01/09/18 Emerald Media - Tuesday Edition (Week of Welcome)

T U E S D AY, J A N U A R Y 9 , 2 0 1 8 D A I LY E M E R A L D . C O M

TUESDAY

HOW UO IS TRYING TO

IMPROVE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATES NEWS PG 4

OPINION:

OREGON SHOULD LOWER THE DRINKING AGE OPINION PG 9

EUGENE’S YEAR IN CONCERTS

WITH A BIG YEAR FOR MUSIC on the horizon, Eugene music professionals reflect on the scene’s growth in 2017.

ð&#x;’» EMERALD RECOMMENDS THE BEST TV SHOWS OF 2017 A&C PG 5

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NEWS ANTI-IMMIGRANT GRAFFITI APPEARS ON 13TH AVE.

BY MICHAEL TOBIN • TWITTER @TOBINTWEETS The Great Blue Heron statue on the corner of E. 13th Avenue and Alder Street, which sometimes features anti-Trump graffiti, was emblazoned with anti-immigrant chalk graffiti on Monday. The messages “Deport Them All” and “Trump 2020” remained on the statue until they were erased by a passerby around 11:30 a.m.

The author of the graffiti remains unknown.

This is not the first time graffiti of the same nature has appeared on campus.

During the first week of fall term in 2017, students spotted a message reading “white pride” between Gerlinger Hall and Knight Library.

Even with the graffiti being in such a public space, senior music technology major Alex Niemeyer said it comes as no surprise.

“I’m not too shocked by seeing this,” he said. “For a while, I’ve been a part of a community group going around Eugene cleaning up all of this, not just chalk, but also the anti-refugee stickers I’ve been seeing all the time.”

Niemeyer and his group aren’t the only ones monitoring white nationalism in Eugene. In December 2017, The Oregonian/Oregonlive profiled white nationalist activity in Eugene, saying that the city recorded nearly 60 hate

AMERICA, LET’SAMERICA, DO LUNCH

crimes that year, which is up from last year’s total of 44. According to The Oregonian/Oregonlive, vandalism and graffiti made up 20 percent of the hate crimes reported between January and October.

Niemeyer said he is surprised by the lack of substantive response from University of Oregon administration during previous incidents, such as when white nationalist Jimmy Marr visited campus last April.

“You really have to wonder, is it really that hard to say you’re against white supremacy, in 2018?”

In a draft of an AroundtheO post sent to the Emerald, UO President Michael Schill said he “condemns all forms of hate speech and racism,” and that he is “troubled by the recent reports of an uptick in both subtle and overt acts of racism on campus and in the surrounding community.”

Schill plans to work with community and campus law enforcement to ensure a safe learning environment for students.

“What we want everyone in our campus community to know is that regardless of these shameful instances, the UO welcomes and values all its members, and that Ducks will take care of one another.”

The Great Blue Heron statue on E. 13th Ave. with “Deport them all” written in blue chalk.

(Courtesy of anonymous Twitter user)

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da Bell, SINCE 1937. Ida Her Bell, life’s work is about the1 hopeless find Asha SINCE 1937.helping She and e. Now, she and 6 seniors face thethreat threatof of hunger hunger and millions in16inseniors face the live in isolation. So pop by, drop off a hot meal and say a warm hello. and millions liveisin isolation.

Asha Ida Bell, SINCE 1937. Her more life’s work about helping So the hopeless find Volunteer for Meals on Wheels at AmericaLetsDoLunch.org

LET’S DO LUNCH

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pop by, drop off a hot meal and a warm hello. Volunteer for Meals on Wheels at AmericaLetsDoLunch.org

hope. Now, she and 1 in 6 seniors face the threat of hunger and millions more live in isolation. So pop by, drop off a hot meal and say a warm hello.

Volunteer for Meals on Wheels at AmericaLetsDoLunch.org

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Formerly the Oregon Daily Emerald, the news organization was founded in 1900.

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DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR EMAIL: ADS@DAILYEMERALD.COM Asha Ida Bell, SINCE 1937. Her life’s work is about helping the hopeless find EMILY GOODYKOONTZ OPINION EDITOR COPY CHIEF A s I d a B e l, SIN TECHNICAL & CREATIVEl DIRECTOR hope. Now, she and 1 in 6h seniors faceBILLY thea threat of hunger and millions MANGGALA ART DIRECTOR TANNER SHIPLEY COLE PETROCCIONE ON THE COVER h o p e .

No w, s he EMILY live HARRIS more in isolation.

So pop by, drop off a hot meal and say a warm hello.

EMAIL: CREATIVE@DAILYEMERALD.COM SPORTS EDITORS COPY EDITORS Sam Beam sings and plays classical guitar. m o r e l ANNA i ve in iIron s ola GUS MORRIS Volunteer AmericaLetsDoLunch.org LIEBERMAN ENGAGEMENT EDITORfor Meals on Wheels at & Wine performs at McDonald Theatre JACK BUTLER ALLY GRIMALDI V olun t AMANDA LAM on Oct. 19, 2017.e e r SHAWN MEDOW

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đ&#x;”Ś NEWS University of Oregon College of Education. (Emerald Archives)

OREGON RESEARCH SCHOOLS NETWORK AIMS TO ADDRESS LOW GRADUATION RATES

BY HANNAH KANIK • TWITTER @HANNAH_KANIK The state of Oregon has the fourth lowest high school graduation rate in the country. In 2016, approximately 25.2% of students did not graduate.

University of Oregon’s College of Education, with the help of an anonymous donation of $50 million to the university, has created a partnership with high schools in the state of Oregon to improve these numbers. The program, called the Oregon Research Schools Network, or ORSN, aims to teach professional development, offer dual credit to students and conduct collaborative research.

The ORSN was created by Randy Kamphaus, dean of the School of Education, as a solution to the ever-rising high school dropout rates in the state of Oregon. Nancy Golden, a UO professor, former superintendent of the Springfield schools and former chief state schools officer, will facilitate this program and communicate with the high schools and their respective UO faculty representatives.

According to Kamphaus, “The Oregon Research Schools Network is designed to be a long-term and high impact partnership with the College of Education, the University of Oregon and local high schools.�

This program will place a UO faculty member in the affiliated high schools for two days a week to teach students professional skills and offer them opportunities to earn college credit while in high school. The program will also conduct collaborative research to diagnose issues within the community, such as low graduation rates or student behavior, in an effort to solve these problems. “One of the exciting, innovating aspects of the ORSN is we will have someone on the ground in each high school two days a week, which we think will make the partnership more impactful and more enduring,�

Kamphaus said.

These representatives will be important liaisons with the College of Education and will communicate between the university and the high schools.

At some schools, UO will appoint a qualified high school teacher with a masters degree or higher as a clinical professor, and they will facilitate the program as a UO faculty member. This will mainly occur at distant schools where a faculty member could not travel back to Eugene for the remaining three days to teach UO students.

Hannah Brown, a sophomore education major, said, “the College of PA G E 4

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Education is a great program in and of itself, strengthening the whole college will make it extremely competitive across the nation and even internationally.�

This new addition to the university is being funded using a portion of an anonymous $50 million donation to the school. This donation, awarded to the College of Education by President Schill, is going toward a five-year pilot period for the program.

According to Kamphaus, the goal of the five-year pilot for the program is to have 10 schools signed on.

First on board The program made its first formal agreement with North Eugene High School. They are having conversations with high schools from coastal Oregon to eastern Oregon, and expect official signings in the coming week, Kamphaus said.

Partnering with each school will cost approximately $300,000 for the five-year pilot period according to Kamphaus. All of the expenses are going to the salaries of the UO faculty working at the high schools. Kamphaus said the College of Education will have a better idea of where funding will come from to sustain the program in the long run after the five-year pilot period.

It does not want to receive funding from one source, in case that source is depleted.

According to Golden, this program will create opportunities for UO students pursuing their degree in teaching to gain additional training in urban high schools. “The program will especially benefit the College of Education’s Masters and Doctoral students by opening doors to multiple research opportunities and settings,� Golden stated.

Kamphaus said that down the line, this program could even include opportunities for business internships with neighboring companies near these high schools. He said it is expected that becoming a permanent fixture in the various communities around the state will open up several opportunities for UO students with businesses, neighboring schools and governmental agencies. “The ORSN could really make us the first school in the country to bring the deep and broad intellectual resources of a major research university to bear on public education,� Kamphaus said.

ARTS & CULTURE

EMERALD RECOMMENDS: BEST TV EPISODES OF 2017

BY SARAROSA DAVIES AND DANA ALSTON

This year brought a slew of new and exciting TV shows to screens across the country. Many addressed the current political climate. Some chose to ignore it and focus on other concepts such as mortality. Other series returned to the humor that brought audiences to them in the first place.

Whichever way, 2017 was a big year for network TV and original shows on streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon.

Read about Sararosa Davies’ favorite episodes of the year below:

“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” — “The Disappointment of the Dionne Quintuplets” (Nov. 28)

Amazon’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” burst onto the scene fairly recently, but the show and its fasttalking characters are garnering critical acclaim — and for good reason. In the late 1950s, Upper East Side housewife Miriam “Midge” Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) discovers a hidden talent for stand-up comedy right after her husband leaves her.

One of the best parts of “Mrs. Maisel” is the quick glimpses the audience has of different acts, both fictional and not, that come through the show’s comedy clubs. This episode is chock-full of those moments, including dark ventriloquist humor and references to actual comedian Lenny Bruce. “Mrs. Maisel” is at its best in this way — with fleshed out jokes and characters alike.

4. “Curb Your Enthusiasm” — “Foisted!” (Oct. 1)

After audiences survived years without it, “Seinfeld” creator Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is back. As always, David spares no one in his tirades — not even himself. This first episode of the new season follows David as he fires an assistant (played with perfect timing by SleaterKinney and “Portlandia’s” Carrie Brownstein), and enrages both the leader of Iran and his friend Jeff Greene’s lesbian barber. It’s a wonderful (and hilarious) welcome back to Larry David’s world. And the rest of the season follows with David annoying everyone from his therapist to his mail carrier.

“Pretty, pretty, pretty good,” David says, and he’s not wrong.

3. “Master of None” — “New York, I Love You” (May 12)

The third season of Aziz Ansari’s “Master of None” went to bold new heights this year, bringing in references to Italian film and LCD Soundsystem songs. “New York, I Love You” takes a break from Ansari’s character Dev’s romantic storyline with a woman he met at pasta-making school in Italy and instead immerses the audience in the lives of ordinary New Yorkers who all end up at the same movie. The most beautiful part of the episode is the care with which the writing treats each set of characters. From a deaf couple’s conversation (via American Sign Language) about their sex life in the middle of a gift store to a doorman’s unfortunate interaction with a parakeet, “New York, I Love You” is a sweet ode to the city and its inhabitants.

2. “Broad City” — “Witches” (Oct. 25)

“Broad City,” the slacker comedy about two Jewish women and their misadventures in New York, took a turn for the political this season by bleeping out President Donald Trump’s name, among other social statements. The show’s Halloween episode, “Witches,” follows Abbi Abrams (Abbi Jacobson) and Ilana Wexler (Ilana Glazer) as Abbi contemplates her mortality after finding a gray hair, and Ilana, erm, addresses the fact that she hasn’t orgasmed since President Trump was elected.

In typical “Broad City” manner, the episode never gets too serious; however, this is one of the darkest episodes of the show yet. It ends with a “coven” of women, including a plastic surgeon Abbi meets earlier in the episode, howling at the moon.

1. “Broad City”— “Florida” (Nov. 8)

Any “Broad City” episode involving Ilana’s family lands at the top of my list. Ilana, with her crazy curly hair, is exactly like her mom, Bobbi Wexler (“Curb Your Enthusiasm” actress Susie Essman). In this episode, Abbi tags along as Ilana, Bobbi and Ilana’s brother, Eliot, fly to Florida to clean out Ilana’s grandma’s apartment. What follows is one of “Broad City’s” best episodes in its four seasons — for many reasons, including Ilana’s interaction with her kin.

Life in a Florida retirement community seems easy compared to Abbi and Ilana’s lives in New York, so they apply for a spot in an apartment — only to find out the shocking reason for their acceptance to the community. This is one of the best punchlines in a “Broad City” episode, and the slow build to it makes it even funnier. Seeing Ilana’s aunt (Fran Drescher) and Bobbi argue stands out as one of the funniest moments on TV this year. Broad City just kept getting better, and for that, yas kween!

Read about Dana Alston’s favorite episodes of the year below:

4. “Twin Peaks: The Return” — “Part 8” (June 25)

When it was announced that David Lynch would direct the entirety of his “Twin Peaks” revival/ sequel, it sounded too good to be true. Fans of the unsettling, wacky and endlessly watchable original program rejoiced in knowing that the story of Laura Palmer would soon be back in the hands of their favorite mad genius. But nobody could have expected what Lynch delivered, partially because nothing like “The Return” has ever been broadcast on television.

There is still a coherent story — kind of — that follows special agent Dale Cooper’s (Kyle MacLachlan) consciousness split between multiple versions of himself. But “Part 8” takes a nightmarish detour into. … aliens and nuclear bombs? Yep. Abandoning his characters and plot for 40 minutes, Lynch takes us straight into the origins of modern evil, laying the blame on humanity’s capacity for destruction. It’s as strange and thrilling as anything on TV this year, even if it leaves its audience members scratching their heads.

3. “Mindhunter” — “Episode 9” (Oct. 13)

Before the term “serial killer” entered the vernacular, the FBI looked at mentally ill murderers like they were sick animals. “Mindhunter” follows the creation of the Behavioral Science Unit, headed by agent Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and his partner Bill Tench (Holt McCallany). Conceived as an effort to better understand, thwart and ultimately convict violent and insane individuals, Ford and Tench interview convicts and pick at their brains, trying to understand how and why they could have murdered so many people.

In the series’ ninth episode, Ford’s obsession with his interviewees starts making his colleagues and loved ones uneasy. That obsession leads to convictions, breakthroughs and useful data. But Ford’s closeness with psychotic killers is unnerving.

When you’re dealing with psychopaths, how close is too close?

2. “Stranger Things 2” — “The Spy” (Oct. 27)

The first season of “Stranger Things” seemed more concerned with checking genre boxes than it was being. … well, good. Luckily, the second goround is as entertaining as a show about monsters and 11-year-old psychics should be. “The Spy” is a perfect encapsulation of everything the show does well, including a series of excellent character moments and a wonderfully tense cliffhanger.

Steve (Joe Keery) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) form a proper bond as they try to eradicate an alien from Dustin’s basement. Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) begin to expose the vast conspiracy controlling Hawkins. And the Duffer brothers show off their vast ‘80s reference repertoire, staging a tense ending around a sequence from “Aliens.” It’s fast, loose, sci-fi fun that manages to maintain some serious stakes.

1. “The Good Place” — “Michael’s Gambit” (Jan. 19)

Few shows can successfully tackle issues of morality in a drama format. Michael Schur — the creative force behind “Parks And Recreation,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and now “The Good Place” — managed to do it with a half-hour network comedy.

The series follows Eleanor (Kristen Bell), a woman who is sent to heaven by mistake and must earn her place among the afterlife’s do-gooders. Michael (Ted Danson) is the heavenly neighborhood’s insecure architect. The setup is clever, and Schur constantly fills his 20-minute episodes with laughs and honestto-goodness debates on what it means to be a good person.

“The Good Place” is a triumph, and the season one finale, “Michael’s Gambit,” blows the doors off of network TV. Schur doesn’t just pull the rug out from under audiences; he lights the rug on fire and twists it into an impossibly large knot. Nobody — seriously, nobody — could have seen this twist coming. Based on the show’s relatively low ratings, not very many people are watching in the first place. That’s a crime, so see it while you still can.

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đ&#x;“– COVER

LIVE MUSIC

BOOMS IN EUGENE

BY SARAROSA DAVIES • TWITTER @SROSIEDOSIE

P

icture this. Tyler, the Creator; Brockhampton; Foo Fighters; Elton John; The Shins. No, this isn’t the lineup for an quirky music festival in LA or Seattle. If you opened up the Emerald’s calendar in the last year, you might have found these in our in listings. Each of these artists played Eugene in 2017.

Let’s face it. Eugene isn’t LA or Seattle or Portland when it comes to a robust music scene. But in the last year, this smaller scene thrived in a way it hasn’t before, according to those involved with the town’s wide-range of venues.

Eugene’s music scene is growing because it offers intimate performance venues and a chance for artists to interact with audiences in a way they might not be able to in nearby West Coast cities. Those who book shows here also are collaborating to improve the market. “I think we are at maximum capacity,� said Kesey Enterprises press manager Doug Fuchs, referring to the scene. Senior Associate Athletic Director in Facilities, Events and Operations at Matthew Knight Arena Mike Duncan agrees.

Duncan booked shows and managed events at Matthew Knight Arena since it was built in 2009. A University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communications graduate, Duncan worked in sports information in Sacramento and eventually found himself drawn to booking arena shows through connections from his first job. Now, he brings audiences to the venue — but not just for sports. He books concerts including large household names, both new and old.

In 2017, audiences at Matthew Knight Arena witnessed star talents ranging from Elton John to the Foo Fighters, as well as an aging Jimmy Buffett and what’s left of Journey. But Eugene’s year in concerts wasn’t just comprised of arena rock shows. Venues throughout town, including the 1,100 capacity McDonald Theatre and metal band favorite, the Cuthbert Amphitheater, also brought acts such as hip-hop flower boy Tyler, the Creator, and Slayer to eager audiences.

Matthew Knight is the largest indoor venue in Eugene, seating 12,000 people at maximum capacity. But even then, Portland’s Moda Center is much bigger at a 19,980 capacity — often drawing artists to play there for more financial gain. Duncan says that even when artists play both markets, Matthew Knight tends to offer a more intimate experience for audiences and bands alike.

This intimate experience may be Eugene’s bread and butter, according to both Duncan and Fuchs. Audiences are able to see artists grow from playing smaller venues such as Sam Bond’s Garage in the Whitaker to WOW Hall or the McDonald, eventually landing at big venues like Matt Knight or the Hult Center if they can muster the following.

And though most concert booking relies on networking and personal relationships, Duncan says he thinks artists notice places they’d play again, especially when it comes to venues like the ones in Eugene. Elton John, who played Matthew Knight in 2011 and returned in March 2017, could be one of those acts.

According to Duncan, Elton John’s concert was Eugene’s largest show of 2017 with just over 12,000 in attendance. GulfWestern singer Jimmy Buffet (10,038) and prolific rock band the Foo Fighters (8,875), rounded out the top three largest attended concerts hosted by the arena in 2017. Duncan also noted that 1980s rock group Journey, comedian Daniel Tosh and the Trans Siberian Orchestra were among its most popular shows last year.

But more often than not, artists will play both Portland and James Mercer of The Shins sings to the crowd at McDonald Theatre in Eugene, Ore. on Sept. 25, 2017. (Sarah Northrop) PA G E 6

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Eugene, especially when it comes to medium or large-sized venues such as McDonald and WOW Hall.

While these venues may have different functions — WOW Hall is also a community center — they tend to draw artists who play similar caliber venues twohours to the north.

An audience in Eugene was regaled by Tyler, the Creator at the comparatively small McDonald Theatre before Portland gets to hear him later this month at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The McDonald Theatre is about 1 percent the size of the near 12,000 capacity Memorial Coliseum.

Fuchs said hip-hop and EDM are two burgeoning touring genres in Eugene, especially at the McDonald Theatre. The Macklemore concert in October sold out in six minutes. Tickets for Snoop Dog’s show at the Cuthbert sold out in around the same time, according to Fuchs.

Joshua Finch, the programming manager at WOW Hall, said one of the most exciting shows of the year was up-and-coming hip-hop group Brockhampton.

Finch, who started his position at WOW Hall in August, worked the day of the show, and talked to Kevin Abstract, a member of the group while setting the stage. Abstract said that the group had been playing shows to three people at the beginning of their tour.

“We have a tendency to get folks who are on their way up, when they really blow up, or on the tour when they blow up,” Finch said. “Or they have plateaued a bit and are on their way down.”

The Brockhampton show at WOW Hall sold out.

The venue’s standing capacity is 600 people. Emerald

A&C associate editor Zach Price reviewed the show, writing: “An emotional moment came towards the end of the night with the band’s playing of “BUMP.” As the song went on, people pulled their significant others close, friends could be seen throwing arms around each other’s shoulders and the entire crowd joined the band in celebration.”

“These days, music is more than music,” Fuchs said, referring to visual spectacles including lights and pyrotechnics that often accompany shows at the McDonald Theater. Fuchs said touring artists are surprised by the size of the venue’s stage and its ability to fit everything from stage backdrops to lights.

In 2017, the McDonald Theatre had one of its best years yet, selling out more shows than it had in years, including indie-rock group The Shins and indie-folk troubadour Iron and Wine. Fuchs says he attributes this to a good economy — it was harder to book shows during the recession — and that allows smaller bands to take more risks.

“We’re starting to get a lot more new music and a lot more promoters interested in putting their own programming at our venue — both because of the vibrant economy in Oregon and how well music is doing in Eugene,” he said.

Fuchs also noted that venues backed by larger promoters consistently sell-out — meaning it’s not a marker for success for the venue as much as it is for the artist. But the McDonald is in a unique place where bands of a certain caliber can play to a more intimate audience — with clear acoustics and production values to match, according to Fuchs.

Brockhampton sells out the WOW Hall in Eugene, Ore. on Sept. 29, 2017. (Phillip Quinn)

Still, because the population is smaller, the market and concert turnout are, too.

“We have to be really careful in how we craft these proposals, knowing that odds are we aren’t going to sell out every show, but that we may come close,” Fuchs said. ‘You can’t book to sell out.”

While this may mean some struggles for venues trying to book shows — Finch aims to be more mindful when booking artists for WOW Hall in the next year — audiences benefit from smaller, more intimate shows with their favorite artists.

“Really the only genuine shortcomings I’m seeing are based on the size of the town itself,” he said.

More and more artists are coming through Eugene, sometimes too many for the population size.

But as the draw for major touring artists continues to grow, those who put on concerts are working together and expanding their reach. Finch is in communication with bookers at Hi-Fi Music Hall to avoid scheduling conflicts.

At Matthew Knight, Duncan will look to bring in high concert attendance with performances from more big-name acts in 2018. Concerts from legendary rock guitarist Carlos Santana and country superstars Miranda Lambert, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw are expected to garner large crowds and high ticket sales for the venue in the coming year.

“I guess what I’m looking forward to more than anything is to further those relationships and work better as a booking community, rather than just a bunch of isolated venues,” Finch said. “The more stuff that comes through town as a whole, the better it is for everybody.”

Tyler, the Creator performs at the McDonald Theatre in Eugene, Ore. on Nov. 4, 2017. (Phillip Quinn)

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OPINION

IT’S TIME TO LOWER THE DRINKING AGE

BY TED YANEZ

(Creative Commons)

I

n an effort to reduce alcoholism, a few state lawmakers in Wisconsin are trying to lower the drinking age from 21 to 19. While the National Minimum Drinking Age Act is responsible for the 21-year age restriction, quite a few states allow minors to consume alcohol in private residences with parental consent. Oregon is one of these states. The federal law is likely to create some hardships for this seemingly insane idea; however, with the recent prevalence of underage binge drinking, I believe that people should be able to drink at the age of majority, which is 18 in most states and territories in the United States.

Reducing Alcoholism: Changing How We View Alcohol Part of reducing alcoholism is reducing the amount of binge drinking. The National Institution of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) showed that in 2003, the average age people first used alcohol in the United States was 14. According to the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in 2015, “32 percent of college students [continued] to stand out as having a relatively high level of binge drinking.” This “high level of binge drinking” was described as “consuming 5 or more drinks in a row… at least once in [a] two-week period.” The NIAAA stated that “other behavior problems associated with alcohol use include rebelliousness.” This could confirm the notion that there exists a “forbidden fruit” association with alcohol and the current legal drinking age.

By lowering the drinking age to 18, those who wait until they’re legally allowed to purchase alcohol can have their first drink in the comfort of their own home rather than away at college. Parents who worry about their children getting alcohol poisoning or getting taken advantage of at parties could then have the confidence that their children will make better choices with alcohol at parties.

How Responsible Drinking Can Stimulate the Economy The economy could be positively stimulated by lowering the drinking age to 18. Assuming that at least half of the about 4,000 incoming freshmen per year over the past few years were 18, there would be at least 12,000 newer students currently attending UO that could now drink. With an increase

in demand, this means more bars would likely open near campus. More bars equates to more jobs and more jobs means more income tax revenue.

The state of Oregon received about $1.53 per capita in alcohol tax revenue from Eugene and Springfield residents this past September. This means that the state could receive up to an additional $18,360 per month in tax revenue, only counting those 12,000 UO students. This does not include others in Eugene and Springfield who graduated high school or attend Lane Community College.

For reference, Eugene and Springfield brought in just under $346,000 in tax revenue during September. That’s an additional $220,320 per year from just UO students in the third largest metropolitan area in the state. While this doesn’t

“Parents could teach healthy drinking habits instead of hoping that their children’s grades aren’t adversely affected by hangovers.” sound like much, the Eugene-Springfield area has four 4-year colleges and universities, a community college, a satellite campus for Pacific University and a post-secondary school.

Some Opposing Arguments Make Little Sense One argument for keeping the drinking age at 21 is that lowering it would impair brain development.

Some argue that a lot of things will turn your brain to mush, like our parents would say about watching too much TV. Many are of the opinion that it is unsafe to drink before you’re 21, but what about enlisting in the military, which only requires you to be 18? There’s a definite risk with that decision, but it only requires you to be the age of majority.

Perhaps an area of concern would be that many

seniors in high school would be able to drink. This is a valid concern, which could possibly be avoided by making the age limit similar to what Wisconsin is considering – 19 years old. Even then, we cannot completely prevent people from buying alcohol for minors.

One thing is certain: The drinking age is actually a purchasing age, which has become a de facto drinking age through misunderstanding. That being said, we cannot ignore the fact that the United States has a binge drinking problem that isn’t common around the world.

Oregonians Need More Alcohol Freedom We have a fairly bad alcoholism problem that can be partially attributed to how minors view alcohol as a forbidden fruit. Perhaps the reason lies within our culture and how alcohol is viewed as something that is chugged like in movies such as ‘Animal House.’ We can make a change in Oregon; lowering the drinking age can help change how minors view alcohol.

Parents could teach healthy drinking habits instead of hoping that their children’s grades aren’t adversely affected by hangovers. There’s the fact that we could help improve the economy in several ways – job creation, more cash flowing through businesses and an increase in tax revenue. While this sounds nice, there’s something that has been seemingly forgotten about ourselves as a society: our personal freedom.

At some point in our generation, the state will need to make a decision about its priorities: Should we be tightening laws on what people can willingly take into their bodies or should we broaden these laws to make Oregon an example of freedom? If we continue to allow the state to tell us what to think and believe, we’re not going to be a free state. After all, Oregon is a state with a wide variety of beer, wine and distilled spirits, but if you dare have any of these drinks on a public sidewalk (outside of Hood River), the police will hand you a ticket. Does this sound like the state has your personal freedoms in mind?

We also need to seriously consider a few other questions: How many college students must be taken advantage of at parties before we take this issue seriously? How many people must be hospitalized for alcohol poisoning before we think about changing behavior through awareness and teaching responsible drinking habits? Hopefully, we can come to our senses before it gets too out of hand.

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Welcome to your new home away from home.

2 Eugene locations!

840 Willamette St. + 2540 Willamette St.

find us on Hungry Ducks!

New Year’s Resolution:

Learn Another Language Winter term 2018 course offerings include: Chinese Hindi/Urdu Nepali Persian Thai Turkish Vietnamese

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Don’t Get IMPACTED, Make the WISE Choice.

Choose Dr. John E. Villano, Eugene’s Wisdom Tooth Expert!

Conveniently located near UO. Student discounts available and most insurances accepted.

Interested?

Find courses under LT199, or register at the Yamada Language Center. Credit or non-credit options available.

Orientation is Thursday, Jan. 11, 5:30-7:00 in 175 McKenzie Hall.

Yamada Language Center; 175 McKenzie 541-346-4011; flstudy@uoregon.edu; babel.uoregon.edu PA G E 1 0

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2233 Willamette Street Building G Eugene, OR 97405 Phone 541.484.2136 Fax 541.484.0960 eugeneoralsurgery.com

⚡ SPORTS

MBB PREVIEW: ARIZONA STATE

BY JACK BUTLER • TWITTER @BUTLER917 Oregon Ducks guard Payton Pritchard (3) drives down the court in game against the Central Arkansas Bears in Eugene, Ore. on Dec. 20, 2017. (Devin Roux)

In Joe Lunardi’s latest ESPN Bracketology, the Ducks are nowhere to be found.

If they want to jump back into NCAA Tournament conversation, they need at least one win over either Arizona State or Arizona. Both are unlikely.

Arizona State, the surprise team of the Pac-12, started the season 12-0 with wins over Kansas and Xavier, but Pac-12 play hasn’t gone as well for the Sun Devils.

They lost their first two conference games, dropping away games against Arizona and Colorado.

The Ducks play at No. 11 Arizona State on Thursday. The Sun Devils have a potent offense, scoring 120.8 points per 100 possessions, according to kenpom. com, which ranks fourth in the country.

The Sun Devils are led by a potent backcourt. Shooting guard Tra Holder leads the Pac-12 in scoring with 21.4 points per game. Point guard Shannon Evans is also in the top 10 in points per game with 16.9.

Arizona State will attack the Ducks with its guards and fast tempo. The Sun Devils aren’t the fastest team in the country, but they are far faster than the Ducks.

Beating the upstart Sun Devils would be an impressive win for Oregon. The Ducks will need to out-rebound the Sun Devils if they want to win. Oregon is 10-1 when winning the rebounding battle this season, and Arizona State is only ninth in the Pac-12 in rebounding margin.

The two Arizona schools are the top two shooting teams in the Pac-12, and

Oregon is the top shooting defense.

This means the Ducks have a chance, but Arizona has looked even better than the Sun Devils.

The Wildcats were many people’s No. 1 team in the country in the preseason, but a 3-3 record tarnished the start of the season. Since then, Arizona has gone 11-1, with the only loss at Colorado.

While Arizona State is led by its guards, No. 17 Arizona is led by its center Deandre Ayton.

Ayton could be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. The 7-foot-1-inch, 250-pound freshman is averaging a double-double: 20 points and 11.6 rebounds. He’s third in the Pac-12 in points per game and first in rebounds.

Arizona is the 13th tallest team in the country, so the Ducks will have to rely on their centers and forwards throughout the game. If the Ducks want to challenge Arizona, then Kenny Wooten will need to limit his fouls so the Ducks can limit Ayton.

Even if Ayton is off, Arizona has experienced, talented players around him.

Shooting guard Alonzo Trier is a quality scorer who has one of the best true shooting percentages in the country.

He is versatile. He plays minutes at point guard and small forward for the Wildcats.

If the Ducks wish to make the NCAA Tournament, they do not want to go 0-2 in the desert and drop to 1-4 in the Pac12. One win between the two opponents would be impressive, and two would be monumental.

Keith Achepohl (American, born 1934). Forest Walks #3, 2012. Watercolor on paper, 30 x 22 inches.

January 20 – April 29, 2018 Opening Reception | Friday, January 19 | Members, 5–6 p.m. | Public, 6–8 p.m.

Conversations in the Gallery | Saturday, January 20, 2 p.m.

With Keith Achepohl; exhibition curators Jill Hartz and Danielle Knapp; Robert and Desirée Yarber, directors of the Morris Graves Foundation; and Cory Gundlach, Curator of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, University of Iowa Museum of Art Keith Achepohl: Vision of Nature/Vessel of Beauty is made possible with the generous support of the Coeta and Donald Barker Changing Exhibitions Endowment; the Harold and Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation; the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; Philip and Sandra Piele; Diana Gardener; and JSMA members.

Visit https://jsma.uoregon.edu for full schedule of exhibitions and events.

Are you a UO Student Member? Join today! http://jsma.uoregon.edu/student-membership

jsma.uoregon.edu • 541.346.3027 EO/AA/ADA institution committed to cultural diversity

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