Emerald Magazine, Vol. 2, Issue 2

Emeral d

December 2009 | VOL 2, ISS 2

magazine

A splendid spectacle springfield’s ‘oldest and coldest’ christmas parade

kwanzaa culture the seven principles

miracle of light

celebrating hanukkah

World Aids Day Tuesday December 1

HIV/AIDS INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS CHALLENGES w/ Dr. Bob Fischer 7pm | EMU Ballroom

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Condom Fashion Show Friday December 4

DJ Foodstamp / Skits / Entertainment 2 Shows 7 PM and 8:30 PM EMU Ballroom

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Departments 05 Environment

How to have green holidays by sarah mcnaughton

08 volunteerism Lend a helping hand

by Sarah Walters

15 Buy nothing Day

Not a fan of Black Friday? Read on.

by Jennifer pett y

32 food

Eat locally this holiday season

by Jennifer pett y

38 Back-page essay

Do you believe in Santa Claus? by ott tammik

EM Staff NEWS STAFF

ADVERTISING

Allie Grasgreen Editor in chief

Tara Sloan Advertising director

Emily E. Smith Managing editor

Evan Baechler Andrew Baldwin allison kjar Jake matthews lindsay nelson MIKE OSBORN jeff pollock Ranjit Steiner jose tancuan Kimberly Wyman Advertising executives

(541) 346-5511

Lauren Fox Magazine editor Ashley Chase Design editor Ivar vong Photo editor

Business (541) 346-5511

Kellee Weinhold Publisher kathy carbone Business manager

Lacey Becker Ad assistant jesse radonski Social media

creative services (541) 346-4381

michele ross Technology & Creative Services director Brianne Beigh Creative Services supervisor brian aebi roger bong keith chaloux KATIE MILLER emma silverman Creative Services designers

Monica Christoffels Administrative assistant Logan Bingle Eric devin Matt Hibdon Nick Stachelrodt Dan Tewksbury Chris Tompkins Distribution

Features 20 a splendid spectacle

With help from a dedicated team and the community, the Springfield Christmas Parade claims the title of ‘oldest and coldest’ in Oregon by Jayme Goldstein

26 hillel

Jewish group connects the commmunity through the celebration of the miracle of the burning oil

by Kalie Wooden

12 Dance

A freshman from South Eugene High School braves auditions and takes center stage as Clara in The Nutcracker

by Anthony Rimel

29 kwanzAa

The Black Student Union looks to attract long-time observers and newcomers alike to celebrate this meaningful African holiday

by Kalie Wooden

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The Oregon Daily Emerald is published by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co., Inc. at the University of Oregon, Eugene, OR.The Emerald operates independently of the University with offices in Suite 300 of the Erb Memorial Union.The Emerald is private property. © 2009

Contents Emerald Magazine | Oregon Daily Emerald

Maria Baum Shawn Hatjes Jack Hunter Kaitlin Kenny Rena Lev-Bass Leslie Montgomery Kenny Ocker Suji Paek Emily Peterson Drew Phillips Jacob Phillips Blair Ryan Ott Tammik Kalie Wooden Contributors

(541) 346-3712

future

FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR FUTURE Make an appointment with a career counselor today!

We can help you choose a major, research internships, network with potential employers, perfect your resume, find an on-campus job and so much more.

Call (541) 346-3235 or e-mail career@uoregon.edu.

Read our blog at uocareer.uoregon.edu to stay up to date on our workshop and event offerings and for job search advice.

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Green in more ways than one words sarah mcnaughton

The holiday season is a joyous yet wasteful time of year, prompting significant environmental damage. According to the Stanford Recycling Center, the amount of trash in the U.S. increases 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, equaling nearly 5 Wrap with care million additional tons Rather than covering your gifts with of garbage. But there wrapping paper that will be admired are ways to reduce for 20 seconds before it’s ripped to pieces, try wrapping your presents the impact on the in something that will be enjoyed environment during and reused long after the presents the holidays. are unwrapped: scarves. Known as

Bojagi or Bo, this ancient Korean wrapping technique is a great alternative to wrapping paper. You can buy special Bo wrapping scarves online or use your own fabric, although square scarves are best. The scarves can be reused by those who receive them as neck scarves or over and over (and over) for wrapping.

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Stay in touch A holiday card has always been a great way to send warm wishes to friends and family. The Use Less Stuff Report states the paper from holiday cards is enough to fill Autzen Stadium 10 stories high. This year, in an age when birthday gifts can be sent via Facebook, try sending your season’s greetings through e-mail instead of snail mail.

Reduce your traveling

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December 2009 | Emerald Magazine

Going home after finals to enjoy the holidays with family and friends is a great release from the everyday stresses of college. Unfortunately, all the emissions given off by traveling are extremely harmful to the environment. If you live within driving range of home, try to carpool with other students instead of driving alone or take a bus or

train. According to The Use Less Stuff Report, if every U.S. family reduced its holiday gasoline consumption by one gallon, greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by one million tons. If you live farther away and must fly, a non-stop flight will have less harmful effects on the environment.

Personal growth The Christmas tree is one of the most recognizable symbols of the holidays. And while trees are normally thought to be good for the environment, Christmas tree farming is not the best way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Fossil fuels are needed to power machines around the farm, and fertilizers give off their own harmful emissions as well. So instead of buying a new tree each year that will only be enjoyed for a few weeks before it’s abandoned, try buying and decorating a potted tree that can live indoors throughout the year. A Christmas ficus may be unusual, but it can easily become a feature of the house as it grows larger each year.

However, if you still want a fresh pine over your presents, just make sure it’s sent to become mulch, not a topper on the landfill.

Quality service

Eat up

It may be more beneficial to the environment and to your community if you purchase services instead of goods as presents. For instance, when you buy someone a massage, you avoid all the pollution that comes with a material gift. There are plenty of gifts out there, from concert tickets to memberships to local museums, galleries or gardens.

One of the best parts of the holiday season is food. To ensure the freshest and most sustainable holiday feast, buy locally grown products.

The closer the food was grown, the fewer emissions were released to get the food to your table. Try to buy all of the trimmings for your feast in the same shopping trip — the more trips you make, the more gas you burn.

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Valley River Center’s Giving Tree Fulfill a child’s Christmas wish by picking a card, which lists an item a needy child wants for Christmas, from the mall’s Giving Tree. Replace the card with the gift that you purchased.

contact: www.valleyrivercenter.com/community (541) 683-5513

YMCA’s Winter Break Program Duties as a winter break volunteer include going on field trips, leading group games and being a daytime counselor.

Contact: (541) 686-9622 Set up by the Eugene Active 20-30 Club, the Giving Tree in the Valley River Center benefits local non-profit agencies and is a drop-off spot for gifts to local families in need.

Finding ways to give back Many people feel the humanitarian itch to volunteer and give back to their community this time of year. In the spirit of giving, there are many ways to get involved around Eugene during the holidays.

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December 2009 | Emerald Magazine

words Sarah Walters photos Blair Ryan, leslie montgomery

Food for Lane County

St. Vincent De Paul

Donate food, organize a food drive or volunteer to help feed the hungry year-round through one or more of FFLC’s various programs.

A retail thrift chain funded by Lane County’s largest non-profit humanitarian organization, SVdP takes unwanted clothes, books, furniture, household items and bicycles yearround. During the holiday season, donated children’s clothes will go to impoverished children in Tibet.

contact: Sheyla Norte (541) 343-2822 volunteer@ foodforlanecounty.org

contact: (541) 762-7837 www.svdp.us

Lane Memorial Blood Bank Help save up to three lives by donating blood. Anyone healthy, 16 or older and more than 110 pounds can donate blood in Oregon.

contact: (541) 484-9111 www.lmbb.org

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Greenhill Humane Society Students can help animals find homes during the holidays by volunteering at the shelter or fostering animals in their own homes. There will be several volunteer orientation sessions during December.

i saw you birthdays kudos

greek announcements lost & found

Call 346-5511 ext. 301 or go to dailyemerald.com/classifieds

contact: www.green-hill.org/ volunteer_opportunities

Volunteers are needed for the Challah for Hunger Eugene chapter. Half of the profits from the group go to the American Jewish World Service’s Sudan Relief and Advocacy Fund and the remaining half goes to FOOD for Lane County.

contact: challahforhungereugene@gmail.com

U N I V E R S I T Y

TEACHING & LEARNING CENTER

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Challah for Hunger

TLC &

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Fly easy...

Bake and eat plenty of goodies, from gingerbread men to hot chocolate with marshmallows Listen to and watch your favorite holiday music and movies Decorate your place with a tree, menorah, candles, lights and more Go out and find the perfect white elephant gift for a gift exchange Have a fun gathering with friends and family in tacky sweaters.

Don’t forget the eggnog!

5

ways to get into the holiday spirit “Gifts for the man or woman who thought they had everything!”

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December 2009 | Emerald Magazine

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7 season jingles White Christmas The Bing Crosby version of this song is often cited as the best- Rudolph the selling single Red-Nosed of all time.

Reindeer Many artists have recorded this hit adapted from the 1939 story by Robert L. May.

Winter Wonderland This year, check versions of the Christmas standard

by Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Dylan, Cyndi Lauper or the Eurythmics.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Santa Claus is Coming to Town Between the first time in was sung on the radio in November 1934 and Christmas the same year, this hit sold more than 400,000 copies.

Silent Night In 1988, a television documentary called Silent Mouse tells the story of this song from a mouse’s point of view.

The Christmas Price Index, a tongue-in-cheek economic indicator that’s been around since 1984, measures the total cost of each item listed in this holiday standard.

Jingle Bells This song was the first to be broadcast from space when in 1965, astronauts sent Mission Control their rendition with a smuggled harmonica and sleigh bells.

YOU COULD BE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD IN 2010 . . .

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AN ACADEMIC PROGRAM OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

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Africa Oceania Latin America Western Europe

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December 2009 | Emerald Magazine

A midwinter night’s dream After dancing for more than a decade, Savannah Quinn steps up in the role of Clara words Anthony Rimel photos ivar vong

F

smaller roles that younger dancers are eligible for. The parts range from angels and baby mice for the newest students, to Bon Bons for the intermediate students, and party children for the most advanced students.

Although a variety of parts are available, not everyone gets cast in the role he or she wants. Lombardi said most students come into the auditions with “high hopes,” but even students who don’t get to perform in The Nutcracker or other shows still gain

“What we give is an appreciation of the art, but also developing a human being.”

S ara L o mbard i Director, Eugene Ballet Academy

roles as children at the party.

“It is a big step up for them,” she said. “They will get a lot more stage time than they have in the past.”

Sara Lombardi, director of the Academy, said that while ongoing rehearsals for The Nutcracker prepare the dancers for the show, most of them have been studying dance and watching the show for so long that dancers often know the basic choreography before they even audition.

“They learn a lot up front so that the last two to three weeks are just cleaning,” Lombardi said.

While the professional dancers in the EBC make up the majority of the cast, there are auditions for

valuable experience about dance and life through the auditioning process.

“What we give is an appreciation of the art, but also developing a human being,” Lombardi said.

Mia Jackson, whose daughter Ally successfully auditioned to be one of the Bon Bons for the second year in a row, said, “It’s good experience for them to be up there with someone watching them and all the while knowing they have to do their best.”

Quinn’s role as a party child is familiar, as she has played it several times before, but casting did have a new twist this year: Quinn will play one of the male party-goers.

“This year, I have to be mean, like

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Savannah Quinn dances in the studio at the Eugene Ballet Academy. Quinn has been dancing for nearly 11 years.

else, must try out for the parts.

For Quinn, a more seasoned dance student, the drama of auditions doesn’t stem from her own performance, but from watching how her younger friends perform in auditions.

Quinn said the community within the Academy functions as a family.

“We are all friends with the younger kids because we work with them a lot,” she said.

This year, many of her friends will transition into the more challenging

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or many dance students, an audition for a part with a professional ballet company in its biggest show of the year might be a stressful experience.

Not for 14-year-old Savannah Quinn.

“You just smile and dance,” she said brightly.

Quinn has performed with the Eugene Ballet Company in every one of its annual productions of The Nutcracker since she was 6 years old. The Nutcracker is typically the production company’s biggest show and presents opportunities for students of various ages and levels of experience to perform with the ballet company in front of a packed audience at Eugene’s Hult Center.

Those performances are a far cry from the small audiences at productions by the Eugene Ballet Academy, where she takes dance lessons.

In addition to her role in EBC’s The Nutcracker and the 15 hours a week she spends training, Quinn has another new challenge this year: She will play the lead role of Clara in Eugene Youth Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker. “It’s a lot more acting and it’s really fun,” Quinn said of the performances, which are a division of the Eugene Ballet Academy and will take place around town in retirement centers and local schools.

But before the training and performances begin, Quinn, like everyone

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December 2009 | Emerald Magazine

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Savannah Quinn, a freshman at South Eugene High School, laces up her shoes in the Eugene Ballet Academy dance studio.

a boy, instead of prissy and pretty,” she laughed, enthusiastic about the new costume and challenge.

For young dancers, being in front of a large audience and working with the professionals is a large part of what makes it so much fun.

“Getting to dance with all the company dancers is one of the highlights of the production,” Lombardi said.

She added that for many students, dancing with the company gives them a window into the world of professional dance that they might not otherwise get to experience.

Many students say dancing ballet has given them a confidence that carries over into other areas of their life.

While Quinn is unsure whether she wants to attempt a career in professional ballet, she believes dance has boosted her self-confidence.

Lombardi, the Academy director, believes that regardless of whether a student has the ability to dance professionally, dance is a valuable life experience. What stands out to her most is “the child who lives and breathes dance,” and Lombardi said some Academy students are born to dance.

“It is not a choice; they are driven to it,” she said.

Lombardi said Quinn is one of those students.

“We just love her here!” she said.

“Savannah is a leader and a performer.”

Stopping shopping While many spend Black Friday hunting down the best deals, Buy Nothing Day activists protest consumerism words Jennifer pett y

T

hey stand at the intersection of Valley River Drive and Valley River Way, visible to every driver headed to the mall on Black Friday; they’ve hung homemade signs on highway overpasses and pushed an empty train of carts through Wal-Mart.

Their message: “Stop buying, start living.”

They are Buy Nothing Day activists, protesting consumerism on the biggest shopping day of the year.

Ted Dave, a Canadian activist and artist, started Buy Nothing Day in 1992 by spreading fliers throughout

“There’s nothing wrong with buying gifts. People should just question where they get gifts and what defines their relationships with their families.”

S haw n K i lmer Bu y Not hing day Pr ot est er

Vancouver, BC. Adbusters Media Foundation spread the word and before long, Buy Nothing Day became international.

“It gained international success and is today arguably more important than ever, considering our current dangerous negligence of our planet’s health,” said Athena Wisotsky, a 22-yearold University linguistics major. “It would be worthwhile to reject or protest consumerism any day of the year, but Black Friday is symbolic.”

Wisotsky became a Buy Nothing Day protester after realizing the environmental and social costs of modern economics.

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“The integrity of human life should be more important than the production and purchase of goods that will probably end up in a landfill.”

B rett J arcy z k Bu y Not hing day pr ot est er

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December 2009 | Emerald Magazine

“Our current system is one based on resources that are practically gone and that relies heavily on human exploitation,” she said.

She joined Shawn Kilmer, a former University student and the lead developer at Bravo Web Solutions, who has been the main Buy Nothing Day protester in Eugene for the last five years.

“I started reading Adbusters magazine in 2002 and that was my first wide exposure to the fact that tons of people out there thought the same as I did,” Kilmer said. “I saw photos

from Buy Nothing Day activities around the world and it instantly made so much sense to me.”

Brett Jarczyk, a 22-year-old sociology major, has been protesting against mindless shopping for three years and feels consumerism distracts people from more important global issues.

“Corporations are trying to get us to be passive consumerists and not active participants in politics,” he said.

Jarczyk said gifts shouldn’t define the love factor at Christmas.

“There’s nothing wrong with

buying gifts,” he said. “People should just question where they get gifts and what defines their relationships with their families.”

Jarczyk and Wisotsky said their protest causes mixed reactions.

“People are either really supportive or are already aware,” Jarczyk said, or they get really angry. “They think we are attacking free choice.”

One of Wisotsky’s harshest reactions came from a group of Duck fans who said her unborn child was going to be murdered. She acknowledges the protest is up against a tough audience.

“We expect to be marginalized, it would be ignorant to think we’ll always have a warm reception,” she said. Wisotsky said it’s worth it as long as one person hears the message and contemplates it for a moment.

Kilmer said he is used to negative responses, but disagrees with some people’s perception of the protests.

“I’d say 70 percent negative and 30 percent positive,” Kilmer said.

The day after Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday, is the biggest shopping day of the year.

Buy Nothing Day activists protest the consumerism displayed during the shopping fiasco.

“I see nothing but positivity in our messages.”

One method of protest, called “the whirl-mart,” involves pushing a train of empty carts through Wal-Mart to obstruct the buying of cheap goods and jolt shoppers out of their glazedover expressions. Another method protesters use is filling carts with what Kilmer calls “the most vile Ranjit Steiner 11.30.09 embodiments of consumer culture,

such as Hannah Montana trading cards and the animated Bible on DVD,” and parking the carts perpendicular to the entrance of aisles.

“This is a great method I would recommend because if the customer finds the shelf completely out of the product they want, they can’t buy it,” Kilmer said. “And all the time spent re-shelving at the company is basically profits lost.”

For the most part, Wal-Mart employees don’t mind the protests because they are busy working, Jarczyk said. However, management isn’t as understanding.

“The managers kicked us out and called the police,” he said.

For most of the protesters, Buy Nothing Day doesn’t stop on Black Friday.

Mark Boyle, a Canadian, used Buy Nothing Day in 2008 to kick off a year without spending money. Wisotsky and Jarczyk aren’t as extreme, but they do try to practice what they preach.

Jarczyk said he tries to buy everything locally.

“For me personally, it’s not just about boycotting,” he said. Supporting local businesses for Jarczyk is a larger issue of political, environmental and social well-being.

“The integrity of human life should be more important than the production and purchase of goods that will probably end up in a landfill,” she said.

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December 2009 | Emerald Magazine

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Down under, Christmas comes around during the summer. Kids finish school in mid-December, and people celebrate by having backyard gatherings and picnics in parks, gardens, or at the beach. Christmas Bush, a red flowering plant with contrasting green leaves, is a natural Christmas decoration. On Christmas Eve, tens of thousands of Australians gather in the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne for Carols by Candlelight, a televised event where famous singers perform Christmas songs.

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We use recycled white paper.

Holiday Party

While Christmas might be the most celebrated winter holiday in the U.S., it isn’t the only winter celebration. Here’s a sampling of other holidays and traditions from overseas.

The Mourning of Muharram occurs during the first month of the Islamic calendar, which is lunar-based and changes every year. This year it will occur from Dec. 18 to Dec. 28. The holiday commemorates the Battle of Karbala, where Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, was killed. Pilgrims travel to Husayn’s shrine in Karbala, Iraq, and mourners wear black and read poems. The holiday is 10 days long and culminates in the Day of Ashura, when a parade takes place.

Sweden According to Swedish tradition, Saint Lucia, the patron saint of the blind, wore a crown of candles to light her way as she took food to the

homeless in the dead of winter. She is celebrated on Dec. 13, which is the winter solstice according to the Julian calendar. Many Swedes celebrate it not for its Christian tradition, but because it’s the shortest and darkest day of the year, and it has become celebrated traditionally with a festival of lights. The festival represents the light in a time of darkness — literal and figurative. Windows are decorated with candles, stars, and other lights, and schools choose a girl to play Saint Lucia in a procession. She wears a white dress with a red sash and a crown of branches and candles.

China Chinese New Year occurs from late January to mid-February. According to legend, a thousand years ago there was a monster that tormented a village, but they discovered he was scared of the color red. The color red is believed to ward off bad fortune and evil spirits, so decorating with it is a great way to start off the New Year. An important part of the celebration includes adults giving children lucky money in red envelopes. During the six-day celebration, families gather, light fireworks, and eat.

Ethiopia Because Ethiopians use the Julian calendar, Christmas is celebrated on (Continued on page 39)

a afew fewdrinks drinksin:in:you’re you’remore moreconfident, confident, maybe maybemore moreoutgoing. outgoing.but butthat thatbuzz buzzis ishard hard totomaintain. maintain. learn learntotobalance balanceit itbybyrecognizing recognizingthe the moments momentswhen whenyou youkeep keep----ororlose lose----the the loveable loveablebuzz. buzz.

balance the buzz balance the buzz Balance theBuzz Balancethe Buzz

A splendid spectacle The Christmas Parade is a valuable part of Springfield’s community, tradition and pride words Jayme Goldstein

W

hile working on this year’s Springfield Christmas Parade, Marilee Woodrow can’t help but become nostalgic about the first time she participated in the parade with her late husband, John. She remembers watching the crowds of people gathered on either side of the floats after a year of planning the event, when John looked at her with tears in his eyes and said, “We’ve got a parade!”

The Woodrows moved to Springfield in 1997 and got involved in the parade two years later. They worked on the parade together each year until John died without warning from a spontaneous cerebral brain bleed last April. This will be Marilee’s first parade without John. When she speaks of him, her toothy smile widens. John was “a man of his word, he always wanted the best for someone,” she said. With a permanent smile etched on her face and tears rolling down her cheeks, Marilee explained that her belief in the strong citizenry of Springfield inspires her to work year-round on behalf of the parade, even without her husband.

Rain or shine, the Springfield Christmas Parade brings out holiday and community spirit. photo COURTESY OF the springfield christmas parade

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Get Involved Adaptive Sports • Archery • Badminton • Baseball • Bass Fishing Bowling • Climbing • Crew • Cricket • Cycling • Dance • Disc Golf Equestrian • Fencing • Golf • Hockey • Jiu Jitsu • Juggling • Kendo Lacrosse (M/W) • Mountain Biking • Racquetball • Ranger Challenge Rugby (M/W) • Running • Sailing • Scuba • Skiing • Snowboarding

http://clubsports.uoregon.edu Questions? Come by the EMU. (541) 346-3733

Soccer (M/W) • Softball • Surfing • Swimming • Table Tennis Tennis Triathalon • Ultimate Frisbee (M/W) • Volleyball (M/W)

New Era hats available in the Club Sports office

Waterpolo (M/W) • Waterski/Wakeboard • Wushu

Competitive & Noncompetitive Sports

A splendid spectacle The Christmas Parade is a valuable part of Springfield’s community, tradition and pride words Jayme Goldstein

W

hile working on this year’s Springfield Christmas Parade, Marilee Woodrow can’t help but become nostalgic about the first time she participated in the parade with her late husband, John. She remembers watching the crowds of people gathered on either side of the floats after a year of planning the event, when John looked at her with tears in his eyes and said, “We’ve got a parade!”

The Woodrows moved to Springfield in 1997 and got involved in the parade two years later. They worked on the parade together each year until John died without warning from a spontaneous cerebral brain bleed last April. This will be Marilee’s first parade without John. When she speaks of him, her toothy smile widens. John was “a man of his word, he always wanted the best for someone,” she said. With a permanent smile etched on her face and tears rolling down her cheeks, Marilee explained that her belief in the strong citizenry of Springfield inspires her to work year-round on behalf of the parade, even without her husband.

Rain or shine, the Springfield Christmas Parade brings out holiday and community spirit. photo COURTESY OF the springfield christmas parade

EMU Club Sports

ift!

tG Grea

Be a sport. Do a sport.

Get Involved Adaptive Sports • Archery • Badminton • Baseball • Bass Fishing Bowling • Climbing • Crew • Cricket • Cycling • Dance • Disc Golf Equestrian • Fencing • Golf • Hockey • Jiu Jitsu • Juggling • Kendo Lacrosse (M/W) • Mountain Biking • Racquetball • Ranger Challenge Rugby (M/W) • Running • Sailing • Scuba • Skiing • Snowboarding

http://clubsports.uoregon.edu Questions? Come by the EMU. (541) 346-3733

Soccer (M/W) • Softball • Surfing • Swimming • Table Tennis Tennis Triathalon • Ultimate Frisbee (M/W) • Volleyball (M/W)

New Era hats available in the Club Sports office

Waterpolo (M/W) • Waterski/Wakeboard • Wushu

Competitive & Noncompetitive Sports

photo COURTESY OF the springfield christmas parade

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December 2009 | Emerald Magazine

Marilee said she does everything from answering the phones and getting sponsors to staging and judging the parade. This year, she was taken by surprise when her friends and family chose her to lead the parade as the Grand Marshal, an honor that is recognized by the community. Because

John was a Navy Veteran, the honor is especially heartwarming for her.

Betty Schmitt, another volunteer, said this year’s theme of A Holiday for Heroes is “a way to honor John.”

“Everyone has someone they consider a hero, whether it is a military person, a family member, a

teacher or a mentor,” Schmitt said.

Dan Egan, who worked with the Woodrows when the Chamber of Commerce was responsible for organizing the parade, said John was the definition of a hero.

“He never called attention to himself,” Egan said. “You don’t always have to be loud and famous to be heroic.”

Schmitt got involved with staging the parade when her daughter’s youth group helped out in 2002.

That same year, the Springfield Chamber of Commerce no longer had the resources to maintain the parade, so Marilee, Schmitt, and three others founded the Springfield Community Parade Corporation.

Marilee and Schmitt said their

The parade begins on Olympic Street and travels almost three miles to finish on A Street. This parade is considered the “wettest” parade in Oregon.

Betty Schmitt (left) and Marilee Woodrow explain that the parade is nicknamed the “oldest and coldest” because of the weather conditions during the parade. photo Rena lev-bass

“We wanted people to have a chance to honor their hero in some way in the parade.”

M ar i lee W o o dr o w Grand Marshal

Emerald Magazine | Oregon Daily Emerald

| 23 |

passion for the parade comes from the public. Carrying on the parade tradition is important to the community, and the theme keeps it different each year.

In January, they start brainstorming ways to improve the next year’s parade, and by March or April, they have a theme. When August rolls around, parade work gets more intense and Marilee starts receiving more phone calls.

“I love being an elf from August to December,” Marilee said.

The model of the parade has not changed much since the first ribbon was cut in 1953, but awards and contests have been added since the 50th anniversary. The Window Decorating Contest, which Marilee is proud to have come up with three years ago, is a way for businesses on the parade route to get involved. The Taco Bell on Mohawk Street was one of the winners in last year’s theme, “A Country Christmas,” with images

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of a burrito as Santa in his sleigh, tacos as reindeers, and taquitos as sleigh runners.

The float participants also get pretty creative. The Golden Wreath Award is given to the float entry that best conforms to the year’s theme. The Tuxedo Award is given to the float entry that best portrays fantasy. The

Oregon Tuba Association plays right before the parade to entertain the crowd.

For this year’s theme, Marilee expects to see a lot of floats depicting symbols of heroism.

Schmitt said she looks forward to the Volkswagen Bug snowman every year. A cloth is draped over the car,

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December 2009 | Emerald Magazine

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which serves as the bottom section of an elaborate snowman, she explained.

Float participants range from Boy Scouts to the elderly, and Marilee believes that no one is too old or too young to take part in float decorating.

Some students from the University have even ventured to Springfield to get involved in the parade.

Nicole Mead, a University senior and Miss Lane County 2008, helped decorate a board member’s float last December and rode in the parade. Mead said she and the other pageant girls were asked to wear red to get in the holiday spirit. She said the parade takes a lot of preparation, and riding through such an iconic parade keeps her a little nervous until it is finally over.

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The miracle of the burning oil led to the celebration of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of light, and while this holiday season is Dec. 11 through the 19, students at Hillel are already looking forward to celebrating together before they return home.

For the past three years, the Oregon Hillel has hosted a Hanukkah celebration with traditional food, games and skits to educate people about the holiday. This year, the event will include an auction for a local charity, and guests

are welcome to bring any coins or knickknacks to bargain with for the event.

Because Hanukkah officially begins during winter break this year, the celebration will be Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. at the Oregon Hillel. Hillel’s celebration offers many Jewish students away from home a place to celebrate their culture and religion with fellow students.

Senior Jeremy Markiz, vice president of religion and education on the Hillel student board, elaborated on his experiences growing up with Hanukkah.

“My mother had a more traditional background than my dad did, so we made our own traditions. We would light the candles, open the presents and talk about what the holiday meant to us spiritually,” Markiz recalled.

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Oregon Hillel members play a game of betting and chance, called Teetotum, as they prepare for Hanukkah.

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Most Hanukkah celebrations feature oily foods, such as the latkes, in order to commemorate the miracle of the

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Teetotum is played with a dreidel and chocolate coins. A Hanukkah celebration also includes an array of traditional foods and the lighting of the menorah.

recalled. She believes many of today’s Hanukkah traditions were derived from a need to adapt to Christian culture.

For Cande, the vice president of public relations on the Hillel student board, the annual Hanukkah celebration is a reminder of home.

“Everybody celebrates it differently, but my grandma would always send us gelt and dreidels for the first night of Hanukkah, and when I’m missing home the Hillel celebration is a good way to stay connected to the Jewish community,” Cande said. lasted for eight days straight.

Junior Shayna Yellon, a member of the Oregon Hillel and the Jewish Student Union, said the celebration isn’t restricted to Jewish students on campus. “It’s not about exclusivity and the Jewish community needing our own winter holiday, but rather celebrating our history and Jewish culture with the

outside community,” Yellon said.

Yellon grew up celebrating Hanukkah in a widely Christian-based community, so she frequently taught other kids at school about Hanukkah with her mom and best friend.

“In my family we always lit the candles and opened presents, even though presents are more of a parallel to Christian culture,” Yellon

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“The term Hanukkah translates as ‘rededicated,’ and I’m considering becoming a rabbi, so I like to think of the holiday as rededicating yourself to the Jewish faith, like the Maccabees rededicated the temple,” Markiz said.

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Black Student Union Vice President Ken Davis and member Judah Mobley discuss ways to present a Kwanzaa celebration to the rest of campus.

Embracing Kwanzaa culture African-American holiday emphasizes the importance of family, community and culture words Kalie Wooden photos shawn hatjes

The University’s Black Student Union is working to share the joy of Kwanzaa both with students who have celebrated for years and those who are just curious what it is all about.

Kwanzaa takes the AfricanAmerican struggle for civil rights in the 1960s and combines it with ancient African traditions for an African-American celebration

that stresses the importance of family, community and culture. Celebrated from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1, Kwanzaa dedicates each day to seven principles of African culture and history.

The seven principles include unity within the family and community, self-determination to speak and create for ourselves, collective work and responsibility as a

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community, cooperative economics within the community, purpose to develop as a group and maintain traditions, creativity within the people, and constant faith in the group, leaders, and purpose.

The BSU hosts an annual Kwanzaa event to celebrate AfricanAmerican culture and teach others the meaning of the holiday. This year’s event will be Dec. 6 in the EMU Ballroom from 6 to 9 p.m.

“We just try to get the community to come out and support us; it’s really open to anybody who wants to learn about Kwanzaa,” said sophomore Kendaris Hill, vice president of the BSU. Although Hill has always celebrated Christmas with his family at home, he participates in the BSU’s celebration of Kwanzaa and appreciates its purpose.

“I never really celebrated Kwanzaa before; it was always Christmas for me and my family, but after joining

the Black Student Union I’ve definitely embraced it more,” Hill said.

Hill emphasized how many African-American students learn more about their roots and culture when they come together to celebrate Kwanzaa for the first time at the University. Senior Mike Reta, president of the BSU, began celebrating Kwanzaa during his freshman year of high school.

“I joined a rights of passage program for African-American males, and it was interesting because we did similar things that the BSU is doing to celebrate, like skits and food. I’ve always had a good experience with Kwanzaa,” Reta recalled.

The event will feature skits, videos, poetry and traditional soul food prepared by the BSU, such as peach cobbler, mashed potatoes and black-eyed peas.

Junior Teeona Wilson has been a member of the BSU

| 30 |

December 2009 | Emerald Magazine

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since she was a freshman at the University and she will host this year’s Kwanzaa celebration.

“You can say what the principles of Kwanzaa are, but you need to experience them with a skit or video to understand what the principles really mean,” Wilson said.

Wilson grew up celebrating Kwanzaa every year with her family, and she enjoys bringing that background to the BSU celebration.

“Every day symbolizes a different principle, and we would light a new candle and we made gifts to put on the dinner table to symbolize giving ... a lot of Kwanzaa is about coming together as a community and as a family to remember our history,” Wilson recalled.

Wilson and her family also celebrate Christmas, as many of the values that Kwanzaa emphasizes are similar to principles of Christmas as well, such as the notion of giving.

“Every Christmas morning, we

would go to the homeless shelter to serve food instead of opening gifts. Just remembering our roots and where we came from is really important, and my parents tried to instill in us that it’s about giving back during Kwanzaa and Christmas, not necessarily always getting gifts,” Wilson said.

Anyone is welcome to join in and learn about Kwanzaa and its significance.

“Even though it is an AfricanAmerican-based holiday, people shouldn’t be shy about joining in and celebrating with us,” Hill said. “Whether or not someone grew up celebrating Kwanzaa or they are just learning about it at the University, it’s important because it opens the eyes of others to different cultures here on campus, and allows black students and people of color in general to get in touch with our roots and learn more about us and our history.”

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December 2009 | Emerald Magazine

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(Continued on page 36)

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There’s a small sign that says Sweet Briar Farms at the end of a gravel drive lined with young trees turning bright shades of red. Behind the old cars and trucks is a big, red barn, chicken pen and garden. The pigs are grunting from inside the barn.

The man behind the operation is Keith Cooper. Despite his pierced ear, he looks like a typical farmer, wearing blue jeans and a button-up shirt.

An electrician by trade, Cooper started Sweet Briar Farms in 2000 after helping his children raise hogs for 4-H. He was one of the first in the area to sell pork at farmers markets.

Over the last nine years, Cooper’s operation has grown to 125 hogs.

He sells his pork at farmers markets up and down the Willamette Valley and supplies restaurants in Eugene and Portland.

On Sundays, Cooper opens his farm for U-pick pork sales where people can buy a cut right from the freezer.

“It’s a play off U-pick fruit,” he said.

Inside the barn are small concrete pens lining the walls with an aisle down the middle. Three to four pigs, around 600 pounds each, are in each pen. The dusty boars and sows grunt and squeal. A tarp covers a farrowing pen to keep the young, pink piglets warm.

Cooper and his family raise the hogs, have them butchered by Dayton Meat and package the cuts

themselves at Custom Meats.

“It’s almost 24/7. I can put 18 hours in a day easily during the busy season,” he said. The busy season runs March through October.

He’s ambitious, building a new barn by himself with plans for four more. And although Cooper says he has no recreation time, he doesn’t regret the long hours.

“I like doing what I do,” he said. “It’s what I choose to do with my time and life.”

Cooper sees a higher demand around the holidays as people purchase their Christmas hams, but he said he doesn’t feel overwhelmed. His deadline for butchering is three weeks before Christmas, so he has to plan accordingly.

Although pork is his business, Cooper doesn’t eat it at every meal.

“I don’t eat pork more than anyone else does,” he said.

But, you can be sure that there is one day — Dec. 25 — that he does plan to eat ham.

Here for the holidays Going home to spend winter break with the family isn’t an option for many international students words Elisabeth Kramer

F

or staunch believers in Santa Claus, the difference between time zones might help jolly old Saint Nick in his pursuit to circle the globe in one night. For University international students however, time zones mark just how many hours have to be crossed to get home, and sometimes it is just too far for a three-week visit.

Junior Benson Ntiwas spent the first part of last year’s winter break on campus — an experience he remembers as “boring,” which makes him “almost dread December break.”

“Here in Eugene it was boring because of course, school was out of

session and the campus was deserted; there was only a handful of my friends around,” Ntiwas said in an e-mail. “The inclement weather did not help; I am from a tropical country — Kenya — where it is warm all year round.”

Ntiwas and other international students find the ticket back for the holidays is too expensive to justify such a short trip home.

“When I go home, I really want to spend time there,” Ntiwas said. “I call it ‘Kenya time.’ It’s my comfort zone.

It’s where I can be completely free.”

As the only student in his area chosen to attend Mang’u High School, Kenya’s top national school, Ntiwas decided to attend the University

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December 2009 | Emerald Magazine

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after meeting a Duck alumnus on the Mang’u faculty. With the help of a family from Eugene that happened to be traveling through Kenya, Ntiwas applied for scholarships to balance the cost of tuition and living. During the past two winter breaks, he’s spent part of the holiday season with this local family.

Sophomore Albert Jung, on the other hand, said last year’s record snowfall resulted in “one of the best snow scenes I’ve ever seen” — a sight he said was only enhanced by the deserted campus.

“You can take a walk on campus for an hour and you barely see more than one person,” he said in an

of $5,000 for a round-trip flight to Kenya. In addition, International Student and Scholar Services Associate Director Abe Schafermeyer said the economy of a student’s home country can influence whether he or she returns home for break. This trend becomes especially clear when analyzing where the majority of international students hail from.

“Compared to last year’s numbers, I know we’ve seen more than a 100 percent increase in the number of international students from China,” Schafermeyer said.

“It makes sense because China’s economy and middle class are growing. More families are able to afford sending their students abroad.”

Schafermeyer said the enrollment numbers of international students tend to mirror the economy of that student’s home country.

“In the early 1990s there was a steady growth of international (continued on page 39)

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e-mail. “This beautiful white campus and lack of people’s presence creates an indescribable atmosphere.”

Last December, Jung remained on campus because of the price of airfare home to Pusan, South Korea. This year he plans to stay as a resident assistant.

“During winter break, there’s nothing to do for me, besides just staying in my room, enjoying music, drinking coffee, watching snow, walking alone in the winter wonderland, and thinking about people I love,” he said.

“During last winter break, I barely talked with more than one person each day,” he said. “Because I am very busy and have to deal with a huge amount of people during the school year due to my job and major, this time of solitary is very restful.”

International students face two main barriers when it comes to winter break traveling: distance and cost. Usually, the farther a student studies from home, the more expensive the ticket to get back. Ntiwas pays upwards

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“Everything we produce is hormone-free guaranteed,” Bieghler said. “There’s not a lot of dairies that can make that statement.”

Umpqua Dairy’s award-winning eggnog hit the shelves at the beginning of October and will stick around until the first of the year. The dairy makes

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“We make round challah, which is a symbol for the Jewish New Year’s, like the circle of life,” Katz said. “We make a monkey bread, where it’s braided round with four rolls to rip off. It’s really beautiful.”

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The bakery also donates challah loaves and bagels to the Jewish synagogue every week and bakes challah for Studio One Café.

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it opened 32 years ago.

“It’s the same recipe,” said Emma Katz,, the owner who is in the process of taking over the business from her parents, Jill and Gary Katz). “It’s the challah I grew up on.”

The loaves are works of art, delicately braided into thick loaves and brushed with an egg finish.

“I remember my first braid,” said Katz, who grew up watching her mom bake in the same bakery used today. “I was like, ‘Oh my god, I can do this.’”

Humble Bagel produces 75 loaves of challah every week, but production jumps to about 100 loaves during the holiday season, Katz estimates.

“We see a huge increase” in demand from the Jewish community, Katz said. The bakery makes special designs for the holidays.

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Emerald Magazine | Oregon Daily Emerald

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December 2009 | Emerald Magazine

Fooled by Santa People laugh when I tell them how old I was when I found out the truth about Santa. But in our family, Santa didn’t just sneak in during the middle of the night, eat some cookies and split.

In our family, not only did we get to see Santa on Christmas Eve, we could ask him whatever questions we wanted.

The children in our family divided into two groups: the believers and the nonbelievers. I was a believer. I had proof because an elf spying on us to see if we were being good children had been careless in covering his footsteps when he escaped from my bedroom window one time. The muddy footprints were so tiny, so authentic — where would my parents have gotten shoes that small? And why would they smear mud all over the window and the table? It wasn’t like Mom. Thinking back, it was precisely like Dad, but no one ever got his jokes anyway.

And yet, I was objective and scientific in my investigation. I certainly knew there were frauds out there; we always had our friends’ dads to look out for. The Macy’s Santa? No way, are you kidding?

We all knew he was a big fat fictional scam. But the older kids all remembered that year long ago, the year they met the real Santa. And this year, we were all on a mission for the truth. This year, we were going to get to the bottom of it.

It was one of the few nights in the year that we were allowed to stay up past midnight, and we knew he could come at any moment. The surveillance was highly organized. My cousins were on the lookout for any suspicious signs outside, while my brother guarded the front door and I kept an eye on the adults to make sure that none of them climbed out of a window. In the past, Santa’s arrival always strangely coincided with the mysterious disappearance of one of the grown-ups. But when we heard the

words ott tammik photo leslie montgomery

loud knock, everyone was present.

A bellowing voice asked from behind the door if he had arrived to the right house. We all screamed with joy. But when he entered, the tall silvery man, who knew us all by name, was a complete stranger. With a grand beard and a large wooden staff, this year, there were no sunglasses or false disguises.

Everything was going on as usual, until our moms wanted to take pictures and the time to reveal our master plan had come. We all looked at my oldest cousin, the leader of the non-believers, who was eyeing Santa with a mischievous but subtle look, that seemed to say, “Oh yes, we’re on to you.” And as he posed with Santa, he did it — he yanked Santa’s beard. But it didn’t come off. It

was the real thing. Santa just chuckled as he pinched my cousin’s cheek.

In our last desperate effort, we asked to see Santa’s sleigh when he was leaving. But it turned out he had come in a rental car because there was no snow in Los Angeles and the reindeer were dying of heat. It was all very plausible. He was a damn good Santa and he had all of his bases covered.

With his image clearly in my mind, I still, to this day, cannot figure out who it was. In retrospect, he knew us all much too well to have been a neighbor or a rent-a-Santa. He was like an old friend, and yet I had never seen him before or after. Of course, my parents won’t tell me either.

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students, especially from East Asia,” he said. “Then the 1997 Asian Economic Crisis hit and the numbers dropped off. It’s only been since 2005 that we’ve started seeing an increase again.”

Ha Truong of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, spent her first Christmas in the U.S. with an American family when she studied in Montana and Wyoming. The University junior and her family celebrate Christmas in Vietnam and says that no matter where you are during the holidays, it is worth celebrating.

“Christmas, in my opinion, is an international holiday,” Truong said. “You don’t have to be Christian to celebrate it.”

However, Ntiwas said he doesn’t enjoy the holidays in America the way he does with his family in Kenya. He is still adjusting to the many nuances of Western culture, including the concept of Santa Claus, a holiday fable he’d never heard of before coming to America two and a half years ago.

“The idea of Santa Claus is very alien to me,” Ntiwas said. “I just have no context for it.”

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Emerald Magazine | Oregon Daily Emerald

Jan. 7. After fasting on Christmas Eve, people go to Orthodox Church Mass at 4 a.m. They wear shammas, white toga-like clothing with brightly colored stripes on the end. A similar tradition occurs 12 days later on Timkat, which celebrates the baptism of Jesus. Gifts aren’t generally exchanged, but people play traditional games such as Ganna, a game similar to hockey. Wat, a thick, spicy stew made of meat, lentils, and onions, is enjoyed on a plate of flat bread.

Dec. 4, 5 p.m.

Results will be revealed in the Feb. 1 edition of Emerald Magazine.

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