One provocative purple cooler, 30 yards of trash and over 72,000 Facebook shares later, the University of Oregon is under scrutiny for the behavior of some of its students at Shasta Lake.

Photos, posted by Facebook user Jennifer Vick Cox, got Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity suspended by its national headquarters. A barrage of online messages targeted the roughly 1,000 students who visited Shasta Lake on the weekend of May 20. The disapproval is especially aimed at UO Fraternity and Sorority Life.

The incident is a microcosm of larger problems within the Oregon fraternities: Almost 40 percent of UO’s recognized fraternities have received sanctions from the university.

The reasons for these sanctions — underage drinking, hazing and sexual assault — are not surprising. They exist in fraternities across the country, too.

But preventing incidents like Shasta, which are neither university-sanctioned nor FSL-sanctioned, is much more complicated.

In March, the university received the results of a third-party external review of its FSL infrastructure. Over 100 people were interviewed in 48 hours to “assess the impact of fraternity/sorority chapters” on campus.

The review, which was commissioned by UO’s Division of Student Life, was prepared by Boise State University Vice President of Student Affairs Jeremiah Shinn and Mark Koepsell, the executive director of the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors.

Its goal was to analyze the state of FSL and its 3,677 members, which makes up 17 percent of the UO student body.

Lambda Chi Alpha had all chapter activities suspended by its national headquarters pending investigation of Shasta Lake incidents. It is under university sanctions until mid-June for unrelated violations. (Samuel Marshall/Emerald)

Review shows FSL students struggle with the conduct process.

Koepsell understands the public’s reaction to the Shasta pictures that went viral on Facebook; his reaction was much the same. But he feels that deeper issues needs to be addressed than just the garbage left after a weekend of partying in the woods.

Student conduct violations are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, according to Katy Larkin, who handles conduct investigations for UO student groups.

Sanctions at the UO are divided into two categories: educational sanctions and status sanctions. The latter is the more severe one and has six different subcategories — ranging from “reprimand” to “expulsion,” says FSL director Justin Shukas.

That’s just the university’s conduct process. After a major incident, chapters could undergo investigations by their national headquarters, too.

And the discipline a chapter may receive from UO may not be the same as its national chapter’s.

During Phi Delta Theta’s suspension in December 2015, its national headquarters wanted a four-year suspension. The university ended up suspending the fraternity from campus for only two years.

“There is a difference in standards processes and the way that national organizations operate, but we try to facilitate a very collaborative relationship,” said Shukas. “Part of my job is to build those relationships with national organizations and it’s a really critical aspect to be effective.”

Shukas, along with Laura Hinman, the associate director of FSL, are the main line of communication between the university and FSL — a relationship the external review reports as “ill-defined.”

Some staff and students in FSL feel the university keeps chapters at arm’s length until disciplinary action is necessary.

VP of Student Life Robin Holmes, who requested the report, disagrees with that sentiment.

“This is not true. We have full-time staff members who work closely with FSL at all times,” said Holmes. “We also work closely with FSL when things go wrong, which is to be expected.”

One area where disciplining chapter is difficult is when it comes to live-out houses, or any other off-campus activities like Shasta.

The FSL students surveyed in the external review feel local chapter leadership ignores live-outs (when a group of students affiliated with one chapter live together outside of their assigned facility) because they’re too complicated to regulate. Live-outs might violate chapter rules, for instance, or pose a liability to the main chapter house.

“I think there is a large argument that when student are off campus the university [and national chapters are] less liable, but at the end of the day, they are both perceived by the public as being responsible for those students,” said Koepsell.

But these problems with Greek life aren’t just happening at Oregon.

“Truly every campus has their own unique circumstances,” said Koepsell. “I think it is fair to say that alcohol abuse is common anywhere where you’ve got 18-22-year-olds. I think the problem with the ‘live outs’ is unique to this campus and it is going to take some unique strategy, different than you find in other places.”

One of the viral photos of tents and UO gear at Shasta Lake. (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Vick Cox)

What’s the relationship status?

Koepsell said many of the issues facing FSL stem from a lack of support by university staff.

Not having the appropriate amount of staff devoted to assisting FSL could be part of the problem. In Koepsell’s opinion, Oregon’s two dedicated officials are overburdened and unable to offer the support FSL needs.

Shinn, the student affairs official from Boise State, agrees student leadership is sometimes ill-equipped to handle the some problems.

“They lack the necessary experience, knowledge or expertise to effectively navigate other issues internally,” said Shinn.

Since the release of the external review two months ago, the university had already made plans to put together an advisory group and hire more full-time professional staff for more oversight of FSL.

In the immediate aftermath of Shasta, however, Holmes said the university has four workgroups that are set to provide additional, modified recommendations in the next few weeks.

Koepsell sees recent events as an opportunity for universities and national fraternity organizations to address the issues culturally. He believes reactionary steps will not be as productive as a proactive approach.

“I would advocate it is everybody’s responsibility. The alumni are responsible, the national headquarters are responsible. Everybody needs to take their part in providing both the challenge and support,” he said.

Kira Hoffelmeyer is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta. 

Update: May 24, 12:38 a.m. The UO Chapter of Lambda Alpha Chi released an official statement Monday evening apologizing for “any destruction of the Lake Shasta resort and the surrounding environment,” and pledged to work with the U.S. forest service to arrange a clean up crew. The statement also echoed the chapter’s suspension until an investigation is complete. 

In a statement posted on the University of Oregon’s blog Monday afternoon, VP of Student Life Robin Holmes said UO Lambda Chi Alpha’s activities have been suspended by its national leadership following a littering incident at Shasta Lake last weekend.

“We hope other national organizations follow their lead,” Holmes wrote.

The suspension is in response to a viral Facebook post about littering at Shasta Lake, which included a photo of a left-behind cooler decorated with Lambda Chi Alpha letters and the phrase “Do you wanna do some blow man?” In addition to the suspension, the fraternity’s national leadership is partnering with UO Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Justin Shukas to investigate its local chapter’s involvement.

“We are aware of those photos and we are doing an investigation,” said Tad Lichtenauer, director of communications for Lambda Chi Alpha’s national headquarters. “[What happened] is not an appropriate way to display our letters … We have clear standards and that clearly isn’t meeting them.”

Oregon’s Lambda Chi Alpha is currently on disciplinary probation until mid-June for “alcohol violation, disrupting University, and failure to comply with university,” according to the UO Fraternity Life’s conduct page. The group’s Facebook page is also unavailable.

In a phone call Monday evening, Holmes said the university has very little oversight over the annual trips that UO students make to Shasta Lake, adding that it is not a university-sanctioned event.

“We received several phone calls, and emails and Facebook messages early this morning,” said Holmes, whose statement called the state of the lake’s “Slaughterhouse Island” last weekend a “disgrace.”

Holmes said the university’s first step was to call the forestry service in charge of overseeing Shasta Lake. Because the UO rules of the university conduct code extend off-campus, the university is able to take action against any student it confirms was involved in the incident. But according to Holmes, it’s all hearsay for now.

“All we have is what other people saw,” she said via telephone. “We have no idea who was there or wasn’t there.”

The leadership of Fraternity and Sorority Life couldn’t confirm which chapters were present last weekend at Shasta Lake.

“Nothing about specific members has come to our attention,” said Evan Anderson, the president of the UO Interfraternity Council.

Anderson said he’s “been in contact with chapter presidents” to “come up with some solutions about how to right some wrongs.” That includes sending a clean-up crew with representation from “chapters that may or may not have been involved” or “donating and fundraising to the Shasta wildlife area.”

According to Willamette Week, a spokeswoman for the Shasta-Trinity National Forest said 10 yards of trash have already been collected from the site.

Follow Dahlia Bazzaz on Twitter @dahliabazzaz

Sexual assault awareness month is over, but the campus-wide efforts to address sexual assault aren’t. Here’s a look at what’s been done in the last year.

Administration

By Max Thornberry

The University of Oregon administration’s efforts to mitigate sexual assault are multifaceted, but one crucial aspect in the past year was hiring interim Title IX coordinator Darci Heroy, who handles university sexual misconduct cases.

Heroy’s hire, according to UO, brought attention to programs already in place.

“It was disconnected in a way that created a perception of larger issues. We are more nimble [now] because we have a better understanding of where all the pieces fit,” said Tobin Klinger, senior director of public affairs.

One program is a team of three counselors who are on call 24/7 to help students. Their contracts stipulate that they live within 30 minutes of campus.

Before Heroy’s appointment in February, administration implemented other changes. For example, incoming student athletes are now required to take a counseling psychology class called “Foundations of Student Health & Well-being,” which incorporates information about sexual assault into its curriculum.

Campus sexual assaults have garnered more attention in recent years, but Heroy thinks the problem is no worse at colleges than it is elsewhere.

“I don’t think it’s more prevalent on college campuses than it is in our culture in general,” Heroy said. “But it is more visible. It gives us an opportunity to [talk] about sexual violence in a focused way.”

University of Oregon President Michael Schill stands in the crowd at the Erb Memorial Union Amphitheater. The ASUO Women’s Center and Sexual Assault Support Services of Lane County present Take Back the Night in Eugene on Thursday, April 28, 2016. (Kaylee Domzalski/Emerald)

Student Groups

By Troy Shinn

Student groups also kicked off new programs this year. The most prominent, the Get Explicit program, is a 90-minute presentation by the Sexual Wellness Advocacy Team. The program is mandatory for all first-year students living in a campus residence hall. To ensure all students attend, an ID scanner records attendance at the presentations, held in campus locations the first six weeks of fall term.

“It’s great that students are getting this exposure,” said SWAT member Cassie Smith. “After a few years of continuing the program, we’ll have a campus where most of the student body has seen Get Explicit.”

Another new program is the ASUO Men’s Center’s club, Men of Strength. This group meets every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in Lokey 176. Students discuss power dynamics within gender roles to rethink modern masculinity and reduce sexual violence.

Sophie Albanis, ASUO’s sexual and mental health advocate, started a Summit on Sexual Assault between student groups working on the issue. The Summit met once in fall term, but struggled to meet more often.

Mckenna O’Dougherty and Francisco Toledo chant and hold their signs during the march. The ASUO Women’s Center and Sexual Assault Support Services of Lane County present Take Back the Night in Eugene, Ore. on Thursday, April 28, 2016. (Kaylee Domzalski/Emerald)

Research

By Troy Shinn

UO psychology professor Jennifer Freyd is a leader in the campus sexual assault discussion and a vocal critic of the administration’s handling of sexual assault cases. Freyd and two graduate students have administered yearly surveys on sexual violence to over 1,000 students since 2014.

This year, Freyd highlighted progress, saying the number of students and groups participating in the conversation is higher than ever.

Freyd’s biggest concern is Fraternity and Sorority Life. A review of FSL requested by the UO Division of Student Life and published in April revealed sorority members felt pressured not to report sexual assaults.

“I think that report was really great for highlighting the problems that exist within Greek Life,” Freyd said. “But I’m still not hearing what actions are specifically being taken to address those problems. I don’t want to see more kids being exposed to that environment where violence is occurring more.”
Freyd and her students are shifting their research to cases of sexual harassment among graduate students and faculty. They’re looking to publish a new paper this year.

A major research initiative to study sexual violence is an annual survey by the Association of American Universities. UO participated in this survey for the first time in 2015 and published the results. It found that many students still have questions about reporting. It also confirmed the figure that Freyd’s survey of the UO initially found, which was that almost 25 percent of young women will have experienced some form of sexual violence by the end of their time attending the UO.

Police

By Noah McGraw and Dahlia Bazzaz

In the past year, the University of Oregon Police Department, the Eugene Police Department, the Title IX office and the Lane County District Attorney’s office began partnering to help consolidate the sexual assault reporting process. Pursuing a criminal and student conduct code case against a perpetrator can mean months of investigation and re-telling of stories that can re-traumatize a survivor.

According to Lane County DA Patty Perlow, the idea for the collaboration — called the Campus Sexual Assault Team — came about last spring. In October, the district attorney’s office received a $25,000 federal grant to create it. This team is on-call 24/7, and the survivor can opt out of the process at any time.

According to preliminary numbers provided by UOPD, there were 26 reports of sexual assault on and off-campus in 2015 — the highest number since 2011, when the department received 30. Federal law requires UOPD to publish UO sexual assault data each year, but Kelly McIver, public information officer for the UOPD, says this data is “highly unreliable” for assessing the rate at which students experience sexual assault. Underreporting is still a problem, and the information required by the Jeanne Clery Act is restricted by geography and time.

Clery Act annual statistics are compiled by calendar year (not academic year). Clery Act annual statistics are counted for the year in which the crime was reported (not occurred). The 2015 preliminary statistics include crimes that were reported in calendar year 2015 that have been received by UOPD as of April 26, 2016.

Statistics will likely change before publication of the 2016 Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report. Outside law enforcement agencies and other security authorities may still provide additional reports received during calendar year 2015.

As part of Sexual Assault Awareness month, hundreds of flags cover the quad in the middle of campus. The ASUO Women’s Center and Sexual Assault Support Services of Lane County present Take Back the Night in Eugene on Thursday, April 28, 2016. (Amanda Shigeoka/Emerald)

Fraternity and Sorority Life

By Lauren Garetto

The Sexual Violence Prevention Leadership Board coordinates many of FSL’s efforts to combat sexual assault. The board has at least one member from every chapter. They meet weekly and discuss ways to prevent sexual assault.

Last year, FSL came under fire when a survey showed that sorority women are three times more likely to be a sexual assault victim than women outside of the system.

Delta Tau Delta senior and board member Nathan Bergfelt said in the past year chapter leaders have stopped throwing blame around and realized the problem lies within the community and the culture.

“They were reacting to the publicity, the news and trying to clean up a pretty big, scarred wound. Now it’s more of like, the wound is healed; how do we not open it again?” Bergfelt said.

After publishing an external review in April, the university extended a halt on FSL expansion. This means new chapters cannot come to the university. Established chapters can still recruit new members — but only if the membership stays under a cap.

Sheryl Eyster, associate dean of students, said that not allowing more chapters to come to campus will make existing chapter sizes too big and unmanageable.
“It’s harder for FSL leaders to address every incident when there are that many people,” Eyster said.

The following is the opinion of the Emerald’s editorial board and not Emerald Media Group as a whole. The editorial board is comprised of: Dahlia Bazzaz, Editor in Chief; Tanner Owens, opinion editor; Kira Hoffelmeyer, engagement editor; Jack Heffernan, digital managing editor; and Cooper Green, print managing editor. Kaylee Tornay, who normally sits on the editorial board, abstained from this editorial because of her involvement in ASUO reporting. 

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that candidate Quinn Haaga is the vice-chair of the Programs Finance Committee. She is the chair. 

The Emerald editorial board has decided to endorse Duck Squad’s Samara Mokaya as the ASUO’s next president.

Mokaya seems ready to bring about change for University of Oregon students based on a combined experience in activism and informed research. A political science major, Mokaya has served as a member of the Student Orientation Staff, Black Student Union and an outreach coordinator at the Multicultural Center.

Although Mokaya has no experience in student government, her two running mates do. Duck Squad’s external vice presidential candidate — Sophie Albanis — served as the ASUO Executive’s sexual and mental health advocate, while its internal vice presidential candidate — Abel Cerros — is currently in his second year as an ASUO senator and was the 2014-15 student representative on the UO faculty senate.

At the ASUO presidential debate on April 5, Mokaya touted her slate’s commitment to activism, stressing Duck Squad candidates’ multiple lobbying trips to the Oregon State Capitol in Salem. On top of that, Mokaya’s advocacy of students of color (who total roughly 24 percent of the student body) and other minority groups on campus could go a long way to providing such groups with a stronger voice.

While the candidates have all struggled to communicate satisfactorily concrete ideas, Mokaya and Duck Squad’s proposals stand out above the rest. Her ideas — including a new ASUO Senate liaison position and a new EMU food pantry for financially struggling students — mainly center on inclusion and accessibility, areas which could certainly stand to be a bigger focus at the UO.

Candidate Zach Rentschler and his slate One Oregon also support a food pantry in the EMU. While Rentschler’s commitment to the ASUO and breadth of knowledge is notable, it’s difficult to look past One Oregon’s exciting yet completely unfeasible ideas, such as bringing Uber back to campus.

Additionally, the questions raised against One Oregon’s campaign — questions of funding from local businesses and special interests such as the conservative activist organization Turning Point USA — leave us unsure whether they truly intend to serve the entire student body.

For a campaign that advocates for accessibility and affordability, One Oregon seems to have propped itself above the student body through its funding — which included $7,000 donated from its own external VP candidate, Tori Ganahl. That’s about double what either of the other platforms spent on their entire campaigns.

I’m With UO’s Quinn Haaga made a strong appearance. Her experience as ASUO senator and chair of the Programs Finance Committee showed in her concise, well-informed answers at Tuesday’s debate. Her confidence in conveying the ideas of her platform is indicative of a leader, and someone who will likely be a great asset to the ASUO next year. But much of her rhetoric is comprised of non-specific, recycled ideas — many of which seem to be moderate attempts at small change — and she seems to lean heavily on experience alone.

Despite our endorsement of Mokaya, we have concerns about whether she has a demeanor outspoken enough to sway the opinions of UO officials who may otherwise not support positions beneficial to students. But her responses were passionate and professional, and she spoke with a personal interest in the issues that matter on this campus.

When deciding who to vote for this week — and possibly next, in case of a runoff — voters need to consider which candidate has both the best vision for this campus and experience fighting for the things they believe in.

For us, that candidate is Samara Mokaya.

Ballot measure: funding initiatives of the student body

Why not? – This amendment to the ASUO Constitution would give students, not just the PFC, a say in what percentage of the annual incidental fee would go toward certain student groups.

As long as 50 percent of those voting for the initiative approve it, such initiatives would have to be factored into the budget. Since the incidental fee cannot rise above 5 percent in any given year, the senate could cap the increase if it rises above this threshold.

At best, the measure gives students more of a voice in the ASUO budget process. At worst, the ASUO Senate could strike down any request that pushes the incidental fee cap.

Not sure what you’re looking at? This is the third of a three-part series on ASUO elections. To learn more about student government at the UO, click here for part one. If you’re already familiar, but want to brush up on this year’s election process, click here for part two. 

If you’re bummed about Oregon’s belated presidential primary date (May 17), there’s another way you can exercise your right to vote, and it’s just a week away.

Campaigns for next year’s UO student government kicked off this week in preparation for the April 4-8 voting period on DuckWeb. This year’s slates for the ASUO executive and senate are I’m with UO, Duck Squad and One Oregon. If you’re unfamiliar with how ASUO elections work at UO, read this explainer post first. Otherwise, here’s a list of candidates seeking seats on next year’s student government.

Executive

This is the second of a three-part guide to ASUO elections. To learn more about how student government is structured, click here for part one. If you’re looking for a full ballot of people running for student government, click here for part three.

In less than two weeks, you’ll be able to decide who will represent you on next year’s student government. From April 4-8, voting on DuckWeb will open to select next year’s members of student government.

So, how does this process work every year?

It helps to think of it in terms of the U.S. federal election system with a few modifications.

ASUO Elections, which are monitored by the ASUO Constitution Court and coordinated by a team called the Elections Board, follow a party system. These parties are called “slates.” Unless a candidate for ASUO president wishes to run independently, every person running for a position on student government campaigns under a slate.

This year, University of Oregon students can choose between three slates: I’m with UO, Duck Squad and One Oregon. Each slate is made up of the candidates seeking positions on executive, senate and finance committees. Though the platforms or views aren’t as polarized between ASUO slates as, say, between democrats or republicans, each one focuses on a set of issues —bringing back the 79x bus line’s post-midnight hours, for example.

How will voting look on DuckWeb?

In addition to three ballot measures, you’ll be electing over 100 candidates this year. Here are the positions you’ll be voting on, divided by branch:

How long does the election run?

The entire election and campaigning process is pretty short — just under two months. Candidate and slate registrations were due about a month ago to the ASUO Elections Board.

• All three slates launched their social media campaigns on March 21, along with websites detailing their platforms and a full list of candidates.
• During week one, the slates will begin ground campaigning, which involves setting up along 13th avenue and making phone calls to students.
• On March 31 and again on April 4, there will be a Q&A with candidates.

Voting begins during week two, on April 4, and closes four days later on April 8 at 4 p.m.

How are the winners are determined?

In order for a candidate or for a slate’s executive to win an election, it must receive more than 50 percent of the vote. As you can probably imagine, this means that — more often than not — a runoff election occurs. In that case, the two candidates or executive slates that receive the highest number of votes, or at least 10 percent of the general votes, will be placed on the runoff ballot the following week. Voting would the take place again on DuckWeb starting April 11 with results being available April 15.

Want to learn more about how student government elections work, but not sure where to start? Whether it’s your first or fourth year at the University of Oregon, we’ve got you covered. Here’s part one of our guide to this year’s elections. If you’re already familiar with how ASUO is structured, click here for part two: a guide to elections. To see part three, a full roster of students running for student government this year, click here.

First, let’s cover the basics. What is the ASUO?

The Associated Students of the University of Oregon, otherwise known as the ASUO, is a complicated and multi-faceted organization. This article will only touch on the parts of it that are vital to making an informed vote in this year’s election.

The ASUO handles a $16 million budget made up of your incidental fee money (part of your tuition). It also represents the needs of the student body to the university’s administration. It includes a few different branches: the executive, the senate, financial committees and constitution court. These first three branches of ASUO are holding elections this year.

The simplest way to think about the structure of student government is to compare it to the three-branch model of the U.S. federal government: the legislative (senate and finance committees), executive and judicial (constitution court) branches.

Now you’re ready to learn about this year’s elections. Click here for part two of our guide. If you’re still confused or want to learn more, see the ASUO’s website.

The University of Oregon denied any wrongdoing in retrieving the counseling records of a student in a Jan. 25 response to a lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed in November 2015 by Karen Stokes and Jennifer Morlok, two former UO Counseling and Testing Center employees.

The counseling records belonged to “Jane Doe,” the survivor of an alleged sexual assault by three UO men’s basketball players in 2014. When Doe filed a lawsuit against the university last year, Executive Director of the counseling center, Shelly Kerr, requested a copy of Doe’s records from her counseling visits for university attorneys.

Doe, a UO freshman at the time of the alleged assault, settled for $800,000 and a full-ride for four years.

But situation involving Doe’s records seems far from settlement. The suit Morlok and Stokes filed wants compensation for lost income, lost benefits, lost seniority and emotional distress. They haven’t specified any sums.

Morlok and Stokes’ suit, the university’s response 

• Suit: Morlok, who was Doe’s therapist, alleges that the university retrieved the student’s records without her consent.
• Response: The university says in its response that Shelly Kerr told Morlok to warn her patient, Doe, that if she continued counseling at the center, her counseling records could be pulled. In addition, UO also claimed that Doe’s attorney had already provided (with the student’s consent) a copy of the records during an earlier mediation session.
• Suit: When the university retrieved Doe’s records, Stokes and Morlok spoke out, saying the university was doing the wrong thing in an open letter. They say in the lawsuit that the university retaliated against them for this; Stokes was removed from her position, and Morlok faced such a “hostile working environment,” she claims, that she had to resign.
• Response: The UO denies there was any contribution to a hostile environment—in fact, the university gave them an “outstanding employee award” for speaking up. Stokes was not removed from her position, the UO says, but still works at the university. This is true, but Stokes no longer works at the counseling center; according to UO Find People, she’s now a Special Projects Coordinator with the College of Arts and Sciences.
• Suit: The university violated Morlok and Stokes’ rights under Title IX, the State Whistleblower Statutes, the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Oregon Family Leave Act.
• Response: The university denies they violated any law or committed any wrong, or that the university should compensate them.

Morlok and Stokes are also suing other staff members at the Counseling and Testing Center and the Division of Student Life, including Shelly Kerr; Robin Holmes, the Vice President for Student Life; Joseph DeWitz, the assistant director of the Counseling and Testing Center; and Kathie Stanley, the associate VP and chief of staff in the Division of Student Life.

More to come.

Tired of the long, solitary walks down East 13th Avenue to get food that isn’t orange chicken from Panda Express? Fret not — the long-promised grand openings of Joe’s Burgers and Chipotle at the Erb Memorial Union are just a few days away.

Joe’s — a Portland-based burger chain — opens on Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 10 a.m. in the fishbowl. Chipotle will follow suit two days later on Jan. 21.

The chains were originally slated for opening in fall 2015, according to an update on EMU construction from last September. Though the University of Oregon’s contractors completed the space for the vendors on time, the restaurants had leasing and contractual issues with the university and city of Eugene.

“That pushed the deadline back,” according to Mark Butler, a senior project manager for Lease Crutcher Lewis.

Employees at Chipotle and Joe’s spent the last week training in preparation for the next week.

The openings mark a near-full restoration of food service to the EMU since last March, when its restaurants were removed for a major renovation and expansion project. Most of the construction around the building will be finished by June, including the addition of Falling Sky Brewery to the ground floor.

Follow Dahlia Bazzaz on Twitter: @dahliabazzaz.