Brenda Tracy, the survivor of an alleged assault involving Oregon State University football players in 1998, spoke on Thursday at the University of Oregon’s Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics about her experiences, and about how universities can better respond to sexual assault.

Since first opening up about her story in November, Tracy has been active in Salem, working on legislation to increase confidential resources for assault survivors, legally require schools to provide information to students about the assault reporting process and extending the time period during which survivors can pursue legal action after an alleged assault.

The Emerald sat down with Tracy on Thursday afternoon to discuss her visit, her advocacy work and her views on combatting assault, and improving university response to the crime.

Here are a few of the questions we asked:

How do you think assault could be handled better on campuses? 

For one, there has to be transparency. Transparency. Honesty. Open communication. We have to talk about what’s really going on. In my case, a lot of it had to do with reputation of the school, gift giving, and money; it had a lot to do with a lot of things other than me and my life and the lives of other people. There are a lot of ulterior motives going on and I think we have to address those issues. If there’s pressure on administrations to look a certain way, if there’s pressure on administration from money, budgets, whatever, we have to expose that so we can change it. If we don’t talk about what’s going on behind closed doors, it’s going to continue to happen.

And we need to create a system that’s not punitive. So you’re not getting in trouble if you reported rape on campus, you’re being rewarded because not only did you report it, you’re dealing with it, you’re handling it. We have to get past being afraid of a bad reputation of being a rape campus…we just have to change the dynamic and the conversation.

A lot of the efforts right now are in response to sexual assault and rape – what are your hopes for prevention?

I think response is great, but if you’re just responding you’re just responding… When I first came out with my story I started thinking what exactly do I want my niche to be? There are a lot of areas for advocacy … So I tried to look up what sort of prevention and education programs are there for men? And there are like a couple. Versus a thousand (programs) for women … So my hope in the future is to speak and educate and really focus on young men…

We’ve got to get the men involved. If the men aren’t involved, where are you at? Nowhere.

… Not only that, but the idea that men can’t control themselves is kind of insulting to me. I think there’s many, many men that would not rape a woman if they had the opportunity to do so. So the fact that we act like “boys will be boys” or they can’t control themselves is just ridiculous. I have two sons, they are 20 and 22, and they’re gentlemen. I highly doubt that they would do anything like that. They’re not animals. So I think we also need to empower men to hold each other accountable and to talk to each other.

Focusing on your specific vein of advocacy, what would you have to say to young men coming into college?

First off, I think we need to talk to men about healthy masculinity and what’s masculine. The things we say to men like “stop acting like a girl” or “you’re being a bitch,” what are we saying about women when men are having these conversations?…Let’s make it cool to respect women. Let’s make it cool to speak up. Let’s make it cool to not have a rape culture on campus. And we can do that sort of stuff the same way we deal with other big social issues.

How would you suggest a peer or a friend respond if someone tells them they have been a victim of sexual violence? 

…Really empower them to know that they did the right thing about coming forward and talking about it and that we’re going to help you. We have to have discussions about blaming, shaming – you know, this idea that it’s the victim’s fault – and it’s not. Rape isn’t about sex, it’s about power and control. So we need to re-educate ourselves about shaming and blaming. The victim is already blaming and shaming themselves. We don’t need to help them. They’re already doing ‘crazy-making’ in their heads and we have to be the people who diffuse that and stop that and say: “Nope, stop that right there. This did not happen because you drank, this did not happen because you were are a party.”

You’ve had people tell you you’re a hero for sharing your story. Do you feel like a hero? 

People say that, but I don’t feel like that. I just feel like I’m a person with a story and I just tell it. It’s not easy. Even today, I don’t have anything prepared. I just know that I’ll go on and talk about my experience. I don’t have to study it. I don’t have to look up statistics. There are other people that do that – Jennifer Freyd does that. I just put a face to it. It’s an honor for me to do it. I’ve had a lot of people come up to me and disclose to me and have people say that I inspire them. All of that is motivating for me and it feels really good. It helps me to heal.

Helping other people helps me to heal. But a hero? No.

About a year ago, there was a shift in consciousness at the University of Oregon.

An accusation of gang rape and speculations about athletic privilege and administrative oversight rocked the campus. Suddenly, the attention of thousands of students, advocates, faculty members and administrators was focused around one issue: sexual assault.

Sexual assault on college campuses is nothing new. Advocacy groups like Take Back the Night have been raising awareness about assault since the 1970s, and there’s been no shortage of that activism, research or student attention to the issue at UO over the years. But in 2011, that attention was raised to a new level when the Department of Education released a “Dear Colleague” letter reminding federally funded institutions of their obligation to protect students from sexual assault under a federal education amendment called Title IX that protects students against sex-based discrimination.

The letter reminded campus administrators of the grim nature of the crime: 1 in 5 women will be sexually assaulted during her time in college, survivors often suffer academically and can be susceptible to depression, PTSD and substance abuse, and the crime is vastly under-reported – often because of a lack of support or shaming of those who do come forward.

Since the letter, survivors across the country have bravely brought their stories to light, demanding action from the institutions that allowed for their harm and inviting a cascade of investigations against universities and a media storm of campus assault coverage.

Last May, the UO became a part of that coverage. Advocacy groups rallied, outcry sparked campus awareness and institutional reforms to protect students and survivors became a priority across student groups and campus departments.

That was one year ago this week.

In the following pages, you’ll find an entire issue dedicated to that conversation — what’s been said, what’s been done and how people are feeling about progress toward the UO’s new collective goal:

Ending sexual violence.

Our coverage is intended to educate those who are unaware of the issue, to engage the UO community in the conversations defining our response to the issue and to inspire every member of the UO community to stand up against sexual violence in their own way.

We need to maintain our focus on this important issue until college campuses are no longer a breeding ground for sexual violence. Until survivors of such hideous crimes feel safe and comfortable seeking support from their friends and the administration. Until the rape culture stops. Until no member of campus is objectified or violated in any way, shape or form.

Only together can we overcome the cultural and political obstacles that stand in our way.

Here’s a look at what’s in print and online:

• A breakdown of the reporting process at the UO

• What the University of Oregon administration has done in the last year to tackle the issue of sexual assault on campus

• There’s also a search underway for a vice president for sexual assault, whose job it will be to coordinate efforts at the university

• Groups such as SWAT, OASA and SASS provide resources for survivors and students curious about prevention

• A task force within Fraternity and Sorority Life is charged with changing a culture over the course of a year

• Tanner Owens, one our columnists, discusses men’s role in helping end sexual assault

• Our editorial board’s stance on the progress the UO community has made in the last year: We’ve made strides, but we need to reach across the aisle and collaborate more if we want to move forward

This story is one part of a series of articles on sexual assault awareness at the University of Oregon. Read Emerald editor Sami Edge’s letter to find out why we’ve dedicated today’s edition of Emerald Monday to the topic.

Pressure on the University of Oregon to change policies surrounding sexual assault prevention and response began in earnest last May, following allegations that three men’s basketball players had sexually assaulted a university freshman.

Then-president Michael Gottfredson held a press conference on May 9, 2014, to address sexual violence on campus a few days after news of that event was publicized.

“Until we have a campus where every individual feels safe, where everyone is respected and where no instance of sexual violence is tolerated, we will not consider it good enough,” Gottfredson said.

Nearly a year later, organizations across campus — from Fraternity and Sorority Life to faculty and athletics — are still ardently raising awareness of the issue. Sometimes those groups work together. Sometimes they squabble about which solution will be best for the UO community. Regardless of internal disputes, the UO has maintained a strong discussion around ending sexual violence in the 12 months since it shot to the center of the campus’ consciousness.

Here’s a look at institutional progress in the year since that conversation took off:

Johnson Hall:

Gottfredson resigned in July 2014, only a few months after he announced the university’s intent to resolve the issue — but not before he was able to put together a presidential panel to review the UO’s policies on sexual assault. He also announced increased funding for the Division of Student Life — the UO division tasked with responding to survivors and handling student conduct infractions.

Interim President Scott Coltrane has continued to devote attention to the cross-departmental discussion on how to end sexual violence at the UO throughout his tenure during the 2014-2015 school year. On April 3, 2014, Coltrane announced a comprehensive plan to prevent sexual violence and protect assault survivors who choose to report. The plan is oriented around hiring an assistant vice president for sexual assault who will have “authority, responsibility, and access to all of the divisions on campus that work to address sexual assault,” Coltrane said in the email he sent to students.

The UO will also be committing $500,000 to the effort for new “prevention, response staffing and programs,” establishing an advisory council, launching a bystander intervention program to train students on how to prevent sexual assault and increasing the number of campus investigators and confidential reporters. The UO will also be participating in a number of additional surveys to gauge the prevalence of sexual assault on campus.

While these steps are a move in the right direction, Dr. Jennifer Freyd, a nationally-recognized researcher on campus assault and a UO psychology professor, doesn’t agree with all of them. She says the new VP position is too much for one person and the position lacks the authority and autonomy necessary for the job.

“That new position is profoundly insufficient for what we need,” Freyd said. “We need so much more power here.”

Freyd has also been vocally opposed to the university’s response to a lawsuit that the survivor of the alleged sexual assault last spring filed against basketball coach Dana Altman and the UO. The university filed a counterclaim to this lawsuit, essentially suing the plaintiff, which was a severe step backwards, Freyd said.

The university retracted the counterclaim in late February soon after a public outcry. The case against the university remains ongoing.

Though Freyd has been dissapointed by some administrative decisions in the past year, she recognizes that she’s not alone in the fight for change.

“The other thing that I think gets lost when people like me complain is that there are some superb employees here working on these issues,” Freyd said. “They’re underpowered, they’re under-staffed… but those people are doing a very good job.”

Oregon Hall:

According to Associate Dean of Students Sheryl Eyster, the UO has a new infrastructure for staff members on campus that has “greatly enhanced” the support available to students. The new positions include two crisis and support staff members, two equal opportunity specialists and Title IX investigators, a detective sergeant in the UOPD who specializes in sexual violence, and a student conduct investigator. There’s also a new website — safe.uoregon.edu — that’s a compilation of UO’s survivor resources.

Additionally, according to the president’s website, $15,000 was added for an emergency fund to support survivors, and $90,000 in additional resources was provided this academic term to support prevention and education staffing.

“Hiring additional staff members that have the skill and the passion to help with these issues has already doubled our efforts in terms of designing effective programs and having more visibility on the campus,” Eyster said via email. According to Eyster, there is also a new training program that will launch in fall 2015 that will engage UO’s freshman population.

“Our goal is to continually look at ways to be consistently effective with our prevention efforts,” Eyster said. According to Eyster, the UO is unique in that the university has diverse methods of sexual assault prevention, like the Sexual Wellness Advocacy Team’s experiential training and community engagement initiatives like the FSL Task Force project.

Eyster said that the efficacy of these programs is measured through surveys, and that there is a study being done by a doctoral student on these advocacy and response programs that will look at strengths and gaps in these services.

“We have finally moved beyond this issue on our campus of this solely being an issue for the Women’s Center to solve,” Eyster said. “This is everyone’s issue.”

UO Senate:

The UO Senate is a governing body made up of students and faculty. The senate can create resolutions and legislation, but most big decisions are handled by the president’s office and the board of trustees.

This year the senate proposed several revisions to the student code of conduct dealing with sexual assault. It formed a committee on sexual and gender-based violence, created a resolution on UO’s confidentiality for therapy records and circulated a resolution rejecting UO’s counter lawsuit against the survivor of an alleged assault.

Last spring the senate formed the Task Force to Address Sexual Violence and Survivor Support to create a report with recommendations for UO to better handle sexual assault. That report, named 20 Students Per Week, was published in November.

“The problem I think is that nothing happened because of the report,” task force co-chair Carol Stabile said. “Here we are in April, and really effectively what’s changed?”

One major development next fall is the appointment of a new campus president, Mike Schill, who is currently a dean at the University of Chicago law school.

“One possibility is that our new president will help us…I heard that when he was here he was asking questions and his response was at least not shying away from the language and the topic.” Freyd said. “We’ll see when he comes—‘will he tackle it or will he be one more person that just shoves it under the table again?’”

The university says it’s not done with this issue.

“We must respect each other and take care of each other,” spokeswoman Julie Brown said. “Along with campuses across the country, we share the responsibility of demanding this culture.”

“Thank you for not going to Odesza,” said Joe Glasgow when he took the mic for his stand up performance at the Global Scholars Hall on Tuesday night. “Fuck Odesza.”

Glasgow performed as part of the second annual “Hilarity for Charity,” a collaboration between the UO Stand-Up Society and local comedy radio station All Comedy 1450 as part of a national campaign started by comedian Seth Rogan to fundraise for Alzheimer’s.

Glasgow, president and co-founder of the UO Stand-Up Society, says that the turnout was lower than expected – he estimated turnout around 140 people – which he chalked up to competing events (yes, Odesza). Nonetheless, the event raised almost $1700 for the fight against Alzheimer’s – $500 more than it did last year.

The two-hour show was a mix of independent stand-up sets and performances from the UO’s Absolute Improv club. Jokes about sex, relationships and genetalia were an obvious and unwritten theme of the show – but each performer set themselves apart through unique material, from the horrors of people food:

“People food is fucked up. Dogs eat shit – but if you give them people food, they’ll die,” said Halden Hoodenpyl. “I think it’s time we take a look at that.”

To the sex appeal of Hillary Clinton:

“She’s such a badass – I bet she literally fucks the patriarchy, but on top and in leather,” said Adair Creach.

Or through literal song and dance (think Lilly Allen meets rap and grown men dancing like Beyonce in maternity pants).

Another highlight of this year’s show was a “Douchey Mirror Pic” competition where audience members got to pick the most obnoxious mirror selfie of three finalists. The $100 prize for best photo went to Henry Cromett, a journalism student, who submitted a photo of himself sitting on the toilet, sporting a sombrero and an american flag bro-tank, with the camera strategically placed in front of his crotch.

“I’ve been practicing my douchiness for years,” Cromett said after the show, zipping up his purple, teal and pink windbreaker. “People used to tell me in high school, ‘Henry, you’re such a douche.’ I knew it would pay off one day.”

And he only plans on moving up.

“Professional douchebag,” he answered when asked about his dream job. “Wait, no – white rapper. What else would I be?”

Grace Hashiguchi, a freshman who says she came to the performance to determine if she might be interested in improv, says the evening convinced her to keep an eye out for future comedy shows.

“There’s such a good energy,” Hashiguchi said afterward.

For friend Hayden Garratt, it was more about a sense of duty. Garratt says he saw one of the performers handing out flyers for the event in a Batman costume and he just knew:

“It was justice,” Garratt said. “I had to follow my hero.”

In a legal response earlier this afternoon, the University of Oregon denied allegations made against it in a lawsuit filed in January by the survivor of an alleged sexual assault by three men’s basketball players.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, alleges that the University of Oregon and men’s basketball head coach Dana Altman violated the plaintiff’s civil rights under Title IX, violated her privacy rights under the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and were negligent in protecting her from sexual assault.

The university’s response denies the allegations and says that the UO did not violate any confidentiality laws protected by FERPA.

The university says its employees did not know former basketball player Brandon Austin was suspended for sexual assault allegations at Providence College in Rhode Island before he was recruited to Oregon. University officials spoke with Austin’s mother and Providence officials regarding Austin’s suspension. However, the university says they were not told why Austin was suspended.

“Neither Oregon nor Altman was told by the student (Austin), the student’s mother, the student’s family, the student’s friends or any representative of Providence that the discipline related to alleged sexual misconduct, or even that a female was involved,” the university said in its response.

University officials admitted that the UO obtained counseling records from the plaintiff’s sessions at the university health center, as alleged in the lawsuit, but says it did not review them.

It says that its collection of the records was not illegal because FERPA allows the university health center to provide records to university attorneys, and the records pertained to the lawsuit.

“Under Oregon law, a plaintiff who places her psychological state at issue by seeking damages for emotional distress waives any psychotherapist/patient privilege and is required to disclose counseling records related to her psychological state,” the UO argued.

University officials decided to have an administrative hearing for the three players instead of a panel hearing because the plaintiff was concerned about cross-examination. It denies that there was any agreement to omit the words “sexual misconduct” from the players’ transcripts.

The plaintiff’s counselor has also alleged that UO administration violated state law, according to an email sent to UO administrators on Sunday and obtained by the Register-Guard. Jennifer Morlok, a therapist at the university health center, said in the email that the UO administration asked her to tailor the student’s treatment in anticipation of the lawsuit.

Morlok also said that the student’s clinical records were attained by UO administrators without any court order, personal knowledge or student permission, violating privacy and federal laws.

Morlok said that she was scolded and her job was threatened after seeking legal advice after the UO’s request that she change the student’s treatment plan. She reported the “potential illegal and unethical behavior” of UO administrators and other members of the health center’s staff to state officials.

“We are heartbroken about this case and regret being in litigation with one of our students,” Tobin Klinger, a university spokesperson said in a statement about the lawsuit. “We stand by our recruiting processes and support services to students. The filing outlines our actions and demonstrates to our campus community that they can have confidence in our support services and know that if they need help, help will be provided.”

John Clune, one of the lawyers representing the victim of the alleged assault, reached out to The Emerald on Monday and issued the following statement:

“The school’s answer is another letdown. I don’t know who is running the show there, but they aren’t helping UO. They need real changes not calculated PR efforts. I have never in my years seen a school file a counterclaim against a rape victim.”

Dear readers and University of Oregon community members,

On Monday, Emerald editors learned that a story that ran on the cover of the Emerald on Jan. 19 contained content that, upon investigating, turned out to be plagiarized from another author.

The story, titled “New flags outside the EMU bring awareness to Native American culture,” carries the byline of three Emerald staff members. But it is the work of just one of those reporters, Emma Scherzer, that is under question.

The material in question was originally written by University of Oregon student Breanne Schnell for a journalism class. In December, Schnell submitted the material to Ethos, and it was chosen to run in its Spring 2015 issue.

In January, our reporter submitted a story on the same topic. She left the Emerald shortly after submission for unrelated reasons, and did not know that the piece would be expanded into a cover story. Two other reporters contributed original work to the article.

It wasn’t until after the story was published that editors at Ethos alerted the Emerald to similarities with Schnell’s still-unpublished piece. An investigation found that the reporter was sent a copy of Schnell’s story prior to submitting her version to the Emerald.

Although the former reporter denied lifting the material, a significant portion of the Emerald story matches Schnell’s word for word.

Indications of plagiarism include:

• The overall organization of the story
• Identical sentences
• Identical quotes

This circumstance warrants a retraction and a sincere apology — to Schnell, the Ethos staff who first encountered and helped investigate the incident, and to our readers.

At the Emerald, our policy is clear: Plagiarism is unacceptable.

As a result of this incident, we will immediately institute a more rigorous and consistent new hire training to make our standards unmistakably clear, the minute new recruits join the staff.

We will continue to uphold a zero tolerance policy for plagiarism and fabrication of any kind.

Ethos and Emerald staffers worked together on identifying the issue every step of the way since it was first found. The Emerald has apologized to Schnell. There will be an investigation of this reporter’s previous work.

We genuinely regret this occurrence and are working to institute changes that we believe will  prevent it from happening again.

Sami Edge

Stretching a budget but don’t want to give up your favorite Eugene dishes? Check out these at-home knockoffs.

Breakfast Scramble

Re-appropriation by Sami Edge

Whether it’s for a late brunch out with friends or as the first place you think to take your parents for their weekend visit, Glenwood never fails to satisfy.

But what if I told you you could make your favorite scramble on the menu, for half the cost? And it’s easy, too.

Ingredients: 

• 2 eggs
• 1 piece of bread
• 1 potato
• Cheddar & any other cheese
• Bacon
• Onion
• Cilantro
• Salt, Pepper, Hot Sauce to Taste
• Any other produce (mushrooms, tomatoes)

Cost: approx. $3
Menu Cost: $9.50 + tip
Savings: >$7.50
Prep Time: 10 minutes

How: 

1) Start by getting the bacon out of your freezer and thawing a few slices. Toss them in a frying pan on high heat and chop them up with the spatula (you don’t need oil because of bacon grease. Woot!).

2) Then, chop a potato into chunks and throw them in. Add salt, pepper, and other seasonings. Lawry’s seasoning salt, if on hand, is amazing.

3) Chop up as much onion and bell pepper as you desire and add them.

4) Now add any of the produce in your fridge that you think would taste good (I added cilantro, mushrooms and a handful of spinach).

5) Keep stirring until it’s all been thoroughly cooked through and the spices are stirred in. (Now’s the time to stick a piece of bread in the toaster if you like!)

6) Then, turn down the heat, crack your eggs into the pan and stir them up quickly with the spatula to scramble them into the veggies. Let them cook for a minute, then keep scrambling. Once the eggs are as cooked through (or as gooey) as you like, turn down the heat, grab the grater and grate your cheeses directly into the pan over the eggs. That way it’ll get nice and melted from the heat.

7) Grab a plate, slide the messy delicious scramble out of the pan, throw your toast on top and you’re done. Easy as that.

Notes: 

On the first bite, the gooey cheesy, savory, fresh and homely scramble with potatoes is a masterful delight. But with eggs and potatoes, bacon and fridge leftovers, can you ever go wrong?

The hardest part is the potatoes. If you’re a homestyle fry aficionado, prepare yourself to be a tad disappointed with any home-substitute. Though it’s hard to screw up potatoes, every breakfast restaurant ever must share the secret recipe for the perfect homestyle fry seasoning. Salt and pepper won’t do the trick. Eyeball levels of cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, and paprika add to the mix — but still are no match for those comforting, spice-filled bites of pure delicious potato.

A note on company: although Glenwood’s food is delicious, the real reason you go is for those who accompany you. If you want that chill, laid-back environment from the comfort of your own kitchen, there’s nothing holding you back but the fear of embarrassing yourself by touting cooking skills that apparently only you can taste. But for those home-cooked savings, why not start practicing now?

Hummus

Re-appropriation by Samantha Matsumoto 

Whenever I am low on funds (which, let’s be honest, is often) and in need of a quick snack, my go-to dish is Caspian’s hummus plate. For $3.95, the dish comes with a serving of flavorful hummus and warm pita bread. It’s simple, sure, but it’s easy on my wallet and always satisfies my cravings.

Approximating Caspian’s hummus at home had the same appeal for me: It looked cheap and easy. Chickpeas, the dish’s main ingredient, are less than $2 per can, and most people have the needed spices in their cupboard. However, many hummus recipes call for tahini, a sesame paste that clocks in at about $7.99. So, to stay as close to Caspian’s cost as possible, I used a tahini-less recipe.

Turns out, the tahini gives hummus its creamy texture and rich flavor. My verdict: Go a little more complex and use the tahini if you want to make your own hummus. But if you want to get Caspian’s authentic quality for the low cost, then save yourself the time and money and just head to 13th Ave.

Cost: >$2
Menu Cost: $3.95
Savings: <$2
Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas, liquid reserved
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

How to :

1) Blend all ingredients in blender or mixer until smooth.

2) To get desired texture, my recipe instructed to gradually add in the reserved bean liquid. However, I would recommend using more olive oil instead — the bean liquid made the hummus unpleasantly salty.

Pad Thai with Peanut Sauce

Re-appropriation by Katherine Marrone

A break in my day for lunch usually means a visit to Sweet Basil Express for its signature Pad Thai: The noodles are soft and chewy, the chicken flavorful, and the sauce sweet and savory. Yet, what this dish is missing — and many others like i t— is more peanut. After all, that’s what initially drew me to this dish — peanut sauce — and the only peanuts this dish has is a few crumbled on top.

So, I decided to make my own version of its pad thai— this time with a creamy peanut sauce.

Cost: >$4

Menu Cost: Before 4:30 p.m.: $6.95. After: $8

Savings: $2.95-$4

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• Soy sauce
• Peanut butter
• Water
• Brown Sugar
• Rice noodles
• Protein (I used chicken)
• 1 egg

How:

1) Mix 1/2 cup of peanut butter, 1 cup of water, 4 tbsp of soy sauce and 1/4 cup of brown sugar in a sauce bowl. Heat the sauce and stir with a whisk.

2) Place wide rice noodles in bowl and pour boiling water over them so that they’re all covered. Wait 8-10 minutes or until noodles are firm, yet chewy.

3) Then, mix noodles, peanut sauce and protein on stir-fry pan and cook until desired.

4) Scramble egg on separate pan.

5) Plate noodles and chicken and pour egg on top.

This recipe makes enough for at least two people, and most of the items you’ll need are probably already in your cabinet. It’s a creamy and filling twist on Sweet Basil’s signature dish, and best of all: The peanut sauce actually has peanut.

Pumpkin Spice Latte 

Re-appropriation by Chris Berg

Tired of waiting in line at Starbucks every morning and spending $4 on your Pumpkin Spice Latte? It’s not fall without the sweet taste of cinnamon and nutmeg perking you up throughout the day. Try this at-home equivalent for almost a quarter of the price.

Cost: >$.82

Menu Cost: Tall (12 oz.) $4.25; Grande (16 oz.) $4.75.

Savings: ~$3.40 to $3.90

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes (depending on how/if you froth the milk)

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup milk
• 2/3 cup coffee (brew yourself, or use instant for convenience)
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (bought in bulk at Market of Choice, 81 cents for 1 ounce)
• 2 tablespoons honey

1) Blend the pumpkin pie spice into the honey, until it’s saturated.

2) Froth the milk. Pour into a shallow bowl, and whisk vigorously for 2-3 minutes. If you’ve got a blender, it can also be used to quickly froth the milk. Alternatively, if you’re in a rush, skip this step and enjoy the same flavor in a more standard coffee form.

3) Combine the milk and coffee in your cup, and pop in the microwave for two minutes.

4) Pour the honey mixture into the latte, and mix until the honey has dissolved.

5) If desired, top the latte with whipped cream and a sprinkle of the spice blend.

Framed by shoulder length black hair, Beatriz Gutierrez’s large brown eyes are balanced on her heart-shaped face with a wide smile that’s easily provoked by everything from Mexican candy to the TV show Bones. She speaks softly and slowly – her laugh loud and carefree.

On a given jaunt through campus, she’ll likely pass three or four people she knows. Gutierrez always greets them with a wave and a smile, often stopping to engage in conversation. Her brown eyes twinkle as she listens to what they have to say.

The University of Oregon’s newest student body president considers personal connection the first step toward building a tighter campus community.

“I think we need to care more about each other in a general sense, asking questions like ‘How many loans do you have? How does that affect you?’ Because I have them. Seeing those similarities,” Gutierrez said. “The way I see the ASUO working is by beginning to show people that we can care about each other because that’s the only way to succeed.”

Members of her campaign say that attitude helped her win this year’s presidential election. Volunteers for other slates started to taper off after the first week of voting sealed their fate as senators. Regardless of senate wins or losses, Ducks for a Difference representatives banded together, campaigning through a second week of runoff voting to a presidential win marked by a margin of more than 700 votes.

“The only reason that campaign was able to push to the last election was because of the relationships that we were able to build with one another. At any moment the slate members would have been able to leave Beatriz, but they were still willing to support her,” said Jaki Salgado, Gutierrez’s cousin and campaign manager. “She built an environment of being conscious of who you’re working with on both a work and personal level, and genuinely caring and supporting each other the best way possible.”

Gutierrez’s community orientation is driven by her large family. One of five children from a traditional Mexican household in Trail, Oregon, her favorite family memories are of get-togethers where she was surrounded by her siblings, parents, aunts and uncles.

She thrives in a community of care and hopes to replicate that family dynamic on campus.

“Coming to the university was a big shock for me, because I come from a big family and I need that big support system and people who care about me,” Gutierrez said. “I think that’s come over also to my smaller community with the multicultural center and the unions. The multicultural center is a bigger network of people who feel safe around each other and that has been my community. I feel like everyone should have a community like that.”

Though she envisions an inclusive campus community for all, her advocacy to increase representation and prominence for minority groups has prompted accusations of racism.

“A lot of people say I’m racist and think that I just focus on people’s differences — I heard that a lot during the campaign,” Gutierrez said. “I don’t think they’re seeing it right. We have to focus on similarities. We’re in this together, but to make those bonds strong we also need to acknowledge our differences. One person’s oppression is related to the next person’s. Everybody’s oppression is not the same, but it’s all kind of intertwined.”

Conquering oppression has been Gutierrez’s prerogative since her first day at the university when she volunteered by a class rap without a second thought. Since then, Gutierrez has taken on a number of projects like lobbying for tuition equity legislation in Salem, testifying about the need for increased funding for the Oregon Opportunity Grant — part of the scholarship package that keeps her in school — and helping organize an Oregon Student Association vote campaign that broke the record for the number of voters registered on campus both in Oregon and organization-wide.

It was her work ethic, honesty and passion that lead Gutierrez’s chief of staff, Lamar Wise, to prod her to run for ASUO president, after his own campaign fell short the year before.

“At first she actually didn’t want to run for president. I had to spend a lot of time trying to convince her … I think that’s what made her perfect for it. I didn’t want anyone to be president who would do it for themselves,” Wise said. “She was doing it for the people that were surrounding her and the students that didn’t have a voice. That’s the only reason she would do it — if other people were being affected and she saw that there was a great need. It’s hard, but she kept her mind on the big picture, which is fighting for other people.”

Gutierrez sees leading as a learning experience. She doesn’t love the spotlight and isn’t fond of public speaking. Despite her reservations, she took on the presidency because she believes it can ultimately help other people.

“It was not easy for her to go through with the campaign. But she did it and she won it. And she’s really happy with that,” Gutierrez’s older sister, Laura, said. “It’s really nice to think about her taking on this role because she’ll take it on seriously and think about how, as a woman of color, or a woman of lower income, she’s going to bring on a new perspective and really give voice to the students on campus.”

Diana Salazar, a senior who has worked with Gutierrez for the last two years both on voting campaigns and at the Multicultural Center, says it’s that respect for responsibility that gives her faith that Gutierrez will lead the ASUO well.

“We often have this very traditional form of leadership and I think she challenges all of that and pushes the narrative. She definitely puts a lot of work and passion into what she does, but in the most humble way,” Salazar said. “That to me is a very good leader, someone who can provide direction and guidance while leaving room for others to develop.”

Indeed, it’s when Gutierrez talks about others that her smile gets the widest and the glint of passion becomes unmistakeable in her brown eyes.

“I don’t have a lot of personal projects. I’m starting to build a list of things I want to check in with – but I want to see a lot of my staff accomplish something and feel like they’ve made a difference on campus,” she said. “There are so many people who are so passionate, and I want to make sure that they are doing whatever they can to feel like they’ve accomplished something. Because that’s what keeps you going.”

Psychology professor Jennifer Freyd has filed a complaint with the US Department of Education, alleging that the University of Oregon violated provisions of the Jeanne Cleary Act in its handling of an alleged sexual assault that occurred in March, The Register-Guard reports.

The law regulates the investigation and publication of crimes on college campuses that receive federal funding. Freyd’s complaint alleges that the university broke the law by failing to alert the university community or include the incident in police logs. That would be a violation of a provision in the law stating that sexual offenses, among other crimes, must be reported in a timely manner.

The alleged assault occurred the night of March 9 and involved three Oregon men’s basketball players: Damyean Dotson, Dominic Artis and Brandon Austin. It was reported to UOPD when the survivor’s father called it in on the same day. No Campus Crime Alert was sent to students regarding the incident.

UOPD Chief Carolyn McDermed told The Register-Guard that no initial campus warning was released because it wasn’t clear whether the incident occurred within Clery boundaries — that’s typically defined as university property and the bordering sidewalks. She also said that any alert or action taken by the university could have interfered with the Eugene Police Department’s criminal investigation.

In a Q&A released earlier this week, the university reported that it evaluates whether or not to release a campus crime alert based on three questions: Did the alleged crime occur within our Clery reportable boundaries? Is the report a serious or ongoing threat to the university community? Are the alleged suspects known?

“At the time of this report, all answers were ‘no.’ Based on that assessment, a campus crime alert was not issued,” the Q&A reads.

The incident was made public when EPD released a detailed 24-page report on the investigation.

Freyd is a national expert on sexual assault trauma, who in March was invited to the White House to discuss her research before the White House Task Force to Prevent Students from Sexual Assault.

President Michael Gottfredson announced in a press conference on May 9 that Artis, Dotson and Austin are no longer on the team and that head coach Dana Altman will return next season. A former Eugene city councilor later filed a complaint to the Department of Education alleging that the university violated Title IX by taking those actions.

Title IX is a federal law that “protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance.”

The University of Oregon administration released a timeline earlier today detailing their response to the report of an alleged sexual assault that occurred on March 9 and involved four UO students. According to the UO’s Media Relations page, the timeline pulls together information from the initial Eugene Police Department report of the alleged crime, as well as details from university departments involved in the investigation into the alleged perpetrators, former men’s basketball players Damyean Dotson, Brandon Austin and Dominic Artis.

This timeline for the first time fills in a number of details previously unknown to the press or university audience, including the date that UO President Michael Gottfredson initially learned the identities of the men’s basketball players (though the source of that information is not disclosed), dates on which the University of Oregon Police Department and UO legal representation reached out to EPD for information and the responses that they received.

According to the university, the timeline contains only those facts that are not “protected by student privacy laws,” including outreach to the parties involved or any specific services provided. The website also states that the timeline is intended as a demonstration of compliance to their overlapping duties to uphold the student conduct code, federal laws regulating the immediacy of investigation into alleged crimes, the boundaries of a criminal investigation set by EPD and offering support resources to the alleged survivor.

Below is a full chronology of the events as presented by the UO:

March 8/9: Alleged sexual assault incident involving three members of the men’s basketball team occurs at parties at two off-campus locations. (Information from EPD investigation report)

March 9: Survivor tells her father of the incident; father contacts UOPD. UOPD attempts to contact survivor twice; she does not return calls. (Information from EPD investigation report.) University immediately implements policies and procedures used whenever anyone reports sexual violence. In every case these processes would include support and services for survivors and a code of conduct investigation.

March 11: Survivor prepares her own description of the incident, which she does not share with police until March 14. (Information from EPD investigation report)

March 13 – 14: Survivor contacts Eugene Police Department. Officer interviews survivor on campus. She tells the officer she wants to report the information in her own time. A detective contacts and interviews her on March 14, asks her to record phone conversations with suspects. She agrees. (Information from EPD investigation report)

March 17: Eugene Police detective contacts survivor, who confirms that she recorded phone calls with two suspects. The survivor delivers the recordings to Eugene Police. (Information from EPD investigation report)

March 17: UO asks Eugene police specifically if any players should be kept back from the NCAA Tournament, or if contingency plans should be made to return them to campus. EPD advises the university to do nothing to alert the players to the investigation, to do what they normally would do regarding who plays and who doesn’t. EPD declines to reveal the names of any players.

March 18: UO contacts Eugene police again to ask if the players should travel to the tournament. EPD again advises the university not to alter their plans.

March 19: President Gottfredson learns the names of the student-athletes being investigated. The president maintains the confidentiality of this information to protect the integrity of the criminal investigation.

March 20 – April 3: Eugene Police investigation continues.

March 21: UOPD calls EPD to request an update and receives no information.

March 26: UO General Counsel calls EPD to request an update and receives no information.

April 3: EPD investigator interviews two suspects and arranges to interview a third suspect, who asks to speak with an attorney. (Information from EPD investigation report)

April 7: UO calls EPD to request an update and learns that the investigation is not yet complete.

April 7: EPD investigator contacted by player’s attorney. Attorney provides short synopsis of his version of events, which is similar to those provided by the two other players. (Information from EPD investigation report)

April 8: EPD investigation is complete and the report is sent to Lane County District Attorney. (Information from EPD investigation report)

April 8: EPD informs the UO that it is suspending fact gathering. UO immediately begins its fact gathering. UO requests the police report from EPD. Police say the report is not going to be released because it has not yet been redacted and attorneys must review the report.

April 14: Lane County District Attorney notifies EPD that they will not file criminal charges. (Information from Eugene Police)

April 22: UO makes request for police report from the Lane County DA.

April 23: UO follows up on request for police report with Lane County DA.

April 24: UO receives 24-page redacted police report from the Lane County DA.

April 25-28: UO conducts internal legal review of the police report.

April 28: President Gottfredson is briefed on police report.

April 29: Athletic Director Rob Mullens reviews the police report.

April 30: Dana Altman reviews the police report.

May 1: Three student-athletes are suspended from the basketball team, and will no longer be participating in basketball at the University of Oregon.