Before Nas would take the main stage, day two of Kaleidoscope brought in two more large names in hip-hop: Aesop Rock and DJ Shadow.

Aesop Rock rapped for a decent-sized crowd considering his 4 p.m. time slot. While he naturally played many songs from his newest album, “Skelethon,” he did toss in some oldies like “No Regrets” and “None Shall Pass.”

“Oh it was sick. He was fast and flows well,” said Robert Bain, who had never seen Aesop Rock live in concert before. Many of his older fans were also appreciative that the Brooklyn rapper made the flight to Eugene.

“It was absolutely great. He only had an hour to perform but you can tell he loves what he does,” David Whippo said. “He played No Regrets, which just makes me cry just about every time I hear it.”

A little later, DJ Shadow followed Aesop with an hour-long set that started with heavy hip-hop mashes between “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” by Kendrick Lamar with Ace Hood’s “Bugatti.” It seemed DJ Shadow’s blend of hip-hop and dance music would be more palatable for the EDM-heavy crowd, but newer material lulled the crowd at parts.

“This is the shit we listen to in California, brought up here to you guys in Oregon,” quipped DJ Shadow over the speakers. “If some of this is new to you don’t worry about it. Actually, everything is going according to plan.”

Some in the crowd were undeterred by the dearth of enthusiasm from the rest of the crowd.

“I’ve waited a long time to see DJ Shadow. Like 10 years,” said an attendee who insisted to be known only as Rockett. “I don’t know what the deal was, but it was definitely appreciated … He’s an old dude, and there’s nothing but college kids here who don’t know.”

Near the end of his set, which concluded with eclectic remixes of Blvck Crvck by DMNDZ, If I Ever Fall in Love Again by Shai, Beware by Death Grips and his own bombastic track “I Gotta Rokk.” But through all those tracks, the crowd remained eager to see some older work. Then DJ Shadow pulled out the trump card, Organ Donor, the most recognizable track from his 1996 album “Endtroducing…”

“Organ Donor was the jam,” said Mimi Naja of the band Fruition, which plays noon on the main stage for day three. “I wanted a little flashback from 11 years ago,”

Attendants who spoke to the Emerald seemed divided on DJ Shadow’s selection of old music versus new.

“I feel like anything you bring that’s new is going to happen like that. And I could suffer through the rest of that to listen to his “Endtroducing…” stuff,” said festival-goer Lucas Dix, “He’s an artist and has the right to play whatever he wants. He could go up there and play a metronome for an hour and I’d still say it was alright. At least I got to see DJ Shadow.”

The largest of the summer festivals kicked off yesterday like a stereotypical Dubstep song, where the eruption only occurs after a slow, drawn-out start. Around 9:30 p.m., when Bassnectar, the shaggy California-based EDM-maestro, paced onto the stage, Kaleidoscope formally kicked off.

While the previous performer, Schoolboy Q, rapped over a half-interested and tight lipped crowd, Bassnectar drew the attention of nearly all in attendance. They swarmed from the dark corners of Emerald Meadows and packed into a mosh hundreds of yards long from the front of the stage. With a brief wave to the big dayglo crowd, Bassnectar kicked off his evening set; and it ran like a marathon, pausing only to the sound of whistles, claps and a simple “thank you” from the artist.

Adrian Luchs, a biochemistry major at the University of Oregon, who also deejays locally as DJ ADREON, was impressed with the turnout. “It was really sick,” Luchs told the Emerald. “Mostly the same set as Coachella, super dubby. It was fantastic.”

Near the front, the bass could unseat a tooth filling. From a distance, the sea of people threw their hands and bodies in mesmerizing unison. The people met most drops by catapulting glowsticks and inflatable objects – a beach ball and a giant penguin – high into the air, while the set pieced together like an erector set — except with a jumbotron and spotlights.

“The lights were amazing,” said Ned Lyon, an attendee and current University of Oregon student. “And more people showed up at night, I think. When there’s people there the vibe is just sick. It was out of control.”

The crowd drifted back so far it skimmed the sorbet-looking bus Further, made famous by Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, which was a football field’s distance away. It was an immense turnout compared to any of the other shows on day one of the festival.

“It was the perfect amount of people,” said Luchs. “Not too pushy. The ground was so wobbly.”

The University’s inaugural governing board has its appointees.

Governor Kitzhaber has named 14 members to the table, who will take the reigns from the Oregon University System in the basic operations of the University of Oregon if confirmed by the Oregon Senate. Their duties will consist of adjusting tuition, presiding over the hiring and firing of the University president and managing construction efforts around campus.

The board is headlined by Allyn Ford, former Chairman of the Oregon University System and CEO of Roseburg Forest Products, as well as former NBC news anchor and Oregon alumnus Ann Curry. ASUO President Sam Dotters-Katz fulfills the sole student position on the board.

University President Gottfredson was optimistic this afternoon regarding the appointees. “I could not be more pleased with the governor’s appointments to the University of Oregon’s new board of trustees,” the president said in a statement. “I am deeply appreciative of the thoughtfulness and confidence demonstrated in his choices, and of the commitment this distinguished group of individuals is making to the future of our university. We will all benefit from their talents, insight, and expertise as we work together to enhance and improve how we deliver on the promise of our public mission.”

The goal in establishing an independent board has been two-fold. In the face of dwindling state support, which has to triage other programs like k-12 education, public employee pensions and prisons for state funding over higher education, the university wants to put the brakes on tuition, and therefor increase availability for prospective students.

An increase in private donations to the University is also an expected byproduct of the board. In the past, the Oregon University System has been free to splice the donations among the state’s seven public universities, disconcerting donors who wanted complete say over where their money would go. Now they should have that ability.

Update: According to Gottfredson, the UO faculty’s response has been “outstanding.” “Everybody’s excited,” Gottfredson told the Emerald in a phone interview, “It’s a great day for the university. ”

The board members still need to be confirmed by the Senate, which should happen next month, and with many details remaining to be ironed out there won’t be an agenda to speak of for some time. Gottfredson believes the recommended members will provide a more focused approach to the operations than the distant Oregon University System, who will remain in charge until the board becomes operational in July 2014. He also estimates that the board will meet between 4 and 8 times per year.

“[The board will] understand the nature and the financial structure of the university,” he said. “Just knowing how we’re budgeted, how we operate, in a fairly detailed way can be very helpful.”

The formation of the board won’t divorce the UO from the state entirely, some state support is expected to keep trickling in, but Gottfredson is hopeful that outside contributions will also pump up the university bank account.

“As a public university, we expect to continue to get resources from the state to support education. Our board will be helpful in that way, and in articulating how important it is for the community at large to support the university. As we move to refinance the university in this new era where we want to decrease the burden on our students and their families.”

Peter Bragdon, a Columbia Sportswear executive named to the board, is also excited by the opportunity.

“I’m very proud to be nominated for and I’m hoping this is a great opportunity for the university,” Bragdon told the Emerald in a phone interview. “For myself the priority will always be on students, creating opportunities for students and increasing affordability and access. The starting point is always thinking about what’s best for the students.”

Here’s the full list of board members, all are voting members:

Allyn Ford from Roseburg, Ore. is a member at large — Term ends June 30, 2017

Andrew Colas of Portland, Ore. is a member at large  — Term ends June 30, 2017

Ann Curry of New York, N.Y. is a member at large  — Term ends June 30, 2015

Chuck Lillis of Castle Rock, Colo. is a member at large — Term ends June 30, 2017

Connie Ballmer of Bellevue, Wash. is a member at large  — Term ends June 30, 2015

Ginevra Ralph of Eugene, Ore. is a member at large — Term ends June 30, 2015

Joseph Gonyea III of Springfield, Ore. is a member at large  — Term ends June 30, 2017

Mary Wilcox of Portland, Ore. is a member at large — Term ends June 30, 2015

Peter Bragdon of Portland, Ore. is a member at large — Term ends June 30, 2017

Ross Kari of Sisters, Ore. is a member at large — Term ends June 30, 2015

Rudy Chapa of Portland, Ore. is a member at large — Term ends June 30, 2017

Sam Dotters-Katz of Eugene, Ore. is a university student — Term ends June 30, 2015

Susan Gary of Eugene, Ore. is a university faculty member — Term ends June 30, 2015

Kurt Willcox of Eugene, Ore. is a university faculty member — Term ends June 30, 2015

Following a surprise break from the field on Friday, Duck football returned to practice this afternoon to hammer out end-of-game situations and, with the season just two weeks away, playing with a sense of urgency.

“I’ve been very happy with our sense of urgency during the walkthrough. We got a ton done,” Helfrich said of the team this afternoon, before fielding a question about how the end of practice looked. “This afternoon we kind of split the team up. One team was trying to kill the clock the other was trying to get the ball back. And if they got it back then we went into two-minute mode. We put in ton of work on, really, as many situations possible as you can get.”

An interesting story to this upcoming season is figuring out who will fill the void left by backup quarterback Bryan Bennett. Bennett played admirably in limited time behind Darron Thomas and Marcus Mariota for two seasons, before transferring to Southeastern Lousiana last January. Now the position is up for grabs between redshirt freshmen Jake Rodrigues and Jeff Lockie.

“It makes it harder on us when we’re just getting great play from both of them, great consistent play from both of them,” Helfrich said. “If it comes to that point where they’re both playing really well and consistent, that’s a great problem.”

However, coach Helfrich says he’s in no rush to choose.

“I know there’s been a couple days here and there where one guy’s had the upper hand. At this point there’s no significant separation,” Helfrich said.

Another question was raised about how the Ducks look toward replacing defense standouts Michael Clay and Kiko Alonso, who both departed for the NFL after last season. Helfrich again stayed optimistic that, with a bevvy of talent and athleticism, their mantra of “next man up” should stay true.

“That’s another place where there’s just another ton of competition,” Helfrich said. “You talk about the backup quarterback spot, it’s a different guy every day,” Helfrich told the reporters. “There’s not a lot of proven, season-tested veterans but a bunch of guys that are running fast and playing hard.”

Though, one season-tested veteran on defense remains. Helfrich was very complimentary of defensive back Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, who, along with Mariota and De’Anthony Thomas, was named to ESPN’s Preseason All-America team on Friday.

“He’s a stud, and he’s a great practice player. He does a great job of putting his face on the ball, being really physical on the ball, and when any guy is just a little bit incorrect fundamentally with how he’s carrying the ball, Ifo gets it out. He’s a physical guy,” Helfrich said.

With all those defensive positions still taking shape, Helfrich said Ekpre-Olomu and others were a good foundation.

“Any time you can build your team around a couple really good corners and a great core D-line that’s a really good start,” Helfrich said.

Yesterday’s break came after some tough practices all week that have left some players a little battered and worse for wear, and it was starting to show by the end of the week. The coaching staff decided it would be for the best to take the day off Friday, then put in a hard day’s work Saturday. When asked if the break paid-off for the practice today, Helfrich seemed content.

“[We] didn’t have a great walk through on Thursday, and just challenged those guys to operate just a little more urgently and they definitely did that this morning. And then, got some quality work this afternoon, got some guys back 100 percent and everything, and so that helped out. Tomorrow will be another recovery day and some team building and then back on Monday.”

Student tuition should not be targeted as a moneymaker for the state, according to U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley.

Speaking to a full lecture hall at the William W. Knight Law Center, rife with City Club of Eugene members, the former State Speaker of the House touched on an array of political headlines, from ending filibuster tactics in Congress to digging up jobs through land development in the state.

But, being at the University of Oregon campus, Merkley inevitably touched on tuition and the bold “Pay It Forward, Pay it Back” plan that garnered national attention as it was rapidly ushered through the state legislature.

“The last thing we need to be doing,” the senator said, “is treating our students, who are struggling to get an education, as a source of additional revenues to fund other programs.”

Citing the 3.5 percent increase in tuition for Oregon’s seven public universities, and the 4.9 percent increase for UO students specifically, Merkley tackled what he considered a pattern of the state seeking income from college students.

“It’s an enormous challenge to consider the possibility that to realize the full potential of your mind you’re going to have to incur a debt the size of a home mortgage,” he said. “And make the judgment if that’s your course in life, especially if you’re not even sure there’s going to be a job on the other side.”

The Senator spoke of the “Pay It Forward, Pay It Back” tuition plan that proposes students don’t pay tuition while in school, and instead donate a fraction of their income over a number of years after graduating. The idea was proposed by Portland State University students and a pilot program is getting worked out. According to Merkley, there are five states interested in copying it.

Another piece of his lecture centered on aiding the economy by suggesting more land development and infrastructure projects.

“We can do a lot more with roads and bridges and high voltage lines to transmit wind energy and a whole source of other forms of infrastructure,” he said.

The Senator engaged the mostly elderly crowd with incisive plans, peppered with jokes, and received a standing ovation at its conclusion. After a brief intermission, the Roseburg-native returned for a Q&A with the audience. The questions varied as well, touching on diverse topics like the Israel-Palestine conflict or Keystone XL pipeline.

“If we’re going to get a handle on [global warming] we have to reduce the slice in the energy pie that is fossil fuels,” Merkley said, “and within that we have to be willing to forgo the dirtiest forms [of fuel], and tar sands are one of the dirtiest forms.”

Fielding a question on marriage equality, Merkley stated he was optimistic that, with two State senators who support it, the constitution should reflect it.

“I thought I was the first individual to campaign for the senate supporting full marriage equality, and then I found out Senator [Ron] Wyden had actually talked about it when he first ran,” Merkley said. “So you have a united senate team behind full marriage of equality. I really hope of November of next year is the year we will eliminate this blight, if you will, on this form of discrimination that’s embedded in our constitution.”

Student tuition should not be targeted as a moneymaker for the state, according to U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley.

Speaking to a full lecture hall at the William W. Knight Law Center, rife with City Club of Eugene members, the former State Speaker of the House touched on an array of political headlines, from ending filibuster tactics in Congress to digging up jobs through land development in the state.

But, being at the University of Oregon campus, Merkley inevitably touched on tuition and the bold “Pay It Forward, Pay it Back” plan that garnered national attention as it was rapidly ushered through the state legislature.

“The last thing we need to be doing,” the senator said, “is treating our students, who are struggling to get an education, as a source of additional revenues to fund other programs.”

Citing the 3.5 percent increase in tuition for Oregon’s seven public universities, and the 4.9 percent increase for UO students specifically, Merkley tackled what he considered a pattern of the state seeking income from college students.

“It’s an enormous challenge to consider the possibility that to realize the full potential of your mind you’re going to have to incur a debt the size of a home mortgage,” he said. “And make the judgment if that’s your course in life, especially if you’re not even sure there’s going to be a job on the other side.”

The Senator spoke of the “Pay It Forward, Pay It Back” tuition plan that proposes students don’t pay tuition while in school, and instead donate a fraction of their income for 24 years after graduating. The idea was proposed by Portland State University students and a pilot program is getting worked out. According to Merkley, there are five states interested in copying it.

Another piece of his lecture centered on aiding the economy by suggesting more land development and infrastructure projects.

“We can do a lot more with roads and bridges and high voltage lines to transmit wind energy and a whole source of other forms of infrastructure,” he said.

The Senator engaged the mostly elderly crowd with incisive plans, peppered with jokes, and received a standing ovation at its conclusion. After a brief intermission, the Roseburg-native returned for a Q&A with the audience. The questions varied as well, touching on diverse topics like the Israel-Palestine conflict or Keystone XL pipeline.

“If we’re going to get a handle on [global warming] we have to reduce the slice in the energy pie that is fossil fuels,” Merkley said, “and within that we have to be willing to forgo the dirtiest forms [of fuel], and tar sands are one of the dirtiest forms.”

Fielding a question on marriage equality, Merkley stated he was optimistic that, with two State senators who support it, the constitution should reflect it.

“I thought I was the first individual to campaign for the senate supporting full marriage equality, and then I found out Senator [Ron] Wyden had actually talked about it when he first ran,” Merkley said. “So you have a united senate team behind full marriage of equality. I really hope of November of next year is the year we will eliminate this blight, if you will, on this form of discrimination that’s embedded in our constitution.”

The University of Oregon has been named the No. 20 party school in the nation by The Princeton Review in its annual college guide book and school officials have been quick to defend the school against the label.

“The information they gathered is very limited. They surveyed 1.6 percent of students on campus, so it’s a very small sampling of people,” said Julie Brown, the UO’s communications director.

On a post to the University’s Around The O public relations blog, they cite that the Massachusetts-based company averaged that they only talked to 333 students from each campus in its efforts to find a fitting list for universities.

Dean of Students Paul Shang called the survey “not particularly well done.”

“I think everybody knows we have a good time here in Eugene, and the city of Eugene itself has a good time,” Shang said. “But our students, on the other hand, are serious and hard-working and participate in a lot of important things.”

The Princeton Review, which has no affiliation with the Ivy League university, tabbed 126,000 students across 378 campuses for  its Best of 378 Colleges book, released Monday. Included are many lists ranging from Most Beautiful Campus to Most LGBTQ-Friendly and Most Stone-cold Sober, which was topped by Brigham Young University for the fourth consecutive year.

A prevailing fondness for marijuana also landed the University at #8 on the “Reefer Madness” list.

“I think the primary issue is to not something like this to misrepresent the overall excellence of the education experience that our students participate in,” Shang said. “And not allow people have the wrong impression.”

According to the book, this year called The Best of 378 Colleges, the only real mention of alcohol concerns the University’s freshmen. The book states: “We are a dry campus,” one attendee notes, “but that doesn’t stop students.”

University of Iowa claimed the top spot on the party list, which the Review credits to a booming bar scene in Iowa City. The rest of the top five include: University of California, Santa Barbara; the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; West Virginia University and Syracuse University. Oregon is the only Pac-12 school to make the list.

Shang points out that even this year’s top party school may not be getting a fair shake.

“I know the University of Iowa and it’s a very prominent institution,” Shang says. “They have the largest medical facility at a university in the country.”

View the University of Oregon’s page in the book here.

A previous version of this story incorrectly included UC Santa Barbara as a Pac-12 school, as well as mentioning the University only appeared on the partying list.

Fairies seem to love Mt. Pisgah Park. Neighbors have other feelings. The area has been home to art and music festivals for years but locals are upset over the noise that emanates from festivities. (Andrew Seng/Emerald)

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For half the year, Mt. Pisgah is a quiet portrait of the Lane County countryside. The rainy months give the park something like a muddy, hermetic seal. Blackberry bushes spread and cattle graze peacefully. Its neighbors are the unassuming farmers, mowing, tilling and generally minding their own business along the brim. It’s when the sun begins to break through the towering trees and the hikers and dog-walkers start clamoring for trails and glades that the park begins to change.

Recently, Emerald Meadows, an 80-acre pocket of space at the base of the mountain, has transformed into a concert venue. Land Watch Lane County, an advisory group representing the farms near the north end of the mountain — some just the length of a football field away — protest that establishing Pisgah as a concert venue not only hurts their ears and tramples all over an area that’s proud of its plant and animal life, but that it’s also illegal.

“State law requires the county to have a public hearing if there are expected to be more than 3,000 people gathering,” said Bob Emmons, the group’s president. “The first [event] this year had a registration of about 6,000 people.”

Faerieworld-goers enter and exit the main gate of the 12th annual celebration of Faerieworlds, a festival which celebrates the spirit of magic, joy, and fantasy worlds. (Andrew Seng/Emerald)

The group’s members also claim the county leapfrogged the farmers’ interests by altering a 2003 land use bill that permits camping in the park, and altering it to allow more people and use for outdoor events. Thus unleashing events such as The Dirty Dash and festivals like the Cascadia Music Festival and last month’s Faerieworlds.

“When that permit was issued it was done without a public hearing,” Emmons said. “Bottom line: there will be a public hearing on these gatherings, and the public needs the opportunity to weigh in.”

Former congressman and Pisgah-area neighbor Jim Weaver agrees.

“This is a tremendous piece of land,” he said. “Untrammeled and five minutes from the University.”

Parks department administrators maintain that they’ve done all the legwork and argue that looking out for parks is in their mission statement.

“We do believe we have all the permits necessary,” said David Stockdale, senior parks analyst for the Lane County Parks Department. “And they’re open to everybody, for whatever they want: family events, big festivals or find quiet places of solitude. Parks for the masses.”

Dwindling budgets for Lane County parks has administrators increasingly exploring methods of funding themselves, and Emerald Meadows has come up big. On paper it’s an obvious decision: capitalize on the growing number of students with disposable income by attracting them to concerts held on a beautiful slice of land. The most recent iteration of Faerieworlds, an outdoor music and art festival, netted the department $100,000. And parks personnel have high hopes for this month’s Kaleidoscope megafestival.

Festival go-ers dance to music at the Faerieworld music festival. (Andrew Seng/Emerald)

“We expect our payment from Kaleidoscope to be anywhere from $30,000 to $75,000 this year,” Stockdale said, “It just depends on where their ticket sales are.” The parks department’s budget is slightly less than $2.5 million, and its funding backbone revolves around hotel room taxes and car rentals. With festivals signing three-year contracts, the department hopes to ride festival revenue to prosperity.

What’s possibly lost on the farming environment is the economic impact these festivals can have. OneEleven Productions, the company behind Kaleidoscope, suggests its festival pads the wallets of all the surrounding businesses and hotels — $1.8 million’s worth all said and done. Festival promoters also point to Coachella Valley, which boomed after its Coachella Music Festival came to national prominence as an example of what a festival can do for the community.

What has spawned on Mt. Pisgah a struggle between old and new. Kaleidoscope, which is more than 100 bands deep, forecasts 10 to 17,000 college-aged people driving through the farmland en route to the fest. Faerieworlds’ headcount was around 7,000 on its busiest day. In June, the Dirty Dash, a mix of a charity fun-run and an obstacle course, congested the narrow roads so badly that people couldn’t get out of their driveway, and traffic allegedly snaked all the way to I-5. The parks department has made efforts to improve the roads and parking areas to ensure the flow of traffic is good, but the past experiences have left many sour.

“I think it may be the right thing for people to gather and have fun,” Emmons said. “But I think this is the wrong place to do it.”

The University’s shortlist of candidates for its newly minted independent governing board comes with a familiar logo.

Phil Knight, Nike’s founder and principal donor to the University of Oregon, has been named by the school as one of their preferred choices to get a seat at the big table for the board, along with former UO President David Frohnmayer and former athletic director Pat Kilkenny. Though Kitzhaber can still appoint whomever he sees fit, with Senate approval, the suggestion of Knight was expected given his political influence in the state, as well as the the heft of money he’s given to his alma mater.

According to The Oregonian, Oregon’s submissions also include State House Representative Phil Barnhart; Columbia Sportswear President Tim Boyle; Intel President Renee James; former Intel Vice President Keith Thompson; Oregon Health & Science University President Joe Robertson; Columbia University President Lee Bollinger; federal judge Ann Aiken; Columbia University President Lee Bollinger; former OUS chairman John von Schlegell; Roseburg Forest Products President and OUS member Allyn Ford; Columbia Sportswear exec Peter Bragdon; and professional golfer Peter Jacobson.

Senate bill 270, which passed earlier this month, established independent boards for both Portland State and the University of Oregon. The boards will take over the reigns of operation for the Oregon University System, in the wake of dwindling financial assistance. Oregon State also announced its respective candidates today, in a joint announcement that they will pursue an independent board, as well.

D’Laney Ford, a multimedia design student at the University’s School of Journalism and Communication, died of a viral infection two weeks ago on July 15. She was 34 years old.

After being given between two to four weeks to live, Ford arranged to return to Siletz, Ore. and her childhood home near the water. She would not make it in time, however, passing in her sleep mere days after the prognosis at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. The diagnosis: an untreated viral infection, resulting in hepatitis, jaundice and organ failure.

Her mother, Patti Forcier, remembers a girl more concerned about those around her than her own well-being.

“She looked at her death as a new journey, not that it was an ending but that it was a new beginning,” Forcier said. “She was extremely remarkable.”

Ford had been declining for a weeks leading up to her visit to the doctor. The young woman often described as zany and playful was now constantly fatigued. The Student Health Center was unable to pinpoint the source and gave Ford medicine for her stomach aches, but she never recovered. She was admitted to Sacred Heart on July 1, then transferred to OHSU.

“I never saw her shed a tear about it,” said Jeremy McKenzie, one of her best friends and a constant traveling companion, “She never expressed any fear about what would happen to her.”

Ford grew in Newport Bay with her single mother, who took Ford on summer-long camping trips as soon as the school year wrapped up. A roadtrip around the country when she was 8 planted in Ford an insatiable urge to travel for the rest of her life. A 1996 graduate of Newport High School, she discovered a passion for painting, photography and writing when she was in her early teens, as well as her first taste of international travel on a school trip to Mexico.

Following graduation, Ford moved to Eugene to attend Lane Community College, however, she quickly swapped her books for a blank itinerary and jetted off to the San Juan Islands with McKenzie.

“She said, ‘let’s go to Orcas Island for the summer,’” McKenzie said. “I said ‘what’ll we do when we get there?’ and she just said ‘doesn’t matter. We’ll figure it out when we get there.’” The pair waited tables, camped and generally made due with very little for a few months, though initially slept in Ford’s car before they found a more stable sleeping situation.

They then departed to Thailand after a few months, working in restaurants yet again. In all, she traveled to the Caribbean, South and Central America, East Africa and had a stint busking across Europe. She also lived in Hawaii for a period of time recording video of dolphins. The opportunities to record and photograph her travels inspired her to return to Eugene and attend the University of Oregon with a focus in multimedia, with the goal of producing nature documentaries eventually.

While at the SOJC, she worked on a documentary, “An Elephant Never Forgets,” that was picked up by Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Oregon Lens program last summer.