Maybe you didn’t come to Oregon for the football. Maybe you think the sport is stupid and brutal and unnecessary. Maybe you never plan to attend a game. Maybe you think the program is a huge waste of money.

I hate to break it to you, but that doesn’t matter. Like it or not, the football team is going to make a huge impact on your time here.

For the past four years, the class of 2013 has been spoiled with the best years the football program has ever known. Four-straight BCS bowl appearances, two of them wins, a national championship appearance and the school’s first-ever No. 1 ranking all happened during my short time here. It’s almost absurd how successful we’ve been on the field, and that success has translated into a more prestigious reputation for the University as a whole.

Don’t believe me? Your class is the smartest and most diverse ever to be accepted by the University of Oregon. You come from all over the country and you set a record for most Advanced Placement classes taken in high school. But it’s no accident that you ended up in Eugene. The football team’s flashy uniforms and even flashier wins brought tons of attention to our campus from all over the country. Between spring term 2009 to spring term 2011, the University added almost 2,000 new students to campus. The fact that those years happen to coincide with some of our best and most public football years is no coincidence.

What’s even more telling is that during that same two-year span, the University added 1,964 more out-of-state students, and the resident-to-non-resident ratio is now 53:47, the highest it’s ever been. In just a few short years, Oregon went from an Oregonian-filled hippie mecca to an innovative, tradition-spurning hype machine, and the football team has led that transformation.

As I contemplate my first football-free fall, I’m beginning to realize just how many of my best college memories are somehow connected to the Ducks. The freshman year walk from the dorms to Autzen across the bridge through Alton Baker Park is one of life’s true joys — I know you’ve probably heard that from everyone, but the river of Duck fans decked out in yellow T-shirts or, conversely, bundled into enormous waterproof jackets (welcome to Eugene weather) will give even the most sports-averse a little heart flutter.

Then there was that magical run to the BCS National Championship during my sophomore year, an excitement I sincerely hope you experience sometime during your four (or five, or six) years in Eugene. The Ducks were not only the talk of the town, we were the talk of the country, and when the clock wound down in Corvallis and the Ducks’ Civil War win punched their ticket to Glendale, the city erupted in joy and alcohol-induced mayhem. At the time I lived in an apartment complex across from the Barnhart residence hall, and the occupants of my building engaged in a spirited “Go! Ducks!” chant with the freshman across the street. That doesn’t happen every day, and it’s one of my most cherished memories of Duck fanhood.

This year I was in Chicago for one of the season’s biggest games: the Nov. 3 showdown with the hated USC Trojans. My group and I went to a bar by Wrigley Field that completely decks itself out in Duck gear every game day. The dulcet tones of “I Love My Ducks” greeted me when I entered (memorize those lyrics, by the way) and green and yellow banners bedecked the walls. I was 2,100 miles from Autzen Stadium, but in a strange city I found a bar full of kindred spirits, and I felt right at home.

As the class of 2013 hands over the keys to the student section to you, the class of 2017, we do so with the Oregon football team at the absolute top of their game. Who knows what heights the Ducks will reach during your time in Eugene? Is a national championship in your future? Or will there be a few tough seasons, perhaps with as many as three losses? (How spoiled we’ve become!)

Whatever happens, know that there is a huge community of alumni and fans all over the country, celebrating and commiserating with you at every play. One day you’ll join us, but for now you are still allowed inside the hallowed ground of the Autzen student section. Treasure that, because, as I’m now learning, it only lasts a few short years.

DuckLife is the Emerald’s magazine for incoming freshmen, made available during IntroDucktion. This story has been reprinted from the magazine in its original form.

Portland’s KATU.com received documents Monday from the University of Oregon that give Duck fans the first real glimpse into the NCAA violations the football program faces.

The documents, which were obtained through a records’ request the station made back in September, detail the violations agreed upon by both the NCAA and the Oregon athletic department.

According to what NCAA enforcement staff wrote in the documents, “There were underlying major violations coupled with failure to monitor violations involving the head coach (2009 through 2011) and the athletics department (2008-2011).

“While the violations were not intentional in nature,” the documents continued, “coaches and administrators of a sports program at an NCAA member institution have an obligation to ensure that the activities being engaged in comply with NCAA legislation.”

KATU reports the documents reveal seven key findings that will impact the Ducks’ fate with the NCAA:

“Finding 1 – Will Lyles had impermissible contact with prospective student athletes

Finding 2 – The school paid for recruiting services that violated NCAA rules

Finding 3 – Heavily redacted

Finding 4 – The school made 730 impermissible phone calls

Finding 5 – Too many coaches were involved in recruiting

Finding 6 – Did the school promote an atmosphere of compliance?

Finding 7 – The school failed to properly monitor recruiting practices”

More to come.

News editor Sam Stites will be the 2013-14 editor-in-chief of Emerald Media Group, the Emerald’s board of directors announced Tuesday night.

“Sam had an edge because of his strong news background and experience,” said Peter Milliron, Emerald Board of Directors Chair. “Sam has earned the trust and respect of the staff and he’s built relationships over time that will put him in a strong leadership position for next year.”  

Stites, a junior from Portland who has worked at the Emerald since fall term 2011, will take the helm of a student newspaper that’s on the cutting edge of college journalism. The Emerald’s “Revolution,” announced in May 2012 and implemented at the beginning of the 2012-13 academic year, has transformed the Emerald into a modern, digital-first news organization. The twice-weekly print format, focusing on providing context for news stories and placing them on sharply designed pages, has been lauded nationally and emulated by student papers like the Arizona State Press.

“We love where the revolution has brought us,” Milliron said. “We want to continue to move forward and maintain and strengthen the journalistic integrity of the organization, which is always an area that can be improved.”

Stites hopes to cement the Emerald’s position as a college media innovator during his time as editor-in-chief.

“The revolution is integral to what the Emerald is this year, and I’m going to build off what was done this year,” Stites said. “I want to raise the bar in terms of college journalism in the nation. I want to show that we’re one of those papers that can send its students out into the world and compete for those sought-after jobs.”

Stites has worked for two years on the Emerald’s news desk and interned at Willamette Week in Portland in the summer of 2012.

“I hope that the Emerald, under my leadership, serves the public mission of informing the campus community, making sure that public officials are held to their title and that we provide students what they want and need in terms of news, sports, arts and culture, and do it in a way that really makes college better for students,” Stites said.

Milliron credits Stites’ plans to recruit more students to the Emerald and emphasize more student opinion — in the paper, on dailyemerald.com and on other websites like Quackd.com — as reasons he was selected as next year’s editor-in-chief.

“Sam came with a real excitement and a well-developed vision for what he wants to do,” Milliron said. “Sam’s tenure with the Emerald brought with it some perception that he’s really invested in this organization, that he’s excited and committed to the role of editor-in-chief next year, and that enthusiasm came through tonight.”

Stites says he can’t wait for next year.

“I’m most excited to take the reins and see what I can do,” Stites said. “The sky’s the limit.”

A University of Oregon student was arrested Sunday morning and charged with drunk driving, reckless driving and two counts of second-degree assault after his car collided with another on the Randy Papé Beltline, according to The Register-Guard.

Bryan Andrew Bierce, a 25-year-old economics student, was driving the wrong way in the eastbound lane of the Randy Papé Beltline when his Saab hit a Suzuki at about 4:45 a.m.; he sustained non-life-threatening injuries. In the other vehicle, passenger Chanreuang Jones, 58, of Sandy suffered serious injuries, and Danny Thomas Jones, 60, was reported to have non-life-threatening injuries. It is unclear who was driving the vehicle.

The beltline was closed until just after 11 a.m. due to the crash.

Police suspect alcohol played a role in the crash, according to KVAL.com.

The sun is (intermittently) out and spring is in the air, which means it’s time to put the heavy winter drinks away and start sipping on something sunnier. Citrus, mint and berries highlight this list of spring drinks but one very spicy newcomer adds a punch to the traditional beer cocktail. Put the textbooks away, mix one of these up and pretend you’re already on summer vacation.

Mint Julep

It’s fancy. It’s minty. It’s bourbon-y. And with the Kentucky Derby right around the corner (May 3-4), now is the time to perfect the Derby’s signature drink: the mint julep. This drink isn’t for everyone. It’s strong — both in flavor and alcohol level — but it’s also incredibly cool and refreshing.

— Bourbon

— Mint leaves

— 1 tsp. white sugar

Mash the sugar and a few sprigs of mint together in the bottom of a glass with the wrong end of a wooden spoon. Add as much bourbon as you like (we did about two shots’ worth) and fill the rest of the glass up with ice. Classy!

Summer Beer

This stuff is as delicious as it is dangerous. There is quite a bit of alcohol in here but you can barely taste any of it. It’s a great drink for a party, as you can easily make enough for a crowd. Sweetish but not overly sugary, this cocktail should definitely enter your regular rotation.

— 1 can pink lemonade concentrate

— Vodka (unflavored)

— 4 light beers (we used Corona)

Empty the pink lemonade concentrate into a pitcher. Fill the lemonade can again with vodka and add that. Mix with the beer and serve over ice. Yummy!

Cocky Rooster

This one is crazy, but also crazy good. Sriracha gives this beer cocktail a nice subtle kick you’ll feel in the back of your throat while also lending the drink a slightly strange taco-like aroma. Don’t let that scare you. If you like spicy foods, this one’s for you.

— Beer (again, we used Corona)

— Juice of one lime

— Sriracha

In the bottom of a pint glass, mix the lime juice and 2-3 squirts of Sriracha (if you like stuff really spicy, of course you can add more Sriracha). Add beer. You can also serve this in a big pitcher over ice.

Raspberry Moscato “Lemonade”

Yummy, sweet and light, this one is perfect for a lazy afternoon on the porch. This would be equally good with any berry, but we chose raspberries for this one. If someone you know is a wine-hater, this is a good way to ease them into it.

— 1 tbsp. lemon juice

— Frozen raspberries

— 1 tsp. white sugar

— Moscato wine (it’s super sweet)

In the bottom of a glass, mash together raspberries, lemon juice and sugar. Top with your desired amount of moscato (we used 6-7 oz.) and serve over ice.

Whiskey and cola slushies

We used Jack Daniel’s and Coke for this one, but this concept would work for any liquor and soda combination. These would be best on a very hot, sweaty day, as it’s a bit too cold for an everyday libation. Get creative and tailor this technique to your favorite flavors.

— Jack Daniel’s

— Coca-Cola

— Ice

— Blender

Freeze the cola in an ice cube tray overnight or until the soda is completely frozen. Toss all 12 cubes into a blender with about a cup of ice and add enough Jack Daniel’s to reach the consistency (or alcohol content) you’re looking for.

Disaronno Sour

Disaronno is so tasty on its own that you can be perfectly happy drinking it that way. But the addition of citrus makes this the ideal spring cocktail.

— Lemon juice

— Lime juice

— Disaronno

— 1 tsp. white sugar

Mix the juices and the sugar in the bottom of a glass. Add Disaronno and ice and serve, preferably with a lemon or lime wedge.

Margarita Popsicles

These are so easy it’s (almost) stupid to include a recipe. Yes, it uses Mike’s, which is a bit of a cop-out, but the problem with using actual tequila is that it can’t freeze in a normal freezer. You really can’t tell that these are tequila-less. Try these for a fun, boozy alternative to a normal popsicle.

— Mike’s Classic Margarita

— Dixie cups

— Popsicle sticks (or drink umbrellas, like we used)

Simply freeze the margaritas in the Dixie cups overnight. Pop them out of the cups and enjoy!

Update: The athletic department released the following statement concerning Lyerla’s tweets:

“Twitter posts attributed to student-athlete Colt Lyerla concerning the tragedy at Sandy Hook are insensitive and offensive, especially those devastated by the shootings, and we have communicated as much to Colt. Though the University of Oregon Department of Athletics as well as the football program have social media expectations in place for our student-athletes, at times, personal opinions go well beyond what we expect from our students. The University of Oregon and Department of Athletics understand that our young men and women have a great deal of freedom of expression on social media but with that freedom comes responsibility. Our prayers and thoughts continue to be with the families of Sandy Hook.”

***

Oregon tight end Colt Lyerla created a stir on Twitter Thursday morning after he tweeted a YouTube link that suggests the Sandy Hook shooting was done by the U.S. government. The video also advocates for the second amendment and the right to own assault weapons.

If you have a half hour you should watch this and enlighten yourself. youtu.be/VrngdgUixYg

— ..::⚡C⚡::.. (@ThaRealCL) March 21, 2013

When pressed by another Twitter user, Lyerla laid out his opinion plainly:

@anhyzerroc I got you. The parents of the kids that supposedly died in the sandy hook situation are liars.

— ..::⚡C⚡::.. (@ThaRealCL) March 21, 2013

Lyerla retweeted a few Twitter users who appeared to agree with his point of view. Lyerla and Twitter user @anhyzerroc argued for over an hour about the validity of his claims.

Members of the ASUO:

I would like to restate several of issues that I brought up Saturday night at the special assembly, mostly because several of you were not in attendance, and partially because the Emerald failed to accurately report what transpired at the meeting. The reasons that the members of the band are upset need to be made absolutely crystal clear—the ASUO has shown poor leadership, poor communication, poor collaboration, and has attempted to use the band as a pawn in an argument with the Athletic Department, the President’s office, and the School of Music and Dance.

ASUO has participated in something that we like to call “intention/function fail” over in the Music Education Department. That is, where someone does or says something with the best intentions, but does not take the time to see how their actions or words function against other groups of people.

The ASUO’s intentions were pure and noble. In fact, many of us fully agree with the intent behind moving the bands funds to other places—The ASUO wished to make the band more secure by transferring our budget to areas that have more stability and longevity in leadership (i.e. the Athletic Department) because these groups do not go through yearly elections.

Regardless of the ASUO’s intentions, the function, or consequences, of their actions were immensely frightening and hurtful to the members of the band. The ASUO started this commotion with a scare tactic: The majority of them believed that the money for the band should come from somewhere other than student fees (and they may be correct), so what did they do? They took it away! This makes perfect sense. Unfortunately, there was little foresight by the ASUO as to how outside observers may perceive this action.

The plan from here was to go meet with several groups on campus—The AD, the School of Music, the President of the University, Enrollment Services—and tell them that the band needed funding from them because ASUO would no longer be providing it.

Let’s think about this for a second.

The ASUO functionally decided it was going to bully other members of the University Community. A game of chicken came into play—and the band was stuck in the middle! The most unfortunate part? The majority of the ASUO forgot to do what they were supposed to do—listen and respect the students they were elected to represent. Roughly 240 OAB students—along with thousands of friends, parents, and alumni—were left with a loud message from the ASUO: We don’t care about you.

Intention? Move the money to someplace else so that is more secure. (An intention that was not explained to the general population up front.)

Action? Take the money from the band and then try to find it elsewhere.

Function? We took your money and we’re hoping someone else will fund you. (We don’t care about you.)

The ASUO found itself in a very embarrassing situation—no one was willing to pick up the band’s tab. Even worse? The ASUO couldn’t decide whether or not they wanted to continue to fund the band after failing to secure funds (Let’s not mention the promise made at the original budget hearing to continueto fund the band if no money was found, shall we?). The students were left in limbo about receiving funding from the ASUO—will they or won’t they? An anxiety-inducing situation that borders on cruel and unusual.

Communication—proper, mature, and open communication—could have solved the ASUO’s problems earlier and easier. They should have sat down with the AD, etc. to talk about options for funding theband before removing the funds.

ASUO threw around the word “communication” like nobody’s business last night. It has become very clear to me that the ASUO Senate does not know the meaning of the word. Stating your opinions out loud does not mean that you communicated with each other. You have spent the last several months “talking at” each other, with no intention of compromising and no respect for the feelings of the band members (who, lest we forget, are still among the students that you were elected to represent). On the other hand, the students of the OAB, of whom I am very proud, have communicated openly (with the ASUO and with each other) and worked to make lasting and useful compromise.

ASUO Senate, I am embarrassed by the way you have handled yourselves as a whole. The point of a senate is to come together to make compromises that benefit the body they were elected to represent. Unfortunately, the majority of you were too wrapped up in your own opinions and too infatuated with the sound of your own voice to work together to resolve the budget issue. Your inability to reach a decision lies on the shoulders of all of you.

I am a proud alum of the University of Oregon, where I received my undergraduate degrees. Currently, I am a proud student of the UO doing graduate work. I am proud of my university. I am proud of my band community. I am ashamed of my student “led” government.

I would like to extend thanks to the few members of the ASUO that diligently worked with Melinda McConnel, Loren Clupny, and Abbie Ortman of the OAB to reach a viable and realistic compromise. This thank you extends beyond the ASUO members who agreed with us to those who were willing to participate and entertain concerns and conversations from the band.

Thank you for your time,

Nathan Irby 

GTF, Athletic Bands/Music Education

It was a cold, gray, drizzly day at Hayward Field on Saturday, but that didn’t stop the Oregon track and field team from impressing in front of 4,402 TrackTown USA fans at its first outdoor meet of the season.

Though most of the Ducks who competed in last weekend’s indoor national championships sat the meet out, a handful of dual-sport athletes — and one quadruple-sport athlete — made their debuts on the track.

Liz Brenner, the four-sport super woman who has already competed for the Ducks in volleyball and basketball this year, made her first appearance at Hayward Field in javelin. She came in at an impressive third with a throw of 141-05, well off her personal best 155-11 but very respectable considering it was her first time throwing in nearly two years.

“I would love to throw 175, and I think I definitely could do that. I actually hit 150 in practice this week, so today was kind of disappointing,” said Brenner, who has practiced with the team only twice since the end of basketball season. “When I take time off, I get pretty bored. I’d rather be doing something. I love working out, going to practice, competing — so, I’d rather be doing that than taking time off.”

The men’s 4×100 meter team comprised of De’Anthony Thomas, Dior Mathis, Arthur Delaney and B.J. Kelley also debuted at Hayward and bested a 21-year-old Oregon Preview record, finishing first in 40.35 seconds. Thomas, anchoring the Ducks in his first action on the track this year, extended Oregon’s lead to at least seven meters in his leg.

“We just practiced (handing off) only yesterday, so it was really great to go out there and run,” Thomas said after the race.

The women’s 4×100 team did not fare so well. The foursome of Phyllis Francis, English Gardner, Chizoba Okodogbe and Jenna Prandini were poised to smoke the competition. But after Francis made up the stagger in the first leg and Gardner extended the Ducks’ lead to nearly 10 meters, Gardner and Okodogbe fumbled the handoff, and the Ducks did not finish the race.

“4×100 is a race where anything can happen, and we always switch and swap each position, so today we tried something new,” Gardner said. “It happens. We’d rather do it now than six weeks later or even at Texas Relays when it counts. Get the kinks out now, fix the mistakes and go to work for later. Today just wasn’t our day, I guess.”

She redeemed herself in the women’s 400 meters. She led the pack from the beginning, overcoming Prandini at the 300-meter mark — after the two had been racing neck-and-neck — to take the race in 54.31, just half a second off her personal best. Prandini finished in second in 55.58.

“It’s always a love-hate relationship with me and that race,” Gardner said. “I definitely went out hating it, (but) we always love to win, so it was definitely a fun experience. It’s just all a part of training, so I’m learning to love it a little bit.”

In the 1,500 meters, Oregon redshirt freshman Chris Brewer was neck-and-neck at the finish line with Oregon Track Club Elite’s Ben Blankenship, who barely edged the former in 3.48.57. Brewer’s 3.48.60 was a lifetime best. The women had a respectable showing in the 1,500, with junior Laura Roesler coming in third at 4:22.33 and junior Sarah Penney in fourth at 4:23.74.

After anchoring the 4×100, Thomas ran a blistering wind-aided 10.31 in the 100 meters, easily beating his previous personal best of 10.57. Mathis and Kelley came in second and third, respectively, wrapping up an Oregon sweep of the 100 meters.

The sun came out, fittingly, just before Thomas’ last and perhaps most impressive outing of the day: the 200 meters. After a false start delayed the race, he jumped out to an immediate lead and held onto it throughout, cruising to the finish in 21.17, just about half a second off his personal best.

“I feel like I did some great work today,” he said. “I feel like it’s gonna be a great season this year.”

Other notable Oregon winners included junior Cole Watson in a dominant 5:57.35 performance in the steeplechase and All-American sophomore Johnathan Cabral, who turned in a meet-record 13.68 in the 110 meter hurdles. The Ducks also finished 1-2 in the men’s 800 meters, with senior transfer Matt Miner coming in first in 1:51.85 and sophomore Chad Noelle in second in 1:52.49.

The Ducks will compete next at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays and the Stanford Invitational, which both take place on the last weekend in March. The next meet at Hayward Field will be the Pepsi Team Invitational April 6.

A bicyclist and a car collided Friday afternoon in front of Starbucks on 13th and Alder Street around 12:48 p.m., prompting response from emergency personnel a minute later.

According to Eugene Police Public Information Coordinator Paula Hunt, witnesses were more upset than the parties involved in the accident. The bicyclist sustained a minor scratch and the driver remained at the scene while the call was made. The bicyclist was reported to have not been wearing a helmet.

University of Oregon student Nathan Wallner tweeted about the incident and posted a photo:

Bicyclist meets car next to Starbucks on 13th. Are the roads safe enough for bikers around campus? @uoregon #uosojc via.me/-9xri3ro

— Nathan Wallner (@N8Wallner) February 22, 2013

More information to come.