3-30-21 Emerald Media - Week of Welcome

MAR. 30, 2021

Week of Welcome

Emerald Media

d n a c i t o a ‘Ch ’ g n i m l e h w r e v O

HOW SOME EUGENE RESTAURANTS HAVE MADE IT THROUGH UNEXPECTED CLOSURES, RELIEF LOANS AND LAYOFFS.

NEWS

WELLNESS APPS FOR STUDENTS PG 5

A&C

SPORTS

MAKEDA’S CUISINE IS GOING STRONG PG 7

BASEBALL MIDSEASON UPDATE PG 10

OPINION

SHOULD I TAKE A GAP YEAR? PG 14 T U E S D AY, M A R C H 3 0 , 2 0 2 1

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NEWS

COVID-19 CASES MAY RISE

AFTER SPRING BREAK TRAVEL (Billy Lawson/Emerald)

BY ERYN MCGUIRE TWITTER @ERYNMCGUIRE_

VOL. 122, ISSUE NO. 40

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REGIONAL AND STATE NEWS

Lane County Public Health is urging all residents who travel to get tested and self-isolate upon returning.

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ON THE COVER

Chi Shin shares, “I never learned how to cook. I lied for my first job as a line cook…I learned over my shoulder.” Chi’s Korean Tacos is located on 10th Ave., in Eugene, Ore., on Mar. 26, 2021. Restaurants around Eugene remain open despite the pandemic, providing a space for community and food. (Madi Mather/Emerald)

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The University of Oregon and Lane County Public Health are preparing for a possible increase in COVID-19 cases when students return from spring break. Experts across the country are expecting a spike in early April due to a spring break travel and the spread of new variants, Lane County spokesperson Jason Davis said.

“We are bracing for that possibility, while reminding our community we have the power, through masking, distancing and avoiding unnecessary gatherings, to avoid a spike here locally.” he said.

On March 26, Lane County dropped into the low risk category, meaning that there were fewer than 50 new cases per 100,000 people.

Restaurants and bars can remain at 50% capacity and can now stay open until midnight. Outdoor gathering capacity was expanded to 300 people.

On March 22 Group 6 in phase 1B became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, significantly expanding the number of people able to become vaccinated. Frontline workers will become eligible on April 5, and a lot of working students may fall under this category, so cases and testing rates may fall throughout spring term. Mass vaccination clinics are being held at Autzen Stadium, Lane County Events Center and in Florence, where around 2,400 people can get vaccinated over the course of a weekend.

Lane County residents and UO students who chose to travel during the break are encouraged to get tested within three to five days of returning, and self-isolate until they get their results back.

LCPH’s biggest concern is identifying positive cases and making sure they stay isolated, Davis said.

“Our first message would be to avoid travel as much as possible this spring break,” he said.

“But we can’t expect everyone to refrain from traveling, so if you do, do so as safely as you can.”

UO’s MAP testing program remained in operation during the break to all Lane County residents, and LCPH is requesting that residents take advantage of this service if they have traveled. During week one of spring term, MAP has 2,500 open slots for testing.

UO students were urged to stay local during the break to minimize the spike as much as possible.

Residence halls stayed open at no cost, and the EMU and some dining halls were open during the break. Some on-campus organizations even

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Around OR

planned events to occupy students who decided to stay in Eugene.

The Tutoring and Academic Engagement Center held a socially distant scavenger hunt throughout the week, giving students safe activities to help them relax and recharge. The UO Outdoor Program hosted self-guided tours of local landmarks and hikes. Students can download guides off the Outdoor Program’s website, showing them hiking routes, fun facts and points of interest.

At the end of week ten, UO had 17 new cases, the lowest since the start of the calendar year, UO Director of Public Affairs Kay Jarvis said.

Some UO students traveled during break, while some opted to stay in Eugene. Jordan Zirbes, a UO junior, went home to the Bay Area for spring break. She feels that there are a lot of ways to stay safe while traveling, but expects there to be quite a few students who chose not to follow precautions.

“I’m pretty confident in my ability to stay safe during break, because I’m mainly going down to see my family, and they’ve been really cautious for the entire pandemic,” she said. “But there’s definitely going to be some people who go places like Florida or Texas where there’s a higher risk of getting sick.”

Peyton Ritchie, a sophomore at Bushnell University, in Eugene said that even though she didn’t travel, the break from classes is much appreciated. She feels that having a spring break rather than wellness days throughout the year is a much better model.

“This mental break from school is going to be really good for everyone’s well being,” she said.

“Stress is at an all time high so I think we all need some time to relax.”

Testing rates at UO have reached an all time low in the past few weeks, mainly because cases have gone down. LCPH hopes to see an increase in tests performed in the coming weeks, Davis said.

LCPH is predicting that many Lane County residents will have traveled during this time, and is making testing one of their top priorities. While a spike in cases is expected, Davis said that he hopes the community does their part in getting tested and staying isolated.

“We’ve beat the national trend before, we can do it again,” he said.

PROTESTERS FACE OFF AT OREGON CAPITOL: On Sunday afternoon, a group of right-wing protesters gathered in Sandy for a “Freedom Rally” with plans to march to the capitol. They were met with more than 150 left-wing counter protesters who called the rally a “fascist event.” The protest turned violent when people threw paint-filled balloons and deployed pepper spray. One man pulled out a gun and was immediately detained and interviewed. The Salem Police Department and Oregon State Police posted a notice in advance of the rally warning demonstrators against violence.

– JOANNA MANN NO. 20 OREGON BASEBALL FIGHTING TO STAY IN TOP 25: After coming off three straight series wins, the Ducks faced a tough opponent in No. 22 Arizona.

Losing two of three down in the desert, the Duck’s national rank fell from No. 16 to No. 20. Sunday’s 18-13 win could be what the Ducks need to get back on track. Oregon will travel back to Eugene for a four-game set against New Mexico State.

– KAI KANZER

(Maddie Knight/Emerald)

ROSS McKEEN DIES: Ross McKeen, the longtime managing director of Oregon Children’s Theatre, passed away on March 16 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. McKeen was a cherished member of Oregon’s arts community, known for elevating OCT to national prominence, fundraising for Portland arts organizations and providing mentorship and leadership. The national magazine Theatre for Young Audiences Today published a tribute to McKeen noting his accomplishments and reputation in the theatre world.

– SARAH-MAE McCULLOUGH

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NEWS

WELLNESS APPS

WellTrack and Nod are apps that focus on personal wellness and mental health. (Marissa Willke/Emerald)

HELP STUDENTS FIGHT STRESS, ANXIETY, LONELINESS

UO partnered with new research-backed apps WellTrack and Nod to help students become more aware of their well-being and foster lasting social connections.

BY COLE SINANIAN • TWITTER @COLERS928

To combat the heightened feelings of stress, anxiety and isolation that many students have experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Oregon has announced a partnership with two wellness apps that use positive psychology to help users improve their overall well-being and sense of social belonging.

WellTrack is meant to help users become more aware of their mental health and provides tools to help them identify and remedy the mental health problems they are having, according to the app’s website.

The second app UO partnered with, Nod, developed by social-innovation companies Grit Digital Health and Hopelab, is targeted specifically to college-aged people and aims to help users improve their social connections through offering research-backed tips and new ideas for social interaction, according to Hopelab’s website.

UO Director of Prevention Services Kerry Frazee said that the university decided to pursue the partnership with Nod after a 2019 study led by UO psychology professor Jennifer Pfeifer. During the study, which was part of the app’s development stage, Pfeifer surveyed 221 UO freshmen who volunteered to use the app for four weeks. The study found that the majority of the students identified as high risk for mental health problems reported increased feelings of belonging and decreased feelings of loneliness after using Nod. Mariko Lin, the university’s assistant director of Counseling Services and senior staff psychologist, said WellTrack’s developers are affiliated with the company that runs the Counseling Center’s after-hours crisis support line. They contacted UO administrators about using WellTrack as a mental health resource for students, and Lin said that after watching their presentation about the app’s benefits, the university couldn’t refuse.

“We just thought, why not provide an additional resource beyond the individual therapy we would typically provide?” she said. “The more resources the merrier.”

Both apps are free for all UO students to use. The university does not receive any money from the developers for promoting the apps, but it does have a contract with WellTrack that allows students to use the app for free.

In a June 2020 survey, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nearly 75% of adults ages 18 to 24 reported at least one adverse mental health or behavioral symptom since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. While students’ use of counseling services on campus has remained mostly steady since last year, Lin said that the students she does see have reported higher rates of depression and anxiety than in years prior; she believes many more students struggle with their mental health than actually use the university’s services.

“We’re so many months into the pandemic now — that sense of isolation, disconnection, grief over what they’ve missed out on,” she said, “it has really taken a toll on students.”

Upon downloading WellTrack, users are prompted to take a “wellness assessment” meant to identify the degree of their symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. Some of the app’s unique features include a “mood check” that allows users to examine their patterns of mood throughout the week, and a “zen room,” which provides sounds and videos to aid in relaxation and meditation, Lin said.

It also has a feature that allows students to give their therapists from the UO Counseling Center access to their WellTrack data, which she said can help initiate more meaningful discussions about the stressors affecting the student’s mental health.

Frazee said that Nod’s primary focus is to provide users with new ways to build social connections outside of the app. Ideally, students who have struggled to make friends in college will have an increased sense of confidence in their social lives after using Nod, and a wider range of tools to help them meet new people and form stronger friendships in the future, she said.

Aisha Ghorashian, a UO junior and a peer wellness coordinator at the Duck Nest, said she uses Nod’s tips to help strengthen friendships with people she already knows. She said that while making friends is easy for some, she believes it’s important to have a resource for students who may have a harder time building relationships, especially given the limited opportunities to meet new people during the pandemic.

“It’s all about reminding yourself how to make connections,” she said. “We’re taught when we’re kids

that you need to go and put yourself out there and make friends, but I think we forget that as we get older and get deeper into our own ways.”

However, Ghorashian said she does wish that Nod had more social networking opportunities within the app itself. While the app offers users advice on how to connect with people, it does not actually allow users to interact with each other.

Lin and Frazee said that WellTrack and Nod can benefit anyone and that all students should give them a try. However, they also stressed that the apps are not meant to replace other types of therapy. Students with more severe clinical diagnoses should use them in conjunction with counseling and other forms of treatment, they said.

William Betts, a local psychiatric nurse practitioner and the founder of Betts Psychiatric in Eugene, said he supports the use of any app that helps people become more aware of their well-being, but cautioned that users should remember the apps are driven by algorithms that simply respond to their input. He said he has seen people become absorbed by apps similar to WellTrack and Nod without realizing that to truly improve their mental health, they must also utilize other types of therapy and actively work to build social connections.

“If people look at an app as the one-stop shop that’s going to solve all their problems, then I think they should rethink their position,” he said. “Apps give us a tool that can help point us in directions where we can seek help, or identify areas where we may want to seek help.”

Frazee said that while the university will monitor the apps’ efficacy among UO students, it will likely continue the partnership after normalcy has returned to campus. Data from the UO counseling center suggests that the events of the past year have taken a tremendous toll on students’ mental health, she said, but the fact that so many have attended school and passed their classes despite their struggles is reason enough to celebrate.

“We’ve seen some incredible resilience through the year,” Frazee said. “We’re all relying on different coping skills to survive this difficult time, and I think students should feel proud of the resilience they’ve demonstrated to be here today.”

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Support The Daily Emerald in College Media Madness 2021 and donate today!

Check out our newly designed housing site!

The best resource for student housing with over 100 listings.

The Daily Emerald is joining more than 20 student-run newsrooms for a nationwide fundraising competition.

Gifts made between March 15 and April 5 will help us meet our goal of finishing No. 1 in the standings at collegemediamadness.com.

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dailyemerald.com/duckshousing

A&C: REVIEW

MAKEDA’S CUISINE BRINGS ETHIOPIAN, ERITREAN FOOD TO EUGENE Despite opening up in the middle of a pandemic with limited advertising, Makeda’s is still going strong.

BY EM CHAN • TWITTER @CATCHUPTOEMILY Makeda’s Cuisine is the first (and only) destination for Ethiopian and Eritrean food in Eugene. Inspired to introduce the community to the culture and food of Ethiopia and Eritrea, Paolos and Eden, who prefer to not have their last names published, opened up Makeda’s Cuisine on Oct. 25. If you hadn’t heard of this truck before, despite it being open for a few months now, I don’t blame you — I accidentally stumbled on it during my search for Black-owned eateries, and no one I had asked had heard about it either.

To open a business in the midst of this pandemic recession with, according to Eden, “no advertising besides word of mouth” and with only standard business information online is the textbook definition of an extremely risky start for an eatery. Yet, Makeda’s has beaten the odds for the last four months.

The unassuming white truck parked at 725 Olive St. serves both Ethiopian and Eritrean food. Eden said the two countries have “basically the same food.” The primary seasoning heavily used in the cuisine is

berbere, which is in most dishes. Makeda’s berbere consists of turmeric, cumin, cardamom and pink sea salt, but berbere can also include other spices such as chili pepper, coriander, garlic and fenugreek.

If you enjoyed Addis Ethiopian in Springfield (which closed on Feb. 26), you’re in for a pleasant surprise from Makeda’s. The menu has meat, vegetarian and vegan options, with weekly specials available on a rotating basis. All of the entrees are served with injera, a spongy and sour-fermented flatbread that the couple makes themselves. Injera is made out of teff flour, so it’s gluten-free, Eden said.

Classics on their small menu include beef tibs and doro wot. “Tibs” refers to sauteed meat chunks.

Makeda’s beef tibs are top sirloin steak with caramelized onions, seasoned with berbere plus other spices, while doro wot is chicken stew seasoned with Ethiopian butter, berbere and other spices.

You can order the beef tibs spicy or not spicy, but if you can handle spice I highly recommend getting it spicy. The heat that accompanies the berbere spice isn’t the type of spice to

immediately light your mouth on fire, but it gradually grows while also lending itself to other flavors in the spice mix as it subsides. Plus the injera serves as a vessel for soaking up the sauce and a temporary source of relief after eating all that spice.

Past specials included Eithiopean burgers, pasta, gomen (Ethiopian-style collard greens) and chicken tibs to give people something new to try each time.

The chicken tibs, a rotating special, is very similar to the beef tibs so, depending on availability, either is a good choice.

Regular items on Makeda’s menu include temtumo, a vegetarian dish with red lentils and caramelized red onions spiced with berbere, and alicha, a vegan dish with cabbage, potatoes, carrots, olive oil and chilis.

Both are available as individual dishes or as a combo, which is a half portion of each served together.

The temtumo has a stronger berbere spice presence than the alicha, and its consistency is similar to a thick porridge. The alicha is chunkier, comparatively, with large chunks of potato and carrot over the injera.

One of the best dishes on their menu are the sambusas, which are crunchy, triangular packets of dough filled with red lentils, black pepper, onions and garlic. The crunch that accompanies the smooth, savory filling inside is both satisfying and delicious — plus, since they’re not as heavily spiced, it’s a relief for your tastebuds.

Overall, everything is quite good for its value, portion and taste, especially if you enjoy heavy spices or are looking for something more texturally interesting to try. Makeda’s is now the only Ethiopian restaurant in the county.

There’s heart and genuine joy present in Eden and Paolos when talking about their food and interacting with their customers. As second generation Ethiopians, the two were taught everything they make by their mothers, and their love of food was the original inspiration for wanting to run an eatery.

After trying to open an eatery for the past five years, they finally made Makeda’s a reality last year, and it’s a much-appreciated addition to Eugene’s food scene.

If you’re looking for a high quality lunch that is something you may have not had much of, I recommend you check out Makeda’s Cuisine — you’ll definitely be able to taste why they’re still kicking.

Makeda’s Cuisine, an Ethiopian food truck, is located near downtown on Olive Street, in Eugene, Ore., on Mar. 25, 2021. (Madi Mather/Emerald)

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COVER

A YEAR IN:

LOCAL EATERIES ON SURVIVING THE PANDEMIC

BY EM CHAN • TWITTER @CATCHUPTOEMILY

Business remains steady during the pandemic at Morning Glory Café as owner Josh Aldersong stands amidst a morning rush. Morning Glory Café is located on Willamette Street, close to Downtown Eugene, Ore., on Mar. 26, 2021.

Restaurants around Eugene remain open despite the pandemic, providing a space for community and food. (Madi Mather/Emerald)

From discontinuing indoor dining to navigating closures and relief loans, Eugene eateries faced a chaotic year that’s changed the food scene.

March 16, 2020: the last day that in-house dining was permitted before Gov. Kate Brown’s four-week dine-in ban forced eateries across Oregon to either close or switch to exclusively offering take-out. It’s a date that marked the beginning of innumerable changes to the restaurant scene, and many eatery owners who spoke with the Emerald cited this date as when everything changed.

Over one year later, eatery owners agree that this past year can be summed up as “chaotic.” From lay-offs and temporary closures to navigating Payment Protection Program loans, many of the local eateries that have survived have overhauled their prepandemic business models to stay afloat.

The First Closure: Tough decisions and layoffs One of the first major dilemmas that restaurants confronted was choosing whether to remain open during the initial dine-in ban issued March 16.

Those that remained open had to figure out how to move to exclusively offering takeout, which was especially difficult for the larger brick and mortar establishments.

“We found out on a Monday morning that we’d be going into that model on Tuesday, so it wasn’t a lot of time but we went into it,” Josh Aldersong, Morning Glory Cafe owner, said.

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four renditions of their takeout model to get to where they are now, including cutting the menu in half plus changing staffing and restaurant layout to “get to a model that was sustainable.”

The transition for other restaurants wasn’t difficult solely because of the lack of in-house dining, but because of decreased foot traffic around the city.

Before the pandemic, Chi’s Korean Tacos, which sits in front of the West 10th Avenue bus station, saw a lot of traffic from commuters and office workers who would grab a quick bite.

When the offices downtown were shut down, the lack of commuters led to an 80% decrease in customers during the first two months of lockdown, Chi Shin, Chi’s Korean Tacos owner, said.

The beloved Pegasus Pizza campus location was forced to close temporarily in December, because 75% of its business was dependent on UO students and staff walking in and dining in large parties, Pegasus Pizza general manager Nat McGowan said.

The other smaller locations in Oakway and on Willamette remain open.

“With no school open, it was brutal,” McGowan said. “We’d be selling maybe $100 of food a day [from the campus location], and that wouldn’t even keep the lights on.”

Screamin’ Jay’s Hot Lunch owner Fiona Gledhill said the impact of the UO shutting down campus and the exodus of students from campus felt like “the rug getting pulled out from underneath,” since the previous fall’s sales were record-breaking for the

small red cart.

Some of the restaurants that remained open had to undergo massive layoffs or changes in staffing due to capacity constraints. Morning Glory Cafe had to lay off 17 employees (who have now been rehired), Hot Mama’s laid off 10 and Chi’s laid off two, while others restaurant owners declined to say.

“When it first happened last March, I sat down with management and said that I have a lot of young people working for me that live paycheck to paycheck,” Michelle Reid, Jazzy Ladies Cafe & Coffeehouse owner, said. “I didn’t know what unemployment benefits were available, and I was concerned about laying off my staff, so we made accommodations.”

Seeking Help: Paycheck Protection Program loans In late March, the Small Business Administration announced the Paycheck Protection Program, a federal program created in response to COVID-19. Starting April 3, small businesses could apply for PPP loans to cover their payroll and other specific expenses.

In juggling staffing and employment statuses, business owners also were in a pinch when trying to apply for the first round of Paycheck Protection Program loans. Due to the specific application requirements, including details about future loan forgiveness, the limited scope of banks able to give the loans and the number of loans

available, many restaurants struggled to get the first round of PPP loans.

“I don’t have a financial advisor or a CPA, so I had to sort everything for myself,” Holly Muckerman, Bounty Meat and Cheese owner, said. “It was chaotic and overwhelming, especially for tax code, and a lot of it is not meant for the regular person to understand. I had some trouble with getting a bank to process me too, but eventually I found a local bank that could help me with getting the first round and the second round. Without that, I don’t think Bounty would still be open.”

Reid initially faced similar challenges in finding a bank to process her PPP loan application. Many banks turned her away due to the sheer volume of people in the same situation before she found a bank online and was able to apply and receive the first two rounds of PPP loans.

Other businesses were not so fortunate or opted not to apply for the loans completely, due to specific requirements detailed in the fine print or other circumstances.

Shin wasn’t qualified to apply for any PPP loans since the qualifications were largely based on profit losses that businesses suffered, he said. A lot of other smaller businesses operating like his with small staffs, like familyrun eateries, got hit the hardest because they weren’t able to qualify for PPP loans due to working at “lower loss,” he said.

Aldersong did not apply for PPP

COVER

Chi Shin, owner of Chi’s Korean Tacos, reflects on his learning experience in regards to cooking: “I never learned how to cook. I lied for my first job as a line cook and said I had [more] experience…I learned over my shoulder; I was the baby in the house and was always learning over my shoulder.” Chi’s Korean Tacos is located on 10th Ave., in Eugene, Ore., on Mar. 26, 2021. (Madi Mather/Emerald)

loans partially because of skepticism about receiving federal government loan forgiveness, but also because of increased unemployment compensation. He said that after crunching the numbers, he realized it would be in the best interest of his employees to be on unemployment compensation rather than have the PPP loan to cover 75% of their hours.

Delivery Debacle: Third-party apps The next issue that plagued not only Eugene eateries but those across the country was dealing with thirdparty delivery apps like UberEats, DoorDash, GrubHub and PostMates.

“When they deliver for you, they charge a high [service fee] percentage, around 30%,” John Li, Spice N Steam owner, said. “Oregon demanded these apps lower their rates to 15%, but only until the pandemic is over.”

Li decided to also set up his own delivery service with three employees in order to cut costs, since the prices on delivery apps are raised as much as 20% in an attempt to compensate for service fees. Despite their delivery service being comparatively slower during peak times because of their limited drivers, Li said this would hopefully incentivize customers to order directly from them.

Some eateries followed suit in establishing their own delivery

Kennedy Leavitt, employee, greets customers. Southpine Bakery is located on Crescent Ave., in Eugene, Ore., Restaurants around Eugene remain open despite the pandemic, providing a space for community and food. (Madi Mather/Emerald)

services, while others, such as Chi’s distancing mandates are completely Korean Tacos and Hot Mama’s Wings, lifted or risk levels are raised. decided to partner up with Cascadian Otherwise, owners are thankful for Courier Collective, a local bicycle the rallying support of community delivery service. After using third members who’ve continued to buy party delivery services, Hot Mama’s their food, stay connected on social Wings wanted to partner locally since media and check in on them. it was not just supporting a fellow Pegasus Pizza and Screamin’ Jays’ local company, but also reducing their Hot Lunches hope that if UO’s fall carbon footprint and service fees, term will be held in-person again, they Marzano said. can reopen their campus locations “I think a lot of customers just aren’t come September. Gledhill, Li and aware of how high those fees are, that Muckerman said they hope with the those companies like DoorDash and increase in people receiving COVID-19 Postmates take,” Marzano said. “It’s vaccinations that by May or June a lot harder for smaller businesses when they have to give 25% or more CLOSED CLOSED [profit] to those companies.”

TEMPORARILY INDEFINITELY So what’s in - UKI UKI TIKI BAR - AKIRA store for the - LA PERLA PIZZERIA - PEGASUS PIZZA (CAMPUS LOCATION) - BREW DR. TEAHOUSE rest of 2021?

- FATHOM’S BAR - GRIT KITCHEN + WINE SAM BOND’S GARAGE With Lane - TURTLE’S BAR AND GRILL/ THE LOFT - SPECTRUM - DIY TEA AND BEYOND County’s risk - THE VINTAGE - THE JAIL level down - KOWLOON RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE - STEELHEAD BREWERY & MCKENZIE to “lower” as - THE KOZY KITCHEN BREWING - MANDALA CAFE of March 29, - DICKIE YO’S FROZEN TREATS (VALLEY - NOVO LATIN TABLE RIVER LOCATION) there won’t be - NOODLE BOWL THE CANNERY - YOGURT EXTREME many changes SHIELD BISTRO AND CATERING KITCHEN - OREGON ELECTRIC STATION for restaurant - MUFFIN MILL operations until social

operations will be closer to what they were before the pandemic.

“This industry is all about connections and sharing, feeling a sense of community, which is what attracted people like me to be a part of it in the first place,” Muckerman said.

The dining scene has changed, with people holding various views about dining out and many being on edge due to the pandemic.

“There’s not that sense of community anymore that there usually is, even amongst staff,” Muckerman said.

EATERIES IN EUGENE OPENED DURING THE PANDEMIC - STICKS N STONES - MAKEDA’S ETHIOPIAN-ERITREAN CUISINE - MOKE’S COFFEE - KRISPY KRUNCHY CHICKEN - HOMEYBOWLS - SOUTHPINE BAKERY (FORMERLY SUGARPINE BAKERY) - HANDEL’S HOMEMADE ICE CREAM - PAPER PLATE BBQ - COMMUNITY FERMENTATION UNION - HANDEL’S HOMEMADE ICE CREAM

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SPORTS

OREGON BASEBALL TEAM STUNS THE

PAC-12 IN DOMINANT START TO THE SEASON Behind dominant pitching and improved power numbers, the Ducks have surprised the league and climbed into the national rankings.

BY MOJO HILL • TWITTER @MOJOHILL22 After the Oregon baseball team lost their third and fourth games of the season at home against Seattle, head coach Mark Wasikowski was visibly frustrated.

“We have power arms and uncompetitive hitters based off of four games,” he said. “The coaching staff hasn’t done a good enough job to make them competitive at the plate yet, so that’s our fault.”

It wasn’t all bad as Oregon pitchers struck out 41 batters in the four-game series, including 16 in game four. Still,Wasikowski was far from satisfied.

“For me it’s about winning the game,” he said after their loss on Feb. 28. “It’s not about the number of strikeouts… They have great live arms and good stuff but the objective is to win the game, and we didn’t do that today — and we need to wear that as a ball club. I will as a manager for sure.”

The team has since taken Wasikowski’s critique to heart, and they’ve taken down some of the best teams in the country to climb into the national rankings.

While the team appeared a mixed bag less than a month ago, all of the sudden they’ve jumped out of the gate as one of the top forces in college baseball.

It began on the road, as the team took on No. 7 UCSB and shocked them in a four-game sweep. They traveled to rival Oregon State next and took two of three, and it was then that they found themselves ranked in all six national polls for the first time since 2016.

“I liked what we saw in terms of a change in mentality at the plate,” Wasikowski said. “I’ve seen a much more competitive look.”

That change in mentality made a difference, especially in the UCSB series when the Ducks scored 38 runs, including 17 in game three.

Another aspect that provided a huge boost to the lineup was the return of Kenyon Yovan, who claimed National Player of the Week honors after the UCSB series. He went 0-for-3 with two walks in the first game, but went 7-for-12 with four home runs in the other three.

“My head hit the pillow the night before and I was like, ‘It’s not going to happen again. I’m not going to allow myself to fail in big situations,” Yovan said after game one of the UCSB series.

The team returned to Eugene on March 19 to begin conference play against Arizona State. They lost the first game 6-3, but won the next two to take their third consecutive series. They continued to move up in the polls, coming in as high as No. 13 by Baseball America and Perfect Game.

While Wasikowski is happy about the progress the team has made, he isn’t breaking out the pom poms quite yet.

“It isn’t like we’re sitting around celebrating, thinking that we’ve done something great,” he said.

“But we have taken a step forward in terms of the accomplishments… and that’s great.”

Success to this degree is something the vast majority of this Oregon clubhouse isn’t used to. The

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only player on their roster with playoff experience is Stanford transfer Nick Bellafronto, and that didn’t even come in a Duck uniform. Navigating this success and learning how to handle it has been an area of emphasis for Wasikowski’s squad.

“Now we get a new task in front of us, which is trying to coach these guys up on what it means to be successful, and how you handle that stuff to continue to be successful,” Wasikowski said.

One thing is clear though: the Ducks haven’t let themselves be intimidated when facing tough opponents.

“The better the team we play, the more fun it is for us,” outfielder Tanner Smith said.

Smith has been a part of the improved offense that has been key to the Ducks’ success. He’s provided pop from the leadoff spot, slugging .649 and getting on base at a .391 clip.

Outfielder Aaron Zavala has also been a huge offensive contributor for Oregon, evidenced by his .440/.582/.620 batting line. While he was already known as an on-base machine, the power has come as a bit of a surprise, thanks to the help of hitting coach Jack Marder.

“Coach Marder’s really spent a lot of time with Aaron, and helped him understand what’s happening in his swing to where they’ve been able to develop the power side of it,” Wasikowski said.

Josh Kasevich has also shown some surprising power from the shortstop position. In addition to Marder’s guidance, the hitters have been using a piece of technology called BlastMotion, which Kasevich described as small censors that they put on the end of their bats to measure angles, rotation to the ball and acceleration.

“For me personally it was a lot of early connection — which is the angle of your bat before you launch into your swing — and getting that to right around where it needed to be helped a lot with attacking the ball,” Kasevich said.

While the offense took some time to get going, the pitching has been rock solid from day one. Junior right-hander Cullen Kafka has been the standout, allowing only one run in 21 innings pitched over four starts going into the Arizona series. He’s also struck out 32 and held opposing hitters to a .178 average. He said that he worked hard in the offseason to make his curveball more consistent, and now he’s reaping the benefits.

“It just makes pitching a whole lot easier if you can get a second pitch across,” Kafka said.

Junior lefty Robert Ahlstrom has been vital as well with a 2.12 ERA, and Brett Walker has put up a solid 3.48 mark.

The Ducks have a crowded bullpen filled with young faces. Freshmen Isaac Ayon, Rio Britton and RJ Gordon have all gotten chances and

have shown flashes of dominance.

“We’ve got several talented young players,” Wasikowski said. “They bring joy, they’re always smiling and they’re just great kids to be around.”

Their young players have helped out in the field too. The Ducks struggled last year to find a true center fielder, but now they have two in Bryce Boettcher and dual-sport athlete Robby Ashford. Wasikowski also believes Anthony Hall has the potential to be a difference maker, although he hasn’t gotten the chance to start regularly yet.

“It’s quite a competition that’s going on out there right now,” Wasikowski said. “[The players] know that the roster has some talent on it that they haven’t seen on a wide-scale basis at Oregon before.”

After beating Portland on Tuesday, March 23, the Ducks’ record sat at 11-4 as they headed back on the road to face Arizona. They lost the first two games against Arizona to fall to 11-6, their first series loss of the season. They have a lot left that they want to accomplish, but for now they’re using their newfound success as fuel to work harder.

“The fun thing is it doesn’t feel like work,” Wasikowski said. “This is a fun group to come and be around every day. They want to work. They’re here extra so much so that we gotta send them home and tell them ‘Hey, go get some rest.’ … Those are qualities that championship-level teams have.”

Ducks right-handed pitcher Cullen Kafka (33) pitches. Oregon Ducks baseball takes on the Seattle University RedHawks at PK Park in Eugene, Ore., on Feb. 28, 2021. (Ian Enger/Emerald)

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SPORTS

OREGON’S RUN ENDS IN SWEET 16

BY CARLY EBISUYA • TWITTER @CARLYEBISUYA The Ducks waited over a year for their chance at redemption against Louisville, just for their rematch to leave yet another bad taste in their mouth.

Oregon fell short of its fourth consecutive trip to the Elite Eight after falling to No. 2 Louisville, 60-42, in San Antonio in the Alamo Region semifinal on Sunday.

In the games preceding the Sweet 16, Oregon’s defense was growing stronger and stronger with every round. The team found its identity and head coach Kelly Graves finally put all the pieces together, rolling out a new starting lineup. Shots were falling and the post players seemed unstoppable.

But in March Madness, momentum can change in an instant.

Midway through the opening quarter, Sedona Prince picked up a costly second foul that sidelined her for the rest of the quarter. Without one of their twin towers protecting the paint, the Ducks gave up six offensive rebounds to the Cardinals.

Louisville’s stifling ball pressure forced Oregon into early turnovers, which plagued them in the long run.

“Our guards did a great job of pressuring the basketball, which we had talked about for the past two days,” Louisville head coach Jeff Walz said.

“Our ball pressure had to be elite, and it was. To force Oregon to try to start their offense further out, not let them get simple high-lows or side entries into the post. Our guards did a great job of that.”

To add to Oregon’s woes, freshman guard Maddie Scherr was slow to rise after rolling her left ankle on a Louisville possession. She limped across the court before a timeout was called and never returned to the floor.

With Scherr and Prince sitting out, the Cardinals took advantage and hit the offensive boards. Louisville spurred an 8-0 run to open the quarter as their lead ballooned 18-8.

The Ducks were without their three leading ball — Te-Hina Paopao, Jaz Shelley and Maddie Scherr — handlers and main defensive stopper on the perimeter.

In the second quarter, Prince stepped back in the game and immediately stopped Louisville’s 10-0 run with a layup on the right side of the basket.

The Cardinals immediately responded.

Louisville whipped the ball around Oregon’s zone defense and the ball ended up in the hands of a wide-open Dana Evans for a three.

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foot jumpers to behind the three-point line. Louisville’s leading scorer entered the half with a team-high 13 points.

“We came out with a sense of urgency,” Evans said. “We didn’t want to get down 18 points, like we did last game. We just couldn’t let that happen to a good Oregon team. We just made sure that we kept our foot on the gas.”

Facing its biggest deficit of the game, 29-14, going into the locker room,, Oregon came out firing in the third with a high-low pass from Prince to Nyara Sabally for an and-one layup.

Three minutes into the third, Erin Boley ended Oregon’s dry spell by sinking its first three of the game, bringing the Ducks within 13. Oregon’s shooting woes continued through the rest of the game, shooting an abysmal 11% from the perimeter.

Sabally scored Oregon’s last four baskets of the third and the momentum was heading its way going into the final quarter.

With 28 seconds left, the Ducks’ leading scorer cried out in pain, grabbing her ankle and grimacing after falling to the floor. Sabally was helped off the court, her arms slinging around two of the coaching staff, and she walked straight to the trainers table.

Against all odds,Oregon, down its best defender Scherr and leading scorer Sabally, managed to cut the deficit to six points, 43-37, with a pair of Prince free throws early in the fourth quarter.

The Cardinals halted any sign of an Oregon run when Elizabeth Dixon scored a layup at the buzzer, extending their lead back up to double-digits, 43-33.

Evans, preventing Oregon to creep back in the game, went on a scoring run of her own. She scored seven consecutive points for the Cardinals and boosted their lead to its largest at 19 points, 56-37.

The game, and the season, were slowly slipping away from Oregon’s grasp.

“They went on a run that we couldn’t recover from,” Graves said. “We didn’t play our best, we didn’t have all the pieces that we needed.”

Time dwindled down on Oregon’s run in the tournament, but its young core has built a foundation that is sure to be a “springboard” upon in the next few years, as Graves said.

“I’m really excited about the future of Duck basketball,” Graves said. “In the last five seasons, here’s what we’ve done: Elite Eight, Elite Eight, Final Four, 2020 who knows [...], then this year the Sweet 16. If that’s not an elite basketball program, I’m not sure what is.”

OPINION

UO COLLEGE MODERATES: RIGHT IDEA, NOT EXECUTION (YET) (Billy Lawson/Emerald)

Aghel: The premise of the UO College Moderates is necessary to create a safe space for civil discourse on campus. But moderation isn’t the solution to every problem.

BY PARSA AGHEL • TWITTER @PARSALONA1

At the beginning of the month, many of us were first introduced to the UO College Moderates.

Right at the top of the Emerald’s reporting, the club was advertised as a “safe space for civil political discussion.” Predicated on insurmountable polarization going on in the nation, the club was designed for those who are “skeptical [of] extremism.”

Reading about that for the first time, I was wracked with concern. From the outset, it seemed to suggest two things: the first being that moderate positions are the ultimate consequence of discourse, and the second that extremist views do not have a place in the discourse itself.

Before engaging in a critique, I got the chance to talk to UO College Moderates founders Eric Yan and Conall Anderson. Of course, there is nothing wrong with being a moderate, and every campus needs a space for deliberation. After interviewing them, some of my concerns eased, but there are a few ideological flaws left lingering in my mind that should be addressed.

To start, though, one must challenge the notion of the moderate position. Moderatism, distinct from other political ideologies, is relativist. One cannot define what moderates “believe” without the presence of other ideologies for them to base themselves around, or, more likely, between.

In our democracy, moderatism is resistant to change, often meaning it upholds the status quo.

Talking about climate change, I asked Eric about the Green New Deal. The proposal — which is staunchly rejected by all Republicans and subject to criticism by moderate democrats as a result — has not found any success at all. Eric said that it is a regular part of a moderate hold on democracy – skeptical of change, we can instead do “little experiments instead of large sweeping changes.” But we haven’t had any since the bill was introduced in 2017. Eric reasons that this is because the moderate form of discourse insists on considering every “reasonable” position. But this means that often unreasonable claims, like climate change not existing, must be taken seriously simply because of the overwhelming numbers of moderate

right positions.

Because of this, I question the UO College Moderates’ potential to emulate problem solving in a way that other groups cannot. The original article suggests that the moderate position might be “a better approach to dealing with problems with the pandemic.” I don’t see how a moderate approach, meaning engaging in debate with moderate Republicans who still struggle to wear a mask after a year of denying the pandemic’s existence, can help solve this problem. Moderatism, in the last year, prevented change.

In the club setting, Eric suggested that it is okay to “move on” in disagreement. But our agreement during the interview that real life moderate positions tend to uphold the status quo contradicts the suggestion that the moderate position can lead to extraordinary changes through compromise. As Eric put it, “change happens when moderates change their views” and leave the positions of deadlock and compromise.

The next issue we talked about was the exclusion of extremism. Because moderatism is relative to extreme positions, I asked how the club can reach positions if they share a skepticism for extremism – the meaning of which they defined as ranging from fascism to communism.

Anderson responded that “our club does not discriminate,” meaning that anyone is welcome to join in discussion so long as they come with some sort of proposal or policy as well. This sounds good, of course, but the demographic of the club points to something else. Though I acknowledge that the club is in its early stages and is still getting off the ground, the demographic is almost entirely “center left.”

A weakness emerges that they, too, acknowledge: The club’s moderate discourse, which inherently is relative to more ‘extreme’ views, only consists of moderate positions.

Much is lost in “civil discourse” without certain extreme positions. I talked with the founders about the socialist influence on the welfare state; the criticism of free market capitalism often found in liberal democracies begets the construction of

a social safety net. This, for example, led to the suggestion of universal basic income by 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang – but he was lambasted for his proposal being too extreme.

One year later, the stimulus checks due to COVID-19 relief are a part of regular discourse. Outside of institutions, anarchist proposals of the 40-hour work week were once arrested and murdered because their advocacy was too “extreme.” Now, though, to deny these positions would be ridiculous in its own right.

Extreme positions often inform what becomes the most moderate of takes.

As a result, I question the conflation of moderatism with the space for civil discourse. Regardless of correction to suggest “no exclusion,” the College Moderates do characterize “extremists [getting] louder” as a bad thing that needs to be countered.

I would agree that extremist white supremacy should be silenced, but the other side of the political spectrum has offered much of what is considered normal today. Placing negative connotations on the broad umbrella of extremism is anything but inclusive.

This campus needs a space for civil discourse.

The intentions of the College Moderates are correct; however, I do not think they have achieved their ideal yet. Conflating moderates with a safe space for discussion inherently will exclude certain positions.

Not only does this erase the potential for future positions to hold, but it also corrupts the moderate ideology itself.

Parsa Aghel is a columnist at the Emerald’s opinion desk. He brings a critical lens to power structures and is an advocate for human rights. Follow his Twitter @parsalona1

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OPINION

SHOULD I TAKE A GAP YEAR?

BY EMILY BORCHARDT AND ANDREW STEVENS

As summer approaches, students must decide between taking a gap year or continuing on into grad school or the workforce. Some see gap years as a way to gain clarity on the future. Extra time allows for work and personal growth that could otherwise be missed.

Others see the time off as a disadvantage, an unnecessary break setting them back a year.

BORCHARDT: GAP YEARS ARE IMPORTANT FOR STUDENT SUCCESS Don’t be fooled, gap years are a good thing. We spend four years living the same basic routine: school five days a week for 6 to 7 hours a day, with only a four month break in between. However, the transition to college will be significantly more difficult. High school counselors rarely suggest gap years, and most parents don’t see that as a feasible option. It’s assumed that that year would be dedicated to slacking off and wasting time sitting on the couch binging Netflix shows, when we’d actually do the exact opposite.

Gap years are extremely beneficial. By taking a gap year, students can give them themselves time to build their confidence and figure out what their passions are. Further, time off allows students to travel, volunteer, save money, gain work experience and even

consider if college is the right fit. I think the reason students aren’t encouraged to take gap years — or even feel forced to go to college — is because colleges don’t want students to reconsider going. It’s been ingrained in our minds that the only way to succeed is with a degree, but that isn’t true.

The common narrative tells us if we don’t go to college we won’t be financially stable. However, my experience at college has taken the little financial stability I had. I worked 3 to 4 jobs constantly before COVID-19 just to make ends meet. I’ll have to start paying loans once I graduate. A gap year would give you time to reconsider if college is worth pursuing. If you’re able to find the career of your dreams without a degree, take advantage of that.

Emily Borchardt is an opinion columnist at the Emerald. She primarily writes about racism, classism and sexism within the UO as well as providing solutions to these pressing issues.

Follow her Twitter @emilyfborcha

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STEVENS: DON’T DELAY THE INEVITABLE There are many reasons you might want to take a break after college before entering the workforce or grad school, but the reality is taking a gap year will likely put you at a disadvantage. The mental health benefits of taking a gap year are primary reasons people consider taking a break, but in my experience, being complacent only adds to my stress.

The best time to use the knowledge you’ve gained is soon after graduation — when everything you’ve learned and practiced is still fresh in your mind. Taking a break in between school and work means you will have to adjust to industry practices all over again.

It is also important to understand not everyone has the chance to take a gap

year. Grad school can be very expensive and many people enter the workforce right after college to pay off loans. Taking a gap year requires having a place to stay and a source of income, which are primary motivators for getting a degree and job in the first place.

COVID-19 has made it easier in some ways to apply for jobs and engage with potential employers. Because most jobs and applications are entirely digital now and can be done from the comfort of your home, entering the workforce can look extremely similar to a gap year.

This convenience means there’s really no reason not to at least look at job or internship listings in the field of your degree, if only to know that you don’t want to work in that industry sooner.

Andrew Stevens is a columnist for the Emerald’s opinion desk. He writes about student social issues and specializes in disliking the thing you like. Follow his Twitter @vndrewws.

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