Jayanth Banavar, University of Oregon Provost, held a town hall May 22 in the Gerlinger Lounge. The town hall had no determined topic and was open to all UO faculty, staff, students and community members.

Around 25 people showed up to Banavar’s town hall on Tuesday where topics ranged from experiential learning costs, class size in upper division courses, advising for students, resources for emergency hiring, after hours emergency systems, challenges for UO next year and non-tenure track faculty workloads.

UO departments represented by faculty or staff at the town hall included human physiology, journalism and biology. Many parents of students also attended the meeting.

Banavar’s answers to most questions was that the university currently lacks the resources to solve problems; however, he said there are likely things to do in the meantime to relieve some of the pressure.

For example, The School of Journalism and Communications is built on a system of experiential learning, which means that students are taught in classrooms as well as with real-life projects to gain experience with real people in the community.

“How do we deal with the cost of experiential learning,” asked Lisa Heyamoto, a senior instructor at the SOJC, prompting a larger conversation about a lack of resources.

The university doesn’t want a situation where a rich student receives a better education than those with less money, Banavar explained. “All problems are because of a shortage of resources.”

When a parent asked about any additional focus the university is putting on student advising opportunities, Banavar said that although the goal is to keep students needs at a high priority, a lack of resources keeps the university from improving student advising.

Anni Elling, Human Physiology Department Manager, portrayed a downward spiral and said that a smaller faculty and lack of resources led the department to more organically lead students to success, which means a lot more sacrifice from everyone, therefore straining those faculty members who are left.

Elling asked, “With the institutional hiring plan, will there be opportunity to do emergency hiring if necessary?” The hiring plan Elling referenced is the university’s approach to which departments will be given resources for more faculty.

Banavar referred Elling to the College of Arts & Sciences, the college that her department is under, and said the faculty there will hear Elling’s requests and help her out.

The human physiology department should have a detailed plan of their needs and wants, Banavar said, and if it’s a true emergency as far as hiring goes, bring it to the department head.

This was the first time that Banavar had heard of the human physiology department being strained, he said. Department problems should be brought to more people’s attentions, Banavar said. “The whole point of the Provost’s office is to help other people.”

When asked what some challenges for the university would be in the coming school year, Banavar said that a year-to-year challenge is not knowing the student enrollment numbers and lower numbers can cause problems as far as resources go.

A non-tenure track faculty (NTTF) member brought up a conversation about the NTTF’s workload, and changes to how they’re paid. He said that as an observation, a lot the NTTF’s job doesn’t fall into teaching in the classroom.

According to the faculty member, there’s a movement toward instructors only being paid for their time in class and office hours, and not for all the extra time they spend helping students. He worries that all the other things instructors do for students will disappear if there is no compensation.

Banavar answered that there should be fairness and people need to be treated properly, yet, again, this problem arises due to a lack of resources.

“When a student comes to us and needs our help, of course we’re going to say yes … even if it’s outside of class or office hours,” the faculty member said.

Casey Crowley contributed reporting to this article.

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The American English Institute (AEI) at the University of Oregon has provided different programs and services to international students since 1978. The institute’s homestay program has connected international students with host families since 1989.

“The homestay program is designed to give our students a helping hand in adjusting to life in America and a support system from the beginning of their stay,” said Suzie Heilman, AEI Homestay and Housing Coordinator.

There are 15 families who have hosted students through the AEI for over 20 years. “That speaks to the dedication of the families and the positive enrichment of the program,” Heilman said.

“We have host families that are single men or women, families with children of all ages and couples,” Heilman said. “Our host families come from all income levels, all religious or spiritual backgrounds, and we welcome diversity.”

Responsibilities of the host families include providing a friendly and supportive environment for students.

According to Heilman, each student has their own bedroom, but sometimes shares a bathroom. Host families are required to provide breakfast and dinner every weekday, and three meals per day on weekends. Each host family’s house should be no more than a 45-minute bus ride from campus.

“Host families help the student understand the differences and similarities between our culture and theirs,” Heilman said. “Building a good relationship so that the student can comfortably ask questions about things that are new or different is a major benefit.”

Ying, an international student from China, credits her improvement in English to the help she received from homestay and the AEI, according to a testimony on the institute’s website.

“My homestay family helped improve my English and taught me a lot about American culture. They are friendly and treat me as part of the family,” Ying wrote.

One reason homestay can be helpful to international students learning English is because they consistently hear the language being used by their host family.

While students may be thousands of miles away from home, they are still able to connect with their friends and family via Skype or other media, Heilman said. “Many students will introduce their personal family to their American family.”

International students are contracted to stay with their host families for at least one term, according to Heilman. After that, it is a term-by-term basis in order to provide flexibility for both the students’ and host families’ needs.

Heilman said that homestay is the most affordable way for an international student who is enrolled in AEI to live in Eugene, with students paying $650 per month to the host family.

If a family wants to become hosts through the AEI, they can fill out a form on its website. After filling out the form, the family will meet with Heilman at their home, and after passing a background check, they become part of the program. There is no cost to the host family for participating.

Heilman said a majority of students remain in the homestay program until they graduate from UO. She even had one student stay with her for six-and-a-half years. “Many students and families remain lifelong friends.”

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After launching on April 19, the PeachHealth Rides bike share program held an official launch event on Tuesday, where 20 people gathered outside the EMU Outdoor Program Bike and Rental Barn to watch the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The PeaceHealth bike share program lets University of Oregon students, faculty and staff sign up for $5 per month, which includes a free hour of riding every day.

Without a plan, they receive 15 minutes of free riding a day, with a cost of 10 cents per minute after that. Read more about how the program works and where to sign up here.

“For U of O, [bike share] is ideal because incoming students are encouraged not to bring their cars,” said Kelsey Moore, UO Bike Program Coordinator. “This gives them an option for bike access without having to worry about security and maintenance.”

Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting launch event offered bike themed snacks, an option to take a short bike ride, PeaceHealth gear and the opportunity to talk to representatives from the UO Bike Program and from PeaceHealth.

Moore compared the bike share system to other transportation systems, like buses, in that someone borrows a bike and rides for a short distance to get from one place to another and then leaves it at their destination, without having to worry about parking.

“It’s a really great option for faculty, staff and students to get around campus,” Moore said. “If somebody drives their car to campus but then it’s a nice day out and they want to get around campus a little bit faster than walking, bikes are an option.”

According to Moore, JUMP Bikes (recently purchased by Uber) are the vendors for the bike share system in Eugene as well as in Portland. Moore said that the main difference between the Eugene and Portland bike share programs is the pricing, where in Portland it’s $144 for an annual membership or $2.50 per trip.

Moore said that Eugene’s bike share system is relatively easy. “You can download the app on your phone or you can go to a computer and access the information to sign up for a daily membership or a monthly membership,” Moore said.

“You can walk up to any bike anywhere, punch your six-digit code and your four-digit pin and then the bike unlocks and you can ride it wherever you want,” Moore explained.

Lindsey Hayward, General Manager of the Bike Share Program at PeaceHealth, has been involved with planning for locations of the bike stations, working with community partners, doing outreach and hiring a local team.

“It’s really exciting to see people out riding bikes with huge smiles on their faces and people riding bikes for short-term commutes,” Hayward said.

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The Outdoor Program is hosting several spring student-led outings every weekend this term. These trips are aimed toward beginners as far as expertise in the outdoors goes, and are relatively cheap (the most expensive upcoming trip is $25).

Spring season outings include water-based activities including kayaking, paddle boarding, floating and biking. Last Sunday the program held an outing where students explored tide pools along the coast, just north of Florence.

Nick Sander, Outdoor Program bike mechanic, and Lucy Scholz, Outdoor Program rental manager, are two of the trip initiators who lead these outings.

“What’s so cool about our program is that it could be driving to Mexico or going to Spencer Butte or it could be walking to Hendrick’s Park,” Sander said. “There are so many possibilities. We can do a lot, and it’s student driven.”

Sam Stroich, the assistant director of the Outdoor Program, said the purpose of the Outdoor Program, and these outings, is to build community. “We foster community and people who come together on these trips create friendship,” Stroich said.

The Outdoor Program provides transportation for the outings, and can usually take 10 people, however events that are popular (like the tide pool outing) warrant two vans so twice as many people can attend.

Some of Stroich’s favorite trips have been waterfall hikes and McKenzie River hikes that lead to Belknap hot springs. “The best part of this is showing people amazing places that they can go back to on their own easily,” Stroich said.

The Outdoor Program also holds other events and some during the summer. Other events include film showings, talks, bike repair sessions, mountain bike and kayak lessons and gear swaps.

“Our role is to say ‘how do we get people outside?’ and ‘how do we show and expose them to what they can do outdoors easily?’ ” Stroich said.

Upcoming events that aren’t whole day trips include a “Friday Bike Adventure” on April 27 and the Outdoor Program Barn Dance on April 20.

Stroich said the reason the University of Oregon has the Outdoor Program is because Eugene is the perfect combination of city and outdoors.

Some local outdoor adventures in town and easily accessible that Stroich recommends every student visits are Goodman Creek, Fern Ridge Reservoir, McKenzie River Trail and Spencer Butte.

For students who feel like the rain makes it difficult to go outside some days, Stroich says that when wearing the right clothes and shoes, riding a bike on the protected bike lanes and river paths can pull you out of a rainy day mood.

A list of the outdoor programs events and trips can be found here.

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The first of three Run with a Researcher events hosted by the University of Oregon this spring will take place on Saturday at 8 a.m. At this free, no-registration-necessary event, students can choose to run 4.5 miles or walk 3.1 miles with a UO researcher.

Participants will meet at the “O” Desk in the EMU where faculty members will talk briefly about their work and their connection to running or walking. After dividing into either running or walking groups, participants of the 4.5-mile run will make their way to Pre’s Trail and loop back. The 3.1-mile walk is a shorter version of this loop.

Some of the researchers who will be walking or running are Elizabeth Skowron who is a professor in the Counseling Psychology department and Andrew Karduna, a professor in the human physiology department. A list of other participating researchers can be found here.

Karduna’s research deals with the motion of the upper extremity, and how the central nervous system controls these movements.

He said that participating in the event is a no-brainer. “I like running. I like talking about my research. I like people.”

Skowron, who has led runs like this before, had a similar take on how events like this offer a lot in a short amount of time.

“It’s a lot of fun to learn about the people who are coming to these big weekend events and make connections,” Skowron said.

It can be hard sometimes to find the time to connect with colleagues and friends, Skowran said, and running can be a social event where she can get good exercise and meet new people.

“After the first time, I really had an enjoyable experience running with a lot of folks and talking to them about Eugene and a little bit about the research I do and what my colleagues do,” Skowran said.

She said her research is about “understanding how behavioral interventions can not only lower risk for child maltreatment, but improve self-regulation skills and parents’ skills in regulating and managing emotions.” She said this event gives the community an opportunity to learn about the academic side of the university and experience the athletic side.

According to Molly Blancett, the media relations manager for university communications, Run with a Researcher was first held daily during the 2016 Olympic Trials but now is only held on weekends when there will be families and other visitors on campus.

“The UO is a world-class running school with world-class researchers, so we thought why not combine the two,” Blancett said.

Blancett said that during the Olympic Trials, the event averaged 50 participants per run and since has had anywhere from five to 25 per run. Run with a Researcher is meant to give community members and students an opportunity to hear more about the research done at UO, while also getting a good workout.

“We hope that participants come away with a larger sense of curiosity and connection, whether inspired by the conversation they had with their professor or the simple act of exploring their city in a new way,” Blancett said.

The following two Run with a Researcher events this spring term will be held on May 12 coinciding with the UO Spring Family Weekend and May 26 coinciding with the Prefontaine Classic.

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The University of Oregon will host the annual Western Regional Global Health Conference April 20 through 22. The conference is open to everyone and free for students with their ID. Tickets can be picked up at the UO ticketing office.

The Global Health Club at UO is looking to start a conversation about global health that isn’t just medicine-related, but is about education, awareness and advocacy from a well-rounded perspective, according to UO student Zoe Cameron. Cameron is the public relations and communications chair for the club and a junior majoring in human physiology.

Part of the reasoning behind hosting the conference at UO this year is to raise awareness for the new Center for Global Health and the global health minor.

“One of our goals is to make the Pacific Northwest a main point of location in the U.S. when talking about global health,” said Andrew Pardi, the executive director and president of the UO Global Health Club.

This year’s overarching theme for the conference is “Change-Makers: The Essential Role of Women in Global Health.” Plenary panels for the conference are “Global Health and Ethics,” “Menstrual Health,” “Alma Ata” (an international declaration that discusses the importance of primary health care), and “Adverse Childhood Experiences.”

Other schools attending the conference include University of Washington, Oregon State University, Oregon Health and Science University and Portland State University.

There will be nine breakout sessions in the conference, some of which will include “Refugee Health,” “Obstetric Fistula and Beyond: Improving Women’s Health,” “Global Health Environment” and “Rural Healthcare and Barriers to Access.”

Since September, Pardi has been coordinating guest speakers with the help of a team of students.

Each student that is a part of the Global Health Club brought a different perspective on an issue that is most important to them, which is highlighted in the design of the conference. For Pardi, it’s the ethics involved in global health.

Grant Klausen, a junior majoring in human physiology and minoring in chemistry and global health, is the co-director of events for the Global Health Club and had a major impact on the planning of the conference.

One of the most important global health issues to Klausen is menstrual health. It’s an issue that often gets brushed aside at many of the larger conferences Klausen said, which is why he made sure that wasn’t going to happen at this year’s conference.

“We wanted to especially highlight [the importance of the issue] by placing it at a plenary panel level, as well as feature a lot of the different perspectives of that issue that are generally not exposed,” Klausen said. “We have a formerly homeless panel member, a transgender panel member, a practicing physician and two members from the Society of Menstrual Cycle Research.”

Zoe Cameron (PR and Comm. Chair) and Grant Klausen (Co-Events Director) both helped plan the annual global health conference. (Rylee Kahan/Emerald)

Pardi, Klausen and Cameron all agreed that it is extremely important that college students are aware and informed about all of the issues that surround and compose global health.

“When you get to college, we all sort of get this tunnel vision — we put these blinders on,” Pardi said.

“We focus on the homework we have to do and the friends we have around us, which is important, but I feel like we sometimes lose sight of the bigger picture,” Pardi said. “Any education you can receive about what the true state of the world is right now is going to make you a better person in the long run.”

On the flip side, Pardi said that students can sometimes hear about all of these problems in the world and feel overwhelming helplessness, to which he suggests that “everyone can make a difference by thinking globally and acting locally.”

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Since the reconfiguration of the College of Design last fall, students have been confused about whether the Arts and Administration (AAD) program will continue to run.

According to the PPPM school’s webpage, “the Arts and Administration program, within the School of Planning, Public Policy and Management, is not currently accepting applications.”

Alexis Garcia is a freshman anthropology major who was looking forward to starting an AAD minor. After receiving no response from the general information email for the AAD program in February, Garcia talked to an undergraduate advisor for the PPPM program, Heather Mutony, who told her that if the program reopens in the next year or two, she will have time to complete the minor.

Alexis Garcia is a freshman anthropology major who was on track for starting an AAD minor but is now looking for new plans to fit her degree . (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

According to Garcia, AAD 250 and 251 were on the spring course catalog for the AAD program before registration; however, when it was time for her to register, the classes disappeared from the catalog, and currently on DuckWeb, the lowest-level AAD class is AAD 315.

“It kind of threw a wrench in my plans. I was really hoping to be able to minor in this program, and now that it seems I might not be able to,” Garcia said. “I’ve been scrambling to find something else that fits with my degree and that I also would enjoy.”

The only other information about the matter on the department’s website is an informational blog for students currently enrolled in the program, and there is no further explanation of when or if the program will reopen to students.

This has led to confusion over whether the AAD program will cease to exist in the future, because up until this term, students have been able to register for AAD classes below the 300 level.

Students who visited PPPM advising were not told that the program has completely ended, and were given ambiguous answers about whether or not they will be able to enroll in the future.

According to the dean of the College of Design, Christoph Lindner, the AAD program merged with the PPPM school during the restructure because they seemed compatible.

“The driver of the decision [to merge] was to create a sustainable future for Arts and Administration as a discipline in the College of Design,” said Lindner. “The School of Planning, Public Policy and Management is an ideal academic community because collaboration between disciplines is at the heart of PPPM’s culture. It has been a welcoming and productive new home for Arts and Administration.”

The head of the school of PPPM, Richard Margerum, said there have been and will be more discussions about what the AAD program will look like in the future for prospective students.

“We are considering some options for creating a concentration (“focal area” as we call them) within our undergraduate PPPM major for students interested in arts and administration,” Margerum said. “Up to now, our focus has been on the courses required for current students.”

According to Margerum, there will be an AAD faculty meeting later this week to discuss longer term options for students interested in the AAD program.

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Two weeks ago, after a spike in armed robberies around campus, McKenna Sheridan started working on implementing a rideshare system for her sorority to make sure that no girl walks home by herself at night.

The rideshare system is named Alpha Chi Uber, although this may change depending on whether or not they receive copyright usage from Uber.

Sheridan, the vice president for AXΩ’s risk management, said that they “needed something to happen,” after the recent increase in incidents around campus.

“If anyone needs anything, they’re there for you,” said Kourtynie Farasyn, a freshman member of AXΩ.

The day after one of AXΩ’s members said she was attacked, Sheridan started the process of building a rideshare system for the sorority. Sheridan keeps a running spreadsheet of drivers who volunteer for certain hours each day.

The rideshare system officially operates Thursday, Friday and Saturday, during whatever hours drivers volunteer for, and is open to any AXΩ member.

Sheridan created a closed Facebook page where drivers post their hours each night and girls can ask for rides. Recently, drivers started volunteering on nights during the week, and not just the official operational nights.

“Some drivers will stick to certain hours and say they’re going to be done at 1 a.m., while other drivers know that they’re going to be pulling all-nighters,” Sheridan said.

According to Farasyn, there’s a google document for every week to sign up as a volunteer driver. For just signing up with their phone number as an emergency contact, girls can earn one hour of community service, even if they end up not driving anyone.

March 8 started the first test week for Alpha Chi Uber, where 30-40 rides were given by 15 volunteer drivers, according to Sheridan.

Because it was coming up on dead week when the program started, Sheridan expects numbers to go up once spring term starts.

“One of the important parts of this system is educating [the] girls that it’s not safe to walk home alone,” Sheridan said.

Sheridan started creating “Alpha Chi Uber Kits,” for the volunteer drivers. These are small baskets for drivers to take with them when they start their night.

Kits include water bottles, gum, fruit snacks, candy, wet wipes and saltines. Drivers are given these kits to make the riders’ time more enjoyable.

This term, the drivers are paying out of pocket for gas, but Sheridan says that next term she will start doing a raffle every week for one or two drivers to win a gas gift card.

After the test weekend, Sheridan posted a survey on the Facebook page asking the girls if they felt that the rideshare system made a difference in their safety that weekend.

“100 percent of the girls that replied felt it made a difference,” Sheridan said.

“I do believe that it has increased our safety because people post on our page all the time about being able to drive or needing a ride,” Farasyn said. “That’s why it works so well.”

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A competitive public relations team at the University of Oregon is wrapping up its campaign, which advocates for better pediatric cancer treatments, on Thursday after four months of events.

The “Duck With Purpose: Dream It. Do It. With Purpose” Campaign is the UO School of Journalism and Communication’s Bateman Competition campaign. The goal is to raise awareness to the lack of safe and effective cancer treatments for kids.

On Thursday, the Ducks With Purpose Campaign will host its final event, “Party With Purpose” in Straub 156 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The event will feature live music, free pizza, guest speakers (cancer survivors and cancer treatment researchers) and an opportunity to join the “Be the Match” National Bone Marrow Registry. This team’s final event is also on the last day that the campaign will be implemented.

“We want to unite students in the fight against childhood cancer through empowering them to use their voices and create a universal awareness about the lack of funding for childhood cancer research,” said Hannah Oakley, a member of UO’s campaign team. “Without this awareness, there will be little to no progress in treatments.”

Only 4 percent of the $5 billion National Cancer Institute (NCI) cancer research budget is granted for pediatric-specific cancer research, according to the NCI’s website.

Founded in 1973, the Bateman Competition is a national competition for students who are members of the Public Relations Student Society of America. The competition runs from November to March and over 70 universities participate.

UO’s team is made up of four seniors: Hannah Oakley, Chandler Baker, Kate Miller, and Mariah Swift; and one junior, Lily Gordon.

Each university’s team organizes a campaign in which the goal is to raise awareness for their client. The UO team’s client is a pediatric cancer research advocacy organization called, “With Purpose.”

With Purpose is a nonprofit organization started by Erin Benson within the last five years. “With Purpose began as an idea to allow young adults to integrate charitable giving into their existing social patterns and routines,” according to the Bateman Competition brief about the organization.

So far since mid-February, Ducks With Purpose has spoken to journalism classes, clubs, tabled at a men’s basketball game, passed out stickers and “Ducks With Purpose” swag at Fishbowl Friday’s, partnered with Rennie’s Trivia Night, passed out candy on Random Acts of Kindness Day, worked with Instagram and Twitter influencers, conducted a UO SOJC Twitter takeover, and tabled at We Are PR night, according to Oakley.

“The goal of our campaign is to encourage students to speak out in support of this cause,” Oakley said.

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On Wednesday, March 14, the Black Student Union and the Center for Student Involvement will be hosting “Black Greek 101.”

The event is an informational conference about historically African American fraternities and sororities. It is a free event, and participants should go to the Redwood Auditorium in the EMU at 6 p.m.

The BSU holds cultural and social activities throughout the year that are offered to the whole University of Oregon community.

“Through these events, the BSU provides opportunities for students to develop leadership skills, a stimulating learning environment, and cultural awareness,” according to the BSU’s OrgSync page.

According to the event flyer, there will be a Q&A session with BSU members, gift cards that are raffled off and light snacks provided.

This event comes recently after the BSU, among other organizations, was invited to give their opinions on the university multicultural requirement.

On March 2, UO invited the BSU, the Black Student Task Force and the UO Black Women of Achievement organizations to a discussion panel about the changes being made to the multicultural requirement.

This is the first time since 1994 that the multicultural requirement will be updated at UO since 1994. The university invited these organizations to hear their feedback on what they would like to see more of from the requirement.

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