We went to the ASUO meeting this week. Here’s the recap!

The senate accepted the funding requests for three student organizations for various events:

1. Public Relations Student Society of America: PRSSA requested a minimum $90 for an upcoming public relations conference to cover hotel expenditures. The request was approved unanimously.

2. Phi Alpha Delta: PAD requested $691 dollars for traveling expenditures and social events for new members. The request was granted unanimously.

3. International Student Association: ISA requested $2,419 for the funding of a basketball tournament. All student organizations will be able to participate. According to the group’s application for funding, the goal of the tournament is to, “bridge the gap between all nationalities. By having this event and inviting different cultural student groups to participate, we would be able to unite on the basketball court and share our vision and mission with them, which is to raise awareness about diversities and to celebrate the differences.” The funding request was unanimously approved. The event, Ducks2K16, will be held on the Rec Uptown Courts Nov. 5 at 10 a.m.

A discussion on the use of the under-realized funds was tabled for a week to provide more time for account information.

During Officer Updates, Internal Vice President Zach Lusby informed the senators of discussions about a bus that would bring students from campus to Portland for the Board of Trustees meeting on December 1.

The rest of the meeting was business as usual except for the resolution to defund parts of the Murdoch Trust.

The resolution to defund parts of the Murdoch Trust was met with contentious debate with senators divided on the topic. Members of the Northwest Accountability Project have been trying to defund parts of the Trust.

The Murdoch Trust funds organizations such as OPB but also groups such as the Freedom Foundation which have been deemed, by the Northwest Accountability Project to be “hate groups.” Senators were unsure whether defunding the Trust would violate its rights to freedom of expression. Internal Vice President Lusby suggested tabling the discussion for 2 weeks to give Northwest Accountability Project and other senators time to gather more information on the subject.

ASUO meets every Wednesday at 7 p.m. in EMU Miller Room.

This Hallow’s Eve, Eugene is hosting a concert to die for.

Tucked away in the hills of southwest Eugene lies the Eugene Masonic Cemetery, which has been a part of the city’s history since its inception in 1859 — 10 years after the city’s founding.

The Hope Abbey Mausoleum, an Egyptian revival-styled building, is at the entrance of the cemetery on 26th Avenue. This is where the graveyard will come to life Halloween weekend.

Beside housing many of Eugene’s original founders, the mausoleum doubles as a venue for musical performances on the final Sundays of each month from June to October in what the Eugene Masonic Cemetery Association board calls the “Music to Die For” series.

Eric Mentzel, the founder of The Vox Resonat, a small group of solo vocalists who specialize in music of the Middle Age, Renaissance and Baroque periods, commented on why the building is suited for the performance.

“To perform it in a space that is so closely associated with the rituals of death is very appropriate,” Mentzel said in a press release. “Hope Abbey is the ideal place for a musical memorial. The acoustics of the building are wonderful for vocal music.”

The Vox Resonat will be holding a Day of the Dead musical event on Oct. 29 at 3 p.m. to coincide with the Halloween holiday. The following day, the “Music to Die For” series will conclude on Oct. 30 with a concert by The Eugene Recorder Orchestra.

John Bredesen, the cemetery coordinator, said the original marble and solid rock walls offer an acoustically vibrant room musicians often seek.

“I sang with the Eugene Concert Choir so I have an appreciation for music and I wanted to see  [Hope Abbey] used for that,” Bredesen said. “When you get musicians in here, with the hard surfaces, it is just beautiful.”

Now that the mausoleum acoustics have been discovered, many musicians from across Eugene flock to play in the cemetery, giving caretakers another reason to maintain the historic landmark.

The mausoleum was constructed in 1914 for $40,000. The design and creation was overseen by Ellis F. Lawrence who later became the founder of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts at the University of Oregon.

Bredesen remembers when the mausoleum was run down in the 1990s — degraded from years of weather erosion and vandalism.

“There were two inches of mud on the floor and the roof leaked,” Bredesen said. “It was an absolute mess.”

The Eugene Masonic Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in the city and is open to the public. The name “Mason” is kept because the grounds were deemed a historic landmark in the 1980s when the Freemasons owned the land. The cemetery is no longer affiliated with them.

The cemetery’s unique architecture and rich history are now preserved by volunteers. Bredesen volunteers his time doing many of the laborious jobs on the grounds as well as coordinating events and outreach.

“It was a wreck,” said Caroline Forell, a cemetery association board member. “The Masons just hadn’t been able to keep it up, and it turned into this sort of wilderness with a lot of people camping there. It was actually a nuisance.”

Since the 1990s, the EMCA has spent over $200,000 restoring the historic building. With increasing costs for ongoing repairs, the need to raise awareness of the site became apparent.

Bredesen became a member of the EMCA board in 2002 after his wife passed away. He remarried years later and worked alongside his second wife at the cemetery. She later passed away, and ever since, he has volunteered his time to make the cemetery an inviting place to the public.

Eugene’s oldest cemetery is also the final resting place of Eugene Skinner, founder of the city, and John Whiteaker, Oregon’s first governor.

With the rich history the cemetery and the mausoleum have in Eugene, the EMCA hopes to promote the historic site through self-guided walking tours as well as musical performances.

Last Halloween, The Vox Resonat performed a sold-out show at the mausoleum. Many people stood outside just to hear the group perform.

Donations will be accepted at the performances and go toward further restoration of the mausoleum.

“It’s Halloween and it’s the perfect place,” Forell said. “The cemetery changes all year around and it’s really into that season where everything is starting to die back and look sort of spooky.”

Tickets are available at BrownPaperTickets.com.

Congressman Peter DeFazio came to the University of Oregon on Monday to tour the new EMU and campaign for the upcoming November election. Congressman DeFazio was joined by State Representatives Phil Barnhart and Val Hoyle to encourage students to vote in this contentious election.

“Students should vote like their future depends on it because it does,” Congressman DeFazio said. “If you have real concerns about your future then you need to vote.”

Other state representatives took the stage to further express their reasons for how important this upcoming election cycle is and why student votes are crucial. The representatives all campaigned heavily for the democratic party and pushed the importance of students voting.

“It is critical for my re-election that we get students to come out and vote,” representative Barnhart said. “We have to get a turnout of over 50,000 extra votes for democrats in Lane County in order to elect our statewide office holders.”

“Today, I am here to tell you that your voice matters,” representative Hoyle said to the crowd. “It is important because Lane County is a swing district in a swing state and we need to get out the vote.”

The event had a moderate sized crowd show up to hear the state representatives give their piece about why people should vote for progressive candidates. The crowd was mostly filled with supporters, but near the end a member of the audience heckled congressman DeFazio about his stance on the wars in the Middle East. DeFazio responded by stating he was against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and promptly left the event.

The Oregon ballots are being mailed out to voters. Local and presidential elections will be held on Nov. 8.

We went to the ASUO meeting last night! Here is what happened.

ASUO approved three new positions for various roles within the organization.

Michael Lantz is a graduate student at UO Law School and was appointed unanimously to ASUO Constitutional Court position. “Restraint and discretion are key. This realization, in addition to my experience, is what will make me a useful addition to the Constitutional Court,” Lantz said.

Lucy Ohlsen is a graduate student at UO Law School and was appointed unanimously to the role of Associate Justice on the ASUO Constitutional court.

In her application to ASUO, Ohlsen stated, “I recognize the importance of the student government, and I want to be a part in making it efficient, effective, honest and accountable to the entire university community. I am qualified for this role because of my academic background in political science and law, as well as my professional experience in government and journalism.”

Vicki Gimm was appointed to senate position 1, despite a contentious discussion regarding her personal demeanor and how she works with others in the organizations that she has been a part of. Many senators applauded Gimm’s efforts and accomplishments at UO while others called out past statements she has made on social media and in person about various ASUO members.

Gimm noted that the senate body is comprised of mostly different members than last year and the comments she made previously were in reference to the lack of effort of the previous ASUO body. Gimm wants to work in actively improving ASUO for this year and creating a more fiscally responsible organization.

“I do have higher hopes for this year,” Gimm said. “I want to encourage a different environment here at senate.”

ASUO also approved funding requests from a few student organizations.

• SELF, the sport and entertainment law forum, was requesting $3,400 for transportation to the Tulane Football Negotiation Competition. Tulane invited SELF and UO Law Center to send two teams to the conference in New Orleans. The event is supposed to be a way for students in the organizations to network with notable individuals and other schools across the country. Senate passed the funding request with the newly appointed Gimm being the only “nay” vote.
• Ahiru Daiko, the Taiko Ensemble at UO, requested $2,000 from surplus to help pay for storage and repair of equipment. $1,500 of the requested amount will go towards storage specifically. The remaining $500 will pay for current equipment repairs. The request was passed unanimously by ASUO.

After last week’s eventful senate meeting, this week was more subdued. ASUO finished the evening by having appointed three positions and granting a total of $5,400 for two organizations.

ASUO Senate President Max Burns will serve only two more terms before his departure from the University of Oregon early next year. Burns discussed some upcoming issues that the Senate hopes to tackle before he leaves his position in March 2017.

Burns, a transfer student from Central Oregon Community College, came to UO in 2013 as a music major. Now his major is public policy and management with a focus in non-profit administration.  During his first year at UO Burns was elected to an ASUO senate position.

Burns has taken a position in the Peace Corps and may end up traveling to Ukraine as a result. The job entails a 27-month commitment with three months devoted to training and 24 months of on-site work.

Burns doesn’t believe his upcoming job with the Peace Corps will negatively impact ASUO or its operations prior to him leaving. 

“Until a position is filled, the vice president of Senate, Ednaly [Jimenez-Gomez], will fill that role,” Burns said. “Once the position is elected for the spring term then whoever that is will take over. My time will conclude once the budget season is completed.”

Burns is focusing on this upcoming term, but he recalled some of the past ASUO accomplishments that have led him to where he is now. He says one of his biggest accomplishments, with collaboration from other ASUO members, was addressing the issue of mandatory housing for first year students.

The mandatory on-campus housing policy will require students to live on campus their freshman year, resulting in increased costs for students because of the competition between the university and other housing complexes. ASUO passed a measure to have University Housing reconsider this policy and make it more affordable. Despite this resolution being passed, University Housing is still planning on moving forward with the mandatory live on campus policy, without the support of ASUO.

Moving his focus to the future, Burns discussed the budget shortfall that ASUO is tackling now. 

“In terms of the way the budgeting process works is; we make an assumption on enrollment and then budget accordingly,” Burns said. “If enrollment numbers aren’t what we anticipate then we have to make up that loss. Currently we have to deal with a substantially large shortfall in our allocation process.”

Burns wants to focus on incorporating the student body to become more involved in student government and other student-run organizations this year.

“Becoming involved is extremely easy at the ASUO with how many student organizations we have,” Burns said. “Leadership is not always about a title and authority. Being able to build a community and creating a niche on campus for anyone is important and any student can have the power to do that.”

The ASUO, during their Sept. 28 meeting, approved a special request for funding allotment to the Organization Against Sexual Assault. The reason for the request was to implement positions that have historically been a part of the organization and are for student aid. These positions were cut by the Program Finance Committee last year because the committee deemed the extra money not necessary for the group.

The student run organization was designed to advocate for and help survivors of sexual violence. The organization began operation in 2012 as the Violence Prevention Task Force created to monitor current education, prevention and support services at UO.

At the time, ASUO President Quinn Haaga was a member of the Program Finance Committee and authorized the budget cut.

“One of the reasons their budget did see such a large decrease,” Haaga said, “is because … their budget actually wasn’t following the stipend model that the ASUO enforces. So, in order to receive that stipend, their stipend model was decreased.”

Currently, OASA can only afford three positions for its organization. These positions include the human resource director, logistics coordinator and the public relations director.

The OASA budget was originally cut $1,800 but was recently restored after their petition was approved by ASUO. This money was moved from ASUO surplus to the OASA stipend.

Zach Lusby, internal vice president of ASUO, was also a member of the PFC at the same time as Haaga. According to Lusby, the PFC follows a strict set of standards that determine which groups can receive funding and which ones will not.

“It can be kind of harsh when it comes budget fees and which groups get a funding increase or which groups get a funding decrease,” Lusby said. “The program finance committee agreed that they [OASA] didn’t actually need all the money that was originally allocated to them.”

According to the OASA request for increased funding to the ASUO, “Due to budget cuts last year, OASA was forced to downsize and remove vital positions needed to maintain and create projects.”

The money that OASA requested will be used to add two Members-at-Large positions which will provide increased organizational support for projects.

With OASA’s new total stipend amount increasing to $7,200 from $5,400, the organization hopes to increase awareness and provide support to the student body. The organization has ongoing projects that they put on which are coordinated by an eight person staff. With this increase in funding, the group plans to hire more positions to better handle the demand for these events.

“I think that their community aspect was an important part of their group,” Lusby said. “They just needed a budget that was more attuned to what their group functions were.”

This was a reason ASUO decided to increase the funding for OASA — so that they can better handle their ongoing projects and aid the student body.

The Emerald contacted OASA for comment, but as of this publication, no members have responded to our request.  

It was a short and sweet ASUO meeting. Here is the recap!

The meeting started with announcements from KWVA which will be holding a grand opening to correspond with the Erb Memorial Union’s grand opening this Thursday and Friday. A representative for KWVA said that students can stop in and record shout-outs to friends and family.

The External Vice President, Natalie Fisher, also announced that intern positions are open for people to apply.

Funding:

There were four funding requests presented to the ASUO

1. Net Impact requested $2,600 for funding to go toward undergrad programs. A representative stated that the requested amount is not the full amount the group needs to operate. The full amount needed will be $3,800. Funding was approved for $2,600.
2. HuaFeng magazine requested $600 dollars for printing costs and was approved in a vote of acclamation.
3. ASUO Executives requested $2,450 to pay for stipend positions. All positions have been filled for this year’s positions and more money is required to pay for those positions. The request of $2,450 was approved unanimously.
4. Women in Graduate Sciences was requesting to transfer $4,000 to stipends to pay for eight upcoming positions. The request was approved.

Officer Elections:

Max Burns was elected as Senate President for two terms. In March, Burns will be traveling to Ukraine to volunteer for PeaceCorp.

Ednaly Jimenez-Gomez was elected Senate Vice President.

Hanna Thompson was elected Senate Ombudsperson.

Lauren Young was elected Senate Treasurer.Young was also appointed the position of Strategic Planning Construction Committee member. This position will be involved in deciding construction projects such as the Health Center renovation.

Lisa Smith was elected Academic Chair.  

From elegant sweaters to stunning jewelry, the Craft Center at the University of Oregon offers a multitude of creative avenues for those interested in creating their own wares.

The Craft Center opened its doors on Sept. 26 for fall term. The center is located in a new location on the ground floor of the EMU and is now free for UO students, faculty, staff and alumni.

Until this term, UO community members had to pay a fee to use these services. Managers of the center hope this change will make the space more attractive to the student body.

“The Craft Center is specifically here for UO students,” said David Wagner, craft center office

coordinator. “We are open to the community as well, but we are reprioritizing for UO students […] If we don’t fill a workshop up with students, we will open it up to the community.”  

In addition, the new location will offer many workshops including an introduction to knitting taught by former UO student Maiya Becker. Fees vary depending on style of craft, but rarely exceed $100; however, the resources without instruction are always free. These are non-credit courses for students to sign up for.

An old sewing machine rests near the yarn and string samples in the textile room. (Dana Sparks)

As a knitter for more than a decade, Becker wants to share her craft with others in the hope of promoting a stronger sense of sustainability within the UO community.

“With knitting, you are not only able to create a garment that will last longer, but that you can custom-make to fit your size and color,” said Becker, who instructs classes on clothing production in the community and sits on the board for Materials Exchange Center For Community Arts, a nonprofit designed to reduce material waste.

“I strongly believe in reducing your environmental footprint as much as possible. A lot of fashion is being made cheaply, unethically and is being thrown away so quickly,” she said.

Cassie Shammel, a student worker at the Craft Center, participates frequently in many of the workshops the Craft Center offers.

“I definitely take advantage of it,” Shammel said.  “I have been in the jewelry studio. I did casting. I have done a little bit of photography and I am doing ceramics this term.”

Shammel describes herself as a creative person and finds that the time she spends at the Craft Center is therapeutic because it allows her to take a break from her studies.

Cassie Shammel shows her original patch dedicated to her dog that she created. (Dana Sparks)

“I study science, which I love, but it’s also really difficult,” Shammel said. “I have always been really creative, so it was nice to be able to come in here and work outside of what I’m studying in school.”

The Craft Center provides tools for use in making jewelry, clothing, photography and woodworking. Some of the equipment available to students are sewing machines, torches for glass making and a variety of hand tools.

A bow of stone setting tools lay mixed together as the jewelry studio hums with activity. (Dana Sparks)

Some materials available for purchase at the Craft Center include fabric, clay and metals. The Craft Center is limited on these materials so students are encouraged to bring in their own materials.

Aolani Onatah, a student at UO, was eager to explore more of the Craft Center and the resources it has available to students.

“I am excited that it isn’t an additional fee considering the rising costs of tuition. It’s nice that there are more amenities we pay for that we aren’t being charged extra for,” she said.

The Craft Center will hold many workshops this term, including knitting, sewing, photography and ceramics.

Craft center instructor begins the stone setting process by molding the silver edges around the stone. (Dana Sparks)

Margarita O’Brien, a jewelry instructor at the Craft Center, has worked there for nine years and is excited about getting new people in for classes.

“In the basic classes, I mostly teach technique but I am trying to get people to create their own things because you can’t always find what you want to express,” said O’Brien. “I meet people all the time who didn’t know it was there.”

For new students interested in getting involved at the Craft Center, workers have set up orientations for any studio. In these sessions, Craft Center faculty give students basic knowledge for understanding how to work in the studios.

Copper-plated and stone jewelry piece rests in work gloves left behind. (Dana Sparks)

“Our hope is that we can give you some skills without having to add too much to your overall schedule,” Wagner said. “We wanted to really focus on the student experience with these spaces.”

Students and community members can register for workshops online at craftcenter.uoregon.edu.

Over the years on the University of Oregon campus, many people have turned to bicycles as an alternative mode of transport.

In 2012 there were 848 bicycles stolen in Eugene. During the first quarter of 2013, bike thefts in Eugene rose 64 percent.  As of 2015, the bike theft rate has risen, with more than 1,040 bikes being stolen.

Because of this increase in bike thefts, The University of Oregon Police Department has been in discussion with other departments across campus to develop a long-term solution to reduce thefts on campus. One solution is to increase surveillance around bike lock locations.

There are many places around campus to secure bicycles and the university has a list of all those places available to the community. However, many places are considered unsafe to securely lock up a bike.

UOPD officer Adam Lillengreen told the Emerald about how easy it is for bikes to be stolen on campus.

“Unless you know what you’re looking for, you won’t be able to see them,” Lillengreen said of the bike stations that are hidden behind high bushes and other obstructions.

Some potentially high risks places to park bikes would include the area behind Millrace and the bike racks by Carson hall.

With UOPD being understaffed, Lillengreen said that increased camera surveillance would be a means for lowering bike thefts, but is a far off prospect.

“We don’t have the budget right now,” Lillengreen stated. “I’m not aware of any plan to implement [increased surveillance].”

Despite this rise in bike thefts, many people still bike on campus.

Mathew Young, a student at UO, chooses to bike rather than drive because of how easy it is to bike around campus.

“The thing that makes driving around campus inconvenient is that there is nowhere to park,” Young said. “You can park your bike anywhere and that makes it so much more convenient.”

“I think the UO makes it easy to lock up your bike anywhere,” Young said. “I feel pretty safe locking it up. I think if they [UOPD] were [increasing surveillance] just for bike thefts then it would be more trouble than it was worth.”

UO and Eugene Police Department have bike registry databases in place that they encourage people to use in case they ever have a bike stolen. The university bike program offers many opportunities for students to get more information about biking.

Clara Schneid, Operations Coordinator at the UO Bike Program, shared her insight on how to keep bicycles safe from theft.

“I, luckily, have never had any issues with theft,” Schneid said. “I generally only lock up my bike on campus during the daytime.”

Schneid knows that even during the daytime people can have bikes stolen and admits that it is a “huge concern.” Schneid believes that increased surveillance by UOPD has its benefits but ultimately is not the proper solution.

“Based on my gut feeling,” Schneid said, “I think that increased surveillance will deter opportunistic thefts, but will not necessarily solve the problem. I think that more preventative measures would benefit the community, such as lighting the places where we lock our bikes and education on how to best lock your bike.”