Joe Junor

Age: 21

Year: Junior

Major: Business Economics

Joe Junor is the president of Inter Fraternity Council at the University of Oregon, where he represents more than 1,200 over 15 chapters. He’s an integral link between Fraternity and Sorority Life and the university administration.

How do you want to change the world?

“I’m very passionate about community service. I would like to see, at both the University of Oregon and in Oregon as a whole, more of an expanded network for philanthropic and community service activities. There are so many great opportunities and people just don’t know. So making people aware of how they can help and how they can give back whether that is financially or more importantly by giving their time.”

What has been the best part of your college experience?

Becoming a member of Fraternity and Sorority Life has shaped my collegiate career and led me to where I am today. When I joined my chapter, I found inspiration and shared values with individuals that I looked up to and aspired to be like. My brothers have both encouraged and challenged me to better myself and to live each day with integrity and honor. Philanthropy and community service are a major part of our mission in Fraternity and Sorority Life. They have allowed me to think about the challenges that others are facing, and have provided me with an opportunity to give back to those who need help. I am proud to say that I am a fraternity man, and it is my goal to help others realize the potential that they have to improve the community that surrounds them.

Elizabeth Ann Brenner

Age: 20

Year: Sophomore

Major: Psychology with a minor in business

Elizabeth Brenner is a volleyball player at the University of Oregon with aspirations to play for the U.S. Olympic team. In the meantime, she’d like to play for a professional team overseas and is an advocate for women’s sports.

Why are you at the UO?

I chose UO because I really like how competitive and successful the volleyball team was because I knew I wanted to play volleyball in college. I also liked how close it was from where I was from so my parents could come and watch the games. I want to play professional volleyball. We unfortunately don’t have that here in the U.S. so I would have to go play overseas and I would love to play for the Olympic indoor volleyball team.

What is your favorite memory from the UO?

My favorite memory is beating Penn State this past volleyball season in the semifinals for the championship game. They were ranked number one in the nation and we upset them.  I really want to could continue to get women’s sports on the map and get them the credit that they deserve. It’s not always all about the guy’s sports.

Katie Lightfoot

Age: 22

Year: Senior

Major: Bachelor of Science in General Science and a triple minor in Nonprofit Administration, Chemistry and Biology with a concentration in Pre-Medicine.

Katie Lightfoot has long helped kids with motor disabilities. This summer, she’s been appointed as the director at Boost Camp, an organization that specializes in helping those individuals. It was her work there that has already won her the National Youth Community Service Award.

Who most contributed to your experience at the UO?

I would like to say a huge thank you to all the children of Boost Camp I have helped over the past 10 years because they have shaped me into who I am today. They taught me to put aside my nervous self-doubt to become a positive mentor by believing in their possibilities to become independent. Together, we perfect our imperfections, by lending a helping hand to each other to overcome the barriers we face in our daily lives. They have given me strength, perseverance and determination to be the change I wish to see in the world.

Why are you at the UO?

I chose to come to the University of Oregon because I fell in love with the campus and what is means to be a Duck! I wanted to broaden my horizons with limitless opportunities to get involved with the campus community and the community at large: Greek Life, Newman Center, research labs, intramural sports, study abroad, etc., along with organizations like VIM and volunteering in the local hospitals and schools. I am grateful for the professors on this campus because they are invested in our personal success and we are not just a number. A special thanks to Rhonda Smith, both my professor and mentor.

Jeremy Hedlund

Age: 21

Year: Junior

Major: Women and Gender Studies

Jeremy Hedlund is an ASUO senator who founded the UO chapter of the Student Labor Action Project. In 2012, he traveled to Washington, D.C. to protest student debt outside of Sallie Mae, where he was arrested along with several others. His ironic jail cell: A former classroom in an old high school.

How do you want to change the world?

I just really want to be in a society where people deserve a better shot at life. I think that everyone should be able to provide for their family, if they have one, have health care, have a good job and not worry about anything. I think people should be aware, engaged and critical. People need to be more aware and awake of the outside world. Basically just have a decent life.

What is the most significant memory you have at the UO?

It has to be a tie. The first time I took a women and gender studies class I took 101. I’m really not that into school or academics. I haven’t been for a really long time. But that is because I have never felt like what I was supposed to be learning in the classroom really related to anything that I really care about. Women and gender studies was the first time in a long time that I actually had an academic class to shift the way that I live. It shifted my behaviors and changed the way that I looked at the world. And the second is all of the opportunities I have had here at the UO most specifically the protest of Sally May in Washington D.C.

Made up of both live and video performances, Oregon student-athletes will take the stage to show off their unique talents.

The Oregon’s Student-Athlete Talent show will give University student-athletes a chance to perform the unique talents that they have. The talent show will take place this Sunday, May 5, in Matthew Knight Arena for $5 per ticket.

The event is both hosted and sponsored by O Heroes, a University organization with a goal to create a collective organization that can impact not only the campus community, but the Eugene and Springfield community as well.

“It is a change to give the public a chance to see the athletes in a different light,” Judy Sheldon, director of O Heroes said. “It gives us a chance to be together and celebrate all of the things that our students have done.”

This year’s talent show will be presented by Carlyle Garrick and Boseko Lokombo, two members of the Oregon football team. Guest judges include Mark Helfrich, head coach of the UO football team; Paul Shang, Oregon dean of students; Jennifer Jackson, adviser for student services; Kim Terrell, associate director for athletic medicine and Andrew Wheating, former UO student-athlete and professional runner.

“I think it’s pretty cool. Everybody kind of sees us play,” Garrick said. “Other people don’t really get to see who we are outside of sports, and this is our time to show that we are funny and driven by more than sports.”

At the show there will be entries from all sports teams including video performances by basketball, softball, lacrosse, volleyball and golf, as well as live performances from the rest of the UO teams.

“It’s always fun to be up in front of a crowd, doing something you don’t normally do on a regular basis,” Johnathan Loyd said. “I think it shows a different side to everybody. People always see us with our uniforms on, our pads on, or on the court or on the field. It’s just cool that they can see us doing something for the fans and having fun with it.”

With bold, black lettering written across a blank canvas of skin, Robert X. Fogarty uses his message-on-skin style and photography skills to inspire people from around the world.

Dear World, his own creation, is an inspirational movement striving to create a better world and platform where people can share their message to the world and have their voices heard.

A two-part event is taking place on Thursday, May 2. The first part — at the EMU from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m to 3 p.m. — is an open-portrait shoot where students and faculty are welcome to come and experience his message-on-skin style. This style allows individuals to have a voice expressing anything from beliefs and desires to thoughts and prayers for those in need through photographs of personal messages displayed on their skin.

“I’m excited for Dear World for a few reasons,” said Brian Bradley, ASUO public relations director. “One is because it’s a UO (School of Journalism and Communication)  alumni speaking and doing the event. It’s amazing to see where former UO students are now and what fantastic things they’re doing. I’m also excited because the people who are attending are the ones projecting their messages.”

Doors open at 7:15 p.m. for the second part of the event, which will take place in the Great Room in the Global Scholars Hall. Here, inspirational portraits will be released for everyone to see. The portrait release will be followed by a keynote speech where several moving and motivational stories will be told.

“It’s just about social, cultural and all different areas of people’s life” said Ashley Anderson, nontraditional student advocate for the ASUO, “and gaining a better understanding and appreciation of each other and seeing what people have to say. You might know what your best friend or your boss has to say, but you can never be sure.”

The first part of the event has inspired Fogarty to begin his campaign by sending photographic love notes to New Orleans, La., after Hurricane Katrina.

“We’re working towards a beautiful, wonderful world,” he said on the Dear World website, ”Where more people send a message to family, friends and strangers in this way. Where people get that we’re connected and that you can build something fast alone, but to build anything great you have to go together.”

In addition, there will be a luncheon for SOJC students at noon, in Allen 211, giving students a chance to ask Fogarty questions and network.

Students, faculty and local community members contributed a total of 72,693 pounds of food at the 2013 spring game. Oregon football fans were asked to contribute at least three cans of food instead of traditional football tickets to gain access to the event.

“This is a great partnership with the University of Oregon,” Alicia Hines, a Food for Lane County food resource developer, said in a press release. “Not only does it give people an opportunity to experience a Duck game, it helps us collect important non-perishable food items heading into the summer months.”

Food for Lane County currently distributes approximately 17,000 meals per day, and the food, along with a combined donation of $1,650 from last Saturday’s game, will be transformed into 56,776 meals that will be donated to the organization.

You’re sitting in your introductory political science class, and right in the middle of lecture your professor says something radical, something so out of the ordinary that it makes you uncomfortable. Is this okay? Do teachers have the right to share their radical opinions in a classroom setting? Is all our tuition money simply going to radical professors sharing their own opinions?

At the beginning of April at the University of Southern California, an undergraduate majoring in political science was faced with the same series of questions.

The class was taught by Darry Sragow, a USC political science professor who is nationally recognized for his radical views against Republicans. Sragow expressed his bias to an undergraduate political science class in the fall of 2012. Sragow characterized Republicans as old white racists who are “losers.” 

A video of the lecture immediately went viral and sparked a variety of responses, including one from Elizabeth Garrett, USC’s provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

“Statements made by our faculty members are not endorsed by the University; indeed, we sometimes profoundly disagree with the statements,” Garrett wrote in a release. “Nevertheless, we firmly protect their right to express those views.”

However, the idea that teachers have a freedom of speech in their classroom is not one exclusive to USC. The University of Oregon promotes a similar standard for what teachers can and cannot say.

“The University of Oregon encourages students and faculty to share their thoughts and opinions both in and out of the classroom setting. The free exchange of ideas is the cornerstone on which higher education is built,” said Phil Weiler, assistant vice president for strategic communications. 

Many times teachers share their personal beliefs in class, some having conservative views and while others are liberal. Often these views are expressed along with the opposing counterpart, explaining that they have their own belief, but there are multiple belief systems and that neither is right or wrong. Sometimes teachers may include a personal opinion in lecture. This material is still factual but is not all inclusive and instead focuses on one side of the spectrum.

“Democrats and Republicans may disagree on basic issues but we all want America to be a better place,” said MacGregor Ehlen, vice chair of College Republicans. “We just have different ideas on how to make that happen. My favorite teachers are those who can respect the other side and show that they understand their point of view.”

It is also common belief that there is a liberal bias in academia in general, especially at liberal arts schools. This influences students to question what their teachers say and the validity of the information they are learning, which provides an atmosphere for thoughtful and open dialogue.

“There is no way to be objective. Education involves both being objective and subjective,” said Charles Hunt, senior instructor of the sociology department. “Everything we say is fact, we can’t invent them. I say what I think is important and students can take it for what they want.”

Students are constantly exposed to bias and are forced to sift through personal beliefs to determine what is and is not true. The idea however is as Hunt says, “Everything is fact.” Whether teachers claim a bias or not, their job is to teach students what they know about their field. Furthermore, it is the students right to question their beliefs and be able to formulate their own allowing them to leave higher education with a well-rounded and experienced knowledge base.

The auditorium was filled with laughter and joy as cast and crew of “The Importance of Being Earnest” took center stage for their first live performance.

From the start, the energy between the nine cast members and the crowd is prominent; through the witty dialogue, continuous punch lines, old English accents and individual character development, the classic story of Oscar Wilde unfolded.

“The Importance of Being Earnest,” a so-called “trivial comedy for serious people,” is a production set in 1895 London. The outrageous, romantic, classic comedy is about morals, manners and other matters of importance relevant to the Victorian era. The play revolves around a group of the fashionable, well-to-do crowd and acts as a social commentary on London’s high-class society.

In the course of three acts, separated by brief intermissions, the director, Kirk Boyd, strives to stay true to the original and classical storyline while still creating a fun and energetic performance.

“I believe that performing really good classical plays teaches discipline and responsibility,” Boyd said. “This is a great play that requires great concentration and incredible discipline, and that’s what these students have shown me.”

Stealing the show, Algernon, performed by UO junior, Sunil Homes and Jack, performed by sophomore, Alec Crisman, use the same fictitious name of Ernest to avoid relevant social obligations. As the play progresses each impersonated man falls in love with a different woman and things begin to go awry, leading the audience to engage in a brilliant comedy of misguided identities.

“I really like having fun with an audience and having fun with the people onstage. It is absolute fun. And I couldn’t ask for anything more,” Homes said. “I would just hope that whoever watches it really takes something positive away from it and it lightens their heart once they leave”

Both female roles, Gwendolen, performed by sophomore Naomi Wright and Cecily, performed by sophomore Kelly Young, with their brilliantly fabricated Victorian costumes and quirky personalities captivated the female audience. Their comedic relationship with each other and outrageous standards in men filled the auditorium with laughter and disbelief.

“It is just one of those shows where it is just funny, it’s a great show to do and with the cast and the crew it was definitely a blessing,” Young said. “Of course I identify with Cecily, I mean who doesn’t!”

Taking the most prominent and memorable role, UO senior Olivia Walton, portrayed the part of Lady Bracknell in an incredibly impressive manner. Her energy and commitment to the role brought each character together in a most peculiar and intriguing way.

“The Importance of Being Earnest” offers a refreshing rendition of Oscar Wilde’s original show and was performed with elegance and high energy that the audience could feel.    

Hundreds of students and faculty from the University of Oregon gathered in the EMU Amphitheater with colorful signs and small blue ribbons pinned to their shirts to celebrate the 34th annual Take Back the Night.

With a common goal to change the atmosphere around us and promote sexual violence prevention, guest speakers, ASUO Women’s Center representatives, the Sexual Wellness Advocacy Team and UO club Juventud Faceta facilitated a rally and led a march to downtown Eugene.

“It has been five or six months planning, so it’s really nice to see so many people come out and care about the cause.” said Raquel Aufderheide co-coordinator for Take Back the Night as well as sexual support services volunteer.  “It’s just really empowering in general to be an ally and to be able to empower other people to take back their rightful places”

During the rally, the Sexual Wellness Advocacy Team performed a presentation on their interpretation of an individual struggling to deal with sexual abuse and promoting the idea that all victims have a safe place.

“(It) is not up to anyone to determine what you are going through except for you” the SWAT team said.

“Men have to stop committing violence,” said Michael Griffel, director of UO housing. “In college, I was in a group for men against rape culture in 1985. I went to Take Back the Night when I was in college, and actually, women were only aloud to march while men stood and watched for support. I think that it is very important that we become a role model because everyone should support the cause.”

The main goal of this event is to give the community a chance to understand that sexual assault does happen, and everyone should come together to support those who have been affected.

“I think it’s a safe space for people to feel connected and get support; we need it more than anything else.” said Mackenzie Mansfield, a UO undergraduate and resident assistant. “Even if you’re not a survivor, I think it’s important that people show their alliance against the issue.”