Oregonians made their voices heard at the ballot box on Tuesday night, re-electing Democratic Gov. Kate Brown and rejecting several high-profile state ballot measures that, among other things, would have revoked Oregon’s status as a sanctuary state and restricted access to abortion.

Recent polling suggested that the governor’s race would be close. According to OPB, a poll conducted just a week ago showed that Brown lead Republican candidate, Knute Buehler, by only three percentage points. Brown defeated  Buehler by a little more than five percentage points on Tuesday night.

Lane County voters showed they heavily favored the incumbent Democratic governor, with 54.6 percent of the county’s voters supporting Brown and 38.4 percent voting for Buehler.

Oregon voters also re-elected Democrat Peter DeFazio as the Representative for Oregon’s 4th Congressional District, which includes Eugene and Springfield. He had 56 percent of the vote over his Republican opponent Art Robinson. Before Robinson became the nominee, he had to beat several other Republican candidates in the primary, including a UO student.

Oregonians also overwhelmingly voted against Measure 105, which would have repealed Oregon’ status as a sanctuary state. Under Oregon’s sanctuary laws, state law enforcement agencies cannot use resources to arrest people whose only offense is being in the country illegally. Almost 63 percent of Oregon voters opposed the measure, and 68.3 percent of Lane County voted in favor of keeping the sanctuary state laws.

Almost two-thirds of Oregon Voters also said no to Measure 106, a measure that would have banned the use of public funding for abortions.

Voters passed Measure 102, which will allow government agencies to work with private companies to issue bonds to build affordable housing.

Oregonians also opposed Measure 103, which would have prohibited a future tax on groceries, and Measure 104, which would have amended the constitution to require a supermajority vote on any legislation that would have increased revenue.

On the national level, Democrats reclaimed the House of Representatives and the Republicans held their majority in the Senate. Vulnerable Democratic senators in key states such as Missouri and North Dakota lost to their Republican challengers.

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As hundreds of people filed into the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art last weekend, they were met by a three-tier altar, called an “ofrenda,” covered in purple and orange “papel picado,” a paper banner with cut-out designs; ceramic “calaveras,” or skulls; and photos of loved ones.

The celebration of life originated in Central and Southern Mexico and has spread throughout Latin America and into the United States. Its history spans millennia, but the basis is simple: Día de Muertos is a way to remember deceased family members and honor their lives through music, art, dance and food.

“Even though it’s about death, it doesn’t have to be sad,” said Daisy Elena, a University of Oregon student who helped organize the Día de Muertos celebration. “It’s [also] a celebration of life.”

At the center of it all is Armando Morales, a UO alumnus who has organized and helped the community celebrate the holiday dear to his heart for the past 37 years.

Morales is from Guanajuato, Mexico, but in 1978 followed the love of his life to Eugene, where he has lived since. When he was a student at UO in 1981, he missed a piece of home — so he began what would become a fundamental tradition for the Eugene community: UO’s celebration of the Day of the Dead, which now draws crowds of around 2,000 people over two nights.

“In Mexico, it’s one of the most important events,” said Morales. “And now in the United States, Día de Muertos has been supplanted as one of the most important celebrations of our community.”

The holiday has grown enough in the U.S. to have its own Pixar film, “Coco,” break into pop culture. But Morales is weary of the movie.

“‘Coco’ is more like a fantasy,” said Morales. “There are positive aspects of the movie, but it’s also dangerous because we will see it like something exotic, just to be consumed.”

One of his complaints about the film was that it portrays only one style of Día de Muertos, but across Mexico and around the world, the tradition varies. The event held at the JSMA is influenced by the culture of Morales’ Guanajuato.

He even has a photo of his grandmother on the ofrenda.

Armando Morales was raised by his grandmother after his mother died when he was young. Now he puts a photo of his grandmother, Petra, on the ofrenda at the JSMA every year, including last weekend for the event’s 37th iteration. (Braedon Kwiecien)

When Morales was born, his mother passed away; his grandmother, Petra, raised him. She taught him about the tradition — and helped him put a photo of his mother on the ofrenda every year to remember her.

“Ever since I was a kid, that’s what we did,” Morales said. It’s what makes the holiday especially meaningful for Morales, who also surrounds the ofrenda with photos of Mexican heroes such as César Chávez.

The ofrenda also includes the photos of others’ relatives — some students from Oak Hill School and JSMA staff put photos of their family members who recently passed away.

The rest of the ofrenda is filled with other forms of symbolism. Gods of the four elements are featured in the form of candles for the god of fire, a glass of water for the god of water, fruits and “camote,” or sweet potato, for the god of earth and the papel picado for the god of air.

The ofrenda, and the holiday as a whole, retains traditions from pre-Hispanic Latin America, but it has also been influenced by the Spanish-Catholic “conquistadores” who colonized much of Latin America.

Europe already had traditions surrounding death, including All Saint’s Day on Nov. 1 and All Souls’ day on Nov. 2. The indigenous people in Latin America had a celebration of the dead that took place around February and March, but when the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, the European date reigned. Still, many local traditions were preserved.

Día de Muertos altar made by Oak Hill School Students is displayed in the Papé Lecture Hall in the JSMA on Nov. 1, 2018. (Maddie Knight/Emerald)

Morales said he believes in the indigenous traditions of death surrounding Día de Muertos — Aztec legends that describe the afterlife. As he tells it, those who die a natural death go to Mictlān, the Aztec Land of the Dead. But the journey is a difficult one.

Morales said it takes two years, and one must overcome incredible obstacles: a river of blood guarded by jaguars, a range of mountains that crash into one another and an open plain showered by obsidian knives.

Morales said the deceased are buried with a blanket meant to guard them from the knives and a jade shard to defend themselves against the jaguars. The papel picado hung around the ofrenda symbolizes the peaks of mountains to guide the deceased on their journey.

The indigenous traditions weren’t kept to the ofrenda alone. The holiday also celebrates art and music as part of tradition. During the celebration at the JSMA, a group called “Identidad y Folclor,” or Identity and Culture, danced wearing traditional Mexican attire and “calavera,” or skull, face paint.

The band, P’urhembe, played live music, highlighting indigenous traditions. The group is from Michoacán, Mexico, where the indigenous community Purépecha resides. The band is made up of members of the Bautista family, headed by vocalist Nana Rosita.

With two violins to play the melodies, an upright bass used as a string and percussion instrument to keep the tempo and two guitars to harmonize and fill in the sound, the band’s music lilted with smooth, cheerful movements, accented with quick, picado plucking that kept the songs upbeat.

P’urhembe, a musical group from Michoacán, Mexico performs traditional music in the Papé Lecture Hall in the JSMA on Nov. 1, 2018. (Maddie Knight/Emerald)

And not all Spanish-speakers in the room would always have known the story being told. Some of the lyrics were in indigenous languages.

“This is music from a region of Mexico that has indigenous communities and the music is pre-Hispanic,” said  Fernando Franco-Soto, one of the band’s guitarists. “It has the language and certain rhythms and instrumentation.”

Franco-Soto is from an urban area of Michoacán and to some degree sees the music as an outsider, or at least understands the perspective. He likened the theme of Día de Muertos to a funeral — a time for mourning but also of celebration — and said that Purépecha culture walks the line, specifically with their music.

“Generally, a funeral is very solemn, and sure, people will cry at a funeral, but with the music, the music is generally upbeat. It’s also a way — as we say — to say goodbye happily to a parent, to a loved one,” Franco-Soto said.

Daisy Elena, a student in M.E.Ch.A. — el Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán — read a poem halfway through the performance to remember her aunt. First written in English, then translated to Spanish, Elena’s poem was an authentic example of the beauty in Día de Muertos and how it offers a conversation between the living and the deceased. “The idea of the celebration is that our loved ones are never gone,” said Elena.

Dancers from Identidad y Folclor, a group from Guanajuato, Mexico perform traditional dances in the Papé Lecture Hall in the JSMA on Nov. 1, 2018. (Maddie Knight/Emerald)

Just like the tradition, as it survived Spanish colonization and worldwide migration, Elena said, so too do our ancestors live on, in spirit and in our hearts. She concluded her poem, “‘Visitarme pronto por favor. Te quiero,’ (I love you. Please visit me soon.), Daisy.”

“This is a really great way to keep someone’s spirit alive in a positive way — like what type of food did they like or what type of music did they like,” said Cheryl Hartup, JSMA curator of academic programs and Latin American art, “rather than pushing it to the back of your mind or trying to forget it.” Hartup works closely with Morales to bring artists and musicians to the museum.

Morales said he’s proud of the growth of the tradition, saying that the celebration has become a staple for the Eugene community. The celebration is a window into the beliefs and arts of a minority culture in Eugene and recognizes the values that we all share, regardless of race or origin.

“I celebrate because it’s part of my culture,” Morales said. “But what I see here is also a form of combating racism, a form of culture that we feel and that we share.”

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As tuition continues to increase at universities across the country, students may find themselves cutting back on essentials, such as food, to pay for college expenses.  

Research from the Hope Center for College, Community and Justice, shows that nearly one in four college students is food insecure, meaning students have limited or uncertain access to nutritionally adequate food.

Recognizing that hunger hinders students’ abilities to focus and perform well academically, members of the University of Oregon have organized Feed the Flock, a task force that finds ways to alleviate that insecurity for students. After the homecoming parade last Friday, the team hosted a pep rally to promote the initiatives and collect food donations.

“When we have students who are food secure, we know that they will do better in school,” said Jill Creighton, assistant dean of students. “When you know where your next meal is coming from, when you know where you’re going to sleep at night — those things help our students to exceed in the classroom.”

Food security initiatives, which former ASUO President Amy Schenk spearheaded last year, have grown this year to include five programs. These initiatives are a result of students, staff and faculty from departments all over campus allocating time and resources to the task force.

“Our main goal is alleviating food insecurity here on campus,” said Jade Menchaca, a senior at UO and food security program coordinator with the Student Sustainability Center. “But we’re also really trying to destigmatize feeling guilty or feeling embarrassed about receiving this aide because a lot of students are in the exact same boat.”

There are a few new initiatives this year — Ducks Feeding Ducks, Produce Drops and the Ducks Food Cache — in addition to the older initiatives that are continuing to change and expand: the Student Food Pantry and support signing up for Oregon’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

• Ducks Feeding Ducks: Students who sign up online can receive $10 in their Duck Buck ID cards within an hour of filling out an application if approved. The funds can only be used at food venues on campus that accept Duck Bucks. The money stays in the account for seven days before being transferred back into the general fund, and students can apply up to three times per term.
• Ducks Food Cache: Though the software is still in beta testing, Ducks Food Cache is an alert system that notifies students when a UO Catering event has leftover food. The system sends a text 15 minutes before the end of an event to students who have signed up. The Food Cache is set for a full-scale launch winter term.
• Produce Drop: Organized in partnership by the SSC and Food for Lane County, students who self-identify as below 200 percent of the poverty level can fill a bag of fresh produce for free. These drops happen at the EMU Amphitheater every second Tuesday of the month.
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Students can find help signing up for Oregon’s SNAP benefits at the SSC or Duck Nest. This year, the SSC plans to host more workshops to spread awareness and help more students access these resources.
• Student Food Pantry: Located off campus on the corner of Emerald Alley and 19th Avenue, the food pantry allows any student with a valid student ID card to fill a grocery bag for free. It operates from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The programs are funded largely by President Michael Schill, who contributed about $87,000, along with $20,000 in proceeds donated from ASUO’s Street Faire last year and a contribution of $15,000 from Vice President for Finance and Administration Jamie Moffitt. Additionally, people can donate money to Ducks Feeding Ducks or the student crisis fund.

The new programs were funded as a one-year pilot, so to ensure that the programs can be funded again in the future, Feed the Flock must show that these programs are reaching students who need them most.

So far, the numbers are promising. At the first Produce Drop, held in October, 400 pounds of food was given away to roughly 80 people in 45 minutes. About 70 people have signed up to beta test the Ducks Food Cache, and the EMU Card Office has received just under 200 applications for Ducks Feeding Ducks.

“When we heard the numbers, we were really surprised, but of course we are happy about how many students have used the system,” said Ivan Chen, the ASUO external vice president who is involved in the task force. “But we are also really sad about how many students actually need these resources.”

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With only two weeks to go before the 2018 midterm elections, ballots are filling mailboxes across the state.

The two major-party candidates are incumbent Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, and Rep. Knute Buehler. Brown is slightly ahead of her opponent in polls, but the two candidates have similar views on many social issues. Also running are Patrick Starnes, an Independent; Aaron Auer, with the Constitution party; Nick Chen, a Libertarian and Chris Henry, a Progressive.  

Brown took office in 2015 after the resignation of former Gov. John Kitzhaber amid a criminal investigation. Prior to becoming the state’s 37th governor, she was the secretary of state from 2009 to 2015 and has served in the state legislature for 17 years. Brown was Oregon’s first female Senate Majority Leader in 2004 and is the first openly bisexual person to be elected governor in the U.S.

Buehler is a state representative in Bend and an orthopedic surgeon. In 2012, he ran against Brown for the Secretary of State office. According to his website, Buehler is “a fiscally responsible, pro-choice moderate with an independent streak.” If elected, Buehler would be the first Republican governor of Oregon since 1987.

Below are the two major-party candidates’ views on some of the top issues this election.

Health care

Brown and Buehler are both pro-choice and have championed legislature on reproductive rights in Oregon. Brown supported the 2017 Reproductive Health Equity Act, which made affordable reproductive health care more accessible for Oregonians, including women who have immigrated illegally.

Buehler voted to allow pharmacists to prescribe over-the-counter birth control; however, he voted “no” on a bill that would have expanded Medicaid to cover abortions and other women’s health care. According to his website, he aims to reduce unintended pregnancy by 25 percent in five years by providing comprehensive women’s health care.

Additionally, both candidates recognized opioid addiction and mental health as major issues in which to invest. Both have said they want to ensure that Oregonians, especially children, have access to quality health care at an affordable cost.

Education

Both Buehler and Brown have set goals to improve high school graduation rates in the state, which are among the lowest in the country. Buehler was first to propose extending the school year from 170 to 180 days, and Brown was soon to follow with the same proposal. They are also both planning to fund anti-dropout and career and technical education programs.

Buehler is proposing a 15 percent increase in state funding for public schools for the 2019–2021 and 2021–2023 school year budgets, whereas Brown hasn’t set deadlines or mandates for funding.

Homelessness

Brown has said she wants to prioritize ending homelessness for children and veterans, invest in permanent housing and increase the state’s investment in affordable housing to create 25,000 affordable homes by 2023.

Buehler’s goal is to end unsheltered homelessness by 2023 by minimizing unsafe shelters and providing up to 4,000 emergency shelter beds. Buehler also said he would turn the recently sold Wapato Jail into a homeless shelter.

Environmental policy

Both candidates disagree with President Donald Trump’s plan to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement. Brown has been a long-time supporter of clean energy and renewable resources. She has signed into law a number of programs to ensure clean air and water and promote the use of renewable energy sources.

Buehler also supported a 2016 bill to push Oregon away from the use of coal as an energy source; however, he has accepted donations, over $880,000, from organizations that oppose strict environmental regulations, according to the Oregonian. His campaign website doesn’t list environmental policy as one of his top priorities, which are health care, homelessness, education and bridging Oregon’s rural/urban divide.

Gun Control

Brown lists public safety as one of her priorities and has called for sensible gun laws, including legislation that would “keep guns out of the hands of people who pose a threat to themselves or others,” according to her website.

Buehler’s website doesn’t specify his position on gun control, but he has said he is against initiatives that would limit the sale of assault weapons and expanding background checks, according to the Oregonian. He did say he would support common sense gun laws such as restricting anyone under 21 from buying assault weapons and having a three-day wait period for buying handguns.

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A pair of rainbow balloon arches welcomed students to the EMU lawn last Tuesday for the Coming Out Day Festival, a celebration of the LGBTQ community on campus and in Eugene.

The festival, which was organized by the LGBTQA3 Center, along with the Women’s Center and Multicultural Center, featured a variety of student groups and local organizations, a 77-foot-long inflatable obstacle course, therapy puppies, free HIV testing and a coming out door.

National Coming Out Day has been celebrated across the U.S. on Oct. 11 since 1988, according to the Human Rights Campaign. At the University of Oregon, the event was extended into a week-long celebration in conjunction with LGBT History Month.

The festival was “certainly the best-attended Coming Out Week Festival of the last five years, if not ever,” said Max Jensen, who organized the event for the LGBT Education and Support Services office on campus.

“I think it’s important to celebrate coming out and the process and challenges and even the heartache and the pain that comes with it,” said Haley Wilson, coordinator of the support services office. “It is an accomplishment to be vulnerable and authentic with your own identities and to be able to show that to the world.”

The LGBTQA3 Center (short for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, asexual, aromantic and agender) is a student organization located in the EMU that provides resources and support to the UO community.

“Our ultimate mission is to build safe spaces and make the university campus, and Eugene as a whole, just a really safe space for those that identify as queer in any way,” said Lily Lamadrid, a freshman philosophy major who helped organize the event.

Students at the festival were met by a number of both campus and local groups showing their support for the LGBTQ community. Campus groups included the Duck Nest, University Counseling, the Queer, Trans and Intersex Students of Color group, and OUTLaws, the LGBT group for law students, among others. From the Eugene community, Trans*Ponder, a trans-founded non-profit group, and As You Like It, a queer-founded sex shop, were tabling on the EMU lawn with others.

The UO has been recognized by BestColleges.com and the Campus Pride Index as the top campus for the LGBTQ community in Oregon and one of the top 25 colleges in the country in terms of resources and support, Around the O reported.

“I think it’s great that they make UO known as a place where everyone can be accepted,” said Sarah Hartley, a sophomore computer science major who went to the Coming Out Day Festival. “It’s really cool to just have a festival where everyone feels included.”

ASUO President Maria Alejandra Gallegos-Chacón attended the event as well, in addition to putting her name on the OUTList. The OUTList is a list of about 450 students, faculty, staff and alumni at the university who openly identify either as members of the LGBTQ community or as allies compiled by the Division of Student Life and published in the Emerald. Gallegos-Chacón said she recently came out to her dad as bisexual.

Gallegos-Chacón said that while LGBT student groups are leading much of the advocacy work for the community on campus, there is still work to be done.

“Some of my favorite professors are the ones that made it okay to be out and supported me through it, so I do think we have, at times, a good environment,” she said. “But you know, it’s still not perfect.”

Throughout the month of October, the LGBTQA3 and LGBTESS offices are continuing to hostevents, ranging from movie screenings, to LGBTea Time, to art exhibits. More information on these events or LGBT campus resources can be found at LGBT.uoregon.edu.

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Last July, 87 out of 118 graduates of the University of Oregon School of Law took the bar exam, the test that allows individuals to practice law in a given jurisdiction.

The results, which were released late September, revealed that 83 percent of UO Law alum who took the Oregon test for the first time in July passed it. This exceeds the statewide average of a 78 percent pass rate.

Additionally, all five of the UO Law graduates who took the test for the first time in Washington passed.

“We are very pleased with how well our graduates did on the Oregon bar exam, particularly since the overall rate was down in the state this year,” said Nicole Commissiong, the assistant dean for student affairs. “We are also pleased that our graduates achieved the highest bar passage rate among the state’s three law schools.”

Pass rates for the exam are at a 34-year low across the nation this year. Statewide, pass rates dropped nearly six percentage points from 83.6 percent for first-time applicants in July 2017 to 78 percent for that group this year, according to a UO law school press release.

Though pass rates are lower than in previous years, Commissiong said the law school aims to invest in its students by helping them prepare for the exam. The school has done so by creating a program dedicated to this and partnering with Barbri, a company that offers bar review courses.

The bar exam consists of three parts: a 200-question multiple-choice exam, an essay test with six questions and a performance test, according to the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ website.

Graduates usually prepare for the exam over the course of nine weeks and commit about 500 to 600 hours to studying, said Megan McAlpin, law professor and director of the law school’s Academic Excellence Program. This equates to nearly nine or 10 hours of studying for six days a week, she said.

Commissiong said the pass rates of this year’s graduates reflects the effort by the law school to prepare their students, as well as the hard work of those graduates.

“Passing the bar exam is an accomplishment and a milestone in the life of a lawyer,” she said. “We are excited that our graduates did so well on the bar exam last year and again this year, and we look forward to continuing to support our graduates as they prepare to take and pass the bar exam.”

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When Eli Ackerman, a senior at the University of Oregon majoring in economics, registered for business calculus last winter term, he knew he would need help in the course. He visited the Tutoring and Learning Center in Knight Library, where they offered him a list of tutors and their phone numbers, which seemed outdated, he said.

“A lot of departments didn’t have an organized way to get students tutors, so I was thinking there’s got to be a better way to connect with tutors on campus,” Ackerman said. “There’s got to be an app for that.”

That term, he met Adrian Martushev, a math tutor and senior majoring in math and computer sciences. They discussed the need for better student-tutor connections and partnered to take on the task of creating those connections. Thus, the idea for the smartphone app Tutortree was born.

“As soon as we started talking about this idea, it was abundantly clear how many issues there were,” said Martushev, regarding the inconvenience of scheduling tutoring sessions via text and the awkwardness of discussing payments. “The app handles all those logistical aspects of the tutor side, as well as helps students easily connect.”

Once students have downloaded the Tutortree app, currently available in the Apple App Store, and created an account, they can see a list of courses with tutors available, along with a calendar of when those tutors are available.

Additionally, students can pay tutors through the app or have parents deposit money to their app to pay for sessions, which range in price depending on the tutor.

All of the Tutortree tutors are either employed by the UO already or they have a letter of recommendation from faculty and have received at least a B+ in the class they want to tutor.

Released for beta testing near the end of spring term 2018, the app went live on the first day of school this year, Sept. 24. Martushev and Ackerman worked nearly full-time over the summer perfecting the app, they said.

“We have a goal for fall,” Martushev said, “just proving that this thing can work. Then we’re going to start discussing expansion to other schools.”

The duo said they hope to schedule 1,000 tutoring sessions during fall term.

Carmen Mindt, a junior majoring in business administration, used the app during her summer term to find tutors for statistics and Business Calculus 2. She downloaded the app as soon as she heard about it, she said.

“You literally just download the app and create an account,” Mindt said. “It’s super snazzy because it looks like a calendar and it pulls up all of the different tutors and all of their free blocks.”

Tutor Shahden Barghouti, a junior applied math major, echoed Mindt’s sentiments, saying the app “allows students a better chance to pick the tutors they think can help them the best.”

“All the tutors have different strengths,” Barghouti said. “Tutors get to know their students and students get to know their tutors.”

For Martushev, the app simply facilitates something he’s been doing all along: helping students succeed.

“It’s never really been about the money for me when I’m tutoring,” he said. “It’s more like that feedback you get when someone truly understands something and is thankful that they could get to that point.”

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Along the south gates of Autzen Stadium this football season, Safety Ambassadors will engage with University of Oregon students before they enter the stadium. Equipped with games, coupons for free food and giveaway items, the ambassadors strike up conversations with students about the new ride service offered at games and educate them about other campus resources.

The Safety Ambassadors is a group of students that provides rides from Autzen Stadium during football games to students who may be alone, intoxicated or unable to get home safely on their own. The program directors tested it last year and put the program into full effect this football season.

In addition, the Safety Ambassadors promotes other ride options from the game, such as the Lane Transit District buses that are free with a UO student ID.

“The idea of the Safety Ambassador program at football was to provide safe transportation to students from the football game — those who likely are intoxicated or denied entry,” said Ashley Dougherty, UOPD’s Safe Rides programs manager.

The Safety Ambassadors falls under the umbrella of the Safe Rides programs, which includes Safe Ride, Designated Driver Shuttle and Campus Shuttle, all of which are overseen by UOPD.

Unlike Safe Ride and DDS, however, Safety Ambassadors only operates during football games. Student employees spend about an hour before kickoff educating students about their transportation options and accept ride requests until the beginning of the third quarter, Dougherty said. Their tent is located outside the south, student-entry gates.

In a partnership with UO Athletics, the ambassadors also promotes Autzen’s spectator code of conduct and informs fans of new policies in place this football season, especially the no re-entry policy if spectators leave the stadium.

They also hand out freebies, such as flashlights and ID card holders that adhere to the back of phone cases. The ID card holders come with information cards that list phone numbers for campus resources such as the police, Safe Rides programs and the SAFE hotline for sexual assault.

The ambassadors also play games with students to engage with them and keep things fun while also educating, Dougherty said. Students can win coupons for playing a spin-the-wheel game with an ambassador or can sign up for a raffle to win a pair of free Pit Crew shoes, donated by UO Athletics.

“I think one of the best parts of the job is when we’re doing the information session before we start giving rides,” said senior Katie Mendiburu, one of the safety ambassadors. “People get really excited that they’re not going to have to worry about how they’re going to get home.”

While the Safety Ambassadors program aims to make sure everyone has a safe ride home, rides are limited due to heavy traffic in the area and a small, though growing, staff.

In this way, they have the unique task of identifying students who need rides most and informing others about different transportation options.

“To some extent, their job is to really be the eyes and ears there at the site, engage people and connect with the other game services to identify people who might be in need and really kind of focus on the most at-risk students,” said Kelly McIver, spokesperson for UOPD.

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On the corner of 13th Avenue and University Street last spring, Maria Alejandra Gallegos-Chacón and a team of Associated Students of the University of Oregon (ASUO) hopefuls campaigned in lavender T-shirts with the words “Ducks Together” printed in yellow block letters, surrounded by the same phrase in various languages in dark purple. They stopped passers-by to discuss the upcoming ASUO elections, for which Gallegos-Chacón was running for president.

The scene at the Ducks Together campaign tent was boisterous: music played, everyone danced and laughed and took photos. Throughout the multi-week campaign, Gallegos-Chacón and other slate members engaged with students, listened to their thoughts and encouraged them to vote.

From behind her “grandpa-style,” wire-rimmed glasses framed by dark curls of hair, Gallegos-Chacón is approachable, but she’s direct and won’t sway from her goals. She leads by example and uses her experiences to inform her politics.

“Her work ethic is amazing,” said Tan Perkins, ASUO chief of staff. “She’s the person that’s out there tabling and is like ‘Hey, there’s too many people behind the table. Get out there,’ and then she goes out there, too.”

Despite receiving nearly 70 percent of the vote, Gallegos-Chacón, a senior ethnic studies major, never expected to win.

“I was just really excited [when I won]. I was also in shock though because it didn’t feel right,” said Gallegos-Chacón, who didn’t see herself as a leader in the past. “I think my slate and my VPs deserved it more than anyone, more than myself.”

Maria Gallegos (center), one of the presidential candidates for the ASUO goverment elections, and her running mates, Imani Dorsey (left) and Ivan Chen (right). Mar. 12, 2018. (Madi Mather/Emerald)

As ASUO president, Gallegos-Chacón represents the university, oversees funding for student groups and advocates for the student body. This year, she plans on tackling major issues ranging from tuition increases and food insecurity to fighting discrimination on campus.

And for the first time in ASUO history, the executive team — comprised of vice presidents Imani Dorsey and Ivan Chen, Perkins and Gallegos-Chacón — all openly identify as queer people of color.

“This is actually pretty historical,” Gallegos-Chacón said.

Ethan Shafer, a freshman who ran with Ducks Together and was elected to Senate, said that while campaigning, Gallegos-Chacón “was not afraid to stand up for her constituents.” In the upcoming year, Shafer said, students can expect the same from their president.

“She was not afraid of what other people thought of her and her opinions but was there for her constituents and no one else, and that’s what I really admire about Maria,” he said.

As the daughter of Ecuadorian immigrants, Gallegos-Chacón came the the United States when she was 2 years old. She lived in Chicago until her early teens, then moved to Hillsboro, Oregon, where she said she struggled adjusting to the different culture. “It was just shocking how white Oregon is,” she said.

Gallegos-Chacón said the transition from Chicago to Hillsboro was difficult because she was far from family and friends. She got in trouble for using Spanish slang in school. She was a chatterbox. She started fights. She struggled to do well in school. And her mom called her peleona, meaning little fighter.

Gallegos-Chacón said she noticed she was different from most people in her new community because of her Latinx identity and felt the sting of microaggressions from peers and teachers, something she still faces on a regular basis.

In middle school, a substitute teacher once told Gallegos-Chacón she’d be pregnant in high school because she was “boy crazy,” playing into stereotypes surrounding Latinx women. Gallegos-Chacón said she internalized those comments about race and gender.

“I think it hurt me in a self-esteem way more than anything,” Gallegos-Chacón said.

Things turned around for Gallegos-Chacon when Bill Huntzinger, her English teacher at Glencoe High School, introduced her to the ideologies of the Black Panthers and Malcolm X. She discovered an interest in discussing social equality.

“I was really interested in that aspect of racial justice, so that’s what got me into school and what got me intrigued to go to college,” she said.

Huntzinger encouraged Gallegos-Chacón to take classes like AP Government. Although she said she was never the best student, she remained dedicated to the schoolwork. “I think having two particular teachers who were invested in my writing and invested in my ideas as a queer woman of color was really helpful to me,” she said.

In addition to discovering a passion for learning about social justice, Gallegos-Chacón took on her first leadership role in high school. In her senior year, she was required to do community service after getting in trouble for something she no longer remembers. Rather than joining a community service club, she founded her own organization. As the director of the Environmental Impact Club, Gallegos-Chacón realized she had a knack for leadership and activism.

Maria Alejandra Gallegos-Chacón is the 2018-2019 ASUO president. (Dana Sparks/Emerald)

“I really liked being in charge of something, setting agendas and putting events together, which is funny because I’m still doing that now,” she said.

Since graduating high school, Gallegos-Chacón has volunteered with Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group (OSPRIG) and interned with Organizing People, Activating Leaders (OPAL) Environmental Justice Oregon. With OPAL, she campaigned for a law that allows low-income individuals in Portland to get a free or reduced-price bus pass.

She also worked with Planned Parenthood to pass legislature to provide free reproductive health care to Oregonians. Both pieces of legislature, Keep Oregon Moving and the Reproductive Health Equity Act, passed in the Oregon Legislature.

Gallegos-Chacón said she’s not afraid to be persistent when campaigning for something she cares about. She uses her friendliness to her advantage when approaching strangers but has noticed some pushback, specifically from older white men, who she says don’t take her seriously.

While campaigning, people have badgered her about her height and age, rather than discussing a bill or petition with her. “I feel like a white man whisperer sometimes, and I’m okay with it,” said Gallegos-Chacón, regarding her ability to reframe conversations to be more productive.

Beatriz Gutierrez, a former ASUO president who worked with Gallegos-Chacón at OPAL Environmental Justice, said she learned from working with Gallegos-Chacón how “to be really intentional about the conversations that she had with folks and giving folks her whole attention.”

Gutierrez and Gallegos-Chacón got to know each other during their fellowship with OPAL, and Gutierrez has provided advice and support to Gallegos-Chacón throughout her campaign and presidency. She recalled a time when Gallegos-Chacón felt discriminated against while fundraising and wasn’t afraid to speak up about it. Gallegos-Chacón is “unapologetic when she sees injustice,” said Gutierrez.

Andrew Rogers, formerly the Oregon Student Association campus organizer who worked with Gallegos-Chacón, said “something that stands out to me about Maria is she has a really good analysis of how power works in institutions.”

She listens to the issues students face on campus and finds the root of the problem, he said, and addresses them “in a productive way that’s going to hopefully get the results that students want that makes student lives better.”

This year, the ASUO executive team plans to advocate for underrepresented student groups and alleviate injustice.  

“We’re looking at campus more holistically while making sure that we are standing up for those marginalized folks,” said Perkins. “We just want to make sure that every decision we’re making is going to affect the most people in the best way possible.”

Though Gallegos-Chacón faces challenging tasks of fighting injustice, food insecurity and tuition increases, she said she is looking forward to the more  light-hearted moments that make it worth it.

For her, some of those moments were the campaign days leading up to her election as president.

“Even before we won,” she said, “there were some really good times.”

And the good times were unexpected.

About 20 members of the Ducks Together slate gathered at Pegasus Pizza on April 12 to celebrate the end of campaigning while they awaited the results. The group filled several tables and enjoyed a spread of pepperoni, cheese and vegetarian pizzas.

Vice President Ivan Chen was first to receive the email congratulating the slate. Perkins didn’t want to get too excited, as the results seemed too good to be true. But, as the congratulatory emails stopped coming in, reality sank in that Ducks Together was victorious.

Gallegos-Chacón stepped outside to call her mother and collect herself. It had been raining all day in Eugene, but for those few moments, the sun shined through the clouds.

When her mom answered the phone, she said, “Oh no, what happened?”

Gallegos-Chacón responded, “No, ganamos, we won!”

The post Get to know the ASUO president: Maria Alejandra Gallegos-Chacón appeared first on Emerald Media.

As students return to the University of Oregon for fall term, they will find new transportation options for traveling to the airport, football games, bars and anywhere else in Eugene and Springfield.

Both popular ride-hail services Uber and Lyft began operating in the two cities this week. Lyft kicked off its services on Wednesday, Sept. 5 and Uber followed on Thursday.

The Oregon Duck took the inaugural Lyft ride to Autzen Stadium yesterday. Lyft announced a partnership with Oregon Athletics, in which they plan to coordinate pick-up and drop-off locations at the UO’s sports venues, said Todd Kelsay, Lyft’s Pacific Northwest General Manager.

Springfield and Eugene Mayors Christine Lundberg and Lucy Vinis taking the first ride from Arcimoto manufacturing plant in Eugene, which provided three-wheel Fun Utility Vehicles as an escort to the Uber.

And just like that the inaugural @cityofeugene @Uber ride takes off from @arcimoto. pic.twitter.com/SAo3073LjR

— Sarah Northrop (@SARTAKESPICS) September 6, 2018

Vinis said that she’s excited to welcome back ride-hail services.

“As the host city for a major university, we have an obligation to make sure the students are safe,” she said. “This is one additional way in which we can ensure students’ safety.”

The first Eugene Uber was driven by Matt Sayre, vice president of the Technology Association of Oregon, who played a major role in bringing Uber back to Eugene.

“Lane County got the not very prestigious designation of the DUI capital of Oregon,” Sayre said. “We are very hopeful that having this very easy option for students will help that.”

Matt Sayre is the driver of the mayors’ Uber. Mayors of Eugene and Springfield, Lucy Vinis and Christine Lundberg, take the inaugural Uber ride recognizing the ride share app’s return to Eugene, Ore. on Sept. 6, 2018. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

The relaunch of Uber in Eugene comes after the city’s decision in April to ease regulations imposed on transportation network companies, or TNCs. Both ride-hail companies applied for TNC licenses last week.

The city’s regulations require that anyone interested in driving for either Uber or Lyft apply for a public passenger vehicle (PPV) certification from the city as well. After a potential driver applies for either Uber or Lyft, they must then apply for a PPV driver certification, which costs $65.

Interested drivers must be 21 years of age and must have obtained acceptance from the TNC they applied to, in addition to a vehicle inspection, background check and proof of insurance before they can receive a license from the city.

The University of Oregon is working with the ride-hail companies to create designated pick-up and drop-off locations around campus to regulate the flow of traffic, according to an Around the O article. The designated locations include near the Student Recreation Center, Kalapuya Ilihi and Global Scholars Hall, Matthew Knight Arena, and near PLC.

“Campus roadways already have a very condensed mix of pedestrians, bikes, skateboards, and vehicles,” Kelly McIver, a University of Oregon Police Department spokesperson, wrote in an email. “Having ride-hail vehicles stopping all over would unnecessarily increase risk.”

Uber and Lyft are offering discounts to Eugene and Springfield riders. Uber riders can get $5 off for two rides through midnight on Sept. 20 by using the promotional code UberEugene18. Lyft is also offering $5 off three rides by using the code LYFTEUG.

Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis gets inside an Uber. Mayors of Eugene and Springfield, Lucy Vinis and Christine Lundberg, take the inaugural Uber ride recognizing the ride share app’s return to Eugene, Ore. on Sept. 6, 2018. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

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