**Editor’s Note: Each week during football season, we feature an essay from the opponent’s student newspaper on why Oregon will lose. This week’s edition is from Andrew Haubner, an assistant sports editor at the the CU Independent.**

If we’re talking pure zoology, a Buffalo tramples a Duck 10 times out of 10. In the world of football, the Ducks enter Saturday as heavy favorites, boasting one of the best offenses in the country.

So you’re saying there’s a chance.

In fact, there is a chance, albeit slight, as the Buffaloes are no longer the proverbial doormat that they were 12 months ago. Colorado returned multiple weapons on offense, as well as a defense that has saved them from annihilation countless times this year.

Offensively, CU boasts one of the Pac-12’s best passing games, led by junior wide receiver Nelson Spruce and his nation-leading 99 receptions. Even when the Buffaloes struggle, he has been exemplary, recording no fewer than six catches in a game. Oregon cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu is slated to return this week, but Spruce is one of the best route-runners in the country. Also, while he is the centerpiece of this Colorado offense, he isn’t the only effective player. Freshman receiver Shay Fields is a constant deep threat, complementing a running game that gets more potent each week.

This spells trouble for the Ducks, who give up an average of 25 points per game, and surrendered as much as 41 points against the University of California in week 8. Cal’s high-flying, aerial assault offense is eerily similar to Colorado’s. The Buffs pass the ball, on average, 48 times per game.

Defensively, this game could very easily turn into a shootout, and that’s based off of watching Marcus Mariota for two years. The Buffs are decimated in the defensive backfield after losing safeties Tedric Thompson, Marques Mosley and Terrell Smith over the course of 10 weeks. It also doesn’t help that sophomore Addison Gillam still isn’t the player he was last year. Illness has brought him down to a lowly 207 pounds, and senior Brady Daigh has taken on a lot of the second-level workload.

That being said, this defense has adopted something of a ‘never say die’ mentality, which constantly keeps the Buffaloes in games that they otherwise would have no business being in.

As an editor for the CU Independent, I am here to prop the Buffaloes up as much as I can, but I can’t ignore the flaws in our squad. To me, if you’re saying there’s a chance, then there certainly is one.

In response to public feedback on the guest viewpoint, Memoirs of a student-criminal, the warning of a University of Oregon student convicted of sexual assault that ran just over a week ago, we feel that it’s important that we discuss our policy on publishing guest viewpoints.

The Emerald strives to serve the community by facilitating constructive, diverse discussions that further the diffusion of knowledge and facilitate informed debate on campus.

Our opinion page provides a platform for those discussions, both through columns written by our staff and guest viewpoints submitted by members of the university community.

Publishing submissions that we believe will add a constructive viewpoint to campus discussion allows us to explore ideas and perspectives that might not generate organically on staff. These perspectives are an important way to give voice to the variety of viewpoints held by our community members.

Based on these principles, the editorial board decided to publish the letter Memoirs of a student-criminal because we found value both in its illumination of a viewpoint (that of a convicted perpetrator speaking out against the violent crime) that had not yet been discussed during our prior coverage of sexual assault and in its capacity as a warning.

The author’s message in Memoirs is simple: Don’t commit sexual assault. Before publishing the letter, we reviewed the contents carefully, had discussions with law enforcement to ensure that the survivor had read the letter and approved it for publication and removed a word we found to skew the contents of the message.

The author’s opinion is in no way the only viewpoint we’ve paid attention to.

Last spring, we published a letter from the survivor of a sexual assault. We’ve published letters and guest commentaries from campus organizations such as Safe Ride, the Sexual Wellness Advocacy Team and others. In the coming months, we hope to receive additional opinion pieces exploring this and other facets of university life. That is our service to our community.

Many of you have spoken up with opinions about the letter — we appreciate your feedback.

We encourage you to continue directing guest commentary to letters@dailyemerald.com, indicating in the email whether or not you’d like the submission considered for publication.

Whether your piece is published or not depends on the Emerald’s editorial standards surrounding libel and educational value of the opinion submitted.

Please note that the decision to run the piece in print is not meant to indicate its importance or priority over another submission, rather our perception of how the addition of the piece will complement the overall package of that day’s print edition.

The Emerald aims to encourage a sphere for social discourse, engaged discussion and citizen involvement. We strive to make college better. And your voice is an essential part of that mission.

Note: Memoir of a student-criminal was published in the Nov. 3 print edition of Emerald Monday under the headline “I had made a mistake.”

Starting immediately, when multiple letters to the editor are submitted about a single topic, they will be aggregated in a single post, which will be republished every time an addition is made. 

The following letters to the editor are in response to the guest viewpoint, Memoirs of a student-criminal, that was published on Monday, Nov. 3:

To the editorial staff at the Emerald,

I was dismayed and angered that the Emerald chose to print the “viewpoint” of an anonymous author: a former student convicted of sexual assault. It is, unfortunately, not unusual for a perpetrator of sexual assault to refuse to accept accountability or to minimize their crime, perpetuate myths and stereotypes about the causes of sexual violence, and paint themselves as the victim. What is unusual is for a newspaper to designate a significant amount of print space to publicize and disseminate these views.

While the Emerald’s intent may have been to educate or promote dialogue, in uncritically publicizing the author’s myths and stereotypes about sexual violence without comment or analysis, the publication contributes to maintaining a culture of violence on our campus. Publishing this anonymous perpetrator’s viewpoint not only served to broadcast harmful myths and stereotypes about sexual violence to the entire campus community, but may also be detrimental to the survivor of this crime, and to all the students, faculty and staff among the Emerald’s readership who are survivors of sexual violence. Not only is the survivor’s voice glaringly absent from this “viewpoint,” but the decision to publish the anonymous letter and the likelihood of ensuing campus dialogue based solely on the perpetrator’s perspective, makes the newspaper complicit in the survivor’s possible re-victimization.

Jessica Sarontay, Master’s Student, Couples and Family Therapy

Imagine my disgust when I opened the Emerald on Nov. 3 to find, “I Had Made a Mistake,” a full page guest viewpoint from a convicted rapist. Penning the letter was supposedly required during this former student’s probation after being convicted of sexual assault, and the Emerald made an egregious mistake in publishing it. The perpetrator whines about how he was inconvenienced by being held marginally accountable for his crime: it was expensive – his parents paid the costs, – it would have been embarrassing if his friends found out – so he made sure they didn’t – and he has to serve three years of probation! There’s not a word of remorse for the harm he caused to the person he assaulted, nor gratitude for the inexplicable leniency of his punishment. Worst of all, he minimizes his crime and deflects all responsibility from himself: Committing a rape “can happen to anyone,” we are disingenuously told. But committing rape is not an accident; it’s an intentional abuse of power, and intoxication does not cause rape, but is used incessantly as a calculated excuse. At a time when a concerted effort to transform the culture of campus violence is desperately needed, the Emerald chose to devote a full page of column space to a perpetrator’s laundry list of lies, excuses, myths and stereotypes about sexual assault. I wouldn’t have expected anything different from a rapist, but we all deserve better from the Emerald.

Maria Paladino, class of 1998

Dear Campus Community:

In the past year of bargaining, the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation (GTFF) and University of Oregon administration have been unable to reach a consensus in regard to the proposed Collective Bargaining Agreement. With a GTFF strike pending, the Associated Students of the University of Oregon stands in full support of the federation.

As the student government, it is our top priority to provide a voice for students on campus in order to ignite crucial changes that better serve student needs. Therefore, as representatives of the student body and members of this community, we are in solidarity with the GTFF in their struggle for a fair contract. Over the years, the ASUO has striven to meet the needs of our student community. We negotiate bus contracts so that low-income students can ride to class for free. We fund a Women’s Center and Multicultural Center, a Childcare Subsidy to better support student parents, and Student Legal Services, who aid students in those most frightening disputes with rental companies, along with many other programs. We work to make living as a student less difficult for our sometimes vulnerable community, all on a proportionally minuscule budget when compared to that of the university’s central administration.

Given this history, we were deeply disappointed to see that university administration is not interested in similarly striving to meet the needs of our GTFs. The paltry offers handed down to our GTFs have been thoroughly insufficient. Although it has been suggested that there are simply not enough funds, in the wake of former President Gottfredson’s million-dollar severance package, those words ring hollow. To state that this university does not have the funds to provide paid medical and parental leave to its GTFs is utterly unacceptable and suggests that there is a dire need to reassess our university’s priorities.

For these reasons and many others, the ASUO asserts our unequivocal support for the GTFF. Yes, our classes will be interrupted by a strike, but in order for us to receive a quality education, we need to take care of our instructors. If our GTFs are sick, or preoccupied with the stress of leaving their ill child at home, they cannot perform to the best of their abilities. As fellow students, we have a vested interest in what our GTFs experience, because we are dependent on one another. Although some will undoubtedly point fingers at the GTFF and lay blame for this period of instability at their feet, we know that it is the university administration that is failing their obligation to finally provide a wage that meets our community’s cost of living—this is not so much to ask. As the GTFF continues to seek fair compensation for the work of its members, we should ask the question, who would deny such a reasonable request?

We call on other student organizations to join us in voicing support for Graduate Teaching Fellows.

In Solidarity,

The Associated Student of the University of Oregon Executive

This letter was submitted by the Alliance for Sexual Assault Prevention and left unedited.

We, the members of the UO Alliance to End Sexual Assault (ASAP), a multidisciplinary group of students and community/UO staff, were surprised and very concerned to open the Emerald on Monday, November 3 to find the “guest viewpoint” entitled, “I Had Made A Mistake.” We at ASAP, would like to correct the rape myths that were in this opinion page and to give more SPACE to acknowledge survivor impact.

While this may have been an opportunity to take accountability for his actions and take some first steps toward making amends to the survivor and to his former campus community, the author did neither of those things. Instead, l  the focus was on the inconvenience, embarrassment and expense he and his family experienced as a result of his crime, and to perpetuate damaging myths and stereotypes related to sexual violence. sexual assault is NOT “a simple example of the classic college experience gone too far,” which minimizes  the crime by asserting that committing rape “can happen to anyone” and implies that intoxication was to blame for the decision made to sexually assault another person. The impact of the author’s actions on the survivor is never acknowledged, nor are we, as readers, told whether the survivor had any say at all in this unique “punishment” offered by the Lane County District Attorney’s office. Many survivors experience anxiety and depression, self-blame, fear, anger  and lack of trust in others after experiencing sexual assault.  Although these are very normal trauma responses, it is the survivor, not the one who hurt them, that is much more negatively impacted by the assault. It is unfortunately not unusual for a perpetrator of sexual assault to refuse to accept accountability, or to minimize their crime, perpetuate myths and stereotypes about the causes of sexual violence, and paint themselves as the victim.

Survivors of sexual assault are not at fault for the behaviors of those who have chosen to hurt them.    Societal blame can be internalized and often keep survivor/victims in a stuck place.  It is hard enough to deal with the betrayal of trust and how that effects current relationships, the fear that things can happen to us out of our control, and the shame and/or humiliation that goes with a sexually abusive experience.  Self-blame, which often leads to denial, makes that more difficult.

We, as a campus community, should work hard to ensure that falsehoods, myths and stereotypes about sexual violence are not perpetuated, rather than amplifying them by uncritically providing space for perpetrators to disseminate these views campus-wide. We must also assume the responsibility of ensuring that our sexual violence prevention and education efforts are trauma-informed, and do not cause further harm to survivors. Considering the impact of trauma is an important first step in cultural change and in becoming a compassionate and supportive campus community.

We, at ASAP, do not believe that sexual assault is an accident. The author made a choice to commit sexual assault. The vast majority of people do not choose assault others. Sexual assault is not an “oopsie.” It is a decision to take sexual control of another being without their explicit permission. Most of us can, and do, decide not to do this.

We, at ASAP, stand in solidarity with all the individuals, organizations, groups, and communities who are working diligently to end sexual violence on our campus and in our community  To the editorial staff at the Emerald, we ask that you better consider how your paper can be more trauma-informed and how you can best represent and serve your campus community. We, at ASAP, stand in support of survivors and the acknowledgement of the harm done by this crime.

UO Alliance for Sexual Assault Prevention

Story by Emerald staff writer Rachel Benner

On Saturday night, University Theatre gave its second performance of Jon Jory’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. This story is a classic, but, as director Michael Malek Najjar noted in the program, University Theatre’s production is intended to be “a departure from previous versions adapted from the novel,” such as the 1995 BBC miniseries or the 2005 Kiera Knightley film. As a huge fan of both those productions, this made me a bit nervous, but I was pleasantly surprised. Though a bit lengthy at more than 180 minutes, University Theatre’s first show of the season was excellently produced and extremely engaging.

The play was especially impressive from a visual standpoint. The set was minimal and elegant and allowed for smooth scene changes and fast-paced action. Colorful costumes, designed by Alexandra Bonds, complemented the characters’ personalities and worked in tandem with the set to provide a charming backdrop for the complex plot and witty banter. Period plays often rely on elaborate sets and costumes to support their setting, but these can distract from the story itself. Najjar’s direction allowed the actors’ performances to shine through and gave the entire show an air of professionalism.

Another element that set this production apart was its use of humor. Austen’s novel is certainly funny, but these actors found laughs beyond Pride and Prejudice’s famous polite wit. From the very first scene, comic timing and physical humor took center stage and drew the audience into the Bennet’s story. At times, attempts at humor seemed a bit forced, and a few anachronisms verged on grandstanding, but overall, the cast exhibited a strong grasp of the difficult language and a talent for engaging the entire audience.

Members of the cast shone in dramatic scenes as well. Jerilyn Armstrong’s snarky, vivacious Elizabeth transitioned effortlessly from sharp humor to genuine emotion, admirably embodying the classic heroine, especially in classic scenes such as her rejection of Mr. Darcy’s marriage proposal. As the wealthy, reserved Darcy, T.J. Lagrow balanced Armstrong’s energy and allowed their complex relationship to develop clearly onstage. Matt Ober, as Mr Bingley/Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Clare McDonald, as Mary Bennet/Charlotte Lucas, were also stand-outs with excellent characterization. As a whole, the cast was energetic and committed – a necessity for a production as long and detailed as this one.

Pride and Prejudice is a personal favorite, both on the page and on the screen. This version for the stage, thankfully, did not disappoint. Overall, this was a high-quality, dynamic production. The director stayed true to the spirit of Austen’s classic story, while still tailoring it to the unique demands of a college theatre program. Austen buffs and newcomers alike will find something to enjoy in this excellent show.

Pride and Prejudice runs Nov. 13-16 and 21-22 at the Miller Theatre Complex on campus. All shows are at 8 p.m. and are free with your UO Student ID. Visit http://blogs.uoregon.edu/theatre/ for more information.

The following letter concerns a Guest Viewpoint that was published in the November 3rd edition of the Emerald.

This guest viewpoint from a UO student convicted of sexual assault was submitted to the Emerald as a stipulation of the perpetrator’s punishment through the Eugene Police Department. For the survivor’s privacy, the author of this piece will remain anonymous. According to the detective who submitted the piece, the survivor reviewed this essay prior to publishing. It was left unedited with the exception of the deletion of the word “partner” in paragraph six. According to the detective, there was no “partnership” between the perpetrator and the woman assaulted. 

As I sit down in the passenger seat of the grey detective van, the latest publication of this very news source on the floor in front of me, it all came crashing down. I had made a mistake. Not only that, but I had made a mistake that was going to change the rest of my life. It was a mistake that has probably made lots of nights in a college town like Eugene, a simple example of the classic college experience taken too far: I had a nonconsensual sexual encounter with someone who was incapable of giving consent because of the influence of drugs and alcohol. Ironically, this publication’s front page was casting a glare at me from the floor of the van. It was titled “All Too Common” in regards to sexual assault on the campus of the University of Oregon. I turned to the detective with a pained sigh and a lump in my throat, “Yep sounds about right,” I said to him, “All too common indeed.”

I am writing this article from home, several months removed from the incident that occurred and the long and stressful legal process that resulted from the incident. I’m not solely writing this article for my own purposes, not because I was asked to by several people (although both of those things are true as well). I am writing this article mainly for you as students at this university because of a growing problem that this campus and many others across the country have with sexual assault and abuse.

It may seem to some of you that committing sexual assault is a far removed possibility. Maybe you think that you could never possibly get yourself into that situation because you believe your morals are strong enough. Or maybe you think that since you’re in a fraternity that you won’t get caught for something like this because somehow it is less frowned upon because of the reputation of Greek Life. Or maybe for that matter, as we have seen very recently, you are a part of one of this university’s outstanding athletic programs and are seen as a celebrity on campus so nothing bad could happen to you. Whatever the case may be, let me tell you something that may shock you: It is not as far removed of a possibility as you think and it doesn’t matter who you are because it can happen to anyone. No one is invincible.

This is a hard truth to come as someone who thought they were invincible regarding this sort of thing. Personally, I thought that I wasn’t capable of doing something like that even if I was under the influence of intoxicants. I thought my morals and mindset would never make it possible for a situation like that to unfold. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

I know, as well as the next college-aged person, that there is a notion among some people that there is some gray area between consent and non-consent. Let me clear that up once and for all from someone who has gone through it first hand: If no words such as “yes” or “sure” are said beforehand, it is nonconsensual. It’s as simple as that. There are a lot of “what ifs?” that you can probably think of and I can think of — and I can think of plenty as well. But as a guy who has had sexual relationships before, we all know that there is a fine line that we are either on one side of or the other. No gray area whatsoever.

Take my word for it: You never want to end up on the wrong side of that line. The consequences and punishments for someone who commits a crime of this nature are not feeble. There is a laundry list of implications for my actions starting with as soon as I was arrested. Right off the bat, I spent several days in jail because of the seriousness of the crime. The only reason I got out was because of the generous and gracious acts of my parents in bailing me out. As I stated before, I am writing this article from home, meaning that I am no longer attending UO at this time because of the crime I committed. In addition, I am now required to register as a sex offender and am on probation for three years.

Financially, I put my family in a very hard situation because of the numerous expenses of going through the legal system. I had to keep my situation a secret from even my closest friends because of the embarrassment that would have caused. The list goes on and on. I do not tell you these things to scare you or to make you feel sorry for me. The case is over and I am moving on with my life. But I do tell you these things as a strict warning of what can happen if you are not careful. Being a student at a great university like this one is a privilege and not a right. Do not take anything in your life for granted because you never know when everything can come crashing down on you, like it did in my life.

Sexual assault and abuse is far too frequent, especially on college campuses. For whatever reason, guys think that we are part of some sort of free-for-all in college where any woman who will talk to you will also have sexual relations with you. This is most certainly not true and is part of an overwhelmingly toxic culture of this sort of behavior. Guys and girls become overconfident and think things are happening that really are not. It is part of the culture that we live in to think that reckless sexual behavior is just part of the “college experience” and that no harm can be done by it. This is entirely false and should be reconsidered as a common notion for all college students. What should not be reconsidered as a common notion, is the fact that this situation is happening too often for anyone’s liking and needs to be addressed more and more as it worsens. Just because it has become an “all too common” theme in the present, does not mean that the phrase cannot be changed to “a thing of the past” in the not-too-distant future.

In an era when students are beset by rapidly rising tuition and fees, escalating student debt and grim prospects for employment after college, it is more important than ever to have knowledgeable and effective representation in Congress.
After conducting interviews with both candidates in the 4th Congressional District, the Emerald has decided that Congressman Peter DeFazio best fits the bill.

Though DeFazio advocates for issues ranging from a balanced budget to veterans affairs, what impresses us most is his familiarity with student concerns. He has fought to stabilize rapidly escalating rates on student loans, supported funding for low income students to attend college, backed college readiness programs and worked to protect Pell grants, federal work study and student loan forgiveness. In addition, DeFazio has called for greater investment in higher education and in research as a way of stimulating job growth and positive economic development.

DeFazio’s opponent, Art Robinson, is passionate about getting big money out of politics, believes in small business owners and seems to genuinely care about Oregonians. We appreciated his willingness to make himself available and to openly discuss the issues. However, his lack of experience in the political realm and his propensity to engage in ideas that frequently seem more political than plausible would unfortunately make him less than effective.
DeFazio has been in the House of Representatives representing Oregon’s 4th congressional district since 1986. He is the longest serving House Member in Oregon’s history, a University of Oregon alumni, a ranking member of the House Natural Resources and sits on the Transportation and Infrastructure committee.

Here are the key reasons he’s got our vote:

He doesn’t accept legislative pay raises – instead he puts that money toward a series of scholarships for Oregon community college students. He understands the importance of working with the Oregon state government to make college more affordable and he backs it up with his own paycheck. He was also very vocal in supporting Senator Elizabeth Warren’s student loan refinancing bill that would have let existing student load holders to refinance their debt at lower interest rates (the bill was defeated in the senate).

He advocates increasing the national minimum wage to over $10 per hour– an issue that is vitally important to students who in many cases use that wage to support themselves in school.

He isn’t shy about standing up for his beliefs – He has a history of being true to his opinion, even if that means voting against his party. Instead of playing it safe, during our interview, DeFazio asserted that the University of Oregon’s administration “stuck their heads in the sand” about recent sexual assault allegations that involved student athletes. He’s also stressed the importance of educating people at a young age to teach them how to properly treat women.

He’s got a plan for putting Oregonians back to work – DeFazio underscores the need for public investment in infrastructure to fuel the Oregon economy and more jobs. “If we rebuild America’s infrastructure and bring it up to the 21st century, we can put probably a million people to work. You’re talking construction, manufacturing, engineering,” he told Emerald opinion editor Bayley Sandy. He went on to say that by promoting fuel efficiency, working to reduce congestion and improve air quality and by promoting public transportation, we will become more competitive in the world economy and put people back to work.

We believe that DeFazio is the right choice in the upcoming election because he is in step with the issues and problems facing every day Oregonians and students. Moreover, he offers real, tangible solutions. DeFazio is a problem solver, and a leader who wants to move Oregon forward.
This is going to be a critically important election. Students need to take their own destinies in hand and turn out to vote. There are no excuses. We encourage everyone to research the issues and the candidates and to exercise your Constitutional right to participate in the election.
Regardless of whether you agree with us or are dead set on proving us wrong – please, VOTE!