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LETTER TO THE EDITOR The unfulfilled promise of a UO political science education American democracy’s newest illness — political hobbyism — has infected some of its most stalwart defenders: university political science departments.

Aaron Lewis and Jakob Hollenbeck University of Oregon seniors majoring in political science January 4, 2022

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Editor’s note: Jakob Hollenbeck was previously an opinion columnist at the Daily Emerald. As we transitioned back to in-person classes last term, many students celebrated the end of virtual learning. Journalism students could conduct in-person interviews, language students could practice speaking in class and chemistry students no longer had to get creative with at-home labs. As political science students, however, we were just as isolated from politics as we were on Zoom. Remote or in-person, political science classes ask us to theorize about democracy. They don’t ask us to participate in it. Tufts University Professor Eitan Hersh calls this phenomenon political hobbyism: the consumption of political information to satisfy emotional needs. Rather than engaging in political activism, many Americans treat politics like a football game: They check scores on Twitter, cheer when they win and give up when they lose. These hobbyists gleefully engage in online debates and pride themselves on being informed. They obsess over national news from afar but fail to exercise power in their own communities.

marginalized communities does not constitute “PS-specific work” speaks to the department’s fixation with hobbyism. At the end of the day, this approach means that fewer students will engage with politics. More students will leave the university with only a vague idea of how to apply their degree. How can a political scientist effect real change without being able to knock on doors, speak to members of their community and support grassroots movements? To be sure, analyzing political phenomena is important. Studying political science has improved our writing, thinking and knowledge of the American political system. The department itself, though, claims to do more. Under “Why major or minor in political science?” on the department website, it maintains that it teaches “how collective decisions are made — and how you can have a role in them.” After four years, it is still unclear how the department has helped us find that role. By severing academia from action, the department pacifies some of the university’s most politically active students. We live in the city with the highest per-capita unhoused population in the U.S., yet our professors insist we read

We will earn our political science degrees doing the same. Our Introduction to Political Science syllabus read like a hobbyist manifesto; it emphasized “respectful debate” and “comparing political phenomena,” but made no mention of community organizing or engaging with local officials. This is the norm for the major. Classes rarely teach us how to engage with politics ourselves. Frustratingly, the department also confines political science to the classroom. It offers a mere two credits for internships, which do not fulfill a graduation requirement. One of the authors of this letter was recently offered an internship at a law firm that litigates civil rights suits on behalf of marginalized Oregonians. Due to the high workload, that author asked if he could receive four internship credits. “The credits we give are not for the internship per se but for the PS-specific work involved: that is, the weekly journal entries and the final paper. There are no exceptions,” the department responded. “Hope this helps.” The message epitomizes the department’s shortcomings. To the department, political science is weekly journaling. It is writing a paper for a professor to read. It is study without practice. The idea that serving

Locke’s social contract theory for the third time rather than combat Eugene’s housing crisis. When professors present problems without connecting us to solutions, cynicism replaces hope. Twitter quips replace mutual aid. Aloof academics replace community organizers. The UO Political Science Department has the opportunity to lead a nationwide movement in changing its curricula. 2018 college admissions data show that graduating high school seniors are increasingly invested in political activism. Birthplace of CAHOOTS and cradle of the Earth First!, Eugene has a rich history of community-based research and activism. The university is in a unique position to connect students to their neighbors. It must make community involvement a graduation requirement. It must offer credit for internships that engage with local politics. It must get students out of the classroom, into the streets and ready to fight for the causes they care about. Under the hobbyist model of education, the platitude “knowledge is power” unravels. Knowledge without action is powerless. Abstract study will not feed the hungry nor protect the undocumented. Study is valuable, but it is meaningless without the relationships that sustain American political life.

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NEWS

COVID CASES RISE RISE, NEW GUIDELINES RAISE DISCOURSE “What we’re trying to do is protect our students as best as we know how,” Cy Abbott, vice president for grievances for GTFF, said, “because that’s not only our job but often, for many GEs, our passion.” BY HANNAROSE MCGUINNESS • TWITTER @SCOHANNAROSE The University of Oregon recorded 982 total COVID-19 cases Jan. 3-9, the highest number of infections documented in the campus community since the start of the pandemic. UO faculty and GEs have criticized the university’s response to the coronavirus spike, saying unnegotiated and unclear changes in working conditions cause difficulties for faculty, staff and students. Following the surge of cases due to the Omicron variant, Provost Patrick Phillips announced new guidelines in a Jan. 6 email. The statement announced changes in UO’s COVID-19 policy, such as lowering of quarantine time from 10 days to five in accordance with new CDC guidelines, introducing a remote instruction option for instructors with 20% or more of their class missing due to COVID-related issues, a plan to provide a limited number of N95 masks on campus and a planned return to full in-person instruction by Feb. 7. “We are fortunate that this surge does not constitute a public health emergency for the university, as we have had the essential mitigation tools of vaccination, testing, and masks in place since the start of the academic year,” Phillips wrote in the email. “We will continue to carefully monitor for any evidence of classroom or workplace transmission of the virus, which could necessitate a broader campus-wide response.” The Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation filed an Unfair Labor Practice claim through the Oregon Employee Relations Board in response to these policy changes. As GEs will often be the ones tracking the 20% threshold for COVID-related absences, GTFF said in a statement, “the University is making direct changes to our working conditions without our consent through bargaining. ” GTFF wrote that this violates its union contract and entitles it to file a ULP. “We are fighting against the administration’s policies that go against our contract and make our workplaces and communities unsafe by fueling the rapid spread of COVID-19,” GTFF’s statement said. In a Jan. 5 open letter to UO, GTFF requested two things: that classes be moved online for two weeks or “until cases decrease to a reasonable level to allow community members to avoid exposure to COVID” and that N95 and KN95 masks be required and provided for students, staff and faculty to allow for greater protection against Omicron. Cy Abbott, vice president for grievances for GTFF, said that tracking COVID-related absences often falls on GEs and that this

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system is “unenforceable, untraceable and just irresponsible.” “They have everything at their fingertips to do this, and instead, they're often divvying out responsibility for how to respond to this to grad students, to professors,” Abbott said. “Basically pushing it down the line in a way where really we need collective action, and we need a real response from the university.” Abbott said the ULP filing had to do with the university’s lack of negotiation with bargaining units before changing course modalities and ultimately working conditions for GEs. He said GTFF is grateful UO is working to provide proper PPE, but that it’s not enough to fully address the surge of COVID-19 cases. “Our workspaces are your learning spaces. We’re in this together,” Abbott said. “What we’re trying to do is protect our students as best as we know how because that’s not only our job but often, for many GEs, our passion.” Faculty members are trying to find appropriate responses to the provost’s new policies. Kristin Yarris, an associate professor of global studies and the former director of UO’s global health program, said the sudden announcement from administration left her and her colleagues scrambling to find individual instruction plans on short notice. “A decision like this gets communicated, and the practical implication was last week; everyone I know, all of my colleagues were scrambling to figure it out,” Yarris said. “That’s not a good way to deliver college-level, quality instruction to our undergraduates and graduates.” Yarris said she doesn’t agree with the expectation for instructional staff to track classroom COVID-19 cases. “I don’t think we should be doing that,” she said, without explicit university communication and training regarding HIPAA compliance and the protection of student health information. Yarris said she feels like her hands are tied by not knowing what course of action is best. “Decisions feel, for many of us faculty, perhaps also for students and staff, as if they are being made in the halls of power far removed from our actual experience as instructional faculty, research faculty, GEs, undergraduate students, student employees and/or staff on this campus,” Yarris said. Despite concerns about the management of Omicron spread in the UO community, Yarris said instructing remains a reprieve for her, and her classes continue to learn a lot. “I feel like when we show up in our posture of shared inquiry and wanting to learn, we’re embodying the spirit of higher ed and why we’re all here,” Yarris said.

Signs across campus remind students that masks must be worn at all times in campus buildings. Rising COVID-19 cases have led professors and GEs to raise concerns about classroom safety. (Molly McPherson/Emerald)

Data from the University of Oregon shows reported COVID-19 cases for UO employees, offcampus students and on-campus students. (Lynette Slape/Emerald)

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COVER

A GUIDE TO UO’S STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Former and current ASUO members (from left to right) Ella Meloy, Luda Isakharov, Maxwell Ely and Isaiah Boyd. (Will Geschke/Emerald).

BY GAVIN GAMEZ • TWITTER @GAV_GAMEZ

With executive, legislative and judicial branches, ASUO works to manage student fees, oversee student organizations and programs and improve communication with the student body. Heading into winter term with a new vice president, new implementations and projects, a monthly newsletter and an upcoming couch talk, ASUO is making changes to campus life. Short for the Associated Students of the University of Oregon, ASUO is UO’s student government. According to its website, ASUO is structured after the federal government and is split between three branches: the executive, legislative and judicial. The smallest of the three is the judicial branch, made up of the Constitution Court. It consists of five members who serve “lifetime” terms — which means members are elected to sit on the Court until they graduate. According to ASUO’s website, the Court has the authority to rule on any topic covered by the ASUO Constitution. Some of the Court’s responsibilities include upholding the Constitution, ratifying rule changes and reviewing appeals of lower courts like the ASUO Elections Board. ASUO’s other two branches are the executive branch, which is responsible for tasks ranging from communication with the student body to individual projects, and the legislative branch, which is responsible for overseeing the use of the Incidental PA G E 6

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Fee through its different subcommittees. The I-Fee is a student-paid fee that supports services and programs under ASUO. Both branches are made up of 24 student leaders in various positions or committees that serve the student body. The executive branch The executive branch oversees over 200 student organizations and initiates student experience campaigns, according to ASUO’s website. Its student leaders include a student body president and vicepresident as well as various directors and officers. Isaiah Boyd is the current ASUO student body president. Starting off as the first year representative on ASUO senate, Boyd said he was introduced to ASUO by the president at the time. Boyd successfully ran and became senate president his sophomore year and became ASUO president when he was elected to his first term as a junior. When describing ASUO to students who don’t know about its different functions, Boyd says he starts with talking about the I-Fee. “I kind of start from the breakdown of ‘We’re a

group of students that are charged with managing a student fee,’” Boyd said. Using the I-Fee, Boyd said ASUO is able to fund certain programs and organizations on campus, like the Multicultural Center. Boyd said he spent a lot of time during fall term reflecting on the leadership structure of the executive branch. “It’s very hierarchical, and the goal for winter quarter is to kind of flatten it out a little bit with our directors and re-amp our core team.” The core team of the executive branch consists of the directors, the chiefs of staff, the vice president and the president. Boyd said he wants to open the door to hear the voices of ASUO members outside himself and the vice president when it comes to decision making. “There’s a lot of unique leadership styles that blend really well together,” he said. “For me, I envision a working relationship where we can have a dialogue and conversation.” Following Vice President Odalis Aguilar-Aguilar’s resignation from ASUO during the fall, former Executive Internal Director Vanessa Taylor was appointed as the new executive vice president going

COVER into winter term. Starting in ASUO as the executive secretary of mental health and advocacy, Taylor said the leadership experience and confidence gained from the initial role helped her climb up the executive branch ladder. “I think my main goal would be with outreach, especially because I’ve noticed a lot of students don’t really know what ASUO is,” Taylor said. Taylor said the knowledge gained as the executive internal director helps in her current role as vice president. “It’s really nice to have been in that role, so it’s like I understand that side of it, of working with the secretaries and working with other directors.” The legislative branch and ASUO Senate A 24-member student senate makes up the legislative branch and is responsible for overseeing the use of the I-Fee. Senate positions include academic seats and seats in one of the four senate subcommittees. These committees are the Athletics and Contracts Finance Committee, the Departments Finance Committee, the Programs Finance Committee and the EMU Board. According to ASUO’s website, the finance committees recommend the allocation of I-Fee funds for various projects, contracts with service providers and student organizations on campus. The EMU Board helps with budget, policy and longrange planning for the EMU. Claire O’Connor — the current senate president — said the week-to-week responsibilities revolve around managing the I-Fee. “The senate is directly responsible for the allocation, re-allocation and everything else to do with the incidental fee,” she said. “So I oversee the senate as well as the different finance committees.” O’Connor described the executive and legislative branch as different kinds of hierarchies. “For exec it’s definitely a top-down hierarchy where Isaiah is at the top, his vice president underneath him and they oversee everything below,” O’Connor said. “Senate, I’ve always seen as more of an ‘I’m in the back’ type situation, so everyone’s kind of in front of me. I’m in the back, and I just make sure that no one ends up going in the wrong direction or that no one gets left behind.”

O’Connor said the senate president and vice president don’t share the same responsibilities. “The vice president does a lot to assist the president in senate,” she said. O’Connor said that she has given the vice-president different responsibilities so it can be a position somewhat separated from senate president. O’Connor was first introduced to ASUO during IntroDUCKtion. As a freshman, she served on the senate as the first year representative before running for senate president her sophomore year. “That kind of set the pathway for me to get where I am right now,” she said. Irisa Mehta is the new senate vice president, who started at the beginning of this term. Mehta first got involved with ASUO through its internship program. In addition to holding a senate seat, Mehta has also served as the senate ombudsperson, which had its own responsibilities. “Majority of it was just supervising duties and the fulfillment of duties for senators,” she said. “That included office hours, budget hearings, monitoring absences for senate meetings and also being that point of contact when people needed help transitioning from virtual to in-person.” As senate vice president, Mehta said her duties include helping O’Connor with tasks, contacting clerks and maintaining senate meeting minutes and sending out the agenda for senate meetings. Jon Laus is the senate treasurer and the current Programs Finance Committee chair. Laus said his responsibilities include monitoring the senate’s finances while connecting with ASUO Finance to gather information and report back to the senate. ASUO Finance maintains ledgers for all student organizations funded by the I-Fee. “If there’s an organization we’re hearing for a surplus request, I gather their ledgers, combine them all together and send them over to the senate so that we all know what is going on,” he said. Communication with the student body ASUO Communications Director Sam Simonett said he was concerned with ASUO’s lack of communication with the student body when he joined the executive branch. “I didn’t find out about ASUO until it was through a direct person who I was having a face-to-face

Associated Students of the University of Oregon (ASUO) has a public meeting for the Programs Finance Committee (PFC) on Nov. 15, 2021 in the Miller Room of the Earl Memorial Union. PFC ‘s role with ASUO is discussing and approving budget and stipend help for student organizations at the University of Oregon. (Serei Hendrie/Emerald)

conversation with, and I directly asked about it,” Simonett said, “and I immediately saw that as a concern and a negative going into ASUO.” Simonett said he has made it his goal to expand ASUO outreach to the wider student body. He said having members of the executive branch and senate hold their own office hours helped with that goal. “It’s a great chance for anyone in the community to come in and talk to us,” he said. “You can come talk to a senator who may be representing a specific major or someone who controls a department, like myself.” Another way Simonett said they are expanding outreach is having every ASUO officer spend an hour serving an ASUO-funded organization. “If you go to various student organizations, there’s a good chance you’ll find an ASUO member sitting in the back room just listening and getting a feel for what's going on in the student community, and also being there as a person,” he said. Right now, Simonett said he is working on a student needs survey. He said the survey will be a broad allstudent survey that will gather input about where students think the UO campus needs to be improved, where they think ASUO money isn’t going and what their current knowledge of ASUO is. “Those surveys have never been conducted by UO or even ASUO in the past,” he said. “So we really think that’s going to give us some really important numbers as we think of what new programs to develop.” Simonett said he would also like to focus on dialogue with incoming and current freshmen. “It’s no better point to advertise ASUO,” he said. “You can learn about it, you can join or not, you can pay attention or you don’t have to, but you know right away.” He said ASUO will be putting pamphlets in dorms across campus and getting in touch with RAs and living directors to relay ASUO messages and opportunities. Communicating with freshmen, monthly newsletters and research on how ASUO can better use social media like Instagram are things Simonett said are to be expected this month. Starting this year, Boyd said outreach with the student body is a main priority for ASUO. “One of the things we are trying to improve this year is increasing our presence on campus and the way we connect with students,” he said.

(Lynette Slape/Emerald)

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OPINION

WINTER TERM SHOULD HAVE STARTED ONLINE Crueger: With the university unable to make a unified decision towards in-person or online learning, students and professors are left to figure it out themselves. BY: CALE CRUEGER Lecture halls are starting to appear empty as many courses transition to online learning due to a rise in COVID cases at UO. After an in-person fall term, a surge in Omicron variant cases calls for more precautions, like online classes, as winter term begins. (Mary Grosswendt/Emerald)

Hello, UO students and welcome to week three, where it seems all sense of regularly-scheduled programming has been lost to a time where the words “pandemic” and “Zoom” weren’t triggering. Universities across the country opted for an online 2022 — some choosing to begin the term online and others making a gradual shift to in-person learning based on changing COVID-19 concerns. Here at UO, where the university has conveniently decided to not make any decisions for the term, it is chaos. On Jan. 6, UO students received clarity from the university in the form of an email, notifying them that instructors may “move courses that are experiencing 20 percent or more COVID-related student absences” to online learning for a limited period. This decision to return to remote learning ultimately falls on the professors, who require dean approval. Many are satisfied with this response. “I’m fully fine with Oregon being in-person and teachers giving options to be online,” student Chris Engel said. The ability to learn in-person amid a global pandemic is undoubtedly something to be grateful for, but not all UO students have been given this option. “All of my classes have been moved online — I guess I just didn’t expect this to happen so quickly,” student Gracie Nelson said. “It’s been confusing.” It seems unfair that some students should be given the option for in-person learning while others are not, and perhaps a more unified decision from the university would have alleviated this issue. Instead, there was none. It’s difficult to complain about this (to Zoom or not to Zoom) when no option is particularly good, but surely the option that least risks student safety is the lesser of two evils.

“There has been no effort to reduce class sizes,” student Anna Anton said. “I am always shoulder-toshoulder with other students. It risks everyone’s safety.” Fortunately for us all, with the university seemingly unwilling to reduce class sizes, COVID-19 has jumped into action. Students attending in-person classes may notice each day that one or two more of their peers have opted to stay home, and they may start to hope their name isn’t the next to appear at the top of the growing list of the university’s positive cases. It is clear the university was ill prepared for winter term to elicit so many different student needs and opinions and should have planned to better assist professors in making these accommodations. “The school should have provided better resources for teachers,” student Tal Lotzof, whose math professor has struggled to show students online clear images of their in-person screen, said. Adequate cameras, instructions on how to use Zoom’s features like screen-sharing or breakout rooms, smaller class sizes and clearer COVID guidelines all would have eased this transition for professors and students alike. At the end of the school day, though, there are no real winners — except for perhaps President Michael Schill and his fellow 6-figure-making administrators. In early April 2021, Schill and other administrators did opt to take slight pay cuts, which were expected to last six months. Having cited concerns that students may not stay throughout our first spring term of remote instruction, Schill may be relieved to see the 2021-2022 school year accomplished a record enrollment despite COVID-19 concerns. If these pay cuts, or ahem, enrollment concerns had persisted, though, the university’s hesitancy to

announce this winter term to begin online makes sense. With all students now experiencing a “unique” winter term (be it online, in person or somewhere in between), the university can hide their accountability behind these shrouded layers of confusion and chaos. But not from me, they can’t. I admit it’s unfair to assume poor intentions drove the university’s decision — or lack thereof — this term. It is understandable that any institution would struggle to decide what is the best working option amid changing CDC guidelines and a new, rapidly spreading variant. Still, I can’t help but wish university officials had been more transparent with their decision-making process and had made clearer efforts to prioritize student and faculty safety. Ultimately, all the university has really done was choose not to make the hard decision to move winter term, at least initially, online. In perhaps saving themselves some backlash from students and parents hoping for in-person education, they have shirked responsibility onto students and professors to navigate the quick and confusing shift into hybrid learning. It may be true there are no real winners of winter term, but there are losers. (That’s us, guys.)

Cale Crueger is a Daily Emerald opinion columnist. She is a junior studying public relations and political science. Cale writes to engage readers in the local issues and trends affecting campus and the Eugene community.

EDITORIAL CARTOON " Please Work For Unthank Dining So That Bullseye Taco Can Open" Ian Proctor is an editorial cartoonist for the Daily Emerald. He is a freshman with interests in journalism, political science and animation, as well as paleontology and biology. Ian’s comics may appear bizarre, but this is just the way he tends to draw things. T U E S D AY, J A N U A R Y 1 8 , 2 0 2 2

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A&C

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Forecasting the Oregon defense under head coach Dan Lanning

Shifting Gear: New Year, New Gear BY AUDREY KALMAN

(Serei Hendrie/Emerald)

Shifting Gear is the Daily Emerald’s gear review column. Audrey Kalman recommends everything you could ever need on a biweekly basis.

BY CHARLES GEARING • TWITTER @GEARINGCHARLIE After closing out his tenure in Georgia with a national title, Dan Lanning comes to Eugene with a championship-winning defensive philosophy in tow. For the first time since 2014, Oregon fans had a rooting interest in the College Football National Championship. While soon-to-be Ducks’ head coach Dan Lanning was coaching his final game with the Georgia Bulldogs, onlookers from the Beaver State turned to their televisions in search of a glimpse into the future. Lanning’s prized defense held the Alabama Crimson Tide to 18 points — a full 21 below their season average points per game — in route to a championship title. The 35-year-old’s top-ranked defense scored as many touchdowns as the Alabama offense, putting the final nail in the Tide’s coffin with a last-minute Kelee Ringo pick-six. The Dogs’ defensive showcase in the National Championship marked a fitting end to one of the most dominant seasons in NCAA history. Lanning showed Oregon fans exactly what he can do. “Now it’s full steam ahead Oregon, everything Oregon, and it was the minute that I left that field,” Lanning said. He added: “Getting to go back there and finish that the right way, I think spoke volumes to what I hope we can do here at Oregon and recreate.” While he’ll walk into Eugene without years of head coaching experience like the Mario Cristobals and Willie Taggarts of the world, he carries with him a track record chalkfull of success, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Through Lanning’s four years at Georgia, his defenses never left the SEC’s top four in scoring defense, or the nation’s top-20. This season, the unit reached peak potential, allowing only 9.5 points per game — a statistic that led the conference, as well as the nation. Former Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal laid a foundation for strong defensive play but left much to be desired in scoring defense. The No. 14 Ducks stooped to its lowest point in the category since 2017, spotting opponents an average of 25 points per game. Ducks fans can expect to see this number decrease, and perhaps drastically. Oregon doesn’t have Jordan Davis, but there’s no lack of talent up front. The Ducks became a pass-rushing powerhouse under Cristobal, and by building on the same bedrock, Lanning PA G E 1 0

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will have an opportunity to create yet another elite defensive front. “A lot of people say, ‘Well, the standard can change because you can’t play defense the way that you used to,’ and ultimately, for me, I’m going to say, ‘Why not?’” Lanning said. “‘Why can we not adapt? Why can’t we recreate?’ If you have a group of men that believe in that, then great things can be accomplished.” From linebackers to the line, the Oregon program will return several key defensive athletes — Noah Sewell, Popo Aumavae, Justin Flowe, Bradyn Swinson, Jeffrey Bassa, Mase Funa and Brandon Dorlus — each of which could reach new heights in the Lanning era. “For the players that we have, the caliber of men that we have on this team that are excited to compete, I think they share a vision of what we can be here and what this program can become,” Lanning said. Dorlus will provide physicality up the middle, keeping offensive lines off-balance while linebackers Sewell, Funa, Flowe, Swinson and Bassa pour around the edges to make hits on the quarterback and stymie ground attacks. Lanning’s staff has already tapped into the transfer portal, as well, adding highly-rated lineman Taki Taimani from Washington. Georgia had 49 Sacks in 2021, 31.5 of which came from linebackers. The Bulldog defense ranked third nationally in rushing yards allowed per game (81). In the secondary, the future is bright. At Georgia, Lanning flexed his ability to read opposing air raids and shut down chunk yardage passing plays. From 2020 to 2021, the Bulldogs jumped from 88th in the nation to No. 3 in passing yards allowed per game (172). With the exception of sophomore nickel Jamal Hill, the Ducks return a largely untested secondary, as Dontae Manning and Trikweze Bridges will compete for starting roles. The addition of Colorado transfer Christian Gonzalez will help to remedy a lack of game experience. While a new era will soon begin in Eugene, excitement is more than justified. Lanning’s track record serves as proof of his potential, and with a chance to put his own unique fingerprint on Oregon football, it’s natural to say the team is in good hands.

(Eleanor Klock/Emerald)

“I want to stop buying fast fashion, but most slow fashion brands are lightyears out of my price range,” Julie, from Portland Oregon, is quoted saying at the top of a New York Times article titled “I Want to Buy Vintage and Used Clothes Online. But How?” Julie goes on to ask for advice about buying used clothing. Julie’s concerns are those of a generation. An antipathy for fast fashion is certainly in vogue, largely due to the textile waste the industry generates. As the New York Times wrote in 2019, “Future archeologists may look at landfills taken over by nature and discover evidence of Zara.” A 2019 Forbes article listed abysmal working conditions and other environmental factors as central concerns. Even through this well-informed dislike, buying a shiny new garment is still an enticing prospect. What better way to start a new year than by purchasing new things? Buying new clothing is not necessarily wrong; there are steps to take so that you are making more responsible choices. If you are buying new, there are two crucial things to keep in mind. First, try and find out the conditions under which the garment was made. Some companies, like Everlane, will have a link in the webpage’s footer that leads to this information. Second, before you make a purchase, think about when you’ll wear the piece. A good rule of thumb — is to buy something only if you can think of five outfits you would wear it with. Everlane’s Organic Cotton Box-Cut Tee is a go-to shirt for me and is a good example of a staple that can be styled in a number of ways. This outfit-planning process ensures that you will actually put this new item to good use. However, many youngsters are buying used, as can be seen en force here in Eugene. Ryley Steel, a UO senior, said his motivation is “primarily

The author’s Levi’s trucker jacket. (Audrey Kalman/Emerald)

price” and described the prices of certain in-demand used items, like leather jackets, as “a real racket.” Take the very trendy Carhartt jacket, for example. Prices range from $60 or less on eBay or at used clothes stores to $240 on brands like the Los Angeles based Unsound Rags. The problem is not so much that people are purchasing such jackets from places like Unsound Rags; it’s that the reselling process takes away that opportunity from people who might actually need a warm, heavy-duty coat for practical reasons. Buying used clothing is not always free of its own complications. Last November, the New York Times published an article oriented around a streetwear experiment; André Wheeler wrote about the night he wore a blue YZY GAP jacket around SoHo. Wheeler wrote that sporting the jacket “transforms you from a plebeian to a shapeless, off-duty celebrity ready for a paparazzi shot.” He also said it sparked enthusiastic interactions with passersby. Outfits have come to be understood as signposts, indicators of the wearer’s interests and inner workings — sometimes often, sometimes not. I would encourage you to find your GAP YZY jacket — whatever it may be. Personally, I always feel slick when wearing a denim jacket. My family has been living in San Francisco proper for over 100 years, and so I feel a kinship to Levi’s denim specifically. Levi’s truckers can be bought secondhand from the company itself, and there are always tons on eBay. Levi’s has made its trucker in just about every modification you can imagine from sherpa lined to deconstructed to a collaboration with the late great Virgil Abloh. My final word is to wear what makes you feel your best. After all, what’s cooler than being cool?

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Asking for a Friend is the DailySyrett Emerald’s sex and relationship PERFORMANCES change,” said. “Allowing a potential buyer to does not require any efficiency upgrades, according The Eugene BY City Council is moving closer to requiring STUDENT DISCOUNT understand the energy cost of a particular home they to the agenda. a home energy score for home sellers after passing column. Every other week, Aisha Ghorashian answers anonymous $5motion, OFF ANY TICKET are considering allows them to make a wiser choice The first proposed by Councilor Jennifer three motions on the issue at a Nov. 17 work session. questions from how to up date, tothe sex, tothey how to heal WITH CURRENT ID. understand front cost might face.”a Yeh, directed CitySTUDENT Manager Sarah Medary toabout anythingand Eugene would be the fourth city in Oregon to pass the ANY QUESTIONS DM @FTSMO33. said Syrett’s commentaabout savings made complete a community engagement process, as well requirement, behind Milwaukie, Hillsboro and Portland. broken heart. Scan Clark the QR code to submit question! sense to him. as schedule a work session to share feedback from A home energy score rates how energy efficient The council unanimously passed two other that process and develop the framework of a draft a home is by taking into account its physical PA G E 8 | E M E R A L D | M O N D AY, J A N U A R Y 1 0 , 2 0 2 2 motions: one to direct the city manager to bring back ordinance. The motion passed unanimously, but characteristics like window type, heating and cooling an implementation plan including potential funding councilors did bring up concerns. systems, square footage and level of insulation, sources for the mandatory home energy score Councilor Matt Keating said renters are noticeably according to the work session’s agenda. program, and another directing the city manager absent from the motion, and he supports applying the “I really like moving forward on other ideas besides to develop additional home energy score program requirement to rental units as well as single-family the Northwest Natural franchise agreement, which options for renters. The program for renters must be homes. Councilor Randy Groves said he also supports seems like that’s all we’ve been talking about for in alignment with Climate Action Plan 2.0 Action B3, including renters, which make up 52% of Eugene’s the past two years,” Councilor Alan Zelenka said. which requires the city to report to the city council population. “It’s good to see us move forward on some really options and funding strategies to support programs Councilor Mike Clark said he is concerned that important initiatives.” for low income Eugene Water and Electric Board or adding a required expense would fall back on the For the past two years, the city of Eugene has engaged Northwest Natural customers. person purchasing or renting a home and worsen the in unsuccessful negotiations with Northwest Natural, The proposed energy score program’s cost to the housing crisis in Eugene. a natural gas company which had a 20-year franchise city as well as other actions that support the Climate In other Oregon communities, obtaining a home agreement with the city of Eugene that expired in 2019. We$300, are looking to to hang out withAction our kitties Recovery Ordinance and Climate Plan 2.0inis energy score costs between $150 and city of for volunteers If the council passes the home energy score at $130,000, according to the agenda. Eugene Sustainability Manager Chelsea Clinton requirement, sellers of residential, single-family theestimated PetSmart Catteries. Although the proposed home energy score said. The average cost per score in Portland is $125, homes will have to obtain and disclose an energy Theres nothing morerequirement relaxing than purring in units youryet, lap. doesanot apply tocat rental the according to the agenda. performance rating from a state-certified assessor city of Eugene funds the Score Program with the Councilor Claire Syrett said a home energy score prior to publicly listing the home for sale and include University of Oregon and EWEB, which offers free, may result in a net gain in savings for buyers. the rating in sale listings. Minimum 2 hours per weekchoose from 3 shifts per day/7 days a week! voluntary home energy scores to both renters and “It needs to be considered in the context of all the The proposed program is meant only to increase property owners. costs we are all bearing because ofSign climate transparency encourage upgrades and houseofrecords.wixsite.com/store upAggies here: The Oregon Ducksand Women’s Basketballefficiency team takes on the UC Davis Aggies on additional The Oregon Ducks Women’s Basketball team takes on the UC Davis on Dec.catrescues.org/volunteer 1, 2021 at Matthew Knight Arena. (Serei Hendrie/Emerald)

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