two, which renames academic senate seats and combines Senate Seat 24 with Senate Seat 21, according to the election results. 

Currently, seats on the academic side of the Senate are called “Academic Senators.” Now, those senate seats will be renamed according to the constituents they represent. 

According to the election results page, titles will include “Arts and Science undergraduate,” “Design Music and Dance undergraduate” and “Business undergraduate,” among others. 

Senate Seat 24, a first-year representative, will be removed, and the responsibilities of that seat will be modified and transferred to Senate Seat 21.

Senate Seat 21 is an academic senator that “serves as a liaison between the student senate and the academic constituencies they represent,” according to the ASUO Structure and Position Guide.

According to Watson, ASUO is hoping to improve voter turnout for coming elections and hopes both ballot measures for this year’s special election will make spring and future elections more efficient.

The post Results of ASUO’s winter special election appeared first on Daily Emerald.

Today, the Daily Emerald launched Waddle, a duck-themed version of the popular The New York Times puzzle, Wordle.

The Waddle was created by Daily Emerald Puzzles Editor Nate Wong and Web Designer Alex Herbaugh.  

“We were looking for an easy, but still kind of challenging word game to bring to the website. We looked at The New York Times Wordle, how successful that is, and wanted to bring that level of thought to the Daily Emerald,” Wong said.

Daily Emerald Publisher Eric Henry, who initially proposed the idea of the Waddle, explained that several college newspapers are creating daily puzzles and that he was inspired by the University of Illinois newspaper’s version of the Wordle, the Illordle.

Henry said that the Illordle is the Daily Illini’s most returned-to page and wanted to recreate that at the Emerald.

The New York Times Wordle was created during the COVID-19 pandemic by University of Oregon alumnus Josh Wardle, who graduated in 2011 with a Master of Fine Arts in digital arts. The name of the puzzle, which he created for his partner, is a play on his last name. 

In an interview with The New York Times, Wardle talked about the convenience and ease of the daily puzzle. 

“It’s something that encourages you to spend three minutes a day, and that’s it. It doesn’t want any more of your time than that,” Wardle said in the interview.

Staff at the Emerald are hopeful the Waddle can recreate the same buzz on campus. 

“I think the Waddle is going to be so much fun (to have) in our daily routines,” Henry said. “Nate and the Emerald staff have created something really fun.” 

The New York Times purchased the Wordle in January 2022, according to a UO article. Wong thought it was “pretty cool” that Wardle was a UO alumnus. 

In order to perfect the Waddle, Wong and Herbaugh ran several tests and gathered feedback from students.

“I’ve been working on the code pretty much on and off for the last two months or so. We’re finishing up a lot of the bugs and (getting) a lot of feedback from the students who (were) testing it,” Wong said. 

Wong and Herbaugh also worked on an accessible version of the puzzle, which launched at the same time as the Waddle.

“(We’ve) been working on a color-blind mode. For people who can’t see colors like green and yellow, it’ll be helpful,” Wong said. 

The Waddle word of the day connects back to an article published by the Emerald that week with the hopes of having viewers click on the articles after completing the game.

According to Henry, the Waddle is being promoted on the Emerald website, socials and around campus to readers of the Daily Emerald site.

According to both Wong and Henry, the Waddle is the first puzzle launched by the Emerald but hopefully not the last, with plans to create a crossword in the future.

The post Daily Emerald launches Waddle appeared first on Daily Emerald.

As mediation continues between United Academics of University of Oregon and UO administration, the possibility of a strike has some faculty preparing students should a new contract not be struck.

The Daily Emerald has provided some answers for what a potential strike would mean for students.

What are UA and UO Administration in mediation for?

According to Chris Sinclair, associate professor of mathematics and UA secretary, there are two major “sticking points” in the negotiations for the contract that faculty work under.

“Time and money. Right now, the sticking point in money is that the University of Oregon administration is proposing real wage cuts for faculty and by real wage cuts we mean when adjusted for inflation, we will be making less money than we were before,” Sinclair said.

The other “sticking point,” according to Sinclair, was the time for instructors to engage with professional development and research.

“Currently, most instructors, or many instructors, have to teach nine courses a year. It doesn’t leave time to keep up with the field, keep up with how pedagogy is changing,” Sinclair said.

Should UA go on strike, when would it begin?

There are several steps in the state-mandated timeline of the bargaining process that have to happen before the union votes, according to Sinclair. There must be a 15-day mediation period, which UA and UO are currently in, and a 30-day cool down period before a strike could happen.

“My best guess would be that the earliest that we could (strike) would be finals week of winter (term). I think the earliest that we would, I guess would be the beginning of spring term,” Sinclair said.

According to Sinclair, striking is the last resort, something that both UA and UO administration are looking to avoid.

“We want to reach an agreement, we’re not aiming for a fight. If we’re striking, it’s because we have to (but) we want to avoid that,” Sinclair said.

How long could the strike last?

A strike would last until an agreement is reached by the two bargaining teams and the agreement is ratified. According to Sinclair, “If the membership has trust in the bargaining teams, then the agreement of the bargaining teams would signal the end of the strike.”

What are faculty doing to prepare students for a potential strike?

Faculty are working to be transparent with students about what is happening. 

Several faculty members have included notices in their syllabi about possible labor action and signs have been hung around campus advertising the new UA website, which details what UA is bargaining for.

“At this point, we’re trying not to scare anybody but we want our students to know that this could happen,” Sinclair said. “It’s just like any other disruption on campus, the more time you have to prepare, the easier it is for you to navigate that disruption.”

How would students’ classes be impacted if the union votes to strike?

“If there’s a strike, once a strike is called, the instructors teaching classes will not teach those classes. Your instructor will not be in the classroom, they will not be replying to emails, all work that they do for the university should cease,” Sinclair said.

What is a “scab?”

A scab is a person hired to take the role of a striking faculty or union member. 

“It is conceivable that the university will try to hire replacement faculty, scabs, but keep in mind that if they do, people they hire will not have the same credentials as your instructors. That will still be a loss in value for your tuition dollars that you’re paying if that happens,” Sinclair said.

Are all faculty members expected to walk out?

“I would expect that if we voted for the strike, that we would get very strong participation from the membership,” Sinclair said

UA covers tenure track faculty, career instructors, part-time and temporary instructors, postdocs, librarians and researchers. According to Sinclair, there are some faculty who are not covered by the union due to legal reasons, such as law professors.  

While he was unable to speak for everyone, Sinclair expects a “vast majority” of union members to participate in a strike, should it come to it.

“We’re fighting for the long-term future of the University of Oregon, and (we’ll do) a short strike if that’s what it takes to get more money into the educational mission,” Sinclair said.

Will classes led by Graduate Educators and graduate students continue?

“I hesitate to speak for GTFF (Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation), (but) I do know that we get a lot of solidarity from the GTFF too. I expect in many units there are going to be many GEs that are not going to ‘cross the picket line,’” Sinclair said.

Sinclair said he hopes students understand why faculty could strike and he encouraged students to read more about what the union is bargaining for and hopes that UA has the support of students.

“We hope that we have the support of the students (and) that they understand that what we’re fighting for is their own educational experience and our needs too,” Sinclair said.

The Associated Students of the University of Oregon is holding an off-cycle special election for the 2025 winter term from Jan. 22 to Jan. 24, giving students the opportunity to vote on “urgent ballot proposals, referendums and amendments to the ASUO constitution,” according to a post on its Instagram.

Voters will not be voting on candidates during the special election. All ASUO members are also eligible to vote online and results will be posted on Jan. 24 at 5 p.m. 

There are two ballot measures that students can vote on during this special election: the first is concerning ASUO elections and the second is about academic committee bylaws.

Ballot Question One: ASUO Election Reform Package

Ballot measure one is aimed at making ASUO elections more efficient. This measure would include setting up a consistent election timeline and updating how the ASUO Election Board works. 

The ASUO Election Board is responsible for “the administration of ASUO’s annual campus-wide election event, including the specific responsibilities of publishing and enforcing rules, establishing the timeline and deadlines and certifying election results,” according to its website. 

According to the ASUO voter guide, changes to the Board would include:

• Adding a non-voting Election Advertising Member
• Letting student organizations host candidates
• Requiring in-person voting options
• Randomizing the order of candidates on the ballot
• Allowing candidates to show campaign affiliations on the ballot
• Ensuring Election Board Members stay neutral

Ballot measure one includes ranked choice voting for executive and senate races. In the new system, if no candidate received more than 50% of votes – the amount needed to win – the votes for the lowest-ranked candidate will be distributed amongst candidates based on voter preference until a winner is reached.  

The measure also includes updates to campaign guidelines, which would allow student organizations to “invite candidates to events with specific rules for I-Fee-funded events,” according to the ASUO voter guide. 

According to the voter guide, should the measure pass, ASUO-recognized student organizations may “extend offers to candidates or campaigns to campaign at events where I-fee funds have not been spent for the event; (or) extend offers to all candidates and campaigns to campaign at events where I-fee funds have been spent.”

I-Fees, according to the ASUO Student Government Engagement and Success website, are fees that all students pay through tuition.

Ballot Question Two: Academic Committee Bylaws

The second measure is a proposed amendment to the ASUO constitution that “updates the structure of the ASUO Student Senate seats and codifies bylaws for the Senate Academic Committee,” according to the voter guide. 

The guide states that the revisions involve replacing and renaming academic and constituency-based senate seats, such as changing “Academic Senator” to “Arts and Science Undergraduate,” “Design, Music and Dance Undergraduate” among others.  

Ballot measure two also includes the removal of Senate Seat 24.

Senate Seat 24 is a first-year senator whose responsibilities include serving as a liaison between the student senate and first-year university students. The first ballot measure would include removing this senate seat and merging its responsibilities with Senate Seat 21.

Senate Seat 21 is an academic senator whose responsibilities include serving as a liaison between the student senate and the academic constituencies they represent. 

The ballot measure also includes modifying the Senate Seat 21 title to include first-year and exploring majors. 

The election runs from Jan. 22 to Jan. 24 with results posted Friday, Jan. 24 on the election website. Students can vote online.

Following the University of Oregon Duck’s 21 to 41 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, students on campus reflect on the historic football season that started in August and ended in the new year.

Freshman Ellie Pappas enjoyed her first football season as a duck. 

“I thought it was fun. It was really nice to have a winning season for the first time I’m in college. I thought the Rose Bowl sucked though,” Pappas said.

Pappas said she attended all but one home game and bought the Ducks Sports Pass for tickets to all sporting events. Although the student section was fun, she said it was frustrating when people snuck in without a ticket. 

“I wish people would stop sneaking in (when) you spend hours trying to claim seats. For the Ohio State game, I had to go to the bathroom and I ended up waiting for 30 minutes to get back to the seats that I had, which was preposterous,” Pappas said.

Senior Brandon Fisher said he was happy with how the regular season went.

“Obviously it was a really, really good season. It’s unfortunate the way it ended. I was at the Rose Bowl, so it’s unfortunate with the new format, we got unlucky, but otherwise I think it was a good season,” Fisher said.  

Fisher, who said he drove five hours to the Rose Bowl, described the atmosphere of the stadium. 

“It was (a) cool pre-game, but obviously with the game, people were kind of shell-shocked. It was a cool place,” Fisher said. 

Freshman Morgan Steel said that despite the loss to Ohio State, she’s trying to look on the bright side with the Big Ten Championship win.

Steel, who attended all but one home football game, said she enjoyed the student section but felt bad for people who were unable to get tickets to games. 

“I really liked the (Ducks Sports Pass) but I did feel bad for students who didn’t get it and they have to pay a lot of money because people with the pass would sell them for a lot of money,” Steel said.

Responses to a Daily Emerald poll on Instagram showed frustration with the student section and the layout of the Ducks Sports Pass.  

“Overcrowding was sad as I felt unsafe at times as people threatened to rush the field,” one user responded. 

One poll with 120 responses showed that 75% of respondents attended a football game this year and of those respondents, 22% attended an away game. 

Junior Natalia Baezea said she didn’t travel to any away games but might consider traveling in the future for a rivalry game. 

“I would want to go to the (University of) Washington (game) or like (Oregon State University),” Baeza said.

For the University of Oregon Police Department’s Explosive Detection Canine Handler Anthony Button, every day is bring your dog to work day.

Thor, a four-year-old silver Labrador retriever, arrived at the University of Oregon in 2022, fully trained to detect explosive devices.

“I got Thor when he was a little under two years old, and we got him fully trained,” Button said. “I went to a training facility in Washington that had four fully trained dogs at the time. I got to play with all of them for a couple of weeks, learning how to use the dogs, and then I got to pick the one I liked the best.” 

Thor and Button typically work 12-hour shifts, arriving on campus at 7 a.m., where, according to Button, the pair train, go on walks and do “normal dog stuff.”

“I’ll try to do at least an hour to two hours of training every day. That’s basically like playing a game of hide and seek where I’ll go into buildings and hide his training aids somewhere in the building like an enclosed drawer or a cabinet,” Button said. “Then [I] just walk him around the building, and it’s up to him to find his training aids.”

Once he finds the aids, Button said, Thor is rewarded with a toy or a game of fetch. When he’s not training or playing, he takes naps in the office under the supervision of other officers while his handler is out on call. 

According to Button, during bigger events, like football games, the routine changes. 

“Our primary responsibility is to do a pre-game sweep,” Button said. “For football games, we get there four hours before kick-off. Because Autzen [Stadium] is so big, it’s always Thor and one of his co-workers.”

For large events, a second bomb dog will come in from either Portland or Salem to assist, Button said.

“We always try to have two dogs at football games, and we try to sniff and search as much of the stadium as we can before kickoff and then we’re available to respond to anything that might be called in, [such] as a suspicious or unattended backpack,” Button said.

Football, Button said, is mandatory for the pair, but they try to attend as many UO sporting events as they can, including soccer, basketball, tennis, lacrosse and softball, both when they’re on and off duty.  

One of the biggest challenges with Thor, according to Button, is keeping him away from the concession stand at games. 

“Working athletic events where there’s popcorn and nacho cheese on the ground, he’s still a dog, so he tries to eat everything that he can.”

The pair have been called out a couple of times for a bomb threat.

“It was last year or the year before, South Eugene High School had a bunch of bomb threats that were called in, so we responded there to go sweep the school,” Button said. “We’ve had to go to Oregon State University a couple of times for some bomb threats they’ve had.”

According to Button, sniffer dogs typically work until they’re about eight years old before they start looking at retirement.

On campus, Thor is a minor celebrity, and with over 4,000 followers on Instagram, he’s a big attraction for students, Button said. 

“He’s pretty popular, which is really cool. Any time I take him for a foot patrol or just walking around campus doing our dog walks, people will always call his name when we walk by or people will ask if they can pet him,” Button said.  

Button encourages students to come say hello when they see the pair on campus.

“I always tell people when you see us just walking around on campus, 99% of the time we’re just doing dog walks, so it’s fair game to come and say hi and give him pets,” Button said.

Besides keeping campus safe, Thor can act as a comfort for homesick students, according to Button.

“I think students that are here on campus, most of them have dogs at home that they miss, and so [there’s] good chance people just miss petting a dog, and so Thor’s a good outlet for that,” Button said.

Button describes Thor as a “big goofball.”

“He’s no different than a normal house dog. He’s got the full run of the house. He’s an only child at home, so he gets anything he wants and does whatever he wants. He has a million toys that are all his companions. He’s just a big goofball, and I love him to death,” Button said.

The School of Journalism and Communications’ newest game studies minor is off to a “swimmingly” good start, according to Andy Wilson, Ph.D candidate and a graduate teaching fellow at the SOJC.

The game studies minor, launched at the start of the academic year, gives students the opportunity to explore the design, impact and potential of games. It also examines the cultural, social, economic and psychological aspects of games, according to its website. 

Maxwell Foxman, the director of the game studies minor, has been involved with its creation and launch since he was hired.

“The minor has been a project of mine for about four to six years. It’s been something in the back of my head and in the SOJC’s plans since I was hired in 2018. So to see it come to fruition after a lot of hard work has been really exciting,” Foxman said. 

Wilson teaches JCOM 280: Introduction to Studying Games, which is a gateway to the minor and exposes students to various big ideas within game studies.  

According to Wilson, the minor allows students to apply their personal experience to content within specific classes in the minor. 

“I think it’s exciting for students in the SOJC, and beyond, to have an opportunity to critically engage with games and play from a communication and media studies perspective,” Wilson said. “Whether students want a deep dive into Gamification and the Media or Game Journalism and News Games, there’s a little something for everyone as far as course offerings are concerned.”

According to Foxman, the minor has seen growth in the number of declared students since it was launched.

“We had two students who signed up for the minor basically the minute it was available, but we’ve been growing into the double digits, which is exciting, and we expect to grow even more,” Foxman said.

According to Wilson, having a minor focused on gaming and game studies is “simply cool,” and is an opportunity he would have loved having as an undergraduate student.

Wilson said the minor gives students different ways to think about games.

“The minor will show students there are many ways to think critically about games, what they mean in the context of contemporary society and culture and how games can be an excellent springboard for exploring prominent communication and media studies research areas,” Wilson said.

According to Foxman, the minor has been promoted in other JCOM and SOJC classes with the hope of stirring up interest.

The natural next step for the minor, Foxman said, is establishing a community and doing more “public-facing activities.” 

“I’m excited that now we have the course work sort of completed, we’re moving to build a bigger and [more] robust games community around the minor,” Foxman said.

There have been several community events already, including film screenings, with “game jams” and other activities planned for later in the year, according to Foxman. 

Foxman said he has a three-step plan for the future of the minor. 

Step one, according to Foxman, is building an academic community and establishing scholarship and research opportunities for students.

The second step is looking beyond the university to the community. 

“In the next couple years, I really want to try and build some relationships with our local game stores, whether it’s Funagain Games, which holds regular conventions about gaming, or some of our local studios like Pipeworks. I want to make sure that they feel like they are connected with our students and vice versa,” Foxman said.

The third step, according to Foxman, is strengthening connections with companies and working with alumni to ensure students have success working within games and in the game industry. 

“If you’re a student in art and design or in English or at the SOJC, there is a job related to your specialty within gaming. So part of it is opening up those opportunities and having students see [what] others have achieved,” Foxman said.

According to Foxman, there are opportunities to be involved in games both at the SOJC and around campus, and according to Wilson, the minor hopes to see an increase in interdisciplinary interest from non-SOJC majors.

“There’s something for everyone in the world of games,” Wilson said.

On Sept. 13 faculty and staff at the University of Oregon’s American English Institute received notice that the department would be discontinued at the end of the academic year.

A termination letter obtained by the Daily Emerald said “academic reasons consistent with Article 25 of the UA CBA [United Academics Collective Bargaining Agreement]” were the reasons for the discontinuation and termination. 

Article 25 of the UA CBA is the “termination without cause for program elimination or reduction.” 

AEI, according to its website, is a department within the College of Arts and Sciences that “serves the educational mission of the University of Oregon through scholarship, English language instruction and English language professional training.”

In a statement to the Emerald, UO spokesperson Eric Howald said that the reason for AEI’s termination was that “enrollment of UO-matriculated international students has declined drastically over the past 10+ years, the structure of AEI is no longer an effective way to serve a much smaller number of students.”

Jennifer Rice is a senior instructor at AEI and has been with the department since 2009. 

According to Rice, there are several reasons for the decrease in international student enrollment. 

“We used to have an enormous population of international students who were coming here,” Rice said. “International students were almost 10% of the UO’s enrollment at one point within the past 12 years or so. A multitude of factors have plummeted international enrollments across the country; [President] Trump being elected, COVID[-19], the strength of the U.S. dollar… all of those things plummeted our enrollment numbers.”

According to Rice, the AEI department is split into three programs. The first is the Academic English for International Students program which, according to Rice, offers students enrolled in UO with basic English and academic support. 

The second program, according to Rice, is the Intensive English Program, which allows non-enrolled international students interested in attending college in English-speaking countries the ability to come to UO to build an “English foundation.” 

According to Rice, the third program is a teacher training course for educators from around the world who want to take professional development courses. 

The department was founded in 1978 and according to its website, it has been a leader in English language teaching, services and research both at UO and around the world.

Currently, AEI has six core faculty members and one staff member. 

The termination letter states that a single position has been made available to current AEI faculty to teach “a reduced offering of AEIS/GRST [Academic English for Graduate Students] courses.” 

Faculty were provided 30 days to apply, as said in the termination letter.

“We [as a core faculty] basically decided that one of us out of the seven needed it more than the others so nobody else applied, only [one person] applied,” Rice said.

Janine Sepulveda is a senior instructor at AEI and has been at UO for 28 years.

Both Rice and Sepulveda stressed that one position is not enough to continue what AEI currently does for UO.

“It’s really horrible in terms of pedagogy because it’s not wise to have one teacher teaching all the classes for all the international undergraduates,” Sepulveda said. “It’s very unethical because this position is not just one person teaching all of the classes, but that’s the same person doing all the administration and all the advising.”

According to Howald, once AEI is closed, UO students who need English language support may take classes through the Yamada Language Center, which supports foreign language study for UO students.

“We expect to serve approximately 40 UO international students per year with courses taught by Yamada instructors,” Howald stated. “In addition, the UO’s Global Education Program will offer intensive English program coursework for non-matriculated students beginning in September 2025.”

Sepulveda said that she feels the termination of AEI is “demoralizing.”

“We feel like the university doesn’t really value the expert services we provide that can enable our international students, who bring so much diversity to our campus, to be successful,” Sepulveda said.

For Riko Horiguchi, an international student from Japan, the closing of AEI will make studying internationally more challenging.

“AEI is a place where students can learn basic English, so if that’s closed, the hurdle for foreigners to study abroad will be raised. I feel that it will make it more difficult for international students to study abroad,” Horiguchi said. 

The discontinuation of AEI comes as UO pushes to boost international student enrollment after a steady decline in enrollment rates. 

The university partnered with Kaplan International in August 2024 with the hope of bringing in students from all over the world. 

According to its website, Kaplan International, a UK-based agency, helps the university recruit international students for undergraduate degrees by assisting students with the admissions process and promoting the university abroad.

Kaplan International is partnered with five universities in the United States, with UO being the only partnered school on the West Coast, according to its website.

The first cohort of students recruited through Kaplan International will arrive on campus for the 2025-2026 school year, according to the UO Admissions Office.

In an email, Rice stated that faculty and staff at AEI were unaware of the partnership with Kaplan International. 

The agency currently promotes AEI services, including the Intensive English Program, on its website that advertises why students should attend UO.  

Rice said she was disappointed at the “lack of coordination” between UO and their international partner.  

“I think it’s really, really sad that they’re still recruiting for international students and simultaneously cutting all the programs that support them,” Rice said. 

Sepulveda expressed dismay at what the university will be losing.  

“They’re losing the opportunity to enrich the UO student population by having all these great international students on campus,” Sepulveda said. 

For Sepulveda, the termination of AEI is “devastating” for international students who rely on the department’s services. 

“Imagine if you went to another country right now and you had to do everything in a different language and a different system and a different culture and they [students] are perfectly capable of learning those things but they need people who understand the shock they’re going through… that’s what we do,” Sepulveda said.

Rice stressed the importance of programs like AEI, which give international students a community and a place to be with people in similar situations to themselves.

“About half the students in my class this term don’t actually need to take my class,” Rice said. “They enrolled in my class because they want an international student community and the feeling of that small class connection with students who are experiencing a similar thing in their lives. Without our program, that goes away.”

For Horiguchi, the discontinuation of AEI means a loss of community.

“I feel that AEI is a place where teachers and students get along well and students can make new friendships with each other. Therefore, I am very sad that AEI will be closed because I feel like we will lose a place of community,” Horiguchi said.

On Aug. 1, 2024, the University of Oregon announced a five-year partnership with Kaplan International Pathways to boost international student enrollment. 

Through a partnership with the UK-based agency, UO hopes to enroll roughly 90 international students from all over the world for the 2025-2026 school year, according to the UO Admissions Office. 

According to their website, Kaplan International aids UO in recruiting international students for undergraduate degrees by helping students through the admissions process and promoting the university.

Alfredo Varela, the associate director of international admissions, and Erin Hays, the associate vice president for student services and enrollment management and director of admissions, said they both are excited about the partnership. 

“Kaplan has invested a lot of time and effort and money with the hope of getting students and they’ve really done so much in terms of marketing. They send teams of people over here and they’ve arranged events overseas,” Varela said.

According to Varela, Kaplan International is primarily a testing and educational agency, which provides students with English language training and support for tests such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the Medical College Admissions Test and the Law School Admissions Test.

UO international enrollment was at a peak in 2014, but, according to Hays, it began decreasing after both the 2016 election and the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the new partnership with Kaplan International, UO hopes to enroll roughly 350 international students over the next few academic years. 

“We’re hoping to see a steady increase [in enrollment] over the next few years and get back to close to where we were pre-COVID-19 and 2014. We’re really working to see a lot more diversity in our student body,” Varela said.

According to Varela, there are organizations similar to Kaplan all over the world, but the agency’s values closely align with the university’s. 

“Kaplan is unique because they have a very limited number of schools that they’re working with, it’s only five in the United States and we’re the only school on the West Coast that they’re representing and working with. That gives us a real advantage,” Hays said.

Discussions about a potential partnership began after Varela reconnected with a former UO representative who now serves as a Kaplan International representative. 

According to Varela, Kaplan International does not provide students with any form of financial assistance, but they do provide resources to international students studying abroad. 

“They understand the system, they know the deadlines and GPAs. There’s dozens and dozens of different grading systems, so Kaplan really supports this process for the students and helps them understand when they should apply, how they should apply. It’s not just about recruitment, it’s about really supporting students along the way,” Varela said.   

Varela stressed the importance of having international students on campus.

“One of the reasons we seek to have more international students is they really enrich the experience for our students here. They bring such a broad set of experiences and backgrounds, not just culturally, but in terms of what their educational background is,” Varela said.

As election day quickly approaches, some students at the University of Oregon reflect on voting in their first presidential election, and for a select few, their first election ever. 

Freshman class 

Logan Lau said he’s not focused on the election, but still plans to vote. 

“I guess I don’t keep up with politics too much. I’m more focused on my school work,” Lau said. However, Lau said he plans to receive his ballot in the mail as an out-of-state student from Hawaii. 

Piper Pellegrino said she’s excited to vote in her first election, and that the stakes of this presidential election are high. 

“The election feels bigger with the two candidates we have and what they’re individually supporting,” Pellegrino said. “I feel like there is a lot at stake for certain people and groups in the country. It is very interesting to have this be my first election.” 

Pellegrino, an Oregon resident, said she’s having her ballot mailed to her. 

“I am a little bit nervous [about getting my ballot] because I don’t know how it works or anything. My parents are helping me but I have the basic worries about the address being wrong or it’s not going to get to me.”

Emma Hong said she’s getting her ballot shipped to her home address and having her parents bring it to her.

“I’m kind of nervous. I didn’t even know I signed up at first, but it was just with my driver’s license,” Hong said.

For Hong, being involved in a presidential election is a big deal. 

“I’m one of the participants and it’s my first time,” Hong said. “It feels like it [is] just one vote but it has an impact at least.” 

Sophomore class

Gabby McIntyre said she didn’t vote last year in any local elections, but plans to vote this time around. 

“I feel like, since it is a presidential election, it’s a big deal. Especially right now. I feel like a lot of times politics are so divisive and it could be a really make-or-break election for the country just because I feel like they [candidates] are both very different,” McIntyre said. 

Aysia Rattanaphosy said she’s confident about the election after watching the presidential debate and is more worried about other races such as the House of Representatives and Congress in general. 

“There’s always been a trend of political polarization. I think this election in particular is probably the most interesting for me because it’s the first time we’re seeing a woman of color running as a presidential candidate,” Rattanaphosy said.

2024 is not the first time a woman of color has run for president, but it is the first time a woman of color has run at the top of a major party ticket.

Rattanaphosy emphasized the importance of voting.  

“It’s the only way that you actually have control of the people in power and your government. The only way you can put your voice out there is by voting for people who have the same beliefs and values as you.” 

Finn Kierstead has voted in the past and stressed why young people should get involved in the election. 

“That’s how we’re represented in our democracy. This country is founded on the values that everybody has a voice in leadership and we run almost like a council that the people should be able to run. If people aren’t voting or aren’t caring, eventually they’re just going to lose that right,” Kierstead said.

Junior class

Billy Chao has never voted in an election and said he doesn’t plan on voting this year. 

“It’s just too much trouble,” Chao said. Despite not voting, Chao said he does believe that this election is significant. 

“It’s kind of a big deal. A lot of things happened with Trump and Harris and whatnot.”

Katie Ryan said she’s excited and overwhelmed to vote in her first election. 

“I’m excited to finally have a say,” she said.

Ryan is receiving her ballot in the mail and expressed her worries about getting it safely.

“My mom is mailing it to me and then I’m mailing it back to her. I’m a little nervous about it getting sent in the mail because living in a house, mail always gets stolen so that is a little nerve-wracking,” Ryan said. 

Ryan said she feels that she’s more aware of what’s going on in this election than in the past. 

“Since there is a woman running, that forces me to really want to have a say in it. I was kind of ignorant in years past, not really sure how the government works and all of these things that affect my everyday life. Now I’m more aware of all these choices and now having a say in it makes it 10 times more important than previous elections,” Ryan said.   

Senior class

Lacy Taylor is from Pennsylvania and got an absentee ballot in the mail. 

“I was a little nervous just because I’ve never done a mail-in ballot before and I’m definitely from more of a swing state [Pennsylvania] so I wanted to make sure it got in, but overall I feel good now that it’s done,” Taylor said. 

Delany McCuen has voted before and plans to vote this year. She stressed the importance of voting for people her age. 

“This election feels different because there’s two very different people that are running and [they] want different things for the country, and one of them is a woman. There’s a lot on the line so it’s just high stakes,” McCuen said.

McCuen urged her fellow students to vote, emphasizing that even though it can be intimidating, it’s worth it. 

“It’s our right. It’s important to use your voice because, although sometimes it might not feel like it, every vote really does matter,” McCuen said.