When the clock struck noon, the crowd started pouring into Matthew Knight Arena and the 11,000 expected attendees filtered through security, which consisted of stepping through a metal detector and being subjected to a brief bag check.

By 1:30 p.m., there weren’t many seats left to spare. The 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet made his appearance on stage a few minutes after he was scheduled to begin. Upon his entrance, His Holiness received a standing ovation from the enthusiastic crowd, consisting of students and Eugene locals alike moments before he gave his speech, entitled “The Path to Peace and Happiness in the Global Society.”

The crowd grew silent, and a few voices cried out, “I love you.”

The Dalai Lama took a seat center stage while Mark Unno, head of the University of Oregon’s Department of Religious Studies, welcomed the audience and introduced UO President Michael Gottfredson, who then presented the Dalai Lama by awarding him with the Presidential Medal, the highest honor given by the university. After placing the ribbon around his neck, he offered him a green Oregon visor. His Holiness wore it the entire time.

For the last 10 years, the UO has been working closely with civic and legislative leadership, governors and the Eugene Sakya Center to bring him to Eugene.

David Hubin, senior assistant president of the UO, said it has been a remarkably complex journey.

Since the Dalai Lama’s visit to Eugene was confirmed last September, Hubin said it has been an intense eight months of complex planning.

“We’ve had important distinctions to keep in mind — for example, the separation of church and state,” he said. “This is a unit about learning; we do not go about promoting a particular faith. It was quite a constructive dynamic that fit very well within the message the Dalai Lama gave today.”

The Dalai Lama explained that he begins every talk by calling everyone his brothers and sisters. He spoke about compassion and the “oneness of humanity” that will develop a sense of global responsibility. The crowd was focused and responsive.

“Peace must come through inner-peace, and that starts with the individual,” he said.

Hubin said it feels remarkable to have been able to bring His Holiness here.

“I think there will be a lasting message that resides with students of compassion and selflessness.”

They called it the King’s Cup. For them, beer is not just a beverage — it is a thirst and interest they all share.

In December 2011, the cofounders and senior members of Brew of O stood around throwing ingredients into a kettle, talking about the future and pondering what would become of their first attempt at home-brewed beer.

Lane Community College student Mykel Leon wore a smile, stretched from ear to ear as he reminisced about him and his buddies making that first batch. He remembers when co-founder Weston Zaludek came up with the name.

“You know this is what kings drink, right?” he said, followed by a moment of laughter. “No, I’m serious. This is great, it’s royalty. This is a king’s cup!”

After that first night, everything started falling into place.

Their shared interest and love for beer ultimately led to what is now the Brew of O, a nonprofit club consisting of past and present college students. The brewers operate out of the comfort of their home just off campus, in which five of the members live. Outside of brewing from their garage, they have brewed on campus, at local restaurants and even on top of Spencer Butte. Members of the club come and go, but each one who passes through brings ideas and offers something different to the group dynamic.

Zaludek, who had learned the basics of the King’s Cup blend from his father, added his own twist to the recipe. Growing up in Veneta, he gained brewing experience through his father before moving to Eugene. The younger Zaludek is now the brewmaster for Oregon Trail Brewery in Corvallis but prefers the term “Yeast Shepard.”

He also claims to have met “the beer god” in his sleep.

Through mutual friends, he met the other Brew of O cofounder, Jon Danyeur, in June 2011.

Danyeur, originally from California, moved to Eugene after being accepted to the University of Oregon. For him, brewing is a creative outlet. His passion for beer stemmed through a desire to become a chef. After observing his 16-year-old cousin brewing his first batch, he thought, “I can do that.” On his drive north from California, the name Brew of O was conceived. A digital arts and advertising major, he combined forces with Zaludek shortly after his arrival and they have been brewing since.

“Oregon is going to be the new ‘beervana,’” Zaludek said, “we are the new beer Disneyland — it’s happening right now. People will fly here from around the world just for the beer – it’s true. Oregon is the new Belgium.”

Since 2011, Brew of O has acquired countless members and entered many home-brewing competitions, bringing home five ribbons in the past year. And in the group’s two years, they’ve made between 85 to 100 different types of beers – experimenting with flavors such as jalapeño, pineapple, sage, lavender, peanut butter, coconut, squash, bourbon, rum, grape, hibiscus and passion flower, to name just a few.

“A lot of us see this as an art,” Leon said. “When we live in such a rich environment and culture that can self-sustain its passion, why not go to your local market and buy a local beer that will come back to your community? It’s much more beneficial for everyone.”

Through the group’s substantial involvement in the Eugene brewing community, he was able to obtain a position as assistant brewer at Hop Valley Brewing last year.

“More and more people in the club are getting jobs within the industry,” Zaludek said. “It’s a hobby in the first place, and a definite plus when they get something more. It’s like, ‘Hey, mission accomplished.’”

Brew of O is regularly experimenting with new flavors and yeast strands to find out what will become of its newest product. From counting yeast cells to figuring calculations of which strands produce certain flavors, science is a huge component of the beer brewing process.

“It would be awesome if we could provide students to get credit for that, while playing into their passion at the same time,” Leon said. The group hopes to offer club members credit toward microbiology or some type of “fermentology” or brewer’s science course, similar to the course available at Oregon State University.

For Zaludek and the other members, beer brings people together, whether it’s friends at a barbecue or colleagues in a workplace. Other than having inside access to the industry, being approached by people who are established in the craft brewing world who support their enthusiasm is what keeps them going.

“We do a lot of crazy experimental things around here,” Danyeur said, “sometimes they work out really well, sometimes not at all — and people are really supportive. I’ve had intimate experiences with it. It’s presented an accumulation of so many things that I never expected to do this young in my life.”

Scott Timms of Falling Sky Brewing here in Eugene has known Danyeur and Zaludek as regulars at his fermentation shop since 2011.

“They’re both so evangelical about brewing. Both just love talking about it and trying to teach people,” he said. “This hobby is very knowledge-rich, and you can learn a lot. Having their knowledge base and them being able to fill the college-age niche of teaching and sharing is what makes them so successful.”

Brew of O brews every Saturday, rain or shine. The brewing headquarters contains a garage full of equipment. Recycled beer bottles rest on shelves, award ribbons hang on the wall near tap handles and kegs as well as barrels are scattered along the walls, including one containing a cherry bourbon stout that has been fermenting for nine months.

“When we look back,” Leon said, “however far down the road, we can pinpoint our King’s Cup moment as to where we decided we were a club, when it started to feel real. A lot of chaos happens in this place. Some days are smooth, some days we’re yelling at each other — there’s crazy moments and needing to be diligent is extra important — but at the end of the day we all know it’s stemmed from love, we’re all having fun and it’s just beer.”

The University of Oregon’s Chamber Choir took first place at a major international choral festival in Cork, Ireland.

On May 4, this choir — the UO’s most select ensemble of their several choir programs — competed for the Fleischmann International Trophy at one of the most prestigious choral festivals in all of Europe.

The Chamber Choir received a score of 92.67 percent, exceeding the scores of local choirs including New Dublin, who received second place at a score of 90.11 percent.

Being the sole representative of the United States, the choir was one of 11 ensembles who performed out of 30 total that auditioned.

Their set included a musical collection spanning over 400 years, with styles ranging from Italian to bluegrass-influenced gospel, with pieces sung in several different languages, from composers including Debussy, Schütz and more.

The competition took place in Cork, Ireland, at Cork’s elegant City Hall, known around the world to choral enthusiasts for its acoustically perfect setting.

Aaron Ragan-Fore, director of communications for the UO School of Music and Dance says the win is a ‘real testament’ to the talent of the school’s students and to the vision and leadership of conductor Dr. Sharon Paul.

“We always knew the Chamber Choir was something extraordinary,” Ragan-Fore said, “and now the world knows it, as well. The UO couldn’t ask for better ambassadors to the international choral arts community. Now that the competition is complete, I’m glad our conquering heroes can return to Oregon this week for a well-deserved rest!”

The University of Oregon Chamber Choir departed for Ireland to participate in an international choir festival earlier this week. The ensemble will be competing for the Fleischmann International Trophy at the 59th annual Cork International Choir Festival in Cork, Ireland on May 4. The Cork festival is one of Europe’s debut choral festivals and attracts thousands of participants each year.

The choir presented its first performance in Ireland Tuesday, April 30, being the first of several that the members will perform abroad during the week.

Thirty choirs from around the world will be competing, but the United States only has one representative.

The ensemble’s main performance will consist of a sacred and rounded musical collection spanning over 400 years. The choir will sing in an array of styles, ranging from Italian to bluegrass-influenced gospel, with pieces sung in several different languages. In preparation for its departure, the Chamber Choir performed the same ensemble on April 25 in the Beall Concert Hall on the UO campus.

The dean of the School of Music and Dance, Brad Foley, and UO Chamber Choir Conductor Sharon Paul are accompanying the group in its current excursion abroad.

“After the wonderful experience the Chamber Choir had singing in Estonia in 2011, I wanted a similar kind of opportunity for them to hear lots of good choirs from all over the world,” Paul said.

Aaron Ragan-Fore, director of communications for the UO School of Music and Dance said that the Chamber Choir did a fantastic job representing the UO in 2011 at the International Choral Festival.

“This is another opportunity for our premiere choral ensemble to demonstrate the strength of vocal music programs at the University of Oregon. The most exciting element of this competition, for me at least, is that the Chamber Choir is representing not only the UO, but the United States.”

The group will return to Eugene on May 8.

Tired of hearing “anything is possible,” Jake Ducey, 21, decided to find out for himself if this mantra was true. After his first year of college on a basketball scholarship filled with nights of drinking and unpredictable activity, he decided to leave behind his life of confusion and troubled decisions in search for something more.

Unexpectedly, he found what he was searching for: his purpose in life. His first book, “Into the Wind: My Six-Month Journey Wandering the World for Life’s Purpose,” is an insight into his past experiences of traveling the world and the journey of his spiritual transition. It was released April 11 and has already become a best seller.

“My book is about taking chances on our dreams,” Ducey said, “when we step into the unknown to take a risk, when we trust and step into the wind, and knowing that everything will be okay. It’s a travel story, but it’s more than that — it’s about finding your dream and discovering how you can create a change in the world.”

From San Diego, Calif., he has come to the University of Oregon to give a talk on “inspiring our generation” and to discuss his debut book on Wed., May 1 in the Fir Room of the EMU.

The book details a portion of his life, highlighting his desire to stray from what is typically expected of an average college kid. He believes in order to obtain true happiness, one needs to step outside the norm; he says it is possible to be extraordinary and positively impact the lives of others. For inspiration, he looks to positive role models such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi, taking note of how they lived their astonishing lives.

In one story, he recounts his initial arrival in Indonesia. Boarding the plane from Australia to Indonesia without a dollar in his pocket, he was unsure of what was to come.

Upon arrival in the village of Kuta in Bali, locals welcomed and treated him with kindness. Ducey was beginning to understand other perspectives on life, the power of blind generosity and giving without expecting in return. Shortly after, he came to one of his greatest revelations: People need to follow their hearts, but at the same time, give to others in the process.

He plans on building a school in Indonesia with the proceeds earned from his book.

“I want to inspire my generation,” he said.

He has already visited schools in Washington and Oregon, giving motivational speeches to further spread his word of faith and share his past experiences to show others that truly anything is possible.

“My mission is to help people realize their goals and remember that they don’t have to do what everyone else expects of them,” he said. “Our generation will change the world when we start doing what we want to do, that’s how the world will change.”

In his first race, Joe Henderson began the mile run with so much speed and exertion he couldn’t make it past the first lap. Discouraged and wanting to quit, his high school track coach urged him to run once more and finish, to give it a fair try. He did, and after that, he never gave up . Before he knew it, he crossed the finish line of his 700th race. Not only did running become a sport for him, but it also became a passion that led him to a satisfying lifelong career.

While he is now a University of Oregon running instructor and heavily involved with the running community in Eugene, he was editor of “Runner’s World” magazine for seven years, writing for the publication for more than 20. He has also written more than 30 books on running, offering advice and techniques from past experiences. In his slim frame and short stature, he has run everything from less than 100 meters to more than 70 miles — including 50 marathons, four of those in Boston.

His first Boston Marathon in 1967 is one he describes as flawless, where everything came together “perfectly.” It was where he ran the best time of his career, at two hours and 49 minutes — and he hasn’t beaten it to this day.

“Once you’ve run Boston, you’re always there on marathon day,” he said. “I tune into Boston as I do to no other event.”

He says he felt the effects of the Boston Marathon bombings from Monday of last week.

“It will probably be felt in every big event, including at the Eugene Marathon,” he said. “It definitely hit close to home.”

Although the last time he ran it was in 1978, he has been back many times since to watch runners from around the world participate, including friends and family.

“The last time I was there, years ago,” he said, “I was standing in the spot where the second explosion went off, watching my wife’s son running by. I remember it well, standing there.”

Fortunately, none of his colleagues were hurt in the bombings.

In the years following his first marathon, he decided to move to Eugene after his first visit in 1971 and immediately fell in love with the city and its running culture. Other than instructing running courses for the UO’s Department of Physical Education and Recreation, he also leads a marathon team sponsored by the Eugene Running Company.

Bob Coll of the ERC says it is an honor to work with Henderson.

“Joe is an iconic figure in the world of running; it’s a privilege to know him,” Coll said. “He has coached our marathon teams at the store for nine years, and to this day, he hasn’t had one single person not finish a marathon.”

Each mile marker of the Eugene Marathon is dedicated to local running legends such as Steve Prefontaine. Henderson’s own is Mile 25, the last full mile.

He will be rooting for his marathon group and students this Sunday along the course of the seventh annual Eugene Marathon. From the 7 a.m. start, he will watch the race from the sidelines and patiently wait at Hayward Field to congratulate his team.

“When they finish, I’ll be there right at the finish line to greet them,” Henderson said. “I’m there for them, not for me.”

Hundreds of students will gather Thursday, April 25 in Salem, Ore., to rally for higher education funding.

The march will include students from 26 different schools throughout the state as a part of an ongoing statewide effort from the Oregon Student Association to advocate for more funding from Oregon schools, increase financial aid program budgets and seek new opportunities for education programs in Oregon.

Students will be asking for $510 million in community college support and $850 million from the universities. Furthermore, they will advocate for an additional $15 million for the Oregon Opportunity Grant.

The march will begin at the first Congregational United Church of Christ and will end at the Capitol steps where OSA Board Chair Merriam Weatherhead will speak, followed by many others from different schools around the state.

Earl Blumenauer is a U.S. Representative from Oregon’s third district. He visited the University of Oregon Friday to participate in an all-day symposium, A Step Forward: Creating a Just Drug Policy for the United States. The Emerald sat down with Blumenauer to talk about his report titled “The Path Forward: Rethinking Federal Policy on Marijuana.”  

Can you start off by telling us a little about your report “The Path Forward: Rethinking Federal Policy on Marijuana”?

We’ve developed an overview of where we are with marijuana in the U.S. now, some history, past laws and some changes that have taken place because it seemed important to take a step back and look at what has happened over the last 40 years. Over the last years we’ve watched medical marijuana come forward, we’ve had two states legalize adult use of marijuana, and now for the first time in history, a majority of the American public thinks it should be legal. We wanted to have a picture that people could use to sort of give them a sense of the state-of-play.

When do you believe the first conversations of legalizing marijuana started taking place in the U.S.?

Whether or not marijuana should be legal or not has been a long-standing issue. Marijuana used to be legal. From the moment we passed the Controlled Substances Act in 1970, that classified marijuana as a Schedule I drug, actually worse than coke and meth and had no medicinal features, people have been debating that. It was debated in the Oregon legislation of 1973, where there was a bill on the floor of the House that got over 40 percent of the legislators voting to decriminalize two plants for person use. So it has been a part of this discussion, but has really ramped up after we moved forward in ‘96 with medical marijuana, and now I think the flood gates are opening.

What are some of the biggest barriers we face in legalizing marijuana in the U.S.?

Well right now people are conflicted. There are deep concerns about the impact this has with young teens and junior high students, and they should. There is evidence that marijuana, particularly for the adolescent brain that’s still developing, can be very damaging. There are questions about whether this will lead to other drugs – gateway drugs – and these are legitimate issues that people should be looking at, but I think to a certain extent it is beside the point. I’ve never visited a community where people didn’t think that a junior high student couldn’t get marijuana any time of the day or night at any hour. Never. And the situation we face right now is that there is no framework that enables us to deal with it in a meaningful fashion. We are enriching drug cartels and we’re criminalizing behavior that a majority of Americans think should be legal. So we have got to work through this. But I think over the course of the next two to four years the American public is going to come down very solidly in letting the states do what they want, and most of the states think (they) should legalize marijuana.

What do you think is the federal government’s biggest issue with granting power to the individual states?

Well, part of it is that they are caught up in this long standing, over four-decade-old policy, that misclassifies marijuana. There’s a lot of time and energy that’s invested in it. There are people that are doing time in jail for it, there are two generations of people that “just say no to drugs,” that are heavily invested. In fact, the federal government doesn’t even make it legal to do research on the therapeutic aspects of marijuana. So we’ve got to break this notion where we are frozen in time to have a broader view and get more people involved with this discussion.

What do you think are some of the benefits of legalizing marijuana for the citizens, government and U.S. as a whole?

We could stop incarcerating people — two thirds of a million people arrested for doing something over half of Americans over the age of 18 have tried, and a majority think it should be legal. That’s expensive. We have a situation now where all the profits — and there is a lot of profit in the marijuana business — that all goes back to crooks and cartels. We lose revenue, we are corrupting foreign countries and we’re criminalizing behavior that really shouldn’t be. I think this is a step towards saving money and getting some money in which we could spend on drug treatment and education, and stop distorting the justice because it has very unequal application in terms of who gets arrested for marijuana use.

With states such as Colorado and Washington that were recently passed for the use of marijuana for adults, them being states similar and close to Oregon that had a similar ballot measure from last November, are you surprised that Oregon still didn’t pass? Why or why not?

If you read the Oregon proposal that was on the ballot, it raised more questions than it settled. There is no doubt in my mind that if we would’ve been voting on either the Washington bill or the Colorado bill, it would’ve passed in Oregon. And that’s what is important now, for people to do diligence to have a good, solid proposal that people feel comfortable with, that doesn’t raise those questions. And if we do that, I am confident that within the next four or five years Oregon will legalize as well, along with California; then the game will be over.

Earl Blumenauer, U.S. Representative from Oregon’s 3rd district, visited the University of Oregon Friday and participated in the all-day symposium, A Step Forward: Creating a Just Drug Policy for the United States.

The symposium — held at the William Knight Law School — focused on U.S. drug policy, an issue in which many, including Blumenauer, have been deeply focused on. Congressman Blumenauer discussed his report titled “The Path Forward: Rethinking Federal Policy on Marijuana.”

Blumenauer participated in major political movements since his youth. His passion was sparked in the early ‘70s when he participated in the student movement of lowering the voting age, as well as being one of the original voters to decriminalize marijuana.

In 1973, Oregon became the first state in which a legislature passed to minimize the penalty for possession of marijuana to something equivalent to that of a traffic ticket. Blumenauer began his speech by discussing how the events of 1973 led towards further decriminalization and gave states a more thoughtful approach to drug regulation.

As the talk progressed, he discussed important factors concerning to the people. He spoke on the issue of legalization and taxation.

“In the past two-three years we’ve seen a majority of the American public want marijuana legalized,” Blumenauer said.

He also emphasized the importance of medical marijuana. According to his reports, two-thirds of states that have medical marijuana, were initiated by the people.

“At a minimum, we need to make sure we enable states, so they can do what they want without interference of the federal government,” he said.

Additionally, Rep. Bulmenauer focused on the importance that the federal government eliminates the research prohibition on marijuana. He said this would allow for “thoughtful research,” which would ultimately allow the U.S. to find out the limits and opportunities that come from the drug.

“The Federal Government has been frozen in time since 1970,” he said. “I feel that this is what we need on Capital Hill to give a reality check of where we really are, and the Path Forward: Rethinking federal policy on marijuana, is my best effort.”

Since 1973, the U.S. has come a long way in decriminalizing marijuana, with 18 states permitting medical marijuana, and two which have legalized recreational use since last November.

“We are trying to create a framework which will provoke honest and thoughtful conversation about marijuana, that the American people are more than ready to have,” he said.

For the past three months, a group of University of Oregon students have collaborated and planned an array of events to help the campus celebrate Earth Week 2013.

The celebration begins on April 22 and lasts through the 26th. It aims to get students involved in livability and sustainability through art, music, workshops and more. Students will be putting on 30 events on campus throughout the course of the week.

Each day will represent a different theme, ranging from food, water and waste to justice and empowerment. The respective themes reflect the broad range of areas students are working on in the campus community.

“Earth Week offers an opportunity for people to realize that it’s not just purely environmental,” said Louisa de Heer, student sustainability coordinator, “but also offers a view on the economic and social justice side of things and how they all interrelate to sustainability.”

Mid-week will see a variety of events ranging from film screenings and bike rides to slam poetry.

The week’s events will close with the annual Bike Music Fest, a free concert that is completely bike powered. It will start on campus with hip-hop music and a slam poetry event. At 8 p.m., the crowd will bike through Eugene with the LiveOnBike crew, finishing at Cozmic Pizza for more live music and entertainment.