From philanthropy events to recruitment activities, UO Fraternity and Sorority Life has a large presence on campus all year around. While many people have a brief understanding of what this community is all about, some may not fully grasp what FSL brings to the University of Oregon campus.

According to UO Facts, there are 3,069 undergraduate students involved in Fraternity and Sorority Life at the UO — a category comprised of 34 different fraternities and sororities.

Though fraternities and sororities are often associated with drinking, partying and hazing, many students involved in the FSL community feel that it’s an unjust impression.

“So many people think that all we want to do is party and haze,” Delta Tau Delta freshman Ryan Bath said. “I can only speak for Delts, but we are an organization that pays a lot of attention to our values and we want each member to succeed in every aspect of life. Greek life helps people to better the community.”

Like Bath, many join the Greek Community to be a part of an organization that does so much for others. With seventeen different North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) Fraternities and ten National Panhellenic Conference Sororities, UO has a chapter for every personality.

So what exactly does Fraternity and Sorority Life do for the school and community?

Shelby Newman, President of Delta Delta Delta is very proud of what her house has achieved for their philanthropy, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Between their three events, last year Delta Delta Delta raised a total of $47,000.

“Last year in the winter we had a ‘Sincerely Yours,’ which is a national letter campaign that we sent around 5,250 letters out and raised $32,000,” Newton said. “We also had our first spring carnival and raised $2,500 dollars. Delta Desserts is pretty big for us also. This year we raised $5,300 and saw over 1,200 guests in three hours.”

If you have seen the herd of sorority girls in the EMU amphitheater in October for Bid Day or any Greek Life member volunteering their time to raise money to one of their various philanthropies, it is apparent that there is a real passion that comes with wearing the house letters.

Alpha Chi Omega President Emily Bol has been a part of her sorority for three years now. “(My sorority) has helped me hold myself to a higher standard and inspired me to work harder in school while working to be a leader among my sisters.”

For many, the FSL experience is a way to enhance their college experience: it is a culture that  found only on a college campus with the potential to forge relationships that will last a lifetime.

“It has involved me in more things than I would have been aware of if I hadn’t joined,” Bol said. “There are such negative stereotypes but sororities and fraternities provide so many great opportunities for people.”

“As I came up the stairs, all I saw was the screen on my front window had been taken off and I knew right then what had happened,” said Mack Clark, a resident of the campus area. Clark and his two roommates were three of the many victims of theft over this holiday break.

Many students are not aware that theft around the campus area during breaks is an issue.

“Criminals typically know when students are leaving and their homes are vulnerable,” Steven Chambers of the Eugene Police Department said. “There is low risk of getting caught and high reward. It seems to vary, but I would say it about doubles compared to the rest of the year.”

Clark was only gone for one week. He remembered to lock his front door when leaving his apartment on 17th Avenue and Patterson Street, but sadly the thieves made it through the window.

“My new bike was gone, they took two Xbox 360s, a lot of my clothes were taken and basically all of my shoes, backpacks and hats,” Clark said.

His first reaction was to call EPD, but he had trouble getting through because they were so busy.

“Usually right at the tail end of breaks we see a lot of phone calls. It does get pretty busy for burglaries,” Chambers admitted.

Instead, he decided it may be beneficial to contact Eugene Property Management Concepts, but unfortunately they could not do anything for him either.

“That is one thing when they sign their lease we share with them. It’s highly recommended that they buy renters insurance for this exact reason,” Kim Gates, the manager of Eugene Property Concepts, explained. “It just gives them that added peace of mind.”

Renters insurance seems to be the only safety net for students.

“It’s a very simple policy to get depending on how much furniture, computers and belongings a student has,” according to Christine Dambach, a local Farmer’s Insurance agent. “It costs the average person between $10 and $20 a month and it protects against anything from theft to fires.”

According to Chambers and the crime prevention unit at EPD, “We try to do outreach to students before breaks and typically increase patrols around where students live during breaks.”

For Clark and his roommates, however, it’s too late. Their only option now is to get renters insurance for the future and make sure to lock everything up next time they leave their home.

“I would suggest every student in the area to get renters insurance and take anything valuable to you with you home for breaks so it’s not in danger,” Clark advised.

While most students head home for breaks to spend time with their families, a number of University of Oregon students choose to give up their breaks in order to experience something a little more unique.

The Holden Center’s Alternative Breaks program gives students the chance to participate in local communities and international settings to learn about service, leadership and innovation. “Alt Break,” as it is commonly referred to, normally goes on two trips for winter break, five trips in the spring and one trip over the summer.

But calling these breaks “trips” can be misleading. “I prefer the term expedition, journey or voyage undertaken by a group of people with a particular purpose,” explained Eric Boggs, the program director.

“Our purpose is change,” he continued. “We aim for social change through service learning. By partnering with a nonprofit, we can help them continue to make a difference on a very small scale.”

In the past year, about 200 students have been involved in Alt Break and came away with friendships and experiences shared with only those people.

Nakai Corral, a sophomore human physiology major at the UO, participated in the 2013 summer trip to Panama.

“The friendships formed during the process will last a lifetime, even though it was a relatively short trip,” Corral said. “You just don’t forget sleeping in a cot with a mosquito net dropped over your head with 20 other kids your age.”

Whether you embark on one journey with Alt Break or many, your time is well spent.

“Regardless of our struggles with adjusting to a third world country, every member kept a smile on their face and was always available for a conversation.”

Stacer McChesney, the co-site leader, feels very passionate about his experience with Alt Breaks.

“When flipping through any newspaper it can be easy to feel helpless against the daunting issues facing our global community,” McChesney explained. “I sincerely believe that stepping beyond our comfort zones with other people, living and working in communities other than our own – the perspective gained is the first step to improving the human condition.”

Boggs also added, “We aim to change from a group of strangers into a team that supports each other during these intense experiences.”

The lessons and leadership skills that students can take away from this opportunity have shown enormous value for the students involved.

“During the trip, students participate in daily reflections, leadership lessons, evening debriefs and topical discussions,” Boggs said. “It’s a curriculum that promotes self-awareness, global citizenship and leadership through the experiential learning model.”

For students interested, information is available at the The Holden Center.

“Anyone can apply for a trip, which is a fairly straight-forward process,” Boggs said. “We even still have a few spots on our Alt Breaks this spring and summer.”

This spring’s trip will be in Nicaragua, but as Boggs explained, if students have an idea for a destination, their input is important. “Students are integral to our decision making process of where we are going, what we are doing and how we are doing it.”

“The only advice I can give is to just do it,” Corral said. “It was by far the most memorable experience of my entire life and I learned so much about another culture and myself in just one short week.”

As students head home to spend the holidays with their loved ones, putting school out of their mind, local businesses on 13th Ave. must continue to meet sale goals. This can prove to be relatively difficult due to the fact that most of their clientele are students who tend to go out of town.

According to the University of Oregon, 81 percent of freshmen students reside on campus. After freshman year, many move into apartments neighboring the University of Oregon, which makes 13th Ave. a convenient place to shop.

“Students are our main customer base, so it’s always a bit of a shock to see 13th so empty,” American Apparel manager Neil Bailey said.

Bailey has been an employee of the campus branch of American Apparel for four years now, working as manager since July. He is quite familiar with the trends that come with a store that is virtually on a college campus and he knows what he has to do in order to plan ahead.

“We usually try to do some promotions before all the students leave to boost sales,” Bailey said.

American Apparel is not the only store to see a change in business according to the academic calendar.

“Breaks are difficult. You have to budget well,” Caspian Mediterranean Café owner Elhaam Yazdi said.

For some, winter break sees the slowest sales all year.

“Specifically winter break is the worst,” Yazdi said. “Summer is okay for us. I feel like students always go home for winter because of the holidays.”

Though traffic is undeniably slow, not all businesses agree on its effect on retail.

“Winter break is slow but nothing compared to the summer months,” Bailey said. “Our sales drop drastically, and the amount of foot traffic is much slower. Luckily, spring break isn’t too different from normal though.”

Although these stores and restaurants have certain times of year that they are hindered, they also have certain times that they benefit tremendously because of the fact that they serve college students.

“The winter holidays are busy too, but nothing like the week before Halloween,” Bailey said.

At Caspian, it seems to be relatively similar.

“I would have to say we see more students in fall and spring term when school is in session,” Yazdi said.

Other stores, like The Duck Store, think of break as one of their busy seasons because of students and Duck fans who buy apparel as gifts for the holidays. “It does slow down, however we tend to stay busy over the holiday season as people are getting their last minute gifts and bowl game apparel,” Duck Store Marketing Director Katie Conway said.

Campus businesses are dealing with a variable location where student traffic fluctuates by the season. According to managers, it’s a practice that requires plenty of forethought.

“When you’re making money during the time that it’s not break, you have to remember that it’s not all profit,” Yazdi said. “Know that you need to save a lot of that away for the slow seasons.”

With college tuition rising steadily, students across the country are finding it harder and harder to meet the financial needs to enroll. Because of this, many students rely on student loans.

According to Dana Rognlie, a Ph.D. student at University of Oregon and a member of LESS-T, a student group working to lower tuition and fight student debt, “Student Debt has exceeded credit card debt in this country, totaling over $1.1 trillion.”

For some students, the debt and loans that they have racked up are difficult to manage.

“The thought of graduating and immediately being in debt is very stressful,” Tatiana Skomski, an out-of-state student at University of Oregon expressed. “I think the amount of money I pay for tuition is ridiculously high and I worry about how my future will be affected because of it.”

Even some in-state students who don’t have to deal with as large of a financial burden as out-of-state students struggle to make ends meet.

“I specifically picked an in-state school to avoid out-of-state tuition,” said Lauren Garetto, a UO student from Medford. “But it’s still thousands of dollars every term and hard to manage.”

“Out-of-state students pay thousands of dollars more in tuition, so the university wants more of them and has an incentive to compete with other states,” Rognlie said.

As far as the UO goes, student groups like LESS-T, the National Student Debt Campaign and other activist groups have gone above and beyond to make a difference. “We are working both on how to lower tuition as well as how to deal with existing debt,” Rognlie explained.

The UO Financial Aid and Scholarship Department is doing its best to relieve some of the stress that students face.

“We use available funds to assist as many students as possible,”  Director Jim Brooks expressed. “It is determining how best to use those funds to assist students with not just initial enrollment at the university, but also retention to graduation.”

With less help from the government and the recent economic state of the country, it makes sense that tuition would raise.

“Increasing student debt isn’t surprising since the federal and state governments are doing less to support education,” Brooks continued. “The economic issues we’ve faced the past few years have impacted families and their ability to pay for college. If the economy turns around, things will change.”

So what can students do to facilitate change? “We encourage students to join LESS-T, which undertakes educational and lobbying efforts, and/or the ASUO Task Force on Tuition and Fees, which is involved in the tuition setting process at UO,” advised Rognlie.

More importantly, it’s crucial for students to make sure they keep their individual loans, whether they are state or federal, to a minimum.

Brooks suggests, “I would recommend that students ensure that they keep track of their borrowing, not borrow more than they need for educational expenses and only use their student loans for those educational expenses. Create a budget and follow it.”

Energy conservation can be difficult, especially for students who are unaware of basic conservation strategies.

University of Oregon seniors and environmental science majors Laura Krogman and Aaron Chernus, both members of the Fraternity and Sorority Life community, wanted a way to help educate people and save energy all while helping a good cause.

Krogman, a member of Chi Omega, and Chernus, member of Phi Kappa Psi, have began the Greek Life Energy Challenge, which started this past week and will continue until the end of winter term.

They first had the idea when they both were living in their own houses and realized that a lot of energy was being wasted.

“It was so much fun living in, but there was also a lot that could be changed,” Krogman said.

The two began drawing up plans and contacting FSL through the Fraternity Housing Corporation and Panhellenic Counsel. After getting approval from the boards, they went and talked to each of the 19 chapters on campus to try and get everyone to participate.

The way the competition works, according to the project proposal, is an entry fee of $300 from each chapter will fund the contribution to the winner’s philanthropy. The more energy a house conserves, the more money a house saves and the faster it will make back its entry fee.

“It benefits everyone. We help save the environment, the house saves money and the winner gets to donate money to their philanthropy,” Chernus said. “In essence the entire competition is just one big charity.”

Krogman and Chernus will document how much energy is saved each month. They have been researching the logistics and working out all the details, while running into a few minor problems.

“At the end of each month we’re going to be publishing the data, percentage of reduction, but before we publish that information we have to make sure that legally we can do that,” Krogman said.

So far, only a few chapters have hopped on board, but the ones that have are going all in. Participating chapters include Chi Omega, Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Phi, Phi Kappa Psi and Delta Sigma Phi.

Sophomore Emily Buswold is a member of Alpha Chi Omega and lives in the house.

“As a sorority, we try our best to be environmentally aware in our everyday activities,” she said. “It’s very important to Alpha Chi Omega to be sustainable and to live an environmentally-friendly life and when you get to potentially help your philanthropy in the process, it’s a win-win.”

Chapters that enter receive free energy audits, a chance to save money on monthly electric bills and the winner will receive $1,800 donated to their philanthropy.

“It sets a really good example for not just Greek life, not just the University of Oregon, but for the community in general,” Krogman said.

Overall, the pair is most interested in educating the campus about energy efficiency and conservation.

“There are definitely a lot of people who are unaware of basic energy conservation strategies that you can use on an everyday basis and we want to change that,” Krogman said.

For the past four Wednesday nights, students from University of Oregon and the Eugene/Springfield area came out to support All Comedy 1450 and The UO Stand-Up Society in the first ever Quackin’ Me Up Comedy Competition.

This competition took place from Oct. 23 to Nov. 20 and highlighted 32 different student comedians from University of Oregon, Lane Community College, Northwestern Christian University and Pacific College.

As the competition drew to a close and all the contestants left the audience in hysterics, Joe Glasgow rose above the rest as the winner.

Glasgow, a junior at UO and one of the founders of The Stand-up Society, had some comedy experience under his belt before the competition this fall. He has participated in different open mic shows through the Stand-up Society in Eugene, as well as Portland.

“I’ve always wanted to do stand-up. It’s my favorite thing to watch,” Glasgow said.

All eight finalists were exceptional, making the judging difficult. Following Glasgow was Steven Kirby in 2nd, Gina Ginsberg in 3rd, and Cailin Wolff in 4th.

As 1st place winner, Joe Glasgow won an assortment of gift cards from the eight sponsors that supported the show, as well as $500 cash.

While these students seemed larger than life on stage, they admitted that their nerves were always on edge before each of the shows.

Steven Kirby explained his philosophy for pre-show jitters. “If you’re not nervous every time before you go on, you’re not doing it right.”

Glasgow and Kirby also agreed that some unwanted tension comes from the competitive aspect of the show.

“I don’t like the idea of a comedy competition because it adds unnecessary energy in the air and people, I feel like, laugh in a bias way cause they want their friends to win,” Glasgow mentioned before the show. “I want people to come out tonight and laugh because it’s fun.”

Despite the competition, all eight finalists, also all part of the Stand-up Society, have gotten even closer over the past weeks.

“As performers, we are all sincerely rooting for each other,” Kirby said.

Max Williams, founder of All Comedy 1450, believes that comedy is more than just a hobby. “I know we poke fun at Greek Life a lot in our skits, but we have a brotherhood here just the same.”

While all the contestants seemed to conquer their nerves, the audience had no idea those nerves even existed. Max Williams admits that it was a very close competition and every contestant did a great job.

“All the contestants were phenomenal throughout the entire competition … Joe Glasgow just really brought it tonight,” said Williams.

For students and community members who enjoyed the past weeks of performances and even for the people who unfortunately couldn’t make it, Williams said there would be more from these groups in the future.

“The fact that the shows were full every week just proves that there is truly a hunger for comedy in Eugene,” he said.

The show has given All Comedy 1450 and The Stand-up Society great publicity and has drawn in a new crowd full of fresh student faces.

“We’re really growing and becoming a presence on campus and we want to continue to do so,’ Glasgow said. “I’m really stoked on how the students have been such great fans and so supportive.”

Workloads can be heavy for students at the University of Oregon.

“Trying to juggle school and internships and then cramming for midterms can get really overwhelming sometimes,” senior Adam Jacobs said.

While there are many different options for students who want to manage their time wisely, such as Knight Library’s 24-hour accessibility to office hours and scheduled tutoring, some students find help elsewhere.

Dextroamphetamine/Amphetamine, more commonly known as Adderall, is a go to “study drug” on campus.

But because Adderall is a drug prescribed to patients who suffer from Attention Deficient Disorder and Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder, undiagnosed students have little accessibility to the drug. So for those who choose to take the prescription drug as an academic study aid, they have to find alternate means.

Eric, a student at the University of Oregon, has been prescribed Adderall for three years now. “I had problems focusing in classes due to many concussions I suffered throughout my high school football career,” he explained.

For students with ADD/ADHD or other health concerns, Adderall can be an extremely beneficial tool for study purposes. Allies for Inclusion- The Ability Exhibit, recently set up in The University of Oregon’s EMU claimed that 11% of undergraduates have ADHD.

Adderall can control and alter different brain functions for students diagnosed with the disorder. Stimulants in Adderall affect impulses in the brain and regulate behavior and attention. They influence the availability of certain chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters.

Students who have been diagnosed with the disorder however, are not the only ones taking Adderall for studying purposes.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 11.4 percent of young people ages 12 to 25 used prescription drugs non-medically within the past year and full time college students, between the ages of 18 and 22, were twice as likely to abuse Adderall than those of the same age and not in college.

Many students, including Eric, have sold their Adderall from time to time even if they do not consider themselves “drug dealers.”

“I never had the intention to sell my Adderall,” Eric said. “But when a good friend is in an academic crisis and desperate, I sell him a pill. I haven’t had my prescription filled in two years, so this obviously isn’t a business venture for me.”

While students who sell their Adderall do it for various reasons, Eric said it was never about the money.

“I sold (someone) a 10 mg tablet for $5. I probably was way underpaid but never really cared about the money,” he said.

These little pills are normally sold anywhere from 5 to 10 dollars depending on the dosage, but the risk can be worth more than that if caught dispersing these drugs illegally.

Even the smallest incident can result in large consequences. Selling Adderall is illegal, and a class B felony under ORS 475.752, according to Kelly McIver from UOPD.

“The person could be charged appropriately under Oregon law and face legal consequences through the criminal justice system, including possibility of fines and incarceration,” he said.

What many people don’t know however, is that possession of the substance is just as illegal as distribution. “In most cases, UOPD would become aware of and act on these incidents, including reports of attempts to sell or illegal possession,” McIver said.

Eric understands the risk he takes, “One of the biggest risks of selling it is of course getting caught and having that be on your record as a dealer of a substance even if it was as minor as one pill to a good friend.”

As the football season progresses, more and more students and fans come out to University of Oregon football games early for brews, burgers and time well spent supporting their beloved Ducks.

However, not all college students are of legal age to participate in the alcohol-related events that typically occur at a tailgate, and the rules are getting stricter. Those who are caught underage drinking at a tailgate could face a $250 fine.

Campus police patrol tailgating sites for many different reasons, but underage drinking is a large focus for them.

UOPD has an effective approach for preventing underage consumption of alcohol this year including approaching groups that appear to be primarily composed of underage drinkers.

“That tends to stop the consuming of other underage individuals,” McIver said. “Or they leave the area where the alcohol has been made available.”

In addition to UOPD, officers from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission will be checking IDs and writing citations for alcohol related offenses.

“The OLCC works to control underage drinking and alcohol problems with a balanced blend of liquor law enforcement, outreach education, publicity and communication,” said Christie Scott, the organization’s public affairs specialist.

Aaron Alexander, a senior at the University of Oregon and social chair for the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta, has taken on the responsibility of his fraternity’s tailgates this year.

“We do not supply any alcohol to minors mainly because it is illegal and and also because our tailgate could be shut down,” Alexander said.

Alexander and the rest of his fraternity brothers have found their own method of regulating their tailgate and keeping things under control by marking everyone who is legal with a sharpie.

“I’ve talked to the parking supervisor for tailgating and she is well aware of the precautions I’ve made to make my tailgate spot a safe, fun, and responsible Greek tailgating area,” Alexander said.

More than just this supervisor, there are many different authorities on game day regulating drinking among minors.

“There is a bike team that works the games, and their job is to help make sure that the parking lot and areas outside the stadium are safe and orderly,” said Kelly McIver, director of communications for UOPD.

The OLCC partners with UOPD on occasions such as tailgates or party patrols on Friday and Saturday nights.

“In partnership with UOPD, Department of Public Safety and other organizations, we work together throughout the games and on a variety of issues, not just during the football season,” Scott said.

As the Ducks football season wraps up with the last couple home games of the year, Scott believes that citations will decrease anyways.

“At the beginning of the season, there’s a whole new crop of students that need to be educated.  Then, tapers off toward the end of the year, after the students have received education.”

Tailgating is a beloved ritual for duck fans at Oregon, and as far as these precautions go, different tailgaters have to weigh their options carefully.

“I think at times authorities are too strict and should let tailgaters have fun and do what they want with their friends,” Alexander said. “But too many people have caused trouble that it’s hard for them to just let everyone have their freedom.”

The last thing Daniel* remembered was struggling to hold himself up while dancing at a local house party. He already drank a 16 oz. water bottle full of Fireball Whiskey followed by numerous swigs of vodka.

He woke up the next morning in a hospital bed with no recollection of how he got there.

“I don’t remember ever leaving the party,” Daniel said. “The doctor explained to me that they had to give me an IV and fluids and that I apparently puked quite a bit.”

With a blood alcohol level of .297, he was lucky to be spotted by UOPD the previous evening. The legal limit in the state of Oregon is .08, putting Daniel .217 above. To put it in perspective, most people above a .40 end in fatality.

“I remember not feeling that drunk when I first got (to the party), so I was looking around for alcohol from wherever I could find it.”

By the end of the night, his friends had to drag him back to the dorms. “We made it back near the dorm where I apparently fell one last time, and when I did a cop who was parked over by Carson flashed his lights. That’s when the entire group of people I was with darted and ran inside, leaving me outside on the pavement, a foot away from the door.”

Daniel’s story is not uncommon among the student body. It could happen to anyone — including the five sorority girls recently hospitalized early this October.

Unfortunately, this is a problem that frequently occurs at the University of Oregon. According to Kelly McIver of the University of Oregon Police Department, 52 students per year on average are medically transported for drug or alcohol use.

“The numbers reflect only the calls for transportation from campus, so by nature it is mostly capturing residents of University Housing, who tend to be first-year students,” McIver said. “The numbers obviously do not include off-campus situations.”

Binge drinking is a problem that many students around UO are faced with. Daniel admits, “I’m terrible at timing drinking and always end up doing too much too soon and this was a prime example of it.”

Contrary to popular belief, the UO is not a “dry campus.” According to Jennifer Summers, the director of Substance Abuse Prevention and Student Success, “Our campus does allow alcohol (upon approval) at events.”

Students who are underage or attending “dry” events and want to drink, however, do not have the option to safely drink at said event. Many students feel pressured to drink prior to arriving at a party or dry event, often referred to as “pre-gaming.”

“Everyone is constantly encouraging each other to drink more,” Madison Richards, a sophomore at the UO said. “They know that they won’t be able to drink when they arrive at their final destination, so they over-indulge as much as they can beforehand.”

The consequences of this kind of alcohol consumption, however, can be extremely serious.

According to Summers, a study conducted by the National College Health Assessment found that in incidents of heavy alcohol consumption, “15.6 percent of students physically injured themselves, 19 percent had unprotected sex, 2.2 percent physically injured someone else, 5.2 percent got into trouble with the law and 39.3 percent did something that they later regretted.”

The UO has taken multiple precautions to prevent these kind of incidents. For example, all freshmen are required to participate in “AlcoholEdu,” a drug and alcohol prevention and safety program implemented to help students understand the risks of drinking large amounts of alcohol in a short amount of time.

“The University of Oregon has a long-standing commitment to proactively addressing high-risk drinking and substance abuse on campus,” Summers said. The university however, also takes pride in creating a celebrative atmosphere for its students. “The goal of current prevention, assessment and treatment efforts at the UO is to change this culture of drinking.”

It’s a drinking culture that for some, has had its consequences.

“Looking back, I remember being extremely bitter towards the people who ran away and left me outside,” Daniel recalls. “But there’s another part of me that is glad things turned out the way that they did. If I had gone back into the dorm there’s no telling whether or not I would have made it.”

*Names have been changed to protect identity.