10-16-23 Emerald Media - ODE

Monday Edition

OCTOBER 16, 2023

Emerald Media

SCHOLZ, ON THE RECORD University of Oregon President John Karl Scholz sat down with the Daily Emerald for an exclusive interview

OPINION: Gamlen: Weed or alcohol? PG 4 • A&C: Local thrift store back in business PG 9 • SPORTS: The end of the Lillard era in Portland PG 10 M O N D AY, O C T O B E R 1 6 , 2 0 2 3

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NEWS

Daily Emerald VOL. 125, ISSUE NO. 11

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ON THE COVER

UO President John Karl Scholz stands on the Ballroom Terrace in the Erb Memorial Union. Scholz, UO’s 19th president, took office on July 1, 2023. (Lulu Devoulin/ 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.

ASUO LOWERS THEIR STIPENDS

BY IAN PROCTOR • DESIGNED BY RYAN EHRHART

UO’s student governing body is attempting to make their stipend system more equitable On Jan. 26, the ASUO Senate approved a plan to lower their stipends in order to raise the stipends of student organization leaders.

The new stipend model will pay Tier 3 student organizations a monthly disbursement of $780, and Tier 4 student organizations can be paid a monthly disbursement of $1,430. Student organization leaders will be able to be paid up to $299/month.

The ASUO president will now be paid $1,300/ month, the vice president will be paid $1,150 and Cabinet secretaries will be paid $550/month.

Legislative officers will be paid a $400/month base stipend, but additional Senate positions could result in up to an additional $300. The Senate president themself can make an additional $600.

In the ASUO judicial branch, justices now make $550/month, and the Chief Justice makes $850/month.

The new stipend plan, written by the financial arm of ASUO President Chloé Webster’s student administration, aims to lower ASUO’s stipends to promote more equity between ASUO and student organizations.

“Historically, there’s been a really big discrepancy between student organizations’ and ASUO officers’ stipends, and that discrepancy has created some tension between student organizations and ASUO,” Webster said. “Coming in, one of our primary goals was to make sure that student organizations know that we support them, and make sure that they feel like ASUO isn’t separate from other student organizations.”

The previous stipend model, which was passed in 2022, attracted controversy due to the large stipends ASUO members received compared to student organization leaders.

Student organization leaders could be paid stipends up to $230/month, while the ASUO president was paid $1,552.50/month. The vice president was paid $1,340, and Cabinet secretaries were paid $730/month. Legislative officers were paid a $609/month base stipend, but additional Senate positions could result in an additional $304. The Senate president themself used to make an additional $609 –– double the original base Senate stipend.

The 2021-22 ASUO president responsible for the original stipend model, Isaiah Boyd, stated in an Emerald op-ed that the intention behind raising the stipend model was to transition to an “assumed work” model that calculated hourly pay. Boyd himself later came under fire for his role in the EMU removal, where jurisdiction over the EMU was handed to the university without the knowledge or consent of the ASUO Senate.

“At that time, you might notice that the ASUO officers’ stipends were nearly quadrupled from the previous stipend model before that. And they

also were based on an hourly system which tried to estimate how many hours officers were working, which is actually illegal,” Webster said.

“Stipends per ASUO regulations are not supposed to be calculated based on a model of hourly pay,” ASUO Vice President Finn Jacobson said. “When the previous administration that was responsible for changing the stipend inflicted those changes and raised ASUO officers’ stipends, student organization pay stayed the same.”

The stipend model passed under Boyd increased ASUO members’ pay by 327%, while the pay of student organizations remained about the same.

“The intention that we heard behind the previous model was to provide increased accessibility to ASUO officership for low income students and for students of color,” Webster said.

“What we know now after a couple of years under this model is that it has done neither of those things, because of the way that stipends impact certain types of financial aid. Just this year, under this current model, we’ve already had resignations related to financial aid.”

Jacobson will head a joint committee on stipend equity in which the executive and legislative branches will seek to examine how to increase the equity and accessibility of ASUO to low-income and minority students while simultaneously lowering their stipends for future years.

In other news, the ASUO Senate also approved a $55,000 request made by the Coalition Against Environmental Racism student group for an environmental justice conference.

The request includes $20,000 to be paid to Robert Irwin, son of late environmentalist and TV personality Steve Irwin, to speak at the event. Runners-up for speakers included Dr. Jill Stein, the Green Party presidential nominee in 2016. However, Irwin was selected due to his familiarity and name recognition.

LOOK ONLINE IN OTHER NEWS

(Emerald Photo Archive)

UO students and community members gathered in a vigil on Oct. 9 for those impacted by the ongoing violence in the Israel-Hamas war.

(Kai Kanzer/Emerald)

The Big Ten’s new scheduling program will drastically increase travel times for students; for instance, the UO football team will travel 12,618 miles on the road next season, compared to 4,509 in 2023.

We want to hear from you: Email editor@ dailyemerald.com to submit a tip or a letter to the editor. The ideal length for a letter is 200-500 words, but we publish letters of various lengths online.

(Lynette Slape / Daily Emerald) M O N D AY, O C T O B E R 1 6 , 2 0 2 3

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OPINION

GAMLEN: WEED OR ALCOHOL?

Opinion: People have been arguing that weed is evil and alcohol is great or vice versa for years. It’s time to re-examine these claims.

BY MILLY GAMLEN • DESIGNED BY LIZ BLODGETT

A White Claw, a Ciderboys, and a Kona Golden Ale stacked against each other. (DL Young/Emerald)

People have always warned about the dangers of smoking weed – how it is a gateway drug and this awful habit to get into. As a child, I was never aware of the irony in front of me when the adults in my life would say that to me with a wine glass in their hands.

I was never told about how dangerous alcohol can be. It was just always something I was supposed to be aware of but not broadcast. Weed? The opposite. In the production of adulthood, weed was this villainous character that “most people” tried once and were scared straight. I was never given any facts to show me what was so scary.

All I was “taught” was that if you smoke it, you will immediately get cancer and die.

So, one side is supported with blind acceptance, while the other is turned away for one aspect of itself. Does that seem fair?

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die from one night of drinking as opposed to one night of smoking, this dichotomy becomes especially problematic. I could go on and on about the historical racism that likely influences our opinions on the two drugs (yes, they’re both drugs), but instead, I want to try and change some of our opinions.

Yes, doing any drug will impact your body negatively. It’s a drug. That should be assumed.

However, when we take into account that smoking cannabis has been proven to be less harmful than smoking cigarettes and that there are a multitude of different ways to ingest marijuana, I still don’t understand why there is a taboo culture surrounding weed but not alcohol.

The opinions of Gen Z are some of the most accurate in regard to this topic. Multiple UO students immediately answered the question by saying alcohol is worse. When it came to the long term, everyone viewed the long-term effects of drinking as a lot worse. Which, so far, is the

correct answer.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates that 140,000 people die annually from alcohol consumption, making it the fourth leading preventable cause of death in this country.

Having said that, many students said that they did not partake in smoking for a multitude of reasons, while still drinking alcohol.

“For me, smoking in the past just gave me a lot of anxiety,” Samantha, a UO student, said.

“I prefer drinking because I do it less,” Gray Moran, another student, said while commenting on each drug’s pros and cons.

Both Samantha and Moran cited the casual daily use aspect of weed as a big reason for straying toward drinking. Weed has been destigmatized and that is where most of the fears seem to grow.

For many, the ambiguity of weed usage makes it a scarier drug than alcohol. However, I would argue that the dangers are obvious as with alcohol; if you drink every hour, you are labeled an alcoholic, while with weed, that just means you’re a stoner.

The reality is that if you consume eight drinks weekly as a woman or 15 if you are a man, that is technically excessive drinking. So, most college students end up falling in the category of excessive drinkers. That doesn’t mean alcohol dependent, It just means that a large amount of the student body consists of excessive drinkers.

Weed on the other hand, does not have the clarification surrounding it that alcohol does with how much is too much. In fact, if you google ‘how much weed is too much?’ you will just find different studies on what they think.

There is no central authority on what is right and what is too much.

Not knowing your limits when it comes to weed consumption and having to place them on yourself is a valid fear when it comes to smoking.

However, I can’t help but wonder how our nerves might have been calmed and perspectives shifted if weed had been our parents’ drug of choice instead of alcohol.

OPINION

(Ellyce Whiteman/Daily Emerald)

MOORE: STOP EXPECTING AI TO BE THE GAME-CHANGER IN JOURNALISM Opinion: AI is already in journalism, and generative models like ChatGPT won’t rip the industry out of people’s hands

BY MADDY MOORE DESIGNED BY LIZ BLODGETT

As ChatGPT’s first anniversary nears, I don’t believe that artificial intelligence will take jobs away from me or my peers. If anything, it could make work better for us in the future. Compared to the opinions of my friends and family outside of journalism, my stance may seem optimistic or naive, but I think it’s unrealistic to expect AI to transform writing or the industry into algorithms.

ChatGPT’s arrival in November 2022 brought expectations and fears to the front of many people’s minds. In academia, the fear of professors is that students will stop writing original work for assignments and rely too heavily on AI tools. Both reporters and fiction writers face the fear that if AI gets good enough, there could be job loss in their industries. Even though AI and algorithms are not new, the generative AI site sparked the belief that technology could complete writing-based tasks.

Generative AI platforms are not the first “game-changers” to face high expectations from the journalism industry and the general public. When Apple launched the iPad in 2010, newspapers like the New York Times faced financial instability and hoped the new technology would draw readers back to the paper. The two waves of excitement in 2010 and now demonstrate how expectations may fall short of technology’s abilities.

Newsrooms have used AI in journalism for automated news and machinewritten stories over the last decade. Most pieces written by AI are on datafocused topics like companies’ financial reports, sports results and athlete statistics, weather and traffic updates. So, for straightforward data reporting, AI has already proved its usefulness.

“Until you get to bigger analyses about these sorts of topics, it’s like Mad Libs,” Bryce Newell, an associate professor of media law and policy at the University of Oregon, said. “You can take certain information and have a template. You can plug and play statistics.”

When discussing how AI writes, whether it is for journalism or academia, Newell said templates for data reporting can be more reliable than generating an original story. Prompts that tell AI to create original writing can lead to mistakes and false information, known as AI hallucinations. These hallucinations are leaps and conclusions drawn by algorithms that range from

offensive headlines to attributing books to the wrong authors.

Last month, MSN, Microsoft’s news and content website, published an AIwritten obituary when former NBA player Brandon Hunter died. The automated headline read: “Brandon Hunter useless at 42.” MSN retracted the story after becoming aware of its error.

“Where it’s gone wrong has been where there needs to be sort of a nuance to a story, or there is just a way in which humans communicate [that] is not always understood by an AI,” Damian Radcliffe, a Carolyn S. Chambers professor in journalism at UO, said.

Of course, automated news can go wrong for reasons like editors not factchecking or AI using inaccurate triggers to base its reporting on. Whether AI gets information correct or not, publications should disclose machine involvement so reporters and editors can step in to correct or remove misinformation when necessary.

Although AI can and does produce flawed journalism, examples of success have increased as publications and people figure out how to incorporate it into the industry. For example, the Associated Press has used AI to create quarterly earnings reports since 2014. But for AI to be successful, people must be involved in directing it towards the proper result.

“This technology, in many respects, is only as smart as the operators who are using it,” Radcliffe said.

Incorporating AI into journalism can increase efficiency in newsrooms by increasing the volume of published stories and clearing up time for reporters to pursue intensive or time-consuming projects like investigative pieces. AI has not taken over the storytelling work of journalism, but instead allows people to write more in-depth narratives.

“Reading a transcript is not the same as being in a room and reading the tone of a room, and seeing people’s body language and then being able to follow up and talk to people individually,” Radcliffe said.

AI and its generative models should prompt questions about its ethical role and accuracy in journalism, but the high hopes or fears of it replacing human reporters are far-fetched. ChatGPT is just one of many new technologies that will join a writer’s toolkit.

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In recovery?

Curious about getting sober?

Is your substance use affecting school or relationships?

The Collegiate Recovery Center: • Supports students pursuing recovery • Provides individual consultations • Hosts recovery support groups • Offers a cannabis-specific group

Meetings and appointments

Follow the QR code to view our schedule or book an appointment.

EMU Room 331

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recovery.uoregon.edu

recovery@uoregon.edu

uoregoncrc

541-346-6079

COVER

PRESIDENT SCHOLZ REFLECTS ON FIRST 100 DAYS

Scholz spoke with Emerald reporters about UO athletics and representation, among other topics

BY REILLY NORGREN • DESIGNED BY RYAN EHRHART

On Oct. 9, the Daily Emerald news and podcast desks sat down with the University of Oregon president John Karl Scholz on his 100th day in office.

Topics of the interview ranged from UO’s move to the Big Ten conference to the university’s alleged Title IX violations.

When asked about what went well and what could have been improved on, Scholz said that he “wouldn’t change anything.”

BIG TEN

LACK OF REPRESENTATION IN FACULTY

Regarding the university’s move to the Big Ten, Scholz said that athletics can be a “wonderful front door” for the university. During his interviews for president, he said that there were discussions about the future of athletics at UO. He said that he talked about how prospective students often find themselves drawn to the athletic program, and that while they stay passionate about the athletic program, they find other parts of the university appealing.

Scholz said that greater travel for student-athletes was a potential downside of the conference change, but that only 55% of athletes would see an increase in their travel. He said the university would look at minimizing the effect of the travel by having out-of-conference competitions closer to home.

SEX DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT The UO is currently set to face a sex discrimination lawsuit from both the women’s club rowing and beach volleyball teams. When Scholz was asked how the university will move forward to provide equal opportunities to female athletes at the university, Scholz said the UO Office of Investigations and Civil Rights Compliance is undergoing a review of the university.

Scholz said that the university “has been in compliance, and will continue to be in compliance” with the requirements of Title IX. The rowing and beach volleyball teams claim UO is violating Title IX in various capacities, including a lack of equitable financial aid. During its entire 10-year existence, the beach volleyball team has never received any financial aid.

During the 2021-22 school year, UO spent around $40 million less on women’s sports than it did on men’s sports.

Scholz said he did not know about the figures or the accuracy of them, and that the decision of where money for athletics goes is This past week, President “a granularity that presidents don’t get into.”

John Karl Scholz sat down

GTFF AND UO STUDENT WORKERS UNION UO’s Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation union has been bargaining for higher salaries. Their bargaining cycle for the 23-24 school year began on Mar. 17.

With affordable housing decreasing, graduate educators are advocating for livable wages.

Scholz said that UO has to negotiate with a number of on-campus groups being represented by unions, and GTFF is “next in the queue.” He said that the established process between union representatives and campus is being followed.

Student workers are also advocating for more livable wages. The university recently increased wages for dining hall workers, but that change has not been reflected across all on-campus work.

“We aspire to support all employees at the University of Oregon,” Scholz said.

“Paying particular attention to our least well represented, but at the same time we are subject to where we manage budget constraints.”

He said he hoped that both undergraduate and graduate students will participate in the effort to organize and that the university respects that process.

to discuss the recent sex discrimination lawsuit against the University of Oregon, student workers’ plans to unionize and the university’s move to the Big Ten Conference. (Lulu Devoulin/Emerald)

According to UO’s Office of Institutional Research in 2022, employees at the university were 66.5% white. All other ethnicities accounted for only 10% or less of all employees. “[UO] will continue to be aggressive in hiring staff or faculty to enhance representation,” Scholz said. “That is in service of a higher aspiration, and that is trying to develop a deep sense of belonging on campus where every student, faculty and staff colleague can find somewhere they truly belong.”

He said that units like individual schools, colleges and departments at the university are often those that recruit employees, not himself directly.

MISSION Scholz said that, because he comes from a background of experience in higher education, most of his goals are associated with student success.

This includes improving four- and six-year graduation rates and preparing students for careers.

“I think we can use this wonderful reputation for innovation and entrepreneurship and success of athletics to elevate the whole university,” he said.

Scholz said that these goals aren’t meant to be constrictive, but rather a point to figure out strategies and tactics to move forward on various ideas. “[We] want to have as much alignment as we can across students, staff and faculty in where we want to go,” Scholz said. “And then try to move as rapidly as we can toward being even better than we are now.”

Alicia Santiago contributed to this report.

“WE WANT TO HAVE AS MUCH ALIGNMENT AS WE CAN ACROSS STUDENTS, STAFF AND FACULTY IN WHERE WE WANT TO GO, AND THEN TRY TO MOVE AS RAPIDLY AS WE CAN TOWARD BEING EVEN BETTER THAN WE ARE NOW.” JOHN KARL SCHOLZ UO president

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THURSDAY, OCT. 19 Eugene Film Society’s 72Hour Horror Film Competition

After three years, this event has risen from the dead!

From three days to three minutes, how scary can you be? Local and regional filmmakers are invited to produce a threeminute horror film in the span of 72 hours, “incorporating a mandated line of dialogue and prop.” Films that are turned in on time on Oct. 22 will be “screened by a jury of media professionals, and public audiences at the Art House Cinema on” Oct. 29. A variety of prizes will be awarded to the winners, including two $666 cash prizes! It costs $35 for a team to register, and audience members can attend for just $8 to $11 tickets. For more information, check out the Eugene Film Society website.

FRIDAY, OCT. 20 ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ at the Very Little Theatre What’s scarier than human duality?

Eugene’s own Very Little Theatre invites you to “witness the thrilling transformation of a brilliant scientist as he battles with his darker self in this riveting musical.” The musical is based on the 1886 novel “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson, which tells the tale of a doctor who transformed into an evil man to commit evil acts. The musical, however, sets the harrowing story to the tune of a “powerful soundtrack” to thrill the audience even more. Tickets cost $31, and other show times can be found on the Very Little Theatre website.

FRIDAY, OCT. 20 Scary Movie Night: ‘A Quiet Place’ Shhh… don’t make a sound.

If musicals aren’t your style, you can always visit the Sheldon Branch Library for a viewing of “A Quiet Place.” Those aged 13 to 19 can settle in with some snacks and fellow horror movie fans to watch the 2018 film directed by John Krasinski. The film follows parents Lee (John Krasinski) and Evelyn Abbott (Emily Blunt) as they struggle “to survive and raise their children in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by blind extraterrestrial creatures with an acute sense of hearing.” The showing will begin at 6:00 p.m. and the movie is one hour and 30 minutes long.

SUNDAY, OCT. 22 Run for Your Life! 5k Don’t let them catch you!

How fast can you get away? ShelterCare, a group that “provides a range of housing programs and services to individuals and families who are experiencing, or on the verge of, homelessness” in Lane County, is partnering with Thrill the World Eugene to put together a zombie-themed 5k experience. There will be over 100 zombies hiding around the Alton Baker Park course. Those aged 18 to 64 can register to run for $30, and further information regarding prices for seniors and children can be found on the registration website. If you’re not much of a runner but still care about the cause, you can donate on the Run for Your Life ShelterCare website.

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Kehan Syed, owner of Kehanovich’s Clothing Emporium, said the sign is entirely misleading because the store is not for sale.

“It’s like a going out of business sale sign that’s always up,” Syed said.

This banner, the eclectic selection of clothing, a mishmash of goods and charismatic employees give the store its charm.

After a brief closure in August, Kehanovich’s Clothing Emporium is back in full swing. The location is popular among college students and locals who come in to hang out in Syed’s store.

The store has built itself up quite a community since its opening two years ago. One of the many regulars is UO junior Henry Stewart. Stewart has been coming to the store once a week since he was a freshman.

“I enjoy the folksiness of it,” Stewart said. “I enjoy being able to walk in and know the owner and put a face to the store.”

Many people come into the store

Kehanovich’s Clothing Emporium owner Kehan Syed discusses his business philosophy, the community the store has gathered and its upcoming Halloween party

BY JOSH BERK • DESIGNED BY RYAN EHRHART

loose, he said, always looking to just to see Syed. The store has the strike a deal and have a customer same atmosphere as a New York leave happy. bodega or a local bar during off-peak Before the “business for sale” hours, where everyone seems to know banner was put up, a sign in the each other. window used to read, “Will Trade “I feel very blessed for that, you For Food.” know,” Syed Syed said this said. “People was his way just want to of getting come in and himself to say hello. You eat. know, just “I just have spread good a hard time energy.” eating,” he Running a said. “In the store seems beginning like a natural it was all fit for Syed, work, and as he has I wouldn’t “merchant even stop blood.” He to use the has been a bathroom salesman sometimes. since he was I thought, 10 years old ‘Okay, how when he took do I fix this? things from A sign stands on a bustling 13th Ave., welcoming I can get around the all people going about their day to enter the store. people to house and (Jonathan Suni/Emerald) bring me food sold them in a and I’ll trade yard sale, he them stuff for it.’” said. In middle school, he would sell Syed takes pride in his store and candy in the school bathroom. the community it has created. He Syed’s methodology for sales is

ES S

Half a mile down E 13th Ave. from the west edge of campus sits a cozy thrift store crammed with clothes from floor to ceiling. Above the store entrance is a red banner that reads, “BUSINESS FOR SALE $40,000.”

IN SIN

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F I R

E BAC R O T S K T

Kehan Syed, the owner of Kehanovich’s Clothing Emporium, roams around the store talking with customers and making sure everything is organized on the racks. (Jonathan Suni/Emerald)

BU

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feels it is a “physical manifestation of my identity.” The store is more than just a business — it feels like a social hub.

“That’s an important thing that stores should provide to people. Not just an item, but you know, a medium for social connection,” he said.

Beyond helping with the labor, his employees also assist with the social aspects of running the store.

“I tell Kehan all the time that me working here, this goes for my other coworkers to what we’re doing and it’s taking some of the pressure off of Kehan. Because it’s hard to do this by yourself,” Kendall McKone, assistant manager of the store, said.

The store will host its second annual Halloween party on Oct. 28 from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. This year’s party will have a costume contest and the winner will receive $100 of in-store credit, Syed said.

Kehanovich’s Clothing Emporium is open from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Tuesday through Saturday. The store is located at 365 E 13th Ave. Check out the Halloween party Saturday, Oct. 28, for a better sense of the Eugene thrifting community.

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SPORTS

THE END OF THE LILLARD ERA IN PORTLAND Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, left, takes in the opening moments of the game along the sidelines. (Michael Arellano/Emerald)

BY JOE MOORE • DESIGNED BY RYAN EHRHART

Opinion: The Trail Blazers traded away Damian Lillard, but hope remains for the future of the team The Portland Trail Blazers traded franchise mainstay Damian Lillard recently. With the trade, they ushered in a new era of youth and a time of rebuilding. Whether or not the move was the right decision for the team — I believe it was — the sadness that comes with an Oregon sports icon leaving remains one of the largest emotions following the trade.

As a basketball fan, and someone who grew up in Portland, I have a few memories that stand out to me as reasons I fell in love with the game. I had just turned 11 and was hanging out with friends. I did not know much about basketball yet, but we were listening to a game on the radio. I did not understand the severity of the game until later, but hearing the call on the radio announcing the end of the series between the Blazers and Houston Rockets was a feeling I will never forget. The pure joy that came with listening to the radio as Lillard hit the shot that would begin his legend as a Blazer was the first concrete moment in my basketball fandom.

The second moment is much more recent. At 16, I sat in my room on a school night, watching the Blazers play the Oklahoma City Thunder in a series that Portland was supposed to lose. The Blazers were down by 10 with less than half of the fourth quarter to play, so I was getting ready to go to bed to not be tired the next morning. Next thing I knew, PA G E 1 0

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it was a tie game and Lillard had the ball.

He stepped back, hit an impossible shot and beat the Thunder to begin the best Blazers playoff run of my lifetime. That moment is what brought Lillard from just being my favorite player to absolutely untouchable in that regard.

Watching the Blazers over the last few years has been a big change from that 2019 season. Since then, they have made the playoffs just twice in four seasons, with both being first round exits. The writing was on the wall, and something needed to change. Watching CJ McCollum, another franchise mainstay, getting traded was the first in a series of dominos to fall that showed that the Blazers were about to enter a rebuild. It was just a matter of when. That ended up being the first season the Blazers missed the playoffs since 2013.

When the news of the trade request broke, I was shocked it finally happened, but not that surprised.

I wanted Lillard to retire a Blazer, and the reality of having to see the Blazers trade him away was sad.

However, for the first time in a long time, the Blazers had a direction, even if they were forced into it.

The youth movement had arrived, headlined by rookie Scoot Henderson, and the rebuild was beginning.

Then came the waiting. I would rather wait than have the biggest trade in my lifetime be rushed and screwed up, but having the process drag on

for almost three months was excruciating. The Miami Heat were the only team listed by Lillard as a destination. I was conflicted on that. After everything Lillard had given to Portland, why shouldn’t they honor that request? But at the same time, every report said Miami was lowballing Portland because they were the only team listed.

Why should the Blazers sacrifice their future just to make Lillard happy?

When the trade finally happened, I was shocked.

The Milwaukee Bucks hadn’t been listed in any rumors before the trade. The first feeling that washed over me was relief. It was finally over. We knew what the return was and it was huge. The final haul included three first round picks, two pick swaps and three solid players. When the report came out that Lillard had expanded his list to include the Bucks, it seemed like a win all around.

Lillard could win in a location he wanted to go to and the Blazers could finally begin to rebuild.

The Blazers trading my favorite player of all time is bittersweet. It was necessary, it was best for both sides, but it sucked to see him go.

As I look forward to next season, I feel excited for the first time in a while. There are no expectations for the Blazers. They might suck, but it won’t matter; they are rebuilding. I also get to watch Lillard compete for a championship, something that never happened in Portland.

CROSSWORD ACROSS

1 Former Iranian rulers 6 Muscle twitch 11 Midwest winter hrs.

14 Slather with grease 15 “It’s been said ... ” 16 Hosp. recovery area 17 Move with a mouse, say 19 Neither’s partner 20 Karaoke selection 21 Overhead trains 22 Like bibs and aprons, usually 24 Lotion additive 26 Sign of spiders 27 Farrelly brothers buddy comedy 31 Cockeyed 32 Mine find 33 Psychic powers

36 Uses an allin-one printer feature 37 Role-playing game with a 20-sided die, familiarly, and a feature of this puzzle’s four longest answers 38 Pixar title robot 40 BTW part 41 Shark feature 42 Luminous 43 Small, irregular amounts 48 Wandering from place to place 50 Lighten (up) 51 Assuming that 52 Common TV set-top box 53 Bigger than big 57 Unite 58 Eat without paying the bill 61 One more than bi62 Trojan War saga 63 Not merely decorative 64 RR stop 65 Two more than bi66 Doomed one

28 Home of the Mighty Five 1 Lays down the national parks lawn 29 Hybrid art 2 “Big Hero 6” technique hero 30 Fashion 3 Actor Alda designer Karan 4 Inviting cuddles 34 Neatnik’s 5 Pampering spot opposite at a four-star 35 Chapel benches hotel 6 Moved like a crab 37 Part of CD 7 Advanced degs. 38 Bunches of bucks 8 Gassy prefix 39 Shook hands on 9 __ and Príncipe: 41 Record that may island country be accessed in in the Gulf of the electronic Guinea FOIA Library 10 Onetime Dr 44 Tried to win an Pepper rival election 11 Glass slipper wearer in a fairy 45 “Yay, me!”

46 28-Down’s tale western 12 Shaggy’s pal, to neighbor Shaggy 13 Chances to play 47 “Shoot!”

48 Small 18 Bright light in salamanders the big city 49 Not hidden 23 Lamb nurser 52 Much loved 25 Back muscles, 54 Big hassle for short 55 Capri, for one 26 Morsel Miss Muffet ate with 56 Pop diva who was the 2017 whey Billboard Icon 27 Electronic music Award honoree duo __ Punk 59 Tiny criticism 60 Broke ground

DOWN

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