After pushing McDonald’s to phase antibiotics out of their meat supplies earlier this year, the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group and the Campus Action Team recently pressured Subway to join the ranks. The company announced it will be antibiotic free on Oct. 22.

The University of Oregon’s OSPIRG chapter, along with other PIRG organizations across the nation, have been pressuring Subway to stop purchasing meat from suppliers that use antibiotics since March. Now, Subway plans to make its chain completely antibiotic free by 2025.

“Today’s consumer is ever more mindful of what they are eating, and we’ve been making changes to address what they are looking for,” Dennis Clabby, executive vice president of Subway’s Independent Purchasing Cooperative, said in a statement.

According to Emma Brower, Vice Chair of OSPIRG, antibiotics are a major health threat to the general public. At locations where livestock are raised, animals are given feed laced with antibiotics at non-therapeutic levels which lead to the rise of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria that can endanger lives.

Brower says the meat itself is not dangerous, but the bacteria at the farms can potentially spread through waterways and infect people who do not come to contact with the meat.

According to the Food and Drug Administration study in 2014, approximately 70 percent of antibiotics are used on livestock, and approximately two million people became ill with an antibiotic-resistant infection.

“There is a huge problem where antibiotics are being abused and special interests are trying to push more product [to the farms],” Brower said.

Since the campaign to push Subway to phase out antibiotics started in March, OSPIRG was able to initially generate 100 photo petitions in four hours. PIRG collected over 100,000 signatures for its petition and constantly pressured the food chain on social media to change its practices.

Subway’s decision to phase out antibiotics from its meat supply is a major victory for public health and can be a model for other chains as well, PIRG Campus Organizer Jacob Wyant said.

Subway is the largest fast-food chain in the United States, larger than both McDonald’s and Starbucks. Wyant says that Subway’s decision can influence the way other companies purchase their products because it can lead to the creation of an industry standard of being antibiotic-free.

“It’s not about antibiotics in the meat itself. It’s about the antibiotic’s resistant bacteria getting out into the world. Even if you don’t eat at McDonald’s or Subway, it still affects you,” Wyant said.

Steven Jackson, a Subway manager on Pearl Street, says that there are several customers that applaud the company’s decision and that there has been nothing but a welcoming attitude for its decision.

“It’s encouraging that Subway is keeping up with its “Eat Fresh” slogan,” Jackson said. “It’s a good thing, in the long run, to get extraneous things out of our food. It can only be positive.”

Subway plans to completely phase out antibiotics in its chickens by 2016, turkeys within 2-3 years afterward, and pork and beef completed by 2025.

Brower said she was surprised that Subway decided to phase out antibiotics from its entire meat supply and says that the recent victory with Subway demonstrates just how much power students actually have.

“It’s a great victory. It shows that grassroots organizing works,” Brower said.

Tim Clevenger, the creative force behind the University of Oregon’s first branding campaign, announced today that he will be leaving his job at the university on Nov. 20 for a job in Portland.

In an email that Clevenger sent to his staff, he said he has accepted a new job as the “Vice President of Brand, Creative, B2C Strategy & Integrated Marketing” at Cambia Health Solutions in Portland.

During his three and a half years as the Associate Vice President of Communications Marketing & Brand Management, the university launched its first branding initiative to increase national awareness of the UO’s academic excellence. As a result of the initiative, the university has seen an 18 percent increase in first-time donors from alumni, the most academically prepared and diverse class in the university’s history, and an increased national awareness of the university as a top public research university, said Clevenger.

“We all have done tremendous work in helping to tell the stories of academic excellence at the UO, and I am proud to have been part of this effort,” Clevenger said in an email.

As a UO graduate in 1985, a former member of the Emerald and former Executive Director of the UO Alumni Association, Clevenger says that it was tough deciding to leave the university. However, he sees his new job as a great opportunity and a perfect fit for what he does.

“This is my alma mater and I have deep ties to this school. [Taking the new job] was a tough call, but sometimes opportunities present themselves and you have to grab them when they come up,” Clevenger said.

During the transition period, Kyle Henley, Vice President of University Communications, will be stepping in for Clevenger.

“Tim’s work has put us in a wonderful position as we look at our strategic next steps,” Henley said in an email to his staff.

The Yellow and Green Garter Bands are the only ones of their kind in the country. Consisting of two different groups with 12 musicians, each contain some of the most elite musicians that the Oregon Marching Band has to offer.

Unlike the Oregon Marching Band, the Garter Bands are both completely student-led, which has provided many students a head start in music education and direction. The band’s main purpose is to perform at special events such as football and basketball games, but the scholarship-based band has also served as a platform for members to dive into music education. It also strives to show prospective college students that they still have musical opportunities in college and beyond.

According to Christopher McCurdy, a Garter Band alumnus and a graduate teaching fellow in the school of music, members need to perform at a higher caliber than required for the Oregon Marching Band. Members are required to be in the Oregon Marching Band concurrently with the Garter Band, which may total over 28 hours of rehearsals and performances per week.

There is only one person per instrument in the group. Members are expected to memorize upwards of 100 songs, and be able to improvise solos, leaving little margin for error.

“It requires an elite level of talent to play. There is no one to rely on, no laying out, no playing wrong notes,” McCurdy said.

However, the Garter Band is more than just a skilled group that plays music for special events. The group also tries to inspire prospective students to pursue music after high school.

During spring term, the Garter Band travels across the state holding music clinics and performing concerts at high schools to show students that they do not have to put down their instruments after they graduate — and it works. Logistics Director Ted Schera said some of the high school students he taught at the schools have joined both the Oregon Marching Band and the Garter Band.

“It’s really cool to see the next generation come in,” Schera said.

The Garter Band has helped some of its own members pursue music as a lifelong experience.

McCurdy, a music education major, credits much of his success in school to organizing all the rehearsals and directing gigs last year. For Schera, his scholarship has made it possible for him to remain in school and be part of the band. Raiko Green, the musical director of the Yellow Garter Band, wants to become a band director and sees the group as a perfect opportunity to lead a group of passionate individuals and to get involved with music.

“[Joining Garter Band] is hands down the best decision I have ever made,” Green said.

Although pumping up a crowd and contributing to the electric atmosphere in Matthew Knight Arena may be an exciting perk for these musicians, being part of the Garter Band is ultimately more than that.

“It’s not just playing for athletic teams, it’s about students pursuing music as a lifelong experience,” McCurdy said.

The Oregon Board of Psychologist Examiners is preparing to reprimand Shelly Kerr, director of the Counseling and Testing Center for the University of Oregon, with a $5,000 fine and required attendance of ethics classes.

The Oregonian reported that the disciplinary actions are in response to Kerr giving UO lawyers records belonging to the survivor of an alleged sexual assault involving three UO men’s basketball players in 2014.

Members of the board are proposing disciplinary action for “failure to protect and maintain the confidentiality of [the] student’s records,” according to the organization’s statement.

Jennifer Morlok, the student’s therapist, and Karen Stokes, Kerr’s former assistant, issued a statement in support of the board’s actions. The two intend to sue the UO, The Oregonian reported.

UO spokesman Tobin Klinger said in a statement that administrators were unhappy with the board’s proposal.

Kerr can contest the board’s decision at an administrative law judge hearing. If she fails to request a hearing within one month, the board can issue a final order and Kerr will have to pay the fine and participate in the required ethics course.

Don’t dream it, be it — That is the message that one student group is trying to spread in its upcoming performance of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Featuring a mad scientist, wacky Transylvanians and filled with sexual innuendos, The Rocky Horror Picture Show has been a cult classic for over 40 years. However, Forbidden Fruit, a student group that performs as a shadow cast of the show throughout the year, aims to emphasize the original message of the stage play and create an inclusive, safe environment of empowerment of identity that the film fails to address.

According to Charlotte Mallon, who will play the character of Riff Raff, the film adaptation has distorted the message of the original stage play. Richard O’Brien, the writer of the stage play, does not completely identify as either a man or a woman and wrote the play to encourage others to feel comfortable with themselves. However, the film adaptation lacked this message.

“[The original play] encourages self-exploration and fitting into your own space rather than the social space that you’re assigned. The film is a terrible distortion of this story built by a trans person,” Mallon said.

Courbin Couraud, co-vice president of Forbidden Fruit, says that the group’s focus on the reclamation of hateful words and the original message of the play sets them apart from other casts. The group uses words that are often used in derogatory ways as a form of empowerment for those who are targeted with these words, and they use callbacks to rewrite the script to better fit the message of the original stage play.

“We use the space as somewhere we can say things that have been used to hurt us, and hurt other people, and reclaim them so they aren’t so hateful,” Couraud said.

Mallon adds that the group uses the hurtful words and spins them in a way so that the words become a form of empowerment.

“We’ll use words that are generally used in a misogynistic ways, slut-shaming ways and/or homophobic ways, but we’ll put them in our own voices to reclaim the things that have been yelled at us on the street,” Mallon said.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show has provided an inclusive place for people of all backgrounds and identities that has contributed to its long-lasting popularity. Rian Pygin, who will play Dr. Frank N. Furter and is co-vice president of Forbidden Fruit, never imagined being capable of portraying the iconic, central character. As a reserved, nervous person, the eccentricity and safe environment of the show has allowed Pygin to become more open and comfortable on stage.

“I am able to go up there and become a completely different person, and all that I am expected to be is ridiculous, over the top, and sexy,” Pygin said.

Forbidden Fruit will be performing at the Bijou Art Cinemas on Oct. 30 and 31 at 11 p.m.

Correction: A previous version of this story misgendered Rian Pygin. Pygin identifies as non-binary, not exclusively male or female.

The Living Learning Center’s Performance Hall roars with conversation and fills with students from around the globe. The International Student Association’s weekly Coffee Hour brings international and domestic students together.

Gary Gao, president of the ISA, said the main goals of the organization are to connect international and domestic students and help international students adapt to the transition of life in the United States. With about 350 attendees each night and free food, drinks and small games provided, Gao views the Coffee Hour as an opportunity for people to make new friends, both international and domestic, in a welcoming setting.

“We try to help [international and domestic students] build a bridge to close the gap and help them communicate,” Gao said.

As an international student from China, Gao struggled with English and felt embarrassed interacting with others. He surrounded himself with other Chinese students to avoid speaking English during his first few years at the university. However, when his friend brought him to the Coffee Hour during his first year at the university, Gao began to find friends with different cultures and started to attend nearly every Coffee Hour since then.

“Coffee Hour was welcoming, and I started to branch out and started to make more international and American friends,” Gao said. “You get out of your bubble and make new friends outside of your friend circle.”

After seeing the impact the Coffee Hour had on himself, Gao joined the ISA and hopes that he can help students branch out the way he did and create a more friendly environment where international students can feel at home.

Although international students comprise 13 percent of the student population, Caitlin Sherman, secretary of the ISA, found it difficult to interact with international students before joining the ISA because she was busy with classes and students are not afforded many opportunities to do so.

Sherman encourages students to take time to interact with students from different cultural backgrounds, and she says the Coffee Hour enables that.

“You’re seeing a different side of the student body. The atmosphere has a lot of different cultures [and] you hear a lot of different languages around you,” Sherman said. “It’s good for our students to get to know the student body, widen their horizons and realize that our world is becoming a mixing pot.”

To further promote cultural interaction, the ISA invites other international student groups to co-host the event. Senior Jessica Vasquez, a domestic student, attended her first Coffee Hour on Oct. 16 when the Saudi Student Association and the Muslim Student Association co-hosted the event. Although Vasquez was apprehensive about going to the Coffee Hour at first, her friend convinced her to go for the free food. Vasquez ended up staying for more than the food.

“It’s a very open environment to just come, hangout, get to know international students and get to learn about other cultures, ” Vasquez said.

The Coffee Hour takes place in the Living Learning Center’s Performance Hall every Friday from 4-6 p.m.

With school entering its second week of classes, the Vietnamese Student Association prepares to welcome members to its Fall Reception on Oct. 16.

The event will feature catered food and a guest speaker, as it is the biggest event of the Fall for the VSA. The event is both a welcome back for returning members and an introduction for new members. The group hopes to not only excite people about the upcoming year, but also encourage them to celebrate Vietnamese culture and build a community.

The VSA aims to celebrate Vietnamese culture and help teach others about the culture as well, says Co-Director Michelle Nguyen.

“(VSA gives) students a safe place to come and talk about anything. It’s an open space where people can come, hangout and make friends,” Nguyen said.

One of the major highlights of the event is the appearance of guest speaker Alexander Dang, a Vietnamese poet. Dang often speaks about the struggles of culture, such as culture appropriation and the difficulty of language for Vietnamese people. Co-Director Thumi Do, hopes that Dang will inspire the attendees to embrace their culture and represent how important it is.

Students do not need to be Vietnamese in order to attend the event or join the VSA, Do said. The group wants to include people from all cultures in its organization and aims to teach others about Vietnamese culture and what it means to them.

“I want members to feel the sense of community that I feel and not only love our culture, but work on events that bring people together while learning about our culture at the same time,” Do said.

For Nicki Vuong, Outreach Coordinator, the VSA is not only a positive place to learn about her culture, but it is also a place where she feels included. Coming to the United States from Vietnam in sixth grade, Vuong said she often felt excluded until she found the VSA.

“[The VSA] is a place where I find myself belonging,” Vuong said.

Being in Oregon where there is not a significant Vietnamese population, Nguyen finds the VSA as a place where people have similar experiences and problems as her which forms a bond between members.

“I feel like I fit in. It feels like a safe place I can come to,” Nguyen said.

The Fall Reception will take place on Oct. 16 in the Great Room in the Global Scholars Hall from 6-8 p.m.

OSPIRG starts a new campaign to protect Oregon’s single national park from logging threats.

The student-led organization has started collecting signatures and have created a photo petition to urge Senator John Wyden to take action and increase the protected wilderness border around Crater Lake to preserve both its beauty and the habitat which many animals call home.

There is a new proposal from logging companies to create new clear cut areas along the park boundaries every year. This year, there is a proposal to start logging operations along the northwestern boundary of the park In order to protect these areas, the organization is proposing to increase the park’s boundaries that will include a 75-mile wilderness corridor. If the plan is implemented, the increased boundaries will protect an additional 500,000 acres, says Frian Mardhani, campaign coordinator.

“It’s one of the most beautiful places in Oregon and it’s our only national park. There is no reason why we shouldn’t protect it,” Mardhani said.

Along with the park’s beauty, preserving the habitat for the wildlife is an integral part of the campaign. The area surrounding Crater Lake is home to some of Oregon’s most iconic species such as the bald eagle and black bear, campus organizer Jacob Wyant said. However, only select areas outside of the park are protected, and clear cutting the unprotected habitat near these areas would have a damaging effect on the wildlife.

“An eagle and a bear don’t know the difference between a national park and what isn’t,” Wyant said. “For a place like Oregon where we think green, we need to put our money where our mouth is when it comes to protecting one of our national treasures.”

Wyant says that OSPIRG is not against using timber as a resource, but there are better alternatives for logging companies to go than around Crater Lake.

Since the beginning of the term, over 1,100 students and community members have signed the petition and over 300 have participated in the photo petition in support of the campaign. According to Chapter Chair Casey Scofield, protecting Crater Lake and the environment is a cause that everyone can support.

By the end of the year, the group plans to meet with Wyden to present him the petitions and to show that people care about Crater Lake. Scofield says that Wyden is expected to introduce a new bill within the next few months. In order to gain support and visibility for the campaign, the OSPIRG is organizing press conferences and meeting with other groups to form coalitions.

“That’s the beauty of a student-directed group. Whatever students want to do and consider the best way to get the word out is what we’ll do,” Scofield said.

However, if Wyden does not introduce a new bill, Scofield does not expect OSPIRG to stop the campaign to protect Crater Lake.

No matter what the final decision is concerning Crater Lake, Wyant says that student organizations like OSPIRG are important for students who want to become more involved in their community.

“As students, it is cool that we can have a significant voice at the federal level despite some people saying that student’s shouldn’t be activists,” Wyant said.

OSPIRG starts a new campaign to protect Oregon’s single national park from logging threats.

The student-led organization has started collecting signatures and have created a photo petition to urge Senator John Wyden to take action and increase the protected wilderness border around Crater Lake to preserve both its beauty and the habitat which many animals call home.

There is a new proposal from logging companies to create new clear cut areas along the park boundaries every year. This year, there is a proposal to start logging operations along the northwestern boundary of the park In order to protect these areas, the organization is proposing to increase the park’s boundaries that will include a 75-mile wilderness corridor. If the plan is implemented, the increased boundaries will protect an additional 500,000 acres, says Frian Mardhani, campaign coordinator.

“It’s one of the most beautiful places in Oregon and it’s our only national park. There is no reason why we shouldn’t protect it,” Mardhani said.

Along with the park’s beauty, preserving the habitat for the wildlife is an integral part of the campaign. The area surrounding Crater Lake is home to some of Oregon’s most iconic species such as the bald eagle and black bear, campus organizer Jacob Wyant said. However, only select areas outside of the park are protected, and clear cutting the unprotected habitat near these areas would have a damaging effect on the wildlife.

“An eagle and a bear don’t know the difference between a national park and what isn’t,” Wyant said. “For a place like Oregon where we think green, we need to put our money where our mouth is when it comes to protecting one of our national treasures.”

Wyant says that OSPIRG is not against using timber as a resource, but there are better alternatives for logging companies to go than around Crater Lake.

Since the beginning of the term, over 1,100 students and community members have signed the petition and over 300 have participated in the photo petition in support of the campaign. According to Chapter Chair Casey Scofield, protecting Crater Lake and the environment is a cause that everyone can support.

By the end of the year, the group plans to meet with Wyden to present him the petitions and to show that people care about Crater Lake. Scofield says that Wyden is expected to introduce a new bill within the next few months. In order to gain support and visibility for the campaign, the OSPIRG is organizing press conferences and meeting with other groups to form coalitions.

“That’s the beauty of a student-directed group. Whatever students want to do and consider the best way to get the word out is what we’ll do,” Scofield said.

However, if Wyden does not introduce a new bill, Scofield does not expect OSPIRG to stop the campaign to protect Crater Lake.

No matter what the final decision is concerning Crater Lake, Wyant says that student organizations like OSPIRG are important for students who want to become more involved in their community.

“As students, it is cool that we can have a significant voice at the federal level despite some people saying that student’s shouldn’t be activists,” Wyant said.

The Black Student Task Force at the University of Oregon is pushing administration to help black students succeed and make them feel safer on campus.

After the release of the BTSF’s list of demands, the group joined student groups nationwide that have also issued lists of demands addressing similar struggles and goals regarding racial issues at their schools.

Joseph Lowndes, an associate professor of political science who participated in the rally at UO, says that this high-energy national movement was inspired by the event at the University of Missouri, the Black Lives Matter movement and the recent insurgencies around police killings – all of which address systemic racism.

“This is a moment where there is a lot of inspirational work going on to change something that has been needing change for a long time,” Lowndes said.

Shaniece Curry, External Director of the Black Women of Achievement, says that the recent rally on Nov. 13 was not only a national call-to-action regarding the events in Missouri, but also brought the struggles of black students to the forefront for administrators at UO.

Since the rally, members of the BSTF have been speaking with administrators about their demands.

“The purpose of the rally was to stand in solidarity with the [Black students] of the University of Missouri [and] recognize that this is not an isolated event. It’s not just something that is happening on their campus,” Curry said.

With only 1 and 2 percent of faculty and students identifying as black respectively, Curry says that the racial climate at the UO is tense because black students do not feel like they are safe, respected or supported. She also says the racial environment at the school makes it difficult for black students to succeed and grow.

In an effort to help black students succeed at the university, the task force included in its list of demands the creation of an African-American Opportunities Program, funding for a scholarship designed to support students who identify as black, and an increased hiring of black faculty.

“There is not enough resources on campus for [Black students] to thrive,” Curry said.

Although the school has the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence, which aims to serve underrepresented and under-served students, Curry says that some students are dissatisfied with CMAE and chanted “CMAE is not enough” at the rally.

Joaquin Ramos, Ethnic Studies major and co-director of the Multicultural Center, says that it is important for students to stand in solidarity with the struggle of black students.

After working closely with Curry and the Black Women of Achievement for the rally, Ramos hopes to see progress made with administrators.

“It’s good to start these conversations, but I don’t know if [administrators] will be able to solve everything,” Ramos said.

However, Curry is optimistic that the BTSF will be able to achieve more.

“This is only the beginning,” Curry said.