Graduate teaching fellows may be on strike in the coming months after a Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation vote on Oct. 24.

The GTFF has been bargaining with the administration since November 2013. The University of Oregon and the federation meet every two years to negotiate their Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Bargaining continued into February, when members of the GTFF held a rally outside Johnson Hall to bring attention to their bargaining priorities, including major dental coverage. The issue of healthcare was resolved by the GTFF Health and Welfare Trust.

In March, the contract expired as bargaining continued. During the summer, the university called for mediation. However, the administration and the GTFF were unable to come to a resolution and the GTFF declared an impasse. On Oct. 24, 721 GTFs voted, and 618 voted to strike.

One unresolved issue is GTF salary. Interim provost Frances Bronet confirmed that GTF salaries range from $31,025 to $56,466 including the tuition waiver, but GTFF President Joe Henry believes that the waiver should not be included because it is not taxed as a wage.

“GTFs make somewhere between $9,000 and $12,000,” Henry explained. “People are struggling, selling plasma, going into debt.”

The GTFF asked for a 5.5 percent raise for two years for all GTFs. According to Bronet, the university offered two proposals: a 6 percent raise per year for two years to level one GTFs and 3 percent to levels two and three, or 5 percent in the first year and 4 percent in the second for all GTFs.

“We are happy with either of those because we want to meet their interest and their needs,” Bronet said.

The other unresolved priority is paid leave. According to Bronet, the university cannot offer the GTFF paid leave because they are part-time employees (working under 0.5 Full Time Equivalent, or FTE).

“What they can do right now is have 12 weeks of protected job leave,” Bronet said. “In terms of paying for family leave, one of the dilemmas is that we have many employees on campus that work less than 0.5 and don’t have access to family paid leave. We’re trying to have some kind of equivalence across all the people who are working and contributing to our collective community.”

The Service Employees International Union released a statement on Sept. 30 announcing solidarity with the GTFF and revealing that part-time classified staff accrue paid leave. This leaves adjunct faculty as the only part-time employees that cannot acquire paid leave.

According to Henry, the issue of paid leave is a form of discrimination towards students who want to have children.

“We’re told, ‘Dissertate before you procreate,’” Henry said. “Without paid leave, the issue of gender equity comes into play because you’re saying men can pursue professional track positions, wives can stay at home and have children. This gets rid of the best and brightest women on their way to becoming professional scholars because you can’t do both.”

Henry also brought up the aspect of paternity leave.

“An unfair share of the burden is placed on the woman,” Henry said. “While she’s trying to recover, men should be at home helping out. This is based off president Scott Coltrane’s research. This is an excellent opportunity for him to put his own research into practice.”

GTF and mother Denielle Perry highlighted the importance of paid leave as an educator.

“I teach students about levels of development in the world and that the Unites States is the only country in the developed world that doesn’t offer paid leave to its parents,” Perry said. “We’re teaching classes sanctioned by the university, we’re telling students this is the situation in your country, you should make this change. If we can’t change the system on a college campus, how are we going to change the entire country?”

On Oct. 27 Bronet released a statement addressing the recent vote to strike.

“I am disappointed that GTFs who voted felt it necessary to take this step,” Bronet wrote. “The university has updated and expanded its offer throughout the bargaining process to address most of the GTFF’s concerns. At the same time, we must treat other employee groups at UO fairly and equitably.”

The deadline for final contract offers from both sides is Monday, Oct. 27.

Emerald Editor Alex Cremer contributed to this article.

Governor

John Kitzhaber (Democrat) 

Kitzhaber is the current Oregon governor and has held the position since 2011. He previously served as governor from 1995 to 2003. Should he be reelected, he will be the first Oregon governor to serve four terms. Kitzhaber also served as an Oregon legislator, serving one term in the House and three in Senate.

Kitzhaber is known for his work on healthcare policy. In 1993, he created the Oregon Health Care Plan, which provides health care coverage for low-income Oregonians.

Kitzhaber was criticized for his handling of Cover Oregon, Oregon’s independent healthcare marketplace, which was plagued with website issues that shut down the $248 million marketplace.

Recently, Kitzhaber has come under fire after accusations that his finance Cylvia Hayes used her access to the governor’s office to promote her private consulting business, violating Oregon’s ethics regulations. The state ethics commission is currently investigating the matter.

Dennis Richardson (Republican) 

After serving 11 years as a Republican Representative for the state of  Oregon, Richardson is in the running for governor.

A resident of Oregon since 1979, Richardson worked in Central Point as a trial lawyer for over  30 years. Richardson served in the US Army as a helicopter pilot and received 19 air medals.

Richardson has also been the Chair of the Budget Committee for School District Six and a member of Central Point City Council.

His campaign focuses on fixing the state economy.

In 2006, Richardson sponsored a bill that would require minors to have a parent signature before receiving an abortion and rallied against the domestic partnership bill in 2007.

Recently, Richardson wrote a letter to the US Attorney’s Office requesting an investigation into current Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber and his fiancee Cylvia Hayes regarding accusations of bribery, money laundering and conspiracy.

Senate

Monica Wehby (Republican)

Wehby is the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Randall Children’s Hospital. In 2004, she unsuccessfully campaigned for a measure to reform Oregon’s malpractice laws. In 2007, she was elected president of the Oregon Medical Association and spoke against Obamacare.

Wehby opposes increasing the federal minimum wage, new Environmental Protection Agency regulations, federal legislation to expand background checks on gun purchases and the legalization of marijuana. Wehby has shown support for abortion rights, gay marriage and incumbent Senator Jeff Merkley’s bill on banning workplace discrimination.

Wehby was accused of plagiarizing her healthcare and economic plans by Buzzfeed and the Huffington Post in September and October. After the accusations, Wehby took down a page of her website.

Jeff Merkley (Democrat)

Merkley was born in Myrtle Creek, Oregon. Merkley is the incumbent senator, and is running for reelection this year. Before his term in senate, Merkley served in the Oregon House of Representatives from 1999 to 2009, and was Speaker of the House from 2007 to 2009. During his time in senate, Jeff’s primary focus has been restoring the economy. He is an advocate for ending U.S. dependence on foreign oil and transitioning to a clean-energy economy to create new jobs in in new industries to help the issue of climate change.

In the past, Merkley voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003, while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels.

Congress (4th District) 

Art Robinson (Republican)

Robinson graduated from CalTech, and received his PhD in chemistry from the University of California in San Diego. Soon after receiving his degrees, he moved to Oregon just outside of Cave Junction. He has helped co-found the Linus Pauling Institute and the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine. In addition, Robinson worked on medical and defense issues during the Reagan administration and on energy issues during the Clinton and Bush administrations.

Robinson ran in the 2012 election for the United States House of Representatives in which he lost to current representative, Peter Defazio.

Peter DeFazio (Democrat)

Defazio is currently a member of the U.S. House of Representatives running for re-election. Defazio is the longest-serving member of the Oregon House Delegation, remaining in office for 27 years.

A 2007 University of Oregon grad, Defazio served as a member of the U.S. Army Reserve from 1967 to 1971.

In his most recent election in 2012, he beat Chuck Hunnting and Art Robinson, who he is currently running against in the 2014 election.

Defazio has a progressive voting record, voting against the Patriot Act and bills that would increase militarization, but has been known to butt heads with other Democrats, notably on the 2009 stimulus package.

Follow Francesca Fontana, Lauren Garetto, Kiley Myatt, Emma Scherzer and Jennifer Fleck on Twitter @francescamarie , @laurengaretto , @kileymyatt , @emmascherzer , @jenniferfleck

OSPIRG, the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group, held a press conference this morning in front of Lillis Complex to promote their fall campaign, Protect Our Rivers. The group hopes to collect public comments in support of EPA rule-making in order to protect local rivers from pollution, and today they urged students to make their voice heard by commenting online before the deadline on Nov. 14.

The group has also partnered with Environment Oregon, a non-profit organization based in Portland, and read from a report released today by Environment Oregon on the Clean Water Act’s impact on American rivers. The report cites 15 case studies in which the Clean Water Act has protected waterways since its enactment.

For more information, visit OSPIRG’s website here.

The UOPD has formed a new procedure for reviewing complaints made about the police on the University of Oregon campus, according to Around the O. The UO Complaint Resolution Committee received input from the community, as well as university stakeholders in order to form the new procedure, which will soon be put into place. According to Kelly McIver, communications director for the UOPD, the most important difference between the procedures is that the committee provides an extra layer of review that is independent of the UOPD in order to determine whether or not university rules are followed in UOPD investigations.

The Complaint Resolution Committee is made up of students, faculty, university employees, former members of the UOPD and dean of students office and a former law enforcement professional. The committee assesses complaints made about UOPD conduct or policy.

The new procedure allows people to submit complaints online, in writing or through the office of the Vice President for Finance and Administration, which they can also do with the current procedure. The current procedure uses an internal complaint process that involves appeal or review options outside the department.

Complaints can be forwarded to the Vice President for Finance and Administration and the chair of the Complaint Resolution Committee.

On Oct. 20, the University of Oregon was ranked as No. 17 in the 2014 Trojan Sexual Health Report Card.

The annual study, which is conducted by Sperling’s BestPlaces and sponsored by Trojan Condoms, ranks 140 major universities by the accessibility of sexual health resources and services. This includes the availability of contraceptives and HIV testing, hours of operation of campus health centers and the quality of sexual health information offered to students.

UO climbed 31 spots this year after being ranked No. 48 in 2013. Keith VanNorman, health promotion marketing manager for the Health Center, started keeping track of the results of the study last year, and was not surprised by the UO’s jump in the rankings.

According to VanNorman, the source of UO’s improvement was the creation of SexPositive.

“The SexPositive app has made a big splash over the last year in sexual health among college campuses, so I had a feeling we were going to jump,” VanNorman said. “I didn’t think it was going to be that great of a jump, but it’s pretty impressive.”

SexPositive is a free app created by the University of Oregon that provides information about sexual health including STDs, consent and contraceptives. The app also explains what happens when any body part touches any other given body part, it also provides videos showing safe sex practices. SexPositive gives the user reliable information without bringing on fear of judgement or misinformation, serving as a 24/7 sexual health resource.

The app is available to University of Oregon students and has expanded to the University of Maryland and the University of Colorado Boulder.

While VanNorman would love to see the UO at the No. 1 spot someday, it’s not the most important aspect of the study.

“I think it’s just great that it’s increasing the conversation about communicating healthy sexual behavior on campus in general.”

For more information on sexual health, visit the University of Oregon’s Health Center.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM), and crisis center Womenspace, Inc. is putting a new spin on their activism this month. Executive director Peggy Whalen is excited about the new project and the opportunities it offers for the cause.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, intimate partner violence is most common among women between the ages of 18 and 24 years old, the common ages of college students. Whalen stresses that students should be aware of the warning signs and the misconception that domestic violence is always immediately evident.

“The thing people have to remember is people don’t go out on a first date and someone beats them up,” Whalen said. “It’s coercive control, it takes time.”

Womenspace offers many services to aid victims facing domestic abuse, including emergency shelter, access to a 24-hour crisis line, support groups, transitional program and much more. To raise funds for these services during DVAM, Whalen and her team came up with “Flocking.”

“I think it’s really fun, and with such a serious issue sometimes you have to find a fun way to get the word out,” Whalen said.

“Flocking” combines good-natured pranking with a worthwhile cause. During October, Womenspace will send a flock of purple flamingos to a residential address of your choice for a small donation ($10 for a flock of 12, $15 for 24).

The staff will stealthily set them up across the lawn with a sign thanking the recipient for their good humor and informing them about DVAM. The recipient can either have the flamingos removed for free or send them somewhere else with a donation.

Whalen has already been flocked and anticipates a domino effect throughout Eugene. Like the Ice Bucket Challenge, it is an effective and light-hearted fundraiser.

Development Assistant Carrie Wright is in charge of fundraising for Womenspace, and she is the one who goes and sets up the flocks. Wright is excited by the campaign, and noted that Womenspace has never done anything like it before.

“It is silly and it’s fun and it’s giving people awareness,” Wright said. “With the purple flamingos, so many people just stop and go, ‘What the heck is that?’ And when you put a sign out they wanna stop and read the sign too. We’ve got a lot of community awareness going on. Whether they want to or not, they are involving themselves just by looking at the sign.”

UO senior Rachell Brown has been involved with Womenspace for three years and thinks the new fundraiser is “really awesome.”

“Especially with things that are happening in the media, it’s really nice to see people starting to pay attention to the issues that women are facing,” Brown said. “What Womenspace is doing with their whole flocking campaign is really cool because it’s a subtle way to raise awareness that isn’t in your face or uncomfortable.”

To Whalen, the most important part of DVAM is taking action by sending a flock, spreading awareness or helping a friend in need.

“The best thing you can do if you know someone who is being abused is to let them know that you are there,” Whalen said. “Even if your friend is resistant, don’t take it personally. Make sure they know that you are there.”

To send a flock, call Womenspace at 541-485-8232.

Seven years ago University of Oregon alum Aaron Firestein was sketching designs on plain white Vans to sell on Facebook. Today, Firestein is releasing a new line of shoes as a representative who was named on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, all thanks to his company: BucketFeet.

As a college senior, Firestein knew he would do something creative as a career.

“I’ve never seen myself as a sit-in-a-cubicle-and-work-all-day sort of person,” Firestein said. “I grew up with a really adventurous family who went on a lot of cool trips to a lot of places. I was very privileged to travel a lot and to have a free, very genuine interest in the world and why it works the way it does.”

It was his senior year of college when he had more free time and a lighter course load that Firestein adopted sketching on shoes as a hobby. However, he never anticipated the success that followed the creation of BucketFeet.

“It was always a fun hobby,” Firestein said. “I think that’s where a lot of the success has come from. This was never a money making scheme.”

“If you told me in 2007 that I would be one of the Forbes 30 under 30 I wouldn’t believe you,” Firestein added.

The company, co-founded by Firestein and Raaja Nemani in 2011, took designs from different artists and printed them onto canvas shoes. Among the company’s 4,000 collaborators are painters, tattoo artists and graffiti artists hailing from all over the world.

With the company’s recent release of a fall 2014 collection of sneakers at Nordstroms, BucketFeet is on the rise.

After founding BucketFeet, Firestein reached out to fellow artist and University of Oregon alumni Catherine Thompson. Thompson, who designed the ATYPICAL shoe, had already known Firestein before he started BucketFeet.

“He contacted me after the first series of shoes, which were just Aaron’s designs,” Thompson said. “The second round incorporated other artists, and he wanted someone from Oregon and wanted to bring on a woman. Bring a little flavor in the second batch.”

So far, Thompson has designed one shoe and has some paintings in the Soho store in New York. According to her, the most exciting part of the process is seeing her work on social media.

“As a painter, I’m used to having work in a gallery or having a show and that piece goes into someone’s home and I don’t see it after that,” Thompson explained. “So, it’s pretty cool to see it out in the world and coming across my artwork in any way.”

Curtis Ashby, another BucketFeet artist, was excited to connect with a brand that supported other artists.

Based in Seattle, Ashby submitted his designs to its contest: Rock the Design.

Shortly after, he was selected to be a designer for BucketFeet. According to Ashby, the most attractive thing about the brand was its openness to new artists.

“A lot of large companies only work with exclusive designers,” Ashby said. “For BucketFeet to openly accept new designers and new ideas is really great.”

As BucketFeet continues to grow, Firestein believes there’s no formula to success.

“I would say just go for it,” Firestein said. “If there’s something you’re passionate about, something you want to pursue and you think it’s a good idea just go for it. The worst thing that could happen is you’ll fail, and you’ll learn a bunch of stuff.”

The University of Oregon has cancelled this fall’s global health and development study abroad program in Ghana due to the concerning Ebola outbreak nearby, according to Around the O. The AHA Study Abroad program already had seven UO students enrolled who were set to study in Accra, Ghana from approximately August 31 to December 13. The decision to cancel the program came from the possibilities of students becoming infected with the virus and the potential closure of the Ghana border.

The Media in Ghana program in the School of Journalism and Communication has not yet been cancelled for summer 2015. The program director plans to wait and see if Ebola will pose a threat to students. For now, recruiting for the program will go on as planned.

The Disaster Resilient Universities network, hosted by the University of Oregon, will be tracking the impact of the Ebola crisis as well as any action universities take related to Ebola.

On Oct. 13, cities across the country opted not to celebrate the federal holiday of Columbus Day, replacing it with Indigenous People’s Day or Native Americans’ Day.

This year Seattle made the change along with Minneapolis and Portland Public Schools. The change was met with some opposition: according to the Seattle Times, various Italian-Americans who see Columbus Day as a celebration of Italian history were offended.

Meanwhile, the Native American Student Union at the University of Oregon hosted Indigenous Solidarity Day in the EMU Amphitheater from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

A series of speakers, including UO professors as well as local community members, discussed the problems surrounding Columbus Day, the effects of colonization and indigenous cultures.

Student groups, such as the NASU and Pacific Asian Community Alliance, set up tables with information as well as snacks.

The crowd slowly grew as passing students stopped and sat in the amphitheater to listen.

Gordon Bettles, Director of Native American Initiatives as well as Steward for the Many Nations Longhouse on campus, spoke first, detailing the history of colonization as well as his personal experience as a Native American.

He recounted the Klamath tribes’ fight for restoration after being terminated in 1954, and how they regained federal recognition in 1986.

“There’s a lot of things to live for, but there’s a lot of things to live through,” Bettles explained. “I’ve lived through my share.”

Bettles explained how the Klamath suffered through “cultivation” following colonization: they were put on a reservation, their children attended boarding school and many of their customs such as bartering were replaced by those of the colonists.

“There was money, ownership, assimilation,” Bettles said. “Rewarding people who adapted to the new way, the white way.”

Jason Younker, UO tribal liaison, called for an end to the “antiquated holiday.”

“Remember this day for what it is,” Younker said. “We discovered a lost Columbus. We don’t celebrate those who began genocide. We celebrate indigenous resilience.”

Esther Stutzman, a Kalapuya elder,was one of the other speakers. After her daughter and grandson performed a song, Stutzman discussed the implications of Columbus Day and emphasized the need for acknowledging its implications.

“Not to make people ashamed but to correct history,” Stutzman clarified. “Let’s tell history the way it really was.”

Stutzman also noted the meaning behind celebrating Columbus with a holiday, as many speakers did, by addressing the mass murder of indigenous people during colonization.

“Do we celebrate Hitler’s birthday?” Stutzman asked the audience. She was met with sporadic applause. “Columbus killed more native people than Hitler’s regime. If we’re gonna celebrate terrorism let’s do it good.”

Stutzman acknowledges that Columbus Day should be a day to elude from the past and find a brighter future.

“This is not a day that we mourn,” Stutzman added. “This is a day when all native people can come together and ask how we can make things better from this day on.”

Follow Francesca Fontana on Twitter @francescamarief

If you were walking by Gerlinger hall on Oct. 12 you could hear “Mighty Oregon” in Spanish to “Low” by Flo Rida feat. T-Pain booming through the speakers as local students and community members celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month.

All of the music was performed by Mariachi Los Patos, a local bilingual mariachi band.

Two of the four band members, Maria Gonzalez and Omar Moreno, are juniors at the University of Oregon. The band performs at private events almost every weekend and local events such as this one.

The event was held by the Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies.

According to Moreno, students and local community members who might not be involved with Hispanic communities are drawn to this event because of the vibrancy and the diversity of Latin-American culture.

“I think it’s the richness of the culture and seeing new things,” Moreno said. “There are things here I have never even seen before.”

There were vendors selling art and literature in both Spanish and English during the event, representatives from the University of Oregon and Lane Community College were present as well.

The event was catered by the local restaurant Jalisco and featured many local performers such as singers, dancers, poets and musicians.

One group, the Ballet Folklórico Alma de México, is comprised of children who learn traditional Mexican dance. Another featured UO music school students.

UO students Morgan Wright and Pender Fort volunteered at the event to complete part of their upper-level Spanish class. According to Wright, volunteering helps non-Hispanic students learn about the culture “as a whole instead of just learning to speak the language.”

“It is really interesting to see the sense of community here,” Fort added.

Antonio Huerta, outreach manager for undergraduate studies and one of the organizers of the event, performed charrería. Charrería is a Mexican tradition similar to rodeo, that includes equestrian competition and rope tricks.

According to Huerta, in putting on the Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration he had two goals in mind.

“One is to acknowledge the cultural value that Latino students bring to the college experience,” Huerta said. “The second is to bring this community to campus and make that connection.”