A team of legal experts, including Oregon Senator Jeff Merkely and several UO faculty members, took on a discussion about the actions–or lack thereof–of the United States Senate at a panel meeting on Tuesday, May 31.

Senator Merkely, along with James Mohr, a member of the University of Oregon History department, and Stuart Chinn, an Associate Professor at the UO School of Law, participated in a panel discussion concerning the Senate’s refusal to confirm a ninth Supreme Court Justice.

“We are in an extraordinary moment in terms of filling a Supreme Court vacancy,” Senatory Merkely told a room of roughly 40 people. “What we have never had is Senate leadership deliberately going on a job strike.”

Following the death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, the Supreme Court found itself in a precarious position. Without a tie-breaking vote, the court is split along stark ideological lines. Four liberal and four conservative justices are now tasked with setting legal precedents for the rest of the country.

President Barack Obama responded to the vacancy by nominating Merrick B. Garland, but he has encountered significant push-back from the Senate, which is refusing to vote on any nominee proposed by the current president.

The neglect from the Republican-led Senate appears to be an attempt to hold out for a Republican win in November’s election and consequently a more conservative-friendly nominee than the relatively moderate Garland.

The refusal to vote on or even debate the nomination is a unique occurrence, but an outgoing president presenting a candidate is not.

“All presidents have considered it their duty to nominate justices when a vacancy occurred,” Mohr said.

In defense of his statement, Mohr explained that the Senate has had to deal with approximately 15 Supreme Court vacancies in the final year of a presidency. A total of 11 of those were filled by Senate confirmation, including four that featured the sitting president being voted out of office to be replaced by one from the opposite party.

“The precedent is in favor of the Senate officially acknowledging nominations,” Mohr said, “even if only to delay confirmation hearings.”

Focusing on the practical implications of stalling and refusing to work with President Obama, Chinn pointed to the relative luck that Republicans have had in their opportunities to find allies in the court.

“We have seen this before,” Chinn said. “Events matter in shaping the law.”

According to Chinn, the two most consequential shifts that have benefited conservatives were the elevations of Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito to replace Thurgood Marshall and Sandra Day O’Connor respectively. In tandem with former President Richard Nixon’s four Supreme Court nominations, “The Democrats have never had the numbers advantage,” Chinn said.

The resistance to discuss Garland’s nomination is beginning to head in the direction of posting a historically long time to vote on a nominee. Garland was nominated 76 days ago, on March 16; the longest decision took 125 days– the appointment of Louis Brandeis by Woodrow Wilson in 1916.

“The nomination process is at the heart of the balance of powers,” Merkley said. “There is a major concept in the constitution that is being undermined.”

Oregon State University will implement a required online course in social justice next Fall. The five module online course deals with issues of “diversity, inclusion and social justice.” The goal of the program is to equip students with knowledge about the history of social justice in Oregon as well as at the university.

The course will be similar to AlcoholEdu. The first two modules provide a background of social justice. Module C explains the expectations of all OSU students in relation to social justice.

The fourth module lays out the resources available to students to “amplify their learning and incorporate the pursuit of social justice within their university experience.”

There has been significant push-back against the course, its presentation and its required status for all students. Reason.com decried the course as “indoctrination via non-classroom training model.”

Outside of push-back against the “social justice” concept, the online format is what has met the most resistance. Questions about the success rate and viability of online courses have been addressed in the past, and with a topic as sensitive as social justice, many fear that a lack of face-to-face interaction will pose more problems than solutions.

“I can understand the impulse it’s trying to meet,” Dan HoSang, an associate professor in the Political Science department at UO, said. “We have to see if an online course will work.”

HoSang questioned whether students will fully engage with an online course. “The nature of these courses is we want people to engage them with an open mind,” said HoSang. “Asking students to go into something without asking them to think about that is a disservice.”

Oregon State is not alone in its rolling out of academic programs to promote understanding of diversity on campus. The University of Missouri, which erupted last year in response to a racist epithet drawn on a wall, is requiring all incoming freshman to take an online diversity course; an idea that, according to the Washington Post, was rejected by some of the activists as nothing more than an attempt to polish the veneer of the institution.

In March, UM announced that students in the College of Arts and Sciences will be required to take three “diversity intensive” courses in order to graduate.

The University of Oregon currently has no plans to bring a similar course to Eugene.

Three University of Oregon graduates will be straying off the beaten path this summer – literally. Jackson Jarman-Miller, Gabe Howden and Cameron Huber are spending two months driving over 10,000 miles from London to Mongolia in the Mongol Rally, an epic adventure designed to raise money for several charities.

“It’s probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever done,” Huber said.

The rules for the rally are simple: each team must complete the journey in a compact car with a 1.2L engine or smaller.

The entry cost for each team requires them to raise €1,000 for charity. Half of that amount is donated to the Mongol Rally’s charity of choice, Cool Earth. The rest goes to a charity of each team’s choosing. The Mama’s Boys, as Jarman-Miller, Howden and Huber have dubbed themselves, have elected to donate their proceeds to the Central Asia Institute, a charity focused on equipping girls in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan with an education.

“In the U.S., education is such a norm,” Huber said. “There, education isn’t a thing. Half the population not being educated seriously hinders society.”

The Central Asia Institute has had its share of controversy in recent years. Its founder, Greg Mortenson, came under fire after his book, Three Cups of Tea, was criticized for containing accounts that were found to be at least partially fabricated, which cast doubt on the nonfiction label. Mortenson has since stepped down as the director of the organization and CAI is “meeting all of the requirements outlined in the settlement,” according to Charity Watch.

Mama’s Boys are aware of CAI’s controversy, but still believe in the organization’s cause.

“A lot of students in that part of the world – in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan – don’t have the same privilege and accessible education that we do,” Howden said. “We thought it would be a great way to raise money for students, girls in particular, to help them educate their communities, families and friends.”

About a year ago, Jarman-Miller approached Howden and suggested they sign up for the rally. The timeline was too tight to make the journey last summer, so planning began for 2016.

Huber was approached later. He was originally going to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, but changed his plans when the Mama’s Boys approached him.

“I knew I wanted to do something crazy after I graduated,” Huber said. “This sounded way, way better [than the PCT].”

The planned route will take the trio through 20-21 different countries, requiring 6-7 different visas. Obtaining those visas has been the biggest challenge so far.

Russia in particular has been a challenge because, in order to obtain a visa, the government wants specifics such as when and where they will enter and exit the country and where they plan to stay each night, details that are hard to pin down for a team that only has an inkling of what to expect.

Adventure and danger aside, the team is excited about the fundraising opportunity at hand. Using three branches of fundraising, Mama’s Boys have raised approximately $3,000 for their trip. Howden estimates that besides the allotted sum for charity, each member has to raise that same amount individually.

Lining up a job after the summer has been nearly impossible for Howden and Huber, who have dedicated most of their time to either school or preparation for the rally. They believe the stories they will have after the race will make them more diverse candidates for any position they apply for — if they make it back.

Cameron is telling potential employers, “If I survive this, I’ll figure out what I’m doing afterwards.”

The UO’s mandatory reporting policy will remain the same for at least the immediate future.

A motion to revise the current “Responsible Employee” policy failed at May 18’s UO Senate meeting by a vote of 15-16 with 20 absent senators. The proposal would have widely expanded the university’s policy to include more employees and situations in which reporting would be required.

Questions about academic freedom and survivors’ control pushed buttons as a two-hour discussion about the language and merit of a change to the current policy took place. This followed quick decisions about exam scheduling and course overlap.

The conversation was extended twice as the senate pushed the emergency meeting past the scheduled time of 5:30 p.m. and still failed to complete all agenda items.

The senate did discuss a “cleaner version” of the policy proposed by vice president Bill Harbaugh. The version, Harbaugh and other members of the senate believe, clarifies the language of the proposal.

Brenda Tracy, a survivor of sexual assault at Oregon State University in 1998, shared her story with those in attendance, pushing against the idea that mandatory reporters should be in the majority.

“Mandatory reporting does not support us,” Tracy said. “It silences us.”

In addition to pushing back on mandatory reporting in cases of sexual harassment and assault, some raised questions about how the proposed policy would deal with issues of prohibited discrimination, specifically discrimination based on race.

The current policy is set to expire in August. With the failure of the proposal, UO President Michael Schill will need to address questions about mandatory reporting moving forward, UO Senate President Randy Sullivan said.

Wednesday’s UO Senate agenda includes a policy proposal that would expand definitions related to sexual assault and mandatory reporting by university employees.

Under the current policy, all “Responsible Employees who receive Credible Evidence of Prohibited Discrimination, Harassment, or Sexual Harassment” are required to share that information with either the Title IX Coordinator, the Office of Crisis Intervention and Sexual Violence Support Services or the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity.

Potential revisions to the current policy broaden the definitions of “dating violence,” “student employees” and “campus community members.”

Some changes such as including “causing, or attempting to cause” abuse as well as “placing another in fear of imminent sexual or physical abuse,” would help responsible employees put “dating violence” into perspective.

Other expansions are more significant, such as expanding the range of who falls under the “responsible employee” banner.

Currently, student employees “whose employment is contingent on their student status,” are not required by the university to file formal reports in response to credible evidence brought to them about sexual violence/harassment.

The definition of “student employee” would be revised, should the proposal be ratified by the Senate. In addition to Residential Advisors and GTFs, “student employees who supervise two or more employees” will fall into the “responsible employee” category.

The changes also include a broadening of the “campus community members” label to anyone that is “participating in a university-sponsored program or activity,” as well as any “person living on university-owned property.”

The UO Senate meeting will take place at 3:00 p.m. in Straub 156 on Wednesday, May 18, and is open to the public.

A previous version of this post stated that 32 percent of British Muslims said that wives should always obey their husbands, according to a poll that Yiannopoulos referred to in his talk. The figure is actually 39 percent. The Emerald regrets this error.

Milo Yiannopoulos, the British journalist and activist, shared his controversial views to a packed room Tuesday night.

The self-proclaimed “most fabulous super-villain on the internet” didn’t pull any punches as he tackled feminism, gun control, immigration, and his privilege grant. The night was organized into two sections, an interview and a Q&A from the audience.

Brandon Clements, State Chair and Chapter President of Young Americans for Liberty, led the interview. Questions about “third-wave” feminism opened the event, and Yiannopoluos quickly defended the historical movement that empowered women, giving them access to education and the right to vote.

He quickly changed tack however, saying, “Feminism seems to be fighting the battles of yesterday.”

“The only bit of feminism left is that which is more interested in hurting men than empowering women,” Yiannopoulos said.

Supporters made up most of the crowd, and Yiannopoulos skated over questions about the second amendment without much push-back. The crowd was subdued as the topic of immigration was broached. Even a room full of supporters hesitated to embrace the harshest words Yiannopulous had.

“I don’t want any Muslims in the country,” he said.

Yiannopoulos said that 52 percent of Muslims in Britain believe that homosexual sex should be outlawed, and 39 percent of Muslims believe that wives should always obey their husbands. As a gay man, he felt that his identity was under attack.

Yiannopoulos delved into other controversial topics, making statements like, “Cultural appropriation is a lie,” “Gun free zones are like putting a target on people’s backs,” and “These are some of the reasons that men make more than women in some jobs: They work harder.”

The second half of the event was conducted by the audience, as they quickly lined up for the chance to ask questions of their own.

The biggest challenger came in the form of a self identified atheist, cyclist, and male feminist–checking three of the top four boxes on Yiannopoulos’ list of “worst individuals”–who contended that the views of the controversial Breitbart editor are dangerous. Keying in on Yiannopoulous’ denial of a rape culture on college campuses, the audience member argued that a dismissal of any kind in response to rape is just as dangerous as the echo chamber Yiannopoulous is arguing against.

While Yiannopulous refused to be labeled as a comedian or a troll, he defended his over-the-top style, saying, “The only response to outrage culture is to be outrageous.”

Yiannopulous is continuing his tour in DePaul University in Chicago on May 24.

The University of Oregon’s addition to downtown Eugene opens today.

In February, the university purchased 942 Olive St. from the city for $1. As part of the agreement, “The University agreed to renovate and convert the underutilized structure in a space that would support RAIN, the Regional Accelerator and Innovation Network,” according to a press release.

RAIN is a collaborative effort between government, higher education and business communities that helps start-ups develop successful business plans. With programs in Eugene and Corvallis, RAIN emphasizes building networks, connecting resources and stimulating economic development in Oregon.

This building will serve as a central meeting place for collaboration and education for start-ups associated with RAIN and connect them with LCC’s Small Business Development Center.

“It was a good partnership,” Laura Hammond, communication and policy analyst, said over the phone. “Part of it is including their product design program and Tyler Innovation Greenhouse.”

The Tyler Innovation Greenhouse is a program that focuses university efforts on green chemistry, nanoscience and encourages green product ideas.

Keeping in line with the research goals of UO President Michael Schill, this building provides a step-off point for green companies. The service benefits start-ups such as Bike Friday — a business that makes custom, folding bikes, providing renewable, portable transportation.

“To date, 62 companies have graduated from the RAIN accelerators in Eugene and Corvallis, creating over 100 new jobs, and generating almost $2 million in revenues,” according to the press release.

The ribbon cutting ceremony takes place at 3:00 p.m. today.

The “most fabulous super-villain on the internet” is coming to the University of Oregon.

Young Americans for Liberty, the university’s wing of the Libertarian party, is making waves by bringing Milo Yiannopoulos, the controversial tech editor of Breitbart, to speak on Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m. in Columbia 150.

YAL is no stranger to controversy. ASUO denied funding for a firearm-raffle poker night last year, which resulted in the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education issuing a warning to the university, accusing them of meting out funds based on personal bias.

ASUO approved YAL’s request for $4,500 to sponsor the event. Many senate members disagreed with Yiannopoulos but believed that inviting apposing viewpoints to campus is important.

“It’s important that we are be able to coexist with people we don’t agree with all the time,” senator Nakai Corral said at the April 13 senate meeting. “I’d ask the senate to push the freedom of speech and allow this speaker on campus.”

UO student Michael Lindsay reached out to Yiannopoulos through Twitter, then asked YAL if they would sponsor the event. They accepted.

“A lot of his speaking tour has been sponsored by different YAL chapters,” YAL member Thomas Tullis said. “We don’t actually think there’s anything wrong with controversy, and that actually controversy might be a good thing.”

Controversy comes hand over fist with Yiannopoulos, who has established the Yiannopoulos Privilege Grant, a scholarship available exclusively to white men; questioned the validity of “rape culture” on college campuses (see video); and clashed with Twitter executives by claiming that his “verified” status was removed in an attempt to silence conservative voices on the popular social media platform.

Brandon Clements, the Oregon State Chair for YAL, sees the event as somewhat of a challenge to political correctness. “The whole goal is to have something controversial enough to start a conversation afterwards,” he said. “When you are facing such a militant and hard ‘P.C.’ culture, you have to have something almost equally as opposite, outrageous, to even find any middle ground.”

Constructive conversation may be the goal, but a number of challenges stand in the way. Previous events on Yiannopoulos’ speaking tour have either been cancelled outright or met with angry protesters such as students at Rutgers smearing fake blood on their faces or audience members calling him a Nazi at the University of Pittsburgh.

With a history of protests following Yiannopoulos, the UOPD has been made aware of the event, but is not taking any extra precautions.

“Generally, departments or groups are able to pay UOPD to have specific personnel at events,” Kelly McIver, UOPD’s Public Information Officer, said in an e-mail. “To my knowledge, this has not happened for this event … We will just be aware and available if there is an issue that requires intervention. The goal is to have smooth events that further the institution’s goal of a free exchange of ideas in a safe and respectful manner.”

YAL hopes the event will bring some alternative viewpoints to campus. “I don’t agree with Milo on a lot of things,” Tullis said. “But the idea that we have sort of an echo chamber of political correctness on campus–it sort of lends itself to this university censorship, where everyone surrounds themselves with other people who have the same viewpoints.”

The annual University of Oregon Faculty Senate elections are drawing to a close. Students can log in to Duckweb and vote for candidates within their constituency group.

Students and faculty determining who will receive their vote can see statements published by the candidates here. While statements are not required, they are highly encouraged.

“Statements aren’t required,” Senate Vice President Bill Harbaugh said in an email, “but I think they are a great idea, and I’m going to encourage more people to submit them next year.”

A small portion of candidates have taken advantage of their opportunity to express their goals should they be elected. Just 17 of the 40 candidates have opted in.

Nearly half of those statements come from seven of the nine candidates competing for the single Officer of Administration seat. Of the 27 vacancies, this position along with the two classified staff seats are the most competitive.

“Contested elections are a sign of health in a parliamentary body,” Randy Sullivan, Faculty President said. “We hope to see more contested elections in the future.”

Sullivan said that because more weight is not put on university service, it is hard to get faculty to participate. “They have no real career reason to participate in university service,” he said.

Despite the lack of competition, Sullivan praised all the members that are getting involved this year, specifically those that are running for classified staff and officers of administration.

“They play a crucial role in the senate and committees because upper administrators or faculty have what seems like a good idea,” he said. “But the officers of administration and classified staff actually run this university, in the sense of making things happen.”

One myth being dispelled, according to Sullivan, is that “faculty don’t serve because they don’t agree with what’s going on.”

Sullivan believes the election process is important to the integrity of the university. The Senate is in charge of “academic matters as commonly understood.” The opportunity for faculty as well as students to participate in electing the leaders of the institution is part of the university’s goal of shared governance.

“American universities are the best in the world because of our strong tradition of academic freedom,” Harbaugh said, “and because of the principle that the faculty, not the administration, controls the academic mission in all its details.”

Tangibly, the effects the Senate has on the school are felt in the forms of new courses and policies regarding majors. Academic matters can be loosely defined as well. The Responsible Employee Policy on sexual assault reporting will be discussed at the Senate meeting on May 11.

The current Senate has been active in the last year, approving 22 resolutions, legislation and policy proposals.

Moving forward, the role that the senate plays is set to increase. President Michael Schill “strongly believes in joint faculty control,” Sullivan said. “I think the senate is playing an increasingly influential role in academic reforms.”

This collaboration with the president is key for Sullivan and the rest of the Senate. “[Schill] has great things in mind for academic programs here at the University of Oregon, and he will be working closely with the senate to enact that.”

The efficiency of the university’s Intercollegiate Athletic committee has been called into question, by the committee itself.

Chair of the committee Andy Karduna and Faculty Athletic Representative Tim Gleason have drafted a proposal that would address its shortcomings. In its current oversight role, communication between the senate, committee and president have been nearly non-existent.

“I can say with a pretty high level of confidence that we have not been very successful in following our charge,” Karduna said.

This failure to live up to the charge has resulted in miscommunication. Gleason explained that when the dysfunction was realized, the athletic department was told that they no longer had to attend the meetings. Considering that the committee’s purpose was to deal with athletics and academics coming together, a key piece of the puzzle was missing.

Between the broad charge placed on the committee and failure to communicate, the tangible role of the committee is hazy, even for those at the helm.

At the time the response by President Gottfredson was to create a second committee to serve in an advisory role. The President’s advisory committee on intercollegiate athletics and the IAC were supposed to work together to accomplish what the IAC had failed to do on its own. That goal has been kept in mind with the most recent proposal.

“The president wants to have an advisory committee and he is very interested in and committed to hearing advice from the faculty on academic matters,” Gleason said.

If it is accepted by the Senate, this proposal would eliminate both the IAC and President’s advisory committee, creating an Intercollegiate Athletics Advisory Committee.

In terms of structure, the University of Oregon’s current committee looks very different from other schools in the Pac-12. Where other school’s IAC’s are already operating in an advisory role, the UO is locked into an oversight position with a broad mandate hanging over its head.

“If you read that current charge, and then look at how we operate, there isn’t good alignment there,” said Gleason.

Karduna believes the committee should be successfully engaging faculty, students, the athletic department and administration. Academic issues that the committee would have a hand in range from helping student-athletes work around travel and practice schedules to ensuring that they are not prevented from majoring in their desired field because of athletic commitments.

“They’re athletes, but they’re students, and we want them to have the ability to be engaged as students,” Karduna said.

In Gleason’s eyes, the biggest issue for student athletes are time demands. The NCAA Basketball tournament took place during finals week this year, creating difficulties for the athletes that a majority of students don’t have to deal with. The new and improved committee would have an open line of communication with the athletic department as well as faculty members.

The proposal has faced push back at every stage, so it is still being revised. With senate elections and realignment on the committee itself, it is unlikely that changes will be made this year. What’s important for Karduna is the collaborative effort.

“If we have buy-in from the president, buy-in from the senate, I would much rather do that than the Senate just passing something that the president doesn’t have buy-in.”