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JANUARY 29, 2024

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DASHING, DAZZLING

UNDERREPRESENTED UNDERREPRESENTED Opinion: Drag kings are an integral part of the drag community and history — but are often overlooked

NEWS: SOJC supports Eugene Weekly PG 4 • OPINION: Oregon needs to be better prepared for winter weather PG 5 • A&C: Predicting 2024 fashion trends PG 7

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CALENDAR OF

EVENTS This week’s picks...

A tree, uprooted due to the recent winter storm that passed through Oregon, lies across the lawn between the University of Oregon’s Lokey Education Complex and Alder Street on Jan. 23, 2024. (Alex Hernandez/Emerald)

NEWSROOM EDITOR IN CHIEF

Evan Reynolds PRINT MANAGING EDITOR

Emma J Nelson

DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR

Romie Avivi Stuhl NEWS EDITOR

Tristin Hoffman A&C EDITOR

Evan Huntington SPORTS EDITORS

Nina-Grace Montes Brady Ruth OPINION EDITOR

Sophia Cossette PHOTO EDITOR

Molly McPherson DESIGN EDITOR

Liz Blodgett COPY CHIEF

Olivia Ellerbruch SENIOR COPY EDITOR

Alex Woodward

Eugene Public Works maintenance staff clear the branches of a tree that was uprooted by the recent winter storm from Alder Street and the nearby sidewalk on Jan. 23, 2024. (Alex Hernandez/ Emerald)

THE STUDENT FOOD PANTRY

VIDEO EDITOR

Anne Marie Armstrong PODCAST EDITOR

Mirandah Davis-Powell SOCIALS EDITOR

Alicia Santiago VISUALS EDITOR

Stella Fetherston

BUSINESS PUBLISHER & PRESIDENT

Eric Henry X317 ehenry@dailyemerald.com VP OPERATIONS

Kathy Carbone X302 kcarbone@dailyemerald.com DIRECTOR OF SALES & DIGITAL MARKETING

Shelly Rondestvedt X303 srondestvedt@dailyemerald. com

Eugene Public Works maintenance staff bring equipment back to their vehicle after clearing the branches of a tree that was uprooted on Jan. 23, 2024. (Alex Hernandez/Emerald)

CREATIVE & TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Anna Smith X327 creative@dailyemerald.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Lola Tagwerker Cori Caplinger Cooper Gast Taylor Baumgardner

ON THE COVER

Heavy Cream, a drag king, begins the show with the first performance at the open lip-sync event at Spectrum bar on Jan. 18, 2024. (Alex Hernandez/Emerald)

THE DAILY EMERALD

The Daily Emerald is published

by Emerald Media Group, Inc., the independent nonprofit media company at the University of Oregon. Formerly the Oregon Daily Emerald, the news organization was founded in 1900.

Trees fell across the University of Oregon campus as a result of last week’s ice storm. (Lulu Devoulin/Emerald)

The pantry is open to all college students in the Eugene area! Every Wednesday this winter term from 4 to 6 p.m., the Grace Evangelical Church hands out free supplementary food. Enter from the alley on 17th Ave between Alder and Hilyard with a bag and student ID number.

STRESS-LESS MONDAY HIKES Interested in getting outside and meeting new friends along the way? The Outdoor Program offers hikes every other Monday from 3 to 6 p.m. for $5.

This week, they’re hiking Mount Pisgah. Call (541) 346-4371 or (541) 346-6092 to sign up!

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NEWS

policy to donate to every organization that needs the type of support.”

One reason why some students feel UO has a responsibility to support the Weekly is because of the close connection that the paper and the university have maintained since the Weekly’s founding in 1982.

“The Weekly has been the leading champion in helping While it can’t donate directly, the SOJC is finding other journalism students get published,” ways to support the Eugene Weekly journalism professor Brent Walth said.

BY MEGAN SNYDER AND YSABELLA SOSA • DESIGNED BY RYAN EHRHART “Oftentimes it is [students’] first After the staff of local newspaper Eugene professional experience in publishing.”

Weekly discovered they were the victims of an In addition to serving as the Weekly’s editor in alleged embezzlement late December 2023, chief, Mortensen is also an SOJC professor. leaving them thousands of dollars in debt, “[It’s a] slight conflict of interest because she UO’s School of Journalism and Communication [Mortensen] is an adjunct professor,” Billy Spotz, made an Instagram post encouraging former SOJC student and current KVAL 13 Eugene community donations. multimedia journalist, said. “Offering words of support bringing awareness is more than enough “We [SOJC] believe that it’s our responsibility in this circumstance.” to continue advocating and to continue raising UO student work for the Weekly is done by the voice in defense of functional operation,” interns, freelance writers and students who have SOJC Dean Juan-Carlos Molleda said. “We are published stories in the paper through the Catalyst constantly advocating for the importance of local Journalism Project, a UO initiative that helps news and information for a functional democracy students do investigative and solutions-focused and a functional society.” reporting through local publications.

So far, the Weekly has received an estimated “Catalyst has many, many news partners $150,000 in donations towards their $188,000 across the state,” Walth said, “but the Weekly goal through a combination of their GoFundMe has been our first partner, and in some ways, our page, direct donations and local business most prolific partner.” fundraisers, Camilla Mortensen, editor in chief Recently, the project has stepped up its efforts of the Weekly, said. during the Weekly’s financial crisis. As the Several comments on the Instagram post newspaper returns to its print edition, five new suggested that the university itself should donate Catalyst reporters are working for the Weekly and to the Weekly, calling into question UO’s role in the several other UO students are working on in-depth Eugene community and the SOJC’s relationship investigations for the paper. with local publications.

Due to money from donors, the Catalyst Under the University Fiscal Policy, the Reporting Program pays these students an hourly university has no authority or obligation to wage for the work they contribute to the Weekly make disbursements for voluntary contributions — allowing students to continue having paid or donations. Therefore, the SOJC department internships despite the embezzlement situation. has no authority to make any monetary Additionally, UO faculty have talked about disbursements to the Weekly. doing even more to encourage students to “No, it’s not possible,” Molleda said. ‘The funds bring their work to the Weekly, as the Weekly’s we [SOJC] have [are] already restrictive to the current news staff have been working unpaid to operations of the school.” keep the paper running.

According to Molleda, the SOJC department has The goal of students bringing articles to the shown support in a variety of non-monetary ways.

Weekly is that the paper will be able to continue “We have reached out to [Eugene Weekly] showing the community that it’s dedicated to in terms of expressing our concern because reporting on issues that matter. For example, it’s also expressing our solidarity with their students have recently published stories covering situation,” he said. community issues regarding public schools, public Molleda continued to state that “if we [SOJC] safety and homelessness. were able to donate, we will have to have a

SOJC, CATALYST SUPPORT EUGENE WEEKLY

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SOJC Dean Juan-Carlos Molleda stands for his portrait.(Lulu Devoulin/ Emerald)

“That’s the right kind of contribution that we can be providing at this school,” Walth said.

In the case of the Weekly shutting down, students of the SOJC hope the department would bring new opportunities to peers.

Molleda feels that the department is already providing substantial resources — including Snowden Internships and various study abroad programs.

“Our responsibility is in the business of educating you and then making the connections with the industry and the different organizations,” Dean Molleda said. “We give you the tools. We have the connections, we bring the opportunities, but it’s up to the organizations that we partner with, and students to really move forward after graduation.”

Due to the support given by the Eugene community and the work being done by UO students for the paper, Walth believes that Eugene Weekly will persevere through this situation.

“I think it will become a stronger and more prominent news voice in the community than ever before,” he said, “not just survive, but thrive.”

According to Mortensen, some of the Weekly’s unpaid debts are still being uncovered. However, the Weekly is currently taking steps to make sure the paper is sustainable moving forward by implementing a new business model.

Community members are grateful that the Weekly is receiving so much support.

“People really rallied. I think it was really important for the SOJC to kind of stand up and say something about it, as well,” Spotz said. “This shows how strong and tight knit this [Eugene] community can be when push comes to shove.

COX: OREGON NEEDS TO BETTER

OPINION

PREPARE FOR WINTER WEATHER OPINION: We can’t keep completely shutting down for snow and ice

BY GRACIE COX • DESIGNED BY GABRIELA MARTINEZ

People walk through the UO campus during a winter storm on Jan. 13, 2024. (Alex Hernandez/Emerald)

As a lifelong Oregonian, one of the few constants of my life has been the stand-still effect of snow and ice. From trekking through ice to my local library as a kid to slipping my way to the dining hall this year, snow has always been the ultimate nuisance.

In a state where severe winter weather used to be an uncommon event, Oregon lacks the experience and resources to keep our winter wonderlands from becoming a week-long nightmare. With this in mind, how can we better tackle these hazards in the future?

First, let’s look at our current practices for winter storm mitigation. According to Josh Bruce, the associate director for applied research at the University of Oregon’s Institute for Policy Research and Engagement, effective mitigation practices include “diverse and redundant infrastructure systems, trimming trees near overhead power lines or undergrounding power lines, de-icing roads and clearing ice dams from stormwater drains.”

While these practices are implemented at state, regional and local levels by the Department of Land Conservation and Development, their immediate productivity is debated. Despite these measures, “more than 200,000 locations were without power across the state,” as reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting. This was mainly due to an influx of downed trees that, despite their trimming, still wreaked havoc against power lines. While these mitigation practices assist in preparedness for the long run, they have a negligible effect when storm events occur.

“Additional funding could help complete [further] mitigation actions. At the end of the day, we can’t mitigate all hazard vulnerabilities especially when they are as intense as the recent winter storm event,” Bruce said.

When a lack of funding is the problem, pressure falls on agencies such as the Department of Emergency Management to form mutual aid agreements in order to bring in equipment, such as the sought-after snow plow, in times of need.

Oregon is a member of multiple of these agreements, connected both nationally and regionally to interstate resources.

When it comes down to it, other states’ snow plows and de-icers are insufficient when areas receive more than a couple inches of snow. When this occurs, many are unable to exit their homes in order to buy groceries or go to work. In actuality, Oregonians are stranded by their government in such times of need.

Knowing this, Oregon encourages all residents to be “Two-Weeks Ready.”

This includes being personally responsible for staying informed, making an emergency plan and building an emergency kit. This is meant to reduce the individual harm of hazardous events, especially the most severe.

While seeming like a solid plan, I question whether it’s entirely achievable for the population. For instance, many college students lack the resources (and even planning skills) to properly prepare themselves for such incidents. A run-of-themill two-week emergency kit costs over $50, an investment that most students are unable or unwilling to make. The same reality rings true for homemade kits; they require a significant amount of money and energy to make.

In the most recent storm, UO students who failed to be “Two-Weeks Ready” certainly felt the effects of an ice-coated campus.

“It was really difficult to get around campus without slipping and falling, firstyear Stella Edmondson said. “Also, WiFi and power outages made it difficult to keep up with my classes.”

It’s not sustainable for the state, and all those who reside in it, to stop functioning when winter weather inevitably occurs. Unfortunately, within an area where such incidents are relatively rare, the burden largely falls on individuals to prepare themselves for problems that could be dealt with on an infrastructural level.

As a college student, I suggest making at least some effort to prepare for emergencies. This may not include putting together a full emergency kit, but try to keep some of the most necessary items on hand. On a more direct level, try to make smart decisions in the event of natural hazards. Yes, riding bike racks down icy hills seems fun in the moment, but try to prioritize your personal safety, especially when that patch of ice isn’t going to be plowed away anytime soon.

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A&C

PREDICTING 2024 FASHION TRENDS BOWS AND MONOCHROME: UO PREDICTS WHAT’S IN AND OUT IN 2024

BY JOSH BERK • DESIGNED BY ADALEAH CARMAN Fashion trends change year to year almost more consistently than the season. Maybe no better place exists to witness these trends evolve in real time than a college campus.

“Scarves are going in — those are kind of already in,” multidisciplinary science major Miles Felt said.

The cold weather might contribute to an increase in scarves this year, but they do seem more popular than ever. Advertising and Spanish major Aidan Gratton concurs: Scarves are coming in for 2024.

The most resounding out — with only a few years back in popularity — are baggy pants.

“Baggy pants are going to be less popular,” Felt said.

Being less popular could mean a lot of things.

Baggy is probably the most en vogue style of pants right now, so becoming less popular might not

completely erase them.

But rest assured, this does not mean Felt thinks skinny jeans should come back.

“Skinny jeans are always out. I hate skinny jeans — I have a vendetta against them,” Felt said.

Bows are another new trend that took over in

“SKINNY JEANS ARE ALWAYS OUT. I HATE SKINNY JEANS, I HAVE A VENDETTA AGAINST THEM,” FELT SAID.

2023, but their time in the spotlight might be coming to a close.

“I think bows are out for sure. I feel like they were here for a sec, but they need to go because they’re oversaturated now,” anthropology major Nicole Fross said.

Journalism professor Chris Pietsch said he doesn’t keep up with college students’ fashion trends, but will continue to wear denim and flannel.

Some well-dressed individuals are open to a variety of trends coming in 2024.

“Fashion is up for everyone’s own personal interpretation so as long as you like it, then as you should. Keep wearing it,” Spanish and sociology major Melia Miller said.

Plenty of people take this advice to heart and are ready to start 2024 with their own unique style and bold choices.

“As an older person I prefer to wear a uniform that I can wear all the time,” sculpture major Abhishek Kulkarni said.

Kulkarni said he could not predict any upcoming fashion trends, but for him monochrome will remain in style.

New years always see changes in the clothing landscape. Fashion lovers should have a lot of 2024 inspiration by February, with Milan, London and New York’s fashion weeks all coming together within the next month.

“MY IN: PURPLE MY OUT: TOTE BAGS” BAGS (Stella Fetherston/Emerald)

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COVER Heavy Cream, a drag king and co-host of the open lic-sync event, announces the next performer, Angel Face, a drag king, at Spectrum bar on Jan. 18, 2024.

(Alex Hernandez/Emerald)

KAVANAGH:

THE COMPLEX PAST AND PRESENT OF DRAG KINGS “There’s something different about the drag king community.

There’s an underlying understanding there, an instant connection. We all have a similar experience, which creates an immediate bond,” Heavy Cream, a drag king local to Eugene, said.

Drag is an art form that is always changing. It is subject to the tolerance of the societies around it and what dominates, or scandalizes, modern culture.

Only a few decades ago, one of the only places someone could see a drag performance was at late-night underground clubs, which were under constant threat of police raids.

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hardships. At the beginning of 2023, several states under conservative control began concerted political attacks against drag performers.

This has mainly come in the form of “drag ban” laws, which are thinly veiled attempts to ban the expression of transgender and gender nonconforming people.

Most of them have been held up or struck down in state courts, but that doesn’t get rid of the underlying hatred behind creating them. The joy and creativity with which drag performers subvert and play with gender can never be stamped out, but it’s threatened by the current wave of transphobic hate.

Despite efforts to censor them, drag queens are known figures in pop culture. Some people were introduced to it through the shocking antics of Divine in John Waters movies or during the rise of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” the most prominent drag reality show. Many performers who have been on “Drag Race” have been able to make a

OPINION: Drag kings often struggle to receive recognition, even within the LGBTQ+ community

BY EMILY KAVANAGH • DESIGNED BY RYAN EHRHART

name for themselves in the LGBTQ+ community and beyond by having tours, guest appearances and large social media presences.

There are, however, many more forms of drag other than the “glam” look that is now familiar in the mainstream with drag queens such as Trixie Mattel. It is just one expression among a sea of others. While drag queens are often known for turning femininity into a performance, drag kings do that with masculinity. According to Judith Halberstam, a prominent queer and feminist theorist, a drag king is “a performer who pinpoints and exploits the (often obscured) theatricality of masculinity.”

“We’re just as talented as the queens, [and] we deserve to hold the space with them,” Juno Harm, another drag king in Eugene, said.

“And we’re just as varied as any other type of performers, so give us a fair shot.”

Male impersonators, an earlier term for masculine drag performers,

have been around for a long time.

Marlene Dietrich donned a suit and top hat in pre-Hays Code, or pre-censorship, Hollywood films where she sang, danced and flirted with women. Stormé DeLarverie, a Black drag king who was famous on the night club circuit in the ‘50s and ‘60s, was at Stonewall Inn the night of the pivotal 1969 riot and is said to have thrown one of the first bricks at the police.

Just as the history of drag kings isn’t often discussed, modern drag kings don’t see themselves represented to the same degree drag queens are. That means that many people, especially queer women and transmasculine people, don’t feel they have as much of a space in drag because they can’t explore masculinity as a performance in the way that drag queens can explore femininity.

“I’d always admired the drag community but didn’t feel I had a place there. Seeing a drag king for the first time was an eye-

COVER

Heavy Cream, a drag king, and Lavender Haze, a drag queen, co-host the open lip-sync event at Spectrum bar on Jan. 18, 2024. (Alex Hernandez/Emerald)

opening experience, showing me that, actually, I can do this,” Heavy Cream said.

Here in Eugene, there is a treasure trove of local drag artists to see.

Many of them perform at Spectrum, the queer bar in town, and they have a unique and creative spirit. Drag artists can be found at the many themed events and nights held at Spectrum that aim to cater to every part of the LGBTQ+ community.

“I’m very fortunate to be a drag artist in Eugene because we have a very supportive community here,” Heavy Cream said.

Exploring masculinity through drag can be a liberating experience for many types of performers.

One of the first times I saw a performance of masculine drag was Lady Gaga playing the character of Jo Calderone at the 2010 VMAs, where she did a musical number and flirted with Britney Spears. Gaga also appeared as her male alter ego in her music video for the song “Yoü and I,” and she did several magazine photoshoots using the character.

When asked about the creation of the character in V Magazine, Gaga said that she asked the question, “How can we fuck with the malleable minds of onlookers and shift the world’s perspective on what’s beautiful? And the answer? Drag.”

If one of the biggest pop stars of the 2000s and 2010s found something profound and beautiful in being a drag king, it shows how much masculine drag can impact

the performers and their audience.

Deconstructing and parodying masculine gender roles and stereotypes can be deeply cathartic and humorous.

“Drag was one of those things when I looked at it that hit all the marks for what I love.

Music, dancing, comedy, prop work [and] costuming. Once I tried it out it was true kismet,” Heavy Cream said. “Comedy is a big thing that inspires me.”

Femininity is a known performance, with its trappings of makeup, heels and dresses.

Masculinity, however, is still seen as something more valued

in society. When drag kings break this apart and expose hypermasculinity for the often comedic and exaggerated construct it is, people get uncomfortable.

“There are expectations to do more when you’re a drag king. By default people assume you’re boring compared to drag queens. You have to do a lot to make up for that,” Juno Harm said. “It puts you at a disadvantage, but sets you up for a comeback story.”

The fruits of that comeback story can often be difficult to reach. To receive recognition, drag kings often have to work very hard to find

welcoming spaces to perform and the right audiences.

“When you see a king you are seeing true quality talent there.

They are giving it their all,” Heavy Cream said. “We are some of the most hardworking and dedicated artists out there.”

Heavy Cream will start hosting a drag king-themed show called Men at Werk bimonthly at Spectrum. The first night will happen Feb. 23, and it’s open to attend for anyone 18 and up.

“We wanted the show to be accessible to more of the youth in Eugene,” he said.

For anyone interested in supporting drag kings locally, or just curious to see what it’s all about, I highly recommend going. All recognition starts on a local level and the more of an enthusiastic audience there is for them, the more opportunities drag kings will have. It also could inspire a new crop of artists, who would finally see new opportunities for themselves in drag.

Drag kings deserve to have just as many welcoming spaces and open doors as drag queens do. Their history, artistry and passion speaks for itself and kings all over the world continue to innovate and to charm their audiences.

Hottboxx, a “drag monster,” performs at the open lip-sync event at Spectrum bar on Jan. 18, 2024. (Alex Hernandez/Emerald)

“THERE ARE EXPECTATIONS TO DO MORE WHEN YOU’RE A DRAG KING. BY DEFAULT PEOPLE ASSUME YOU’RE BORING COMPARED TO DRAG QUEENS. YOU HAVE TO DO A LOT TO MAKE UP FOR THAT. IT PUTS YOU AT A DISADVANTAGE, BUT SETS YOU UP FOR A COMEBACK STORY.” JUNO HARM Eugene drag king (not pictured)

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CROSSWORD 69 Copier paper 37 Boxer ACROSS pack Muhammad 1 Includes on an 70 “Of course!”

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© 2023 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

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SPORTS

SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS OPINION: Kelly Graves and Oregon women’s basketball are entering desperation mode

After another weekend in Pac-12 play, Oregon head coach Kelly Graves walkeds off the court with his team suffering yet another pair of deflating losses. What is typically a joyous presence on the sidelines hasn’t had much to smile about lately.

Graves’ program is a shadow of what it once was.

The past couple of seasons have been rough, to say the least. After an up-anddown season in 2023, the Ducks missed out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. To make matters worse, two of their top three scorers transferred following a quarterfinal loss in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.

This year hasn’t been any better.

After Oregon’s recent trip to the Bay Area, it has a record of 11-9, including 2-5 in Pac-12 games.

While that record doesn’t look horrible on paper, the product on the court hasn’t been there. This is a team that lost by 39 points to Santa Clara at home, consistently struggles to shoot the ball and has only won two road games.

Not one person is solely to blame for the Ducks’ recent issues. When a team makes the same mistakes repeatedly, however, it’s difficult not

to question the person in charge.

Some of the issues this Oregon team has can be brushed off. For example, the program didn’t recruit many three-point shooters, which is something that can be fixed with offseason transfers. What is worrisome is that some problems could go beyond this year’s roster.

Outside of starters Grace VanSlooten, Chance Gray and Phillipina Kyei, the team struggles to find supplementary scoring.

That’s not to say that the ability isn’t there outside those three. This is a Ducks squad that came in with the No. 16 recruiting class nationally.

Still, most of the time it seems that Graves is only drawing up plays for VanSlooten, Gray and Kyei.

Outside of collective involvement, there are plenty of other concerns.

Oregon turns the ball over at a high clip. If it’s not turnovers that are crushing the squad, it’s fouls. If it’s not fouling, it’s failed defensive schemes. There’s always something getting in the way of winning.

“We just got to consistently have more effort,” Graves said at a practice earlier in the

season. “We’ve shown flashes.”

The team has shown glimpses that it can be a promising young group, but consistency just hasn’t been there. It’s past the point of morale losses. Graves and the coaching staff need to find answers and they need to find them soon.

To his credit, the Ducks’ have achieved more success under Graves’ tenure than perhaps any other coach. He inherited a stumbling program and brought it two Pac-12 Tournament wins and three regular season conference titles. He led them to the NCAA Tournament every year from 2017 through 2022 — with the exception of the canceled 2020 tournament. The height of the team’s achievements came in 2019 when it made the Final Four.

But what can be considered the golden age of Oregon women’s basketball eventually came to an end.

Graves’ superstar trio of Ruthy Hebard, Satou Sabally and Sabrina Ionescu all left for the WNBA Draft in 2020.

Without the big three, the program once again entered rebuild mode.

Maybe the Ducks’ decline could’ve been avoided.

They could’ve lured in more transfer portal talents.

Instead, Graves relies

BY LILY CRANE DESIGNED BY EVA ANDREWS mostly on freshmen and sophomores to find wins.

“With young teams, they can’t grow up overnight,” Graves said before wins against Arizona and Arizona State.

He voiced that developing players isn’t a process that can be rushed. He’s right, but development doesn’t mean much for this team if players transfer as soon as they’re ready to lead.

Now players who were Oregon’s biggest contributors — like Te-Hina Paopao or Endiya Rogers — tend to jump off the sinking ship. Players don’t stay with the Ducks long enough for a new program identity to emerge.

This is an Oregon team stuck in between what it once was and what it can be. The Ducks need their coach to show them that they can win with the players they have now. They need to see that there’s a reason to stay.

They need a reason to believe in both Graves and their own ability to win.

Oregon has risen from the ashes with Graves at the helm once before.

Time is ticking for him to bring it back to prominence once again.

Kelly Graves sits between his starters on the bench and talks with them about how the game is going. The Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team took on the Santa Clara Broncos on Nov. 18, 2023 in Eugene, Ore. (Molly McPherson/Emerald) M O N D AY, J A N UA R Y 2 9 , 2 0 2 4

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M O N D AY, J A N UA R Y 2 9 , 2 0 2 4