Resolution Option 2B could cut UO greenhouse gas emissions 45% by 2035
By Bella Bishop Campus News Reporter
Following nearly a decade of efforts to reduce carbon emissions on campus, University of Oregon campus leaders have said they’ve seen no results.
Currently, UO’s boiler system, which heats more than 80 buildings with nearly four miles of distribution tunnels on campus, is responsible for 49% of UO’s total emissions and is the largest single-source greenhouse gas emitter in Eugene.
This system relies heavily on the burning of fossil fuels, which “currently releases just under 25,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually,” according to the 2024 Thermal Taskforce staff report.
8 years of advocating for a new heating system
In 2017, members of UO’s Climate Justice League, Thermal Transition Taskforce and the Associated Students of the University of Oregon proposed a climate action plan to former UO President Michael Schill.
The plan considered multiple different options
ARTS & CULTURE
A centennial celebration held to honor Beall Concert Hall
By Seira Kitagawa Arts & Culture Writer
The collaboration between dance and music has helped visually represent music for centuries, along with the help of opera performances, costumes and theatrical presentations.
The University of Oregon was founded in 1876, and since then, several new buildings such as the Erb Memorial Union in 1950 to Lillis Business Complex in 2003, have been added to expand the campus. The MarAbel B. Frohnmayer Music Building, initially built in 1924,
Duck runners back at Hayward for term’s first home meets
ELECTION RESULTS
ASUO PRESIDENT-ELECT PRISSILA MORENO
LOOKS AHEAD TO NEXT YEAR IN OFFICE
Moreno and her running mate, Jordan Ackemann, will be ASUO’s next president and vice president for the 2025-26 school year. Representing UO Student Power, the slate ran on the principles of labor rights, multiculturalism, basic needs and academic services.
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“H ANDS OFF!”
By Joseph Chiu City News Associate Editor
Thousands of people gathered at Eugene City Hall on April 5 in opposition against President Donald Trump’s policies. Over 1,200 locations nationwide took part in the “Hands Off!” rally in a National Day of Action.
In one of the largest facilitated
protests in 2025, the rally was organized by two national-led organizations. A national movement called “50501” and Indivisible, a locally-led nationally coordinated movement, helped organize the Eugene demonstration and were joined by about 18 other local organizations, 10 speakers and four musical acts at city hall.
(Alex Hernandez/ Emerald)
How campus life could be affected if student workers strike
Student workers in dining halls, the EMU, residence halls and elsewhere could strike in late April
By Sasha Love Campus News Reporter
Following over 10 months of bargaining sessions, the University of Oregon Student Workers Union is preparing for a potential strike if an agreement with UO administration is not reached — the exact date of when the union could go on strike is unclear.
As of April 11, UOSW has not submitted a 10-day notice of an intent to strike to the Oregon Employment Relations Board, according to Izzie Marshall, UOSW bargaining team member.
In early March, UOSW held a strike authorization vote — 94.5% of the union voting “yes” to the authorization, but only 60% of the total union participated in the election, according to a social media post by UOSW.
According to Marshall, the union represents roughly 4,000 student workers.
According to UO’s website, over 160 students work at the campus libraries while nearly 800 students work at the dining halls — 80% of the dining hall workforce.
Others work at the Erb Memorial Union, as resident assistants, or in other roles at the university.
Dining
According to Marshall, since some dining hall workers play an active role in UOSW, dining hall services will likely see a major impact if the union decides to strike.
“Imagine handling 6,000 freshmen at 20% capacity; a lot of those essential roles would be empty,” Marshall said.
UO Spokesperson Eric Howald said that “dining services will continue to provide food services to our (UO’s) resident students in the event of a student worker strike.”
In February, the University of California, Los Angeles worker strike affected dining hall services, which resulted in the university closing some dining halls and changing hours for others.
It is unclear if UO would take similar actions.
EMU
The total number of EMU workers who go on strike could be challenged by the fact that the EMU workplace is not consolidated, according to Bentz.
“What’s challenging is there’s so many of us in one building and so we kind of group ourselves together and yet most of us don’t work with each other,” Bentz said. “Whereas in some of these other bigger workplaces, there’s more consistent cross-pollination.”
Residence Halls
According to UOSW bargaining team member and Resident Advisor union organizer Ryan Campbell, RAs would strike by not performing on-call duties such as handling roommate disagreements, helping students who are locked out or filing incident reports.
“If we are in the halls and someone comes to us with a pressing emergency: someone is having a medical issue, there is a fire starting (and) it is something that takes it out of our role and is truly just being a good person and using the resources we have, we are still going to encourage our members to help out,” Campbell said.
Library
Victoria Robison, a UOSW worker and union organizer at the Knight Library, said students who work in the libraries are primarily responsible for checking out books and organizing the library’s stock.
“If there is a strike… I think that it would be really hard for people to access things that make them able to get education. I think people in classes really rely on the library for like research papers and whatnot,” Robison said.
UOSW hosted town halls to cover strike logistics on April 4, 9 and 10.
UOSW will also be hosting a practice picket on April 16.
for reducing UO’s GHG emissions.
In 2019, the students wrote a letter to request additional action to the original climate action plan.
In 2022, former Interim President Patrick Phillips established the Thermal Transition Taskforce with 21 members to review the university’s thermal heating infrastructure and guide its next steps forward.
A preliminary assessment of the university’s heating system was conducted in collaboration with Affiliated Engineers, Inc.
AEI released a final report in late 2022, outlining four primary options to transition to a more sustainable heating system.
The first option was “systems as usual,” meaning no action would be taken, and UO would continue providing heat to campus through existing boilers.
The second option recommended a “conversion to an electrode steam boiler.”
Option three suggested focused on switching to a hot water distribution system.
Building on Option three, option four includes the addition of an alternative heat source.
In November 2023, ASUO passed a resolution in support of Option 4.
ASUO Secretary of Sustainability
Rachel Withers said, “As time passed, it (new heating system) became more and more glaringly obvious that it was not possible” because of financial restrictions.
As per the December 2023 Treasury Report to the Board of Trustees, “the total outstanding debt for the university is $846 million.”
Where do UO and campus leaders stand now?
In March of 2025, ASUO passed a resolution in support of Option 2B.
“The issue with a lot of the other ones (options) is that they (UO) were worried that the other options would become stranded assets. They put all this money into something, and then there would be a better option available,” Jack Dodson, an organizer for Climate Justice League, said.
Resolution Option 2B could
cut UO greenhouse gas emissions 45% by 2035
After years of student advocacy, climate task force reports, and cost evaluations, Option 2B has emerged as the most financially viable step toward climate accountability— though concerns remain regarding delays and limited administrative transparency.
According to Dodson, Option 2B takes part of the natural gas (fossil fuel) that contributes to climate change and converts part of that system to be on the electric grid, which gets its energy from the Eugene Water and Electric Board.
“It converts 54% of the system to just being on the (electric) grid. And now, of course, Oregon’s grid is not perfect, but it is a lot better than just 100% fossil fuels. So that would cut the emissions by 45%,” Dodson said.
Despite various meetings with UO President John Karl Scholz, Board of Trustees meetings, rallies and seven years of advocacy, the university has yet to commit to an actionable resolution.
But UO has shown the most support for option 2B, the cheapest of the options suggested, according to several Board of Trustees meetings.
The current boiler system costs about $20,000,000 to operate annually, and “Option 2B increases annual operating cost by approximately $4.5 million in 2023 dollars,” according to the 2024 Thermal Taskforce staff report.
Dodson said that delaying this action “complicates things” and it is “better for the university if they take this in steps” because waiting will just make the shift more “difficult” since the state of Oregon has its climate goals and it expects the university to meet those by 2035.
Steve Mital, director of campus planning and facilities management, said that the lack of immediate action is “not an attempt to minimize our (university) responsibility. We’re (UO) working hard to find a financially viable way to join the global energy transition that is underway.”
(Saj Sundaram/Emerald)
Valentine Bentz, a co-director of the Radical Organizing and Activism Resource center, speaks to Daily Emerald reporter Sasha Love during an interview about student workers.
Continued from page 1
The search for security and hope
Homeless residents remain in adverse living situations for many reasons.
Experts and researchers on homelessness have noticed a lack of affordable housing to be a key driver of struggling homeless communities leading to harm.
By Joseph Chiu City News Associate Editor
Leaves and trash blow in gusts of wind early in the morning along the streets of Eugene. The roads are empty and the city is peaceful, quiet, with no one in sight.
On the sidewalk, Alika Leatherberry, 50, sits in his clothes protecting him from the weather but remains alert of his surroundings in case situations suddenly turn physical. After experiencing homelessness for
over six years, he said he assumes the worst out of most people after seeing individuals often steal from one another and treat each other poorly.
“It’s hard because I never thought I’d see myself in this situation that I’m at,” Leatherberry said. “I never was the type of person to allow myself to be ‘one of them,’ so to speak, where I feel like I’m just as incapable and incompetent as the people that don’t want to do anything.”
Experts on homelessness say the state of homeless encampments and shelters is detrimental to those living in them, drawing attention to the need for long-term affordable housing and an increased use of temporary, short-term housing programs to mitigate housing issues.
Leatherberry said he grew up in Hawaii before moving to California. He later
moved to Arizona to spend time with his father, and then he worked in Tucson before they shut down his job site with the Microsoft escalation team and relocated.
His father got sick, forcing him to eventually sell his house in Tucson, and Leatherberry has been homeless ever since his father died in 2019. He said he bounced around to different states before finally ending up in the streets of Eugene.
“All day, every day, is the same day”
Leatherberry said that he’s noticed that some unhoused people’s priority is to sit and guard their stuff while making sure they don’t get attacked or plundered by others around them.
“I’ve never experienced anything this vicious before,” Leatherberry said. “There was a lot of violence where I grew up (in Oahu), but nothing to this point where there’s homeless people stealing from other homeless people. There’s no love whatsoever.”
Claire Herbert, an associate professor at the University of Oregon who researches housing and homelessness, said she believes the narrative of unhoused people wishing the worst on each other aligns with her own research and one done by the University of California, San Francisco, showing unhoused people are often victimized by other unhoused people.
She said this is evidence of the intense trauma, scarcity and violence that circulates through vulnerable communities.
“I think that the worst thing we can do is take an individual approach and blame the people in that encampment for treating each other poorly,” Herbert said. “It calls attention to the need to create more safe places for unhoused people so that they are not feeling like the only option they have for a place to live is somewhere where they feel
Eugene City Council moves forward with downtown development plan
By Mathias Lehman-Winters City News Editor
At an April 9 meeting of the Eugene City Urban Renewal Agency Board, which is comprised of all Eugene City Councilors and the Mayor, voted unanimously to begin the process of adding an additional apartment complex to the city’s downtown core.
The land in question is known as the North Butterfly lot, and is located adjacent to the Farmers Market Pavillion, at the intersection of East 7th Avenue and Oak Street.
In a presentation to the board by Eugene Economic Development Section Manager Anne Fifield and Downtown Manager Eric Brown, the city officials laid out a two phase plan of identifying how the lot will be utilized.
Phase I involves identifying the best development firm for the project. The agency will request each firm’s qualifications, experience and track record. The hope is that by soliciting teams before having a site-specific proposal, the city will receive more applicants, helping city officials recommend the best team to the board for approval.
Phase II will involve completing the proposal with specifics such as the number and type of residential units, affordability, green building practices, parking, etc. During this phase the city will solicit input from the community. It is also during this phase that a budget will be drawn up and any proposal deal points will be approved by the board. After the presentation by Fifield and Brown, councilors asked questions regarding the proposal.
Councilor Jennifer Yeh asked city officials what type of housing the development would offer. “Are we assuming
like everyone is against them.”
The struggles with encampments and homeless shelters
One of the biggest reasons homeless encampments exist is that there aren’t enough shelters to get into, according to Herbert. At least 17 emergency shelters are available throughout Lane County, but specific regulations and restrictions may limit their eligibility to live in certain shelters.
In Lane County’s Point-in-Time Count on Jan. 31, 2024, 3,085 people were homeless, with 2,096 unsheltered people and 920 individuals in emergency shelters.
Lesley Jo Weaver, an associate professor at UO who researches health inequality in homelessness, has often seen the negative impact of forced relocation and believes homeless sweeps are “exceedingly unethical.”
“I have yet to hear about a single situation where someone was forced to move and at the same time given any kind of guidance or resources that led to an improvement in their situation,” Weaver said. “In every instance I’ve seen, a forced removal has led to a deterioration in their circumstances.”
The number one frustration and complaint when Weaver talks to service providers is that they know the ultimate solution to homelessness is housing, but they don’t have any housing to hand out.
Herbert said the problem isn’t being solved if housing isn’t offered and that it’s cheaper to house people than to serve them on the streets since taxpayers pay a lot towards funds intended to address homelessness.
“If that money was put up front into housing, into preventing homelessness and into trying to rapidly rehouse folks who are currently on the streets, that would be a much better use of financial and personnel resources,” Herbert said.
The Eugene City Council and Mayor voted unanimously to begin the process of building a new housing complex in downtown Eugene
this project is going to be a rent situation or is there a possibility that it could be owner occupied,” Yeh said.
Brown responded that in all likelihood the new development would consist of rental units,
Under current plans, any developer that takes on the project would likely be granted an Accelerated MultiUnit Property Tax Exemption — or a 10-year property tax exemption for taxable value associated with new construction involving eligible housing developments. During an Accelerated MUPTE, taxes on the land itself are still paid, however the application process is shortened from six months to two months.
Councilor Lyndsie Leech expressed concern that some residents may not understand how the MUPTE operates, and that they view it as the city “giving tax dollars away.”
Leech emphasized her support for the project, saying that, “If we give this assistance, in 10-years, we will be creating millions of dollars in tax revenue for the city.”
Fifield pointed out that according to her teams’ research, there has not been any privately owned market-rate housing constructed in the downtown without some form of public assistance since at least 1956.
Councilor Clark pointed out one of the potential hurdles to the project, that current interest rates are not creating a favorable environment for development firms taking on new loans.
Fifield said that the Downtown Urban Renewal Agency has a construction loan program offering flexible financing to potential firms “that would absolutely be available.” However, the city could only contribute some financing and could not provide loans to cover the entirety of the project.
The council and mayor voted unanimously to move forward with the project.
According to the tentative timeline put forth by city officials, the city will stop accepting submissions by firms in July 2025, will be evaluating submissions in August, and will come back to the board with a recommended team in fall 2025.
(Alyssa Garcia/Emerald)
Two tents set up on East 17th Ave. with a notice from the City of Eugene to remove them.
(Mathias Lehman-Winters/Emerald) Eugene City Councilors Jennifer Yeh and Matt Keating left to right.
Prissila Moreno has won the 2025 Associated Students of the University of Oregon presidential election, the ASUO elections board announced on the afternoon of April 11. Moreno and her running mate, Jordan Ackemann, will serve as the next student government president and vice president for the 2025-2026 school year.
In the first round of results, both candidates won the vote for UO Student Power slate with 1,234 votes compared to their opponents, Taliek Lopez-DuBoff and Madisen Kunkler from the Unite UO slate, who received 1,079 votes.
The 2025 spring election saw higher turnout from previous ASUO elections, with 2,492 students casting a ballot. This year’s special election saw 97 votes, and the 2024 spring election captured roughly 1,200 votes.
In an interview with The Daily Emerald Friday afteroon, Moreno said she wants to thank the student body who believed in her and recognized her passion and dedication to changing their lives.
“I want to make them (student body) proud and I’m going to work really, really hard to do that,” Moreno said.
Moreno and Ackemann said they are enthusiastic about their victory and ready to bring UO Student Power to ASUO.
“I’m so excited,” Moreno said. “We (UO Student Power) have put in so much work and we’ve been reflecting on the past month, and we really wanted this campaign to be a testament that organizing is effective.”
During the first two weeks of the spring trimester, both candidates spoke on their slate’s mission and goals in debates held by The Daily Emerald. Presidential and vice-presidential candidates had separate debates during the first week of the trimester and then spoke together during a final, follow-up debate on Tuesday, April 8.
Moreno said in her closing statements on April 8 that UO Student Power has a “bold, justice-centered” vision and plans to support the unions on campus, student organizations and the student body.
In the final presidential and vice-presidential debate, Moreno said, “I don’t think our goal is to fill those roles from student workers. We need to stand with them and their strike and show that this university does not function without its student workers.”
Moreno admitted to her “ambitious goals and… promises” in the final debate and has said that the first thing she plans to do once elected is “to build a really strong team that’s going to get these things done.”
These goals consist of standing in solidarity with the unions on campus, standing up to the federal government’s attacks on free speech, and reshaping the narrative between student organizations and ASUO.
In an interview with The Daily Emerald Friday afternoon, Ackemann said he wants to talk with Moreno more about how they can support
campus unions in general and during a potential strike, but both will “definitely be with” any union who decides to strike.
“We’re definitely going to be with them, as much as we possibly can. Both in offering any resources we can also physically in support,” Ackemann said.
Throughout the election cycle, UO Student Power slate relied heavily on endorsements to gather student support.
UO Student Power’s endorsements consisted of Oregon Ducks players, students, campus leaders and organizations, including UO Student Workers Union and Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation.
“
“I’m so excited—we (UO Student Power) have put in so much work and we’ve been reflecting on the past month, and we really wanted this campaign to be a testament that organizing is effective.”
- Prissila Moreno, ASUO President-Elect “
According to both Moreno and Ackemann, the endorsements did have an effect on the final outcome of the election.
“In our approach (with) endorsements, what we (UO Student Power) really wanted to do was be able to give a voice to student leaders who maybe in their official roles, in that capacity, aren’t able to endorse a slate,” Moreno said. “As far as (the) union endorsements, it really was a testament to being pro-labor.”
Unite UO advocated for diversity of their slate throughout their campaign in order to best represent the entire student body.
According to Eliott Coda, a spokesperson for the Unite UO slate, both Lopez-DuBoff and Kunkler “are incredibly grateful for those who supported us on this journey.”
“We (Lopez-DuBoff and Kunkler) want to recognize the opportunity it has been to participate in the ASUO Elections,” Coda said. “This experience was made possible because of efforts from our team, slate, volunteers, and each Unite UO voter. Thank you.”
Moreno said the next steps will be to celebrate the win and sit down with Ackemann to make a “strong” plan for the 2025 ASUO executive team.
Chair David Mitrovčan Morgan on April 11, 2025 (Julia Massa/Emerald)
president-elect Prissila Moreno next year in office
(Saj Sundaram/Emerald)
and Madisen Kunkler, and the UO Student Power slate, led by Prissila Moreno and Jordan Ackemann.
Nag is a sophomore, double majoring in Political Science and Global Studies. She loves all things local government and state policy.
To buy or not to buy, that is the question
In the wake of predatory protectionist tariffs launched by the Trump administration, there is widespread backlash from people across the United States, Canada and Mexico
By Aishiki Nag Opinion Columnist
On March 28, the mayors of Canada, Mexico and the United States issued a joint statement on the benefits of North American Free and Fair Trade, arguably to counter the Trump administration’s economic right-wing populist narrative. They cited influential statistics from 2022, arguing that the bilateral trade agreements had supported approximately 17 million jobs, causing the tariffs to hit local businesses the hardest.
The statement ended with a message of unity against the tariffs: “We urge national leaders to put our communities first, end the trade war and keep our countries strong with free and fair trade. Our families, businesses and workers depend on it.”
Public opinion surveys conducted by CNN/
SQL Server Reporting Services showed that 61% of Americans and 72% of young adults disapprove of the Trump administration’s tariff plans. An estimated 67% of Gen Z respondents said they have changed their consumer habits in anticipation of the tariffs.
Margaret Grace, a sophomore studying global studies and history, said she was disappointed with how the current administration is handling the U.S.-Canada relations. She expressed dismay about how public perception of Americans has shifted among Canadians and Mexicans, however, she states that this reaction is justified.
“Canada used to be a really good ally for us to have, especially in terms of trade, and I think it’s really upsetting how fast President Trump has managed to ruin that relationship,” Grace said.
Young people across Canada and Mexico have taken the initiative to boycott American goods and prioritize locally made products. In many industries within Canada, there are signs to showcase Canadian-made goods to incentivise buying local goods – notably in the “Buy Canadian” movement.
Diana Schweitz, a third-year student at the University of British Columbia, commented on the implementation of the tariffs. Schweitz finished her K-12 education in the U.S. and moved to British Columbia for college, giving her a unique perspective on the changing U.S.-Canada relations – which she described as awkward and deeply nuanced.
“Canada hasn’t taken such a bold statement or a side on something in a while. This is the first time that collectively businesses and corporations are pushing for being pro-Canada,” Schweitz said.
Her recent experiences with going to stores and businesses included a flurry of different signs pointing to whether or not a product has Canadi-
Why your vote counts in ASUO Elections
By Maddox Brewer Knight Opinion Columnist
Students at the University of Oregon come from various different hometowns, hold a wide array of beliefs and study vastly different subjects, but there is one thing that unites us all: everybody has at least one complaint about the way our school is run.
Critiquing our social surroundings is natural — even the proudest Ducks can think of some element of their college experience that they would like to modify.
Whether you feel that student workers are underpaid, you want more money to be allotted to your favorite club or you simply wish you could see the syllabus of a course before enrolling, we each have a suggestion on how to improve the school we know and love.
Oftentimes, these complaints fall on deaf ears. Students don’t always have accessible forums to share their opinions, and various student movements have resulted in little to no concrete change, such as the push for wheelchair accessibility in older dorms or for more eco-friendly thermal systems in campus buildings. In many cases, the path to equity is long and complex, and solutions can arrive frustratingly slowly.
However, students may have more power than they realize. Namely, they have the ability to participate in the Associated Students of the Uni-
versity of Oregon elections each spring term.
an origins, with many places committing to not selling American goods.
“It’s hard to wrap my head around, because I like supporting Canada and I live here, and I’m grateful towards Canada’s government,” Schweitz said. “But the flip side is that my family is still in the States and they are being directly impacted by all of this, and I think a lot more about the small businesses in the U.S.”
Andrea Vela, a Mexican immigrant currently living in Canada and pursuing a career in film, touched on her family’s experience back home in Mexico. She mentioned that her family has noticed a visible price increase for many goods in Mexico, with many people protesting in the streets.
“We are supportive of our family, and we consider every single Mexican person a part of our family, however, we do agree that (the deportations) have impacted our communities, and it will continue to impact our economy,” Vela said.
Currently, the Mexican government has set off numerous programs to help deportees find housing, social services and jobs, which has put a strain on the country’s economic resources.
“It has been hard on people, work has been hard to find, and housing has been harder,” she said.
Vela said that when she went back to Mexico to visit, she was surprised to see the costs of goods identical to those of buying things with the U.S. dollar, however, wages were not adjusted for localized inflation.
“I, as a barista in Canada, was earning the same amount of money as my mother, a high school principal,” Vela said.
Currently, there is broad agreement between many young people around U.S. tariffs, with important narratives from our northern and southern allies.
For students feeling disempowered by national elections, the ASUO election offers an opportunity to spark change close to home.
ASUO is a student government organization that performs many crucial roles regarding school policy, peer advising and student advocacy here on campus. Notably, they are tasked with managing the Incidental Fee, a fee paid by all students as part of their tuition. ASUO representatives are responsible for allocating this I-Fee money to support the UO’s clubs, affinity groups and free services such as Duck Rides, ASUO Legal Services, student bus passes, the ASUO Street Faire and the Basic Needs Program.
ASUO elections were conducted both electronically and in person from April 7-11, and all students were eligible to vote on their picks for president, vice president and student senate.
Voting might be a five-minute inconvenience, but don’t let that dissuade you — these roles directly impact students’ quality of life. ASUO representatives are in charge of budgeting the money that we all contribute, and how they choose to spend it will determine what privileges we can access. If you have ever benefited from an ASUO-funded service, it is in your best interest to vote on candidates who you trust to continue funding and advocating for that service.
Between the electoral college and the country’s large population of voters, participating in national elections can feel daunting. Individual voters may feel as though their vote has no impact
on the outcome of a national election.
Students can embrace the opportunity to make more direct change by participating in a smaller-scale school election where their individual opinions carry more weight. While action must be taken to address larger systemic issues affecting students in our community, the ASUO election offers students the way to grapple with issues close to home.
As involved students and citizens, it is our job to show up and make our desires known to both our student government and our administration.
is an opinion columnist at the Daily Emerald. She is a second-year CHC student pursuing a double major in English and Spanish and a minor in linguistics. As a lifelong Oregonian, Maddox cares deeply about confronting social issues both within UO and in the greater community to make our home region a better environment for all.
Aishiki
Maddox Brewer Knight
(Noa Schwartz/ Emerald)
(BELOW) The candidates for the President and VP debates listen to a question being asked by Daily Emerald moderators. The debate was between the Unite UO slate, led by Taliek Lopez-DuBoff and Madisen Kunkler, and the UO Student Power slate, led by Prissila Moreno and Jordan Ackemann. (Saj Sundaram/ Emerald)
ARTS & CULTURE
Miriam Gershow’s survival tips for an Oregon
Book Award nomination
Miriam Gershow, a UO professor, has been nominated as a finalist for the Oregon Book Award for her short story collection “Survival Tips: Stories.” The nomination affirms her dedication to the craft as she talks about her journey and what it’s like to snag a nomination.
By Bella Graham Arts & Culture Writer
When Miriam Gershow learned she was nominated for an Oregon Book Award, she was nearly done teaching one of her first advanced fiction classes of the winter term. Given how early it was into the term, she didn’t know her students very well yet, and they didn’t quite know her, yet they got to share a special moment recognizing Gershow’s work.
“My publisher sent me a congratulatory text. I was confused at first, but then I checked my email and saw the nomination in the class with everyone,” Gershow said. “I was so excited, and they were all very cute.”
Gershow is an English professor at the University of Oregon and has been nominated as one of five finalists for the Ken Kesey Award for Fiction for her book “Survival Tips: Stories.”
Literary Arts presents the Oregon Book Awards annually, and the ceremony is held at the end of April. Each of the seven awards they present has three out-of-state judges to determine the winner.
Chris Feliciano Arnold is one of the judges who determines the Frances Fuller Victor Award for General Nonfiction, a category for which another UO professor, Courtney Thorsson, was nominated. Arnold is a professor of creative writing at Saint Mary’s College of California.
As Arnold explained, the judging process is straightforward; each judge is sent an initial box of books, reads each book and then sends their notes to the other judges. They then receive a second box of books, which the other judges have selected, to repeat the process. Finally, the judges join in conversation to make the final decision.
As a writer and professor, Arnold knows how difficult it is to get published, and doesn’t understate that when it comes to judging for the competition. “We come to the process with a sense of fundamental generosity toward books that are being nominated,” Arnold said earnestly.
“Survival Tips: Stories” is a collection of
10 short stories written over 25 years. Gershow wrote some of the stories as an MFA student between her first and second year, while others were written the year before the book came out.
“It’s a really interesting amalgam,” Gershow said. “I joked to people at the time that my publisher couldn’t tell the difference between stories I wrote 25 years ago and the ones I wrote last year, which is either good or bad.”
Each story follows characters through various hardships and illustrates the way humans ultimately make meaning out of our mistakes. Gershow, like her characters, went through her fair share of struggles when it came to publishing her book.
“I think the hardest part was not in the writing but what to do with myself in those long years of not getting published, keeping the faith in the writing process and the newer stories,” Gershow said. Her first book was published in 2009. “Survival Tips,” her second publication, came out 15 years later.
Several months after Gershow sold “Survival Tips: Stories,” she sold her next novel, titled “Closer.” That publication, along with the Oregon Book Awards nomination, has been inspiring and reassured her doubts about her career.
In addition to being an Oregon Book Awards Finalist, she was also an Independent Publisher Book Awards Silver Medalist and won the PenCraft Awards Best Book for Fiction -Short Stories/Anthologies, both in 2024.
Arnold explained how important these awards are — not only for the author, but for the craft itself. “When you’re giving a book the honor of receiving a prize, you have an opportunity to elevate the visibility of that book,” Arnold said. “You’re letting this book have that much more of a chance of finding a readership and building some buzz.”
Grateful for the nomination, Gershow is enjoying the ride and not taking a moment for granted — connecting with her readers, appreciating her publisher and learning from the other nominees.
“The awards are such a cherry on top and so validating, especially in a business where you can be told no for a decade and a half,” Gershow said. “It’s so validating to remember, like, ‘oh yeah, I am good at this.’ My life would be just as rich without getting awards, but they’re so nice.”
When Gershow did the book tour for “Survival Tips” last year, she called it the “all joy, no neurosis tour,” as a reminder to absorb every bit of joy from the experience and not to worry about how her book was doing.
It’s a theme she’s carried into the journey of the Oregon Book Award nomination: Gershow is honored and happy to be there, although a win would be the cherry on top.
The Oregon Book Award winners will be announced on April 28.
A centennial celebration held to honor Beall Concert Hall
This year marks the 100 year anniversary of the first concert held at Beall Hall. Creative collaborations and exceptional performances filled the weekend of celebration.
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rial Cemetery, claims the university’s southwest end.
Since its first concert in April 1925, Beall Concert Hall stands as the vision of Robert Vinton “Vintie” Beall Jr., an 1897 UO alumnus. A musician from Central Point, Oregon, Beall lost his hearing to spinal meningitis at a young age. Before his death, he made a substantial bequest that funded the hall’s Jürgen Ahrend organ. The venue was named in his honor in 1973.
To celebrate the anniversary, the Oregon Bach Festival and the University of Oregon School of Dance and Music held a concert that paid homage to the first-ever concert held in the building, which was an organ concert.
On the evening of April 4, Paul Jacobs, a Grammy-winning organist, played to start the weekend of celebration.
On April 5, Beall Concert Hall held an open-house style concert in the afternoon, spotlighting various musical talents in the school. “Many performances honored the 1920s,” Sharon J. Paul, conductor of the UO Chamber Choir, said.
The performances were of variety: a jazz band, piano duos, a flute choir, a viola choir, opera to vocal choir and harp to organ –– a little bit of everything.
As the concert went on, several dancers from the Student Dance Collective appeared on stage, carrying long red silk fabric. After spreading the silk across the stage, they danced to a piece called “Within” by the UO Duck Flute Choir.
“When you listen to the song, it sounds like there is movement and it feels like there should be dancers there,” Elaine Martir, a doctorate in music performance at UO, said. Martir is also a soloist and choir director of the flute choir on campus.
Martir described the piece “Within,” saying, “There’s almost turbulence, something to figure out.”
She said the choreography done by Professor Shannon Mockli showed the feelings of the music. Martir stood right next to the pipe organ, which was leveled higher so she could look at the dancers
and flute players to watch the collaboration and check in with the queue.
“Beall Hall holds all good memories,” Martir said. To get ready for a concert, she would get to the hall at night and sit and meditate. “So many emotions have been there, and so many memories and life-changing, altering performances have been done there.” Thinking of the history of the hall makes her feel less nervous.
The UO Chamber Choir wrapped up the day with an energetic and interactive performance. Singers walked from the back of the audience proudly and performed “Kalinda” from Haiti, “The Parting Glass” from Scotland and “Ta na Solbici” from Slovenia. They used body movements on top of their fourpart harmony.
“It is a lovely space and a space to move,” conductor Paul said. Another thing that makes the hall special, according to her, is its intimacy.
“You can see the audience,” Paul said. She also said Eugene is a community that supports the arts, and there were multiple arts presented and shared at the event, from symphony and ballet to theater.
Sam Decker joined the UO Chamber choir after hearing from his older brother how much he enjoyed it. The UO Chamber Choir competes and performs internationally, and they are going to Costa Rica this year to collaborate with local university students there.
Decker’s first memory at Beall Concert Hall recalls his senior year in high school. He was part of the Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy, which is part of the Oregon Bach Festival.
“It cemented that choir is my favorite thing in the world,” Decker said.
( ABOVE) Grace Miller sings, performing part of the opera "Cendrillon" at the event celebrating Beall Hall's 100-year anniversary on April 5, 2025.
(COVER) Members of the Sequana String Quartet stand on stage after their performance at the event celebrating Beall Hall’s 100-year anniversary on April 5, 2025.
(Alex Hernandez/Emerald)
(Junia
Crossword Sudoku
The Ian Umlandt effect
Why Oregon should feel confident in sending Ian Umlandt to the mound
Guest coaches for 2025 Spring Game announced
WEDNESDAY
April 16, 2025
Oregon vs. Oregon State
The Ducks Softball team gears up to play Oregon State this week in Coravllis at 6 p.m.
Duck runners back at Hayward for term’s first home meets
College track and field returns to Eugene April 18-19
By Beck Parsons Sports Reporter
For most of this year, the University of Oregon’s iconic Hayward Field has sat silent and empty. But on April 18 and 19, when Oregon’s collegiate runners return for their first home meet of the season, that silence will be gone and will be replaced with the cheers of an always-passionate ‘Track Town’ crowd.
Hayward Field, which was fully renovated in 2021, will play host to the Oregon Open on April 18, followed by the Oregon Invitational on April 19. Both days will feature men and women competing in short- and medium-distance races, as well as field events.
Held Saturday, the Oregon Open will be a non-scored competition, meaning it’ll be solely a celebration of individual results. Entry fields are limited by size, with priority given to collegiate athletes who will already be competing on Sunday. Any unfilled spaces will then be offered to collegiate student-athletes, followed by any unaffiliated but competitive adults.
The action will continue on Sunday when the Oregon Invitational kicks off.
The Invitational will be a condensed one-day meet held under normal NCAA rules. Its status as a qualifying event
means it must also be a non-scored competition, but the event will introduce “Fan Scoring”, an unofficial points tally that is intended to encourage teams to participate in all events.
Four other universities will attend Sunday’s Oregon Invitational in full; Texas A&M University, Kansas State University, Wichita State University and Oklahoma State University. The women’s teams from the University of Utah and Oregon State University will also be participating.
The Ducks have had a strong start to their 2025 track and field campaign. Both the men’s and women’s teams won their first Big Ten Indoor Championship titles in March. The Oregon men’s 106 points finished 6.5 ahead of second-place USC, while the women’s team dominated second-place Illinois by 49 points (131 to 82).
As a result, the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s (USTFCCCA) named head coach Jerry Schumacher its National Women’s Coach of the Year at the 2025 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field National Awards. Shalane Flanagan was also named Women’s Indoor Track & Field National Assistant Coach of the Year. Both coaches did so in just their third years with the program.
Oregon’s momentum carried over into early outdoor competitions.
Athlete of the week: Mason Neville
Oregon’s leadoff man and center fielder is taking the college baseball world by storm
By Brady Ruth Sports Editor
Despite the ups and downs that Oregon baseball has faced so far this season, one man has remained a positive constant atop the Ducks’ lineup: their leadoff man and center fielder, Mason Neville.
The junior is having an incredible 2025 campaign having already collected 31 RBIs and 15 homers as of April 10. He leads the team in homers and is tied for first in the 17-team Big Ten conference.
The Ducks have a balance of speed, power and swagger leading them off every game. Through his first 30 games, 24 of his 37 hits have gone for extra bases. That’s an absurd statistic from any hitter, but especially one hitting out of a slot typically reserved for contact hitters.
“I like to set the tone for the rest of the lineup,” Neville said after a win on March 4. “A lot of times, some other guys are on base so I have
an opportunity to drive in runs for the team.”
Neville’s valiant efforts earned him a spot on the Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list. The Golden Spikes Award is college baseball’s most prestigious award and is given to the best player in each season. Think of it as the Heisman of the diamond.
Neville is just the sixth Duck to ever be named to the midseason watch list and the first since 2021.
“Well, he’s been really good and I think that’s why he’s on the Golden Spikes watch list right now,” Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski said.
Neville broke onto the Oregon baseball scene last season after transferring from the University of Arkansas after his freshman year. Neville only started 36 games in 2024 and tallied 149 at-bats, but he still recorded 40 hits — 24 of them going for extra bases for a .268 average.
Incredibly, he’s improved. One area of Neville’s game that plagued him last season was strikeouts — Neville fanned 60 times in 36 starts while only walking 25 times.
Seeing more pitches from his solidified spot at the top of the lineup has allowed Neville to dial in his pitch selection. As of April 10, he’s already drawn more walks (30)
than he did in all of last season and has only fanned 30 times — nearly half of his 2025 total in just six fewer games.
“Just wherever the pitch takes me,” Neville said of his approach after a win on Feb 15. “Just staying through the big part of the yard and looking for a ball up is typically the approach.”
During the Ducks’ series win over Mich igan, Neville was 5-10 (.500) with three homers and five RBIs. He also walked six times and came around to score eight runs in the weekend series. He’s been the epito me of a five-tool player and a staple of con sistency in 2025.
Oregon designated hitter Dominic Hell man — who’s having a breakout season of his own — also praises Neville. The two have played together since high school, prompting Hellman to say that he’s always known that Neville’s ability and skill is there.
Now, it seems the entire college baseball world is getting put on blast, too.
The Ducks earned eight wins and eight program top-10 finishes across the Battle of the Beach (April 4) and Stanford Invitational (April 4-5) meets.
Unsurprisingly, Oregon’s track stars have also enjoyed plenty of individual success. Wilma Nielsen, a native of Sweden who transferred to Oregon from Washington this offseason, won the NCAA women’s indoor mile with a time of 4:32.40. She’s also a four-time NCAA Championships qualifier in the 800-meter race and ran second leg in Washington’s record-setting 4x800-meter relay in 2024.
Also notable is Jaida Ross, who broke the women’s collegiate shot put record (20.01m) in 2024. Ross was named last year’s USTFCCCA National Women’s Field Athlete of the Year. The senior from Medford, OR is the first NCAA women’s shot put champion in school history. The Oregon Open will begin Saturday, April 18, at 2:45 p.m., with the day’s closing steeplechase set for 8:30 p.m. The Oregon Open will also host men’s and women’s hammer throw on Sunday at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. respectively. The Oregon Invitational will then begin at 4:55 p.m. Sunday and will end with the
(Maddie Stellingwerf/ Emerald) Athletes compete in the 5000m dash as the sun sets on Hayward Field. University of Florida Gators mens track team take home the national championship on the third day of the 2022 NCAA Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene on June 10th, 2022.
(RIGHT) Mason Neville (26) steps into the batters box in the bottom of the first. Oregon Baseball take on UC Santa Barbara at PK Park in Eugene, on March 3, 2024.
