12-5-22 Emerald Media - ODE

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.

MEN’S BASKETBALL HIGHLIGHTS

Top viewed story in the past week:

Reader Recommends

BY KRISTA KROISS

SHOW RECOMMENDATION:

“GILMORE GIRLS,” CREATED BY AMY SHERMAN PALLADINO

Summary: This 2000s comedic drama show follows the relationship between single mother Lorelai Gilmore and her teenage daughter Rory Gilmore. Lorelai became a mother at 16 years old, and moved with her infant to a small town called Stars Hollow after feeling alienated from her family. She worked her way to executive management of a hotel, and is proud of the life she and Rory have built independent from Lorelai’s parents. But when Lorelai is forced to ask her family for financial help to pay for Rory’s private school tuition, the Gilmore family must face their differences.

Recommended by: Erica Vasquez, a sophomore studying psychology. “I think it’s funny, and heartfelt too,” Vasquez said. “Because it’s about a mother and a daughter and their relationship and hardships they have been through.”

Second most read story in the past week:

“Breaking: Students evacuated from multiple halls due to chemical spill” by

Voices of UO

Scan here or visit the Emerald’s social media to participate in our next Voices of UO. “What was your first reaction to the snow this past week?”

We want to hear from you:

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.

For updated coverage of sports and digital-exclusive content, go to www.dailyemerald.com

“Bo Nix’s injury status against in-state rival Oregon State” by Keiji Patterson

(Liam Sherry/Emerald)

Alexis Weisend

(Alexis Weisend/Emerald)

(Maisie Plew/Emerald)

Duck fans in the student section sing to ‘Shout’, a mid-game tradition at the University. (Maddie Stellingwerf/Emerald)

Ducks guard Will Richardson (0) searches for a pass. (Maddie Stellingwerf/Emerald)

Ducks guard Rivaldo Soares (11) wrestles the ball from Cougar Defense. (Maddie Stellingwerf/ Emerald)

Ducks guard Rivaldo Soares (11) celebrates his teams successful three-pointer. Oregon Mens Basketball host the Washington State Cougars at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore., on Dec. 1, 2022 (Maddie Stellingwerf/Emerald)

Photo by Krista Kroiss

A NEW ERA FOR THE REGISTER GUARD

The downsize of The Register Guard has led to suggestions that UO should buy the newspaper.

BY LILY FJELDHEIM

The Eugene based newspaper, The RegisterGuard, announced it would be cutting its opinion column due to a lack of finances and resources necessary to have the column, in a Nov. 2 piece written by former Register-Guard Editor Michelle Maxwell.

The decision by The Register-Guard did not come as a surprise to former opinion page editor Brendan O’Meara or former opinion columnist Don Khale. The opinion column had been steadily decreasing. Former Executive Editor Alison Bath was laid off in 2020 along with former publisher Shanna Cannon.

The opinion column was “eight pages seven days a week,” O’Meara said. “Earlier this year, it went to four pages three days a week. Not too long after that, it went to three pages two days a

week. Not too long after that, I leave. Not too long after that, they shut the whole thing down.”

The media company Gannett, owner of USA TODAY and The Register-Guard, owns hundreds of local media outlets in 45 states in the United States, according to its website.

O’Meara said the opinion column gives a voice to the community and allows for community members to be involved in the newspaper through letters to the editor, which are edited and then published.

“This paper has always historically had a really strong voice for the community of the readers,” O’Meara said.

There are guidelines for what community members can write in an editorial, O’Meara said. “It’s not just a glorified Facebook post or like social media, where it’s just an unmitigated content splurge,” he said.

With social media, users can post unfiltered content and information, which can contain truthful information or not, he said.

Kahle said The RegisterGuard is doing itself a disservice by taking out parts of the paper that readers enjoy. “I think they’re hurting themselves by taking some of those things out. But I also understand that they believe their first and foremost job is to tell the people of EugeneSpringfield, Lane County, what’s now and what’s going on,” he said.

Despite the current state of The Register-Guard, Kahle is optimistic and predicts there

will be “surprises” ahead.

And there has been a surprise already. In an Eugene Weekly editorial on Nov. 17, SOJC professor Peter Laufer suggested that UO should buy The Register-Guard and incorporate it as part of its SOJC.

Later that day, SOJC Dean Juan-Carlos Molleda endorsed Laufer’s suggestion in a Tweet. “We have the capacity, knowledge and commitment to strengthen the local news and information ecosystem in Eugene and Lane County!” he wrote.

Molleda said the decline of The Register-Guard is concerning because it’s part of “a functional democracy” and “the fabric of the community.”

Molleda said the SOJC has many resources, capable faculty and students who could run The Register-Guard, should this idea come to fruition.

Without the robust number of reporters and other staff The Register-Guard used to have, not enough news is being covered, Molleda said.

“There are many things the community needs to have information about, and we don’t have the information that we should have for the community to be informed,” he said.

Laufer said the merge would be a “win, win, win” for UO, the community and Gannett. “It would be a public relations move for Gannett,” he said. Looking at Gannett’s business model, Laufer said Gannett would benefit from giving the Register-Guard to UO. “For Gannett, there’s not a lot of dollars here anymore,” he said.

Some don’t think Gannett would be so eager to give away The Register-Guard. They might be willing to give it to UO after it’s “completely worthless, ” Kahle said. Kahle said Gannett can still make money off of The Register-Guard.

“It’s an idea, and that’s what we’re in the business of, ideas. But we’re also in the business of implementing ideas here at the SOJC,” Laufer said.

Brendan O’Meara looks to do freelance journalism and continue his podcast, The Creative Nonfiction Podcast. On December 1, 2022. (Kai Kanzer/Emerald)

Don Kahle had worked for The Register-Guard for 30 years. (Kai Kanzer/Emerald)

Former collegues Don Kahle (Left) and Brendan O’Meara (Right) had never met in person until after they were laid off by The Register-Guard. On December 1, 2022. (Kai Kanzer/Emerald)

TRESNIT: IGNORE STRANGER DANGER

Opinion: At the risk of sounding old fashioned, let’s all get used to talking to each other again.

BY SADIE TRESNIT

It’s something we all grew up with: warnings from teachers and relatives about “stranger danger.” For as long as I can remember, I’ve known that I should absolutely not under any circumstances get in a stranger’s car to get free candy or look for a lost puppy.

Those warnings shaped my interactions with strangers for most of my life, and even now, I don’t approach people I don’t know unless it’s strictly necessary. I wonder now, though, should we really assume that every interaction with a stranger will be negative or even dangerous?

The clear answer is no. It makes no sense to walk through life afraid of talking to anyone when you could be having interesting conversations instead. As a lifelong introvert, I can’t pretend that the idea of constantly being expected to talk to people thrills me, but I also don’t like wallowing in fear as a general rule. I propose a happy medium of being perfectly willing to talk to strangers but not necessarily seeking the opportunity out. This has been my strategy this term and it’s working nicely. Although I’ve only recently started regularly putting it to use, this idea has been brewing in my head since last spring. I was finally done with a presentation in my science class so I decided to relax outside for a few minutes before heading home. I had just started playing a song when an

older gentleman sat down and started talking to me. I usually hate being interrupted when I’m playing music, but he called my Converse “old school” so I was immediately a fan. We ended up talking for half an hour about the Rolling Stones, and I came away from the conversation feeling thrilled to have found someone with a similar interest.

Since then, I’ve started working at a job that puts me directly in contact with the general public in a way I’ve never been before. At first, I was completely astounded by the way strangers would just come up to me and seemingly say anything. Now it’s more of a source of amusement.

Most people just ignore me when I’m working, so the ones who start conversations are always memorable. Standouts so far include the man who said “have a nice day, young lady, and do something positive” and the student who did a handspring on the sidewalk in front of me and then talked about wanting to be a National Geographic photographer.

When these interactions started, I narcissistically assumed I was just such a magnetic person that people couldn’t resist talking to. Luckily, I got confirmation that this happens to other people from UO students such as lifeguard Katie Fendick.

“Most of the time, I’m just around and then someone’s like, ‘I’m going to tell you everything

about my life,’” she said regarding her hours working at her pool’s front desk. “People just like telling stories and then you’re there and you listen to them.”

This matches my experience exactly, and I’ve noticed that these random conversations are often the highlight of my day. I’m not really advocating a complete disregard for stranger danger (but I had to pique your interest in this article somehow, right?) and you should obviously avoid someone if you feel unsafe. I know we don’t live in a perfect world and every interaction could carry some amount of risk, but it’s worth listening to what people have to say. You might end up with a new perspective on someone you initially judged in an instant, or at least an interesting story to scare your parents with later. In an increasingly digital world, a bit of faceto-face interaction goes a long way.

Students make their way through the faire with their food. University of Oregon students are welcomed back to campus with the annual ASUO Street Faire, a three day event filled with vendors from all across Eugene and within the University (Maddie Stellingwerf/Emerald).

Sadie Tresnit is an opinion columnist for the Daily Emerald. She is a secondyear English student from Portland. In her free time she reads and plays music, and she likes to write about little inconveniences and trends that disproportionately bother her.

JEFFERY MORGANTHALER AND PORTLAND’S BARTENDING SCENE

A

conversation with one of the nation’s top mixologists.

BY ANDREW GRIFFIN

In the American culinary scene, few bartenders are as nationally revered and recognized as Jeffrey Morgenthaler. Since taking up the management position at the famous Portland bar Clyde Common in 2009, Jeffrey has established himself as one of the most influential bartenders in recent history, with his recipes being featured in publications such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, as well as heading the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

He is also the author of The Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique, notable for being one of the only bartending books to focus on the technique required in making drinks. It all started in Eugene, where Jeffrey got his first bartending job. We sat down to talk with him about his past, present and future to get a deeper look at what goes on in Jeffrey’s world of mixology.

EMERALD: I know you got your start in Eugene, you were majoring in architecture at the University of Oregon. Tell me about your time here and what made you want to switch into bartending?

AÑEJO TEQUILA AND AMONTILLADO SHERRY EGGNOG

2 large eggs

3 oz/90 ml (by volume) or 75 grams (by weight) superfine or baker’s sugar

2 oz/60 ml añejo tequila

2½ oz/75 ml Amontillado sherry

6 oz/180 ml whole milk

4 oz/120 ml heavy cream

In a stand mixer on low speed, beat eggs until smooth.

Slowly add sugar until incorporated and dissolved.

Slowly add sherry, tequila, milk and cream. Refrigerate overnight and serve in small chilled cups.

Dust with fresh nutmeg before serving.

JM: I got my start at a place called The Tiny Tavern, I started there in ‘96, and the thing was, like, a good thing to do when you’re in architecture school is to get an internship with an architect, which, you know, doesn’t pay. I didn’t have the money to do that. I applied for two jobs and got them both on the same day. One was bartending at The Tiny Tavern, which I had never done before, never worked in food service. Always was kind of interested in it, but no experience. And the other one was washing dishes at Chef’s Kitchen which is still there out on, like, Hilyard, it’s out on like Amazon Parkway. So I started working there, just pouring beers. Wasn’t really particularly good at it when I started, got better, and by the end of the summer they asked me if I wanted to work nights. I was mostly doing days and happy hour that summer. I graduated in ‘98 so for those, like, two or three years I was working at night and going to school during the day. And then after I graduated I just like stuck with it because the other thing about architecture is you get hired in kind of at the bottom making very little money and, you know, you’re always the first to go right? You can get laid off, so I just kept my Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights, and eventually just kind of fell in love with it. Like, got better, sort of moved through the ranks at better bars. I worked at a bunch of shitholes, I worked at some

The Añejo Tequila and Amontillado Sherry Eggnog is a mixed drink great for holiday parties. (Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Morgenthaler)

nightclubs and then I landed at Bamboo in the Marche empire and that’s where things kind of took off.

EMERALD: That’s where it started to pick up?

JM: Yeah, it’s where I learned about bartending as one of the culinary arts as opposed to slamming out shots and pouring beers.

EMERALD: Tying into the architecture, do you think any of what you learned there has sort of transferred into bartending? I remember in one of the chapters in The Bar Book, you write about ergonomics and the pouring of drinks?

JM: Totally. That in particular came straight out of architecture. The thing that you’re there to learn in architecture school, particularly at the UO is the design process, which is so applicable to so many things and I use it all the time. You know, we just opened our own bar, and designing the drink menus and the space, designing the actual printed drink menu and food menu, that’s all part of the design process, which is awesome. Like, I wouldn’t trade that for anything, I love having that skill.

EMERALD: After Bamboo, eventually you went and took over Clyde Common. What was it like taking over that and was that your first real management position?

JM: I had a ton of management experience and I had been writing on my website for years, so that’s how Clyde Common heard of me and invited me to come up and take over their bar program, which was certainly the biggest and most high profile bar program I’d ever done. This was when Portland was really popping off and starting to become a tourist destination. Portland was making, like, The New York Times for some sort of food and drink piece it seemed like every other week.

EMERALD: Yeah, the early 2010’s was, like, the real takeoff period for Portland.

JM: For sure. So I got there and January 2nd, 2009 was my first day. They’d been open for a year and a half and they’d gone through three bar managers already, I, you know, was pretty terrified, but managed to pull it off.

EMERALD: Kind if eased into it after some nervousness?

JM: Yeah, yeah, that first year was tough. And then we just started getting all the notoriety right? We got every award and every nomination under the sun.

EMERALD: Nationally recognized, yeah.

JM: Totally.

EMERALD: Off of that, I read recently that you enjoy kind of elevating 80’s drinks? Like, drinks from that disco era?

JM: At Pepe Le Moko I did a fair amount of that. Pepe was a collaboration between The Ace Hotel

and Clyde Common. They wanted to do “speakeasy” cocktails. You know, prohibitionera cocktails. And this was, like, 2014? And I was like “absolutely not.” Like, that bar program was already so tired, I was just not the guy to do that. And so they were like “well, what do you wanna do?” and I was like “I wanna do amaretto sours and Long Islands and icecream grasshoppers and espresso martinis.”

The espresso martini was a joke back then. Now it’s on every single drink menu. We were like one of the earlier nice cocktail bars that put the espresso martini on the menu… I just feel like bartending and mixology has crawled so far up its own ass. There was this idea that certain drinks were “bad” drinks and certain drinks were “good” drinks. There were even articles published by other bartenders like “if you come into my bar and ask for a Long Island Iced Tea we’ll ask you to leave.” That kind of shit right? Like, a Manhattan is acceptable but an amaretto sour is not acceptable, and I was like “I think that you guys just don’t know how to make good drinks.”

EMERALD: I know that one definitely took off, the amaretto sour.

JM: That amaretto sour recipe is so crazy. If you go into a decent cocktail bar pretty much anywhere in the world and ask for an amaretto sour, they’re gonna use that recipe. Which is crazy right? It’s on menus in places like Singapore and all over Europe, and it’s just nuts, it’s great.

EMERALD: I mean, that’s quite the honor right?

JM: Yeah totally, it’s amazing!

EMERALD: Off of that, bartending is a culinary art. I think some people especially don’t think of it as an art, but it is, and like all art it requires creative vision. Clearly with the amaretto sour you had some vision that kind of took off and gained some notice. Where do you get your ideas for that and where do you come up with that sort of creativity to create recipes and work on drinks?

JM: I don’t know, like, I just love this stuff so much and think about it all the time. It’s never about setting out to create something, it’s more for me about trying to understand something better. You know, like the amaretto sour, is like “how can I understand this drink better by making it better?” I think a lot of musicians don’t really set out like “I’m gonna write a song,” right? They have an idea and it blossoms into a song because

they’re thinking about songs all the time. It’s the same thing with food and drink with me, I’m just thinking about this shit all the time.

EMERALD: Is Pacific Standard your first bar you’ve actually opened?

JM: It’s the first bar that I’ve owned. I’ve opened lots of places but it’s the first time I’ve been the owner.

EMERALD: What pieces of advice would you have then for somebody looking to take a similar path to what you have done? What advice for aspiring restaurateurs or bartenders or anyone trying to make their own path in the culinary arts like you have?

JM: Learn everything you can about it. You know, don’t just learn one type of establishment or one type of food, I think being super well rounded is really important. And really ask yourself why you want to get into this. I think a lot of people get into it because they think it’s a neat idea or maybe they want to be a famous chef or something like that, but there’s no substitute for the true love of serving people.

EMERALD: It’s just passion for the craft, right?

JM: Totally, totally.

EMERALD: How do you feel about where you’ve come and where you’re at now, and how does that all feel, like, getting that recognition?

JM: It feels awesome, man! I love it. I’m really proud of being recognized. It’s not why I do what I do, but bartenders have come a really long way, like, just in my lifetime behind the bar. People didn’t really know the names of bartenders across the country and across the world, and now you can name bartenders. Everything that I can do and we can do to elevate the craft is great for bartenders everywhere. And that’s who I really care the most about is bartenders. I do what I do for bartenders, I share my knowledge because I want to help other bartenders. I’m super proud of it, it’s been a super awesome career and it’s gonna continue to be awesome.

Pacific Standard owner Jeffrey Morgenthaler has had his drinks featured in numerous publications, highlighting his unique perspective on mixology. (Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Morgenthaler)

SPORTS REBRANDS ARE DULL

they’re stuck with that name for now, and I’m forced to say it.

BY BRAYDON

Rebranding from racist imagery is always necessary, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be boring.

Sports teams have seen this recently with the renaming of the Cleveland Guardians in the MLB and the professional football team in Washington. For over a year, I was repeatedly annoyed with the fact they didn’t have an official team name. Then they unveiled their new franchise name, and it was so lame I actually started justifying them being called just “the Football Team.” It’s direct and earnest with an element of mystique.

That’s where the standard is with renaming these teams: you have to beat just calling yourself a team. It’s turning out to be harder than you’d think. The Washington Commanders has zero ring to it (and the way their organization looks right now, they won’t get any soon).

Of course, they fully needed to change their name from what it was. In fact, the original name is so bad I don’t feel comfortable saying it now; it was genuinely just a racial slur. It’s still hard to believe public broadcasters up until 2019 loudly shouted that after someone on the team walked a ball over the goal line.

And now we have the Washington Commanders, which sounds like the cross-town rival in a high school drama like “Riverdale.” It doesn’t even

roll off the tongue. I can’t even recall what their logo looks like off the top of my head. The entire rebranding is just so boring, and it wasn’t like there was a lack of options.

One campaign for a name was the Washington Red Tails, paying homage to the first group of Black pilots to serve and fight in the U.S. military. It’s honorable, conveniently derivative of the original name, and much stronger than just Commanders. Personally, I wanted them to go with this name, but I understand why they might not have. While there was vocal support from some of the surviving airmen, there was a worry about the naming being purely for virtue signaling.

Changing the name to honor Black Americans after having the most racist team name in sports is pretty dodging. Almost like Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones hiring an ASL translator for an entirely instrumental national anthem right after pictures emerged of him participating in the Little Rock Nine protests.

The Washington Red Wolves was another favorite for the renaming, and again, is miles better than the Commanders. The name was dropped because of the trademark battling the team would have to do, which I think is a cop-out. Owner Dan Snyder has proved he loves a legal battle midseason; it’s like his favorite thing to do. Regardless,

The Cleveland Guardians is another name I’m stuck saying. The name itself isn’t even that terrible sonically; it’s just so vague. At least with a Commander, I can picture what that looks like in my head. What exactly is a Guardian? That could range anywhere from the Spartans at Thermopylae, NordVPN or the Safeway employees watching the self-checkout lines. The name alludes to the eight statues outside their stadium called the Guardians of Traffic, which unfortunately is a significantly less cool thing to guard than any of the other aforementioned guardians.

It wasn’t for lack of options, again. The team at one point reported they had jotted down well over a thousand different name options. Some more popular options among fans were the Cleveland Spiders (unique, spooky, the chance of a World Series Halloween game), Cleveland Blues (smooth, historical, just rename the Cavaliers to the Burgundys to complete the set) or I would have even taken the Cleveland Commodores (alliteration?).

It’s apparent that teams with racist Native American imagery in their names and logos can’t rebrand without making it lame, so it looks like I have to do it for them. Team owners, bookmark this for future reference.

The Chicago Blackhawks are trying to honor a Sauk leader named Black Hawk, but doing it with a caricature of a Native American for a logo doesn’t stamp that message quite right. The local Portland Winterhawks had a nearly identical logo until last year, and the new one looks way cooler and way less racist (two pluses). All they did was make a hawk with some snowy mountains. It’s really that simple for Chicago. Just make a hawk with black feathers.

Native communities have also asked the Kansas City Chiefs to rebrand and cease the use of war paint, the “tomahawk chop,” war drums and other appropriating traditions. The city even appropriated being a city in Kansas. They aren’t located in Kansas at all; they’re in Missouri. So, to rebrand, the team should be known as the Kansas City, Missouris until further notice.

Opinion: There’s a few American sports teams with problematic Native American themes that have and will need to create a new image. Why are the alternatives so lame?

IVERSON

Benny the Beaver and the Oregon Duck square up before the start of the big rivalry game. The Oregon Ducks travel up to Corvallis to face their instate rival the Oregon State Beavers on November 26th, 2022, for their last game of the regular season. (Jonathan Suni, Emerald)

Braydon Iverson is a second year opinion columnist for the Daily Emerald and fourth year student. Covering sports, stu dent life and broader national trends, sometimes he doesn’t even know if his opinion is genuine or not.

LED BY N’FALY DANTE’S CAREER-HIGH 22 POINTS, OREGON BASKETBALL BEATS WASHINGTON STATE 74-60

BY AARON HEISEN • TWITTER @AARON_HEISEN

After throwing down an emphatic dunk, Oregon center N’Faly Dante stared up at the Matthew Knight Arena crowd and gave them a shrug.

“It was kind of quiet,” Dante said. “I thought they would love it, so I was kind of saying, ‘What are you doing?’”

If MKA wasn’t rocking a minute before the dunk, it was after Dante’s gesture. He had just gone on a solo 6-point run which extended Oregon’s lead into double digits with four minutes remaining on Thursday night.

Along with that stretch, Dante poured in a career-high 22 points and seven rebounds. That sequence was one of many for a Ducks team that relied on those types of crafty buckets on the interior as they struggled shooting from the perimeter.

They tallied 52 points in the paint, which made up for the 3-for-18 shooting mark from three on their way to a 74-60 win. Along with the advantage on the interior, Oregon (4-4, 1-0) employed a full-court press that ruffled the Cougars ball handlers and forced easy points off turnovers.

While the scoreline indicated a commanding victory, the Ducks found themselves down 44-42 with 13 minutes remaining.

They had hit just one 3 pointer and left the door open for a Cougars team that led the Pac-12 in three pointers made last season. Fortunately for the Ducks, the Cougars couldn’t find the bottom of the net from deep either.

It was a chance for either team to take control of the game.

Then, as Cougars guard Dylan Darling attempted to make an over-the-head swing pass, Ducks guard Will Richardson ripped the ball out of his grasp. After the steal, Richardson tried to beat the Cougars’ defenders down the court and sidestepped Mouhamed Gueye for the up-and-under layup, plus the foul.

The layup tied the game for the Ducks, and the foul shot gave them the lead.

“Will made plays all night,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman said. “These last three games, I can’t say it enough, the transformation he’s made, the way he’s got guys playing… he’s done a hell of a job.”

Following that sequence, forward Lök Wur knocked down the second 3 of the night. The shot seemed to open the floodgates for Oregon’s offense, and it never conceded the lead for the remainder of the game.

In those final minutes the Ducks went back to what was working — the press and interior scoring — to break away from the Cougars.

Forward Rivaldo Soares picked off two passes that led to Oregon baskets on the other end, and guard Brennan Rigsby — who returned from injury and made his debut for the Ducks — added a steal of his own.

“I didn’t want to play [Rigsby] that much,” Altman said. “I got a little carried away. He was playing really well. The defense. He got timely boards. On the offense, it showed that he hadn’t played in a month, but the defense was there.”

While Rigsby came off the bench and only added 2 points on an athletic putback dunk, it was clear his presence in the backcourt was a breath of fresh air. It took the pressure off of Richardson as he showed his ability to handle the ball and play at the point of attack on the press.

He had a team-high plus-/minus of 16 points in just 23 minutes of play.

While this Oregon team sits at 4-4, a win to start off its Pac-12 schedule was crucial. It marks a new starting point. If the Ducks — who are starting to get healthier — can make a strong run against in-conference opponents, then they will make up for their missteps in non-conference play.

However, even with the return of Rigsby, the Ducks are still a team that struggles from the perimeter. They’ll have to rely on gamescripts like tonight’s to remain successful as the season progresses.

Teammates help up Ducks guard Will Richardson (0) after a fall. Oregon Mens Basketball host the Washington State Cougars at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore., on Dec. 1, 2022 (Maddie Stellingwerf/Emerald)

FOUR SPECIFIC WAYS TO DESTRESS THIS FINALS WEEK

You can’t avoid stress completely, and your basic Google search, “how to reduce stress,” isn’t cutting it. Hopefully these four tips will hold your finals anxieties at bay.

BY JESS MCCOMB

The annual anti-stress ritual rant is an integral element of any finals week. Student counselors, professors and parent figures alike band together to preach a regimen of exercise, meditation and outdoor activities for the guaranteed result of a stress-free education. For most, this generic routine of coping mechanisms is of little help. Instead, here are five unique and specific stress reducing activities to add to your monthly calendar that will hopefully make this finals season a bit more manageable.

Visit the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art

Unknown to many is University of Oregon’s best free resource for stress reduction: The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. Other than being a generally pleasant experience, looking at art is a proven stress reducer.

“Being at the JSMA brings my stress levels way down,” Tanner Ringo, JSMA employee and junior at UO, said. “It’s kind of like a pause, you just put your earbuds in and get some sensory stimulation to take your mind off of whatever is stressing you out. I don’t even know much about art, but it’s still very easy for me to get wrapped up in it.”

For those looking to reap the benefits, the Museum is open Wednesday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursday-Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is free to all UO students with a valid student ID.

Take a Yoga Class at the UO Recreation Center

Yoga and meditation are among the first six bullet points that appear when one searches “how to reduce stress” on Google. “Paying attention to

your breathing and how your body feels is super important in relieving stress,” Megan Tuleya, junior at UO, said. “Yoga and even sometimes just stretching outside a formal class is a great way to do movement that’s not vigorous and is focused on what you’re feeling. It’s a peaceful routine that sets aside time to intentionally connect with how I’m feeling both physically and mentally and just sort of sit with it.”

UO offers a variety of different yoga classes at the student recreation center. From beginner level meditation and flow classes to more advanced Vinyasa flow, students of all skill sets can get involved. To participate in a class one must have a Group X Fitness pass, available for purchase to all students for $50 a term. The group fitness class schedule can be found on the recreation center’s website. However, students can practice yoga for free at the recreation center or from the comfort of their own home by taking any of the vast variety of classes offered on Youtube.

Go for a podcast walk

A personal favorite stress reducer, free and available for your disposal 24/7, is a walk around Eugene with a good podcast. Previously discussed were the stress relieving benefits of being outdoors and getting physically active, but more integral to this activity is the distraction of getting lost in a story. For those unsure what to listen to, “This American Life” is a free podcast that has a pretty much guaranteed ‘get lost in the story’ effect. Each episode has two to three different stories that align under a weekly theme or question and incorporate a diverse selection of American perspectives

and experiences. One must also note that the podcast walk procedure is most effective when performed in a new surrounding — an unfamiliar neighborhood or park — and unblemished by notifications. Added bonus, you will likely run into a friendly outdoor cat along the route, petting is encouraged for optimal results.

Watch Rhododendron, DR/UNK, Gossip and Candy Picnic play at WOW Hall

Navigating stress after finals is just as important as during. All of that pent up energy needs somewhere to go. Music shows are a great option for blowing off some steam and the Eugene band scene is unmatched by any other college town. UO has dug into the potential of many up and coming groups by sponsoring and hosting concerts. This month, WOW Hall will be showcasing Rhododendron, DR/UNK, Gossip and Candy Picnic. Showgoers cite concerts and house shows as an essential part of how they unwind from a stressful week.

“There is nothing more childlike, and simplistic and purely joyful than just letting go, dancing and listening to music,” Noah Jamieson, DJ and senior at UO said. “Shows are like their own little world. It’s a place you can go to not pay attention to your own responsibilities and just feel the music.”

The show will be playing at WOW hall on Thursday, December 15 at 7 p.m. and tickets are available at the UO Ticket Office in the EMU for $10 in advance or $15 the day of the show. More details for the event can be found on the UO activities website.

An employee reads a book outside of the entrance to the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. (Will Geschke/Emerald)

OREGON HOSTS AS THE OPENING ROUNDS OF THE NCAA TOURNAMENT BEGINS

The Ducks will face Loyola Marymount University in the first round.

BY NINA-GRACE MONTES

During Oregon volleyball’s last matchup with USC in late November, there were many long rallies which forced players outside of the court line. The Trojans took the first two sets, and after a few big kills and digs, the Ducks forced a fifth set.

Oregon scored four in a row before a media timeout was called. After the players headed back to the court, USC challenged a touch call that was reversed, and the Trojans were able to tie the game at 10. Head coach Matt Ulmer called a timeout in an attempt to get the Ducks back into the game, and it worked.

Gloria Mutiri and Colby Neal built a wall during the match point. The ball went back to the Trojans and were forced to send the ball over freely. Daley McClellan received the ball and sent it to Hannah Pukis, who had the perfect set for a back row kill from Mimi Colyer. The Ducks held USC to two points and won the game.

With that win, the Ducks extended their win streak to 11, and broke records while doing it. They’ll need to approach the NCAA tournament in the same way that they prepared for the winning moment in that timeout against USC.

It starts when No. 10 Oregon faces Loyola Marymount in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. The Ducks will host a regional for the sixth time in program history as Arkansas and Utah State will also play at Matthew Knight Arena during opening weekend.

“It’s a source of pride for our group,” Ulmer said. “You put in a lot of work and try to get better every day. I always love when people get rewarded for their hard work, and I think our group has done things the right way. We get a chance to be home

for two more matches—one given—for the weekend and that’s real exciting. The group is ready for it.”

Loyola Marymount 18-9 (13-5 in WCC)

Loyola Marymount will be bringing a young team to Eugene. Kari Geissberger, the team’s kill leader, made All-WCC first team as a freshman last year. Phoebe Awoleye joined the Lions this year after transferring from Georgia. After spending a year in Athens, she was named to the SEC AllFreshman team and ranked No. 5 in blocks with 1.05 per set.

The Lions play aggressive and strategically. Each of their athletes have a high volleyball IQ, and show it with dumps and strong kill placement across the entire floor. When facing league opponents like BYU and San Diego State—two teams highly ranked going into the tournament— that is what makes them competitive.

Utah State 22-10 (11-7 in MWC)

Utah State will be making its fifth all-time appearance in the tournament this weekend. The Aggies have a 2-4 record in the NCAA tournament, with their last appearance being in 2010, where they lost in the first round. In 2000 and 2001, they made it to the second round, their farthest round.

Utah State and Arkansas will meet for the sixth time in program history as the Razorbacks lead the all-time series 4-1. Their only win was the first meeting between the teams in 2001. The Aggies and Razorbacks met last season in a tight five-set match.

Utah State and Oregon have met eight times with the Ducks leading the all-time series 5-3. The programs split their last two meetings as Oregon won 3-0 in 2006, and USU won 3-0 in 1998.

Utah State and Loyola Marymount have met five

times with the Lions leading the all-time series 3-2. LMU won the previous two meetings in 2018 and 2016, with USU’s last win coming in 2010.\

Senior outside hitter Shelby Capllonch was named the Mountain West tournament MVP after leading the Aggies to their first league title against New Mexico. She averaged 3.9 kills per set with a .303 hitting percentage. Capllonch recorded 21 digs, four service aces and averaged 4.35 points a set.

Arkansas 20-8 (11-7 in SEC)

After missing the tournament for nine years, the Razorbacks return.

This is the team’s 12th overall appearance where they are 7-11 overall. After not having consecutive 20 win seasons since 2003, the Razorbacks will be entering the tournament as the No. 6 seed.

Outside hitters Taylor Head and Jill Gillen were named to the All-SEC team, which marks the first time in eight years that Arkansas had two athletes on the awards list.

Gillen led the Razorbacks in kills and aces per set. She also set new personal records after a .714 single-match hitting percentage and six blocks in one match.

Head registered her 1,000th total kill in Arkansas’ first match of the season against Auburn, making her the 18th player in school history with 1,000 or more kills. She set a new career high after having 23 kills against Kentucky and Texas A&M.

“This group really has been prepping for this part of the year,” Ulmer said. “We have big goals throughout the season, but our biggest goal is right now. I expect us to do our best, and our best is pretty good.”

Ducks outside hitter Daley McClellan (4) serves the ball during the final set. University of Oregon Womens Volleyball take on the Colorado Buffaloes on Oct. 23, 2022 at Matthew Knight Arena. (Maddie Stellingwerf/Emerald)

Hannah Pukis (9) sets the ball as Mimi Colyer (15) starts to approach the net for a spike. Oregon women’s volleyball takes on Washington State at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore. on Nov. 6, 2022. (Mary Grosswendt/Emerald)