BOYCOTT DUTCH BROS

OPINION DUTCH BROS. FOUNDER ROBS INCOME FROM NATIVE TRIBES

Nelson: Travis Boersma, coffee entrepreneur, plans to open a gambling facility featuring hundreds of slot machinelike terminals, which would directly impact the funding of tribal services in Oregon.

BY EMMA J NELSON • TWITTER @EMMAJMXLEAN

Several Dutch Bros. Coffee Shops are located around Eugene. The cofounder of Dutch Bros. is set to open an entertainment destination with casino machines, which could direct customers and their money away from Oregon Tribal gaming facilities. (Mary Grosswendt/Emerald)

The Flying Lark, a “gaming, entertainment and dining destination,” is set to open in Grants Pass this winter in connection with the reopening of the Grants Pass Downs racetrack. The entertainment center touts the 250 historic horse racing machines (HHR) it hopes to employ as a major selling point to draw in guests, ultimately distressing the Native tribal leaders of Oregon.

“No matter where you are in Oregon today, remember, you are on Indigenous land,” Gov. Kate Brown’s official statement on Oct. 11, 2021, Indigenous People’s Day, read. “Today, we pay our respects to the nine federally recognized Tribes in Oregon, and honor all the Indigenous peoples who have long called these sacred lands their home.”

Despite such words, the state government refuses to step in as one of the Dutch Bros. co-founders, Travis Boersma, attempts to siphon revenue away from the nine Oregon tribes.

Boersma signed a 50-year lease with Josephine County in 2019 in an attempt to save the horse racing industry in Oregon. To attract more visitors, however, Boersma plans to stuff the facility with HHRs, which are slot machine-like terminals that allow a guest to bet on replays of races. The Flying Lark, if the Oregon Racing Commission approves its application, will feature an updated form of HHR that is more like a slot machine than its predecessor, having been produced by associated brands and having completely randomized results. With such a large number of terminals, the Flying Lark may as well be a casino.

However, it is not being acknowledged as such because that would be against Oregon law, which criminalizes private casinos.

Native American tribes, however, are considered sovereign nations, so certain state and federal laws do not apply to them. As long as they are built and operated within reservation boundaries, gambling facilities such as casinos are legal under Oregon law. This idea came to be in the 1970s when Native Americans began to operate bingo halls to raise tribal funds — modern tribal casinos are now obliged to invest earnings back into the community in which they dwell.

Tribal leaders of six Native tribes — the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw; the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde; the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians; the Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indian Reservation; the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians and the Klamath Tribes — released an official statement regarding the use of HHR on Oct. 6, 2021. The six leaders cite a study which estimated that 250 HHRs would “reduce tribal gaming revenues by $6 million” within the first year.

This is money that would go toward many of the services that tribal governments provide to their people, including healthcare, education and basic infrastructure — services that aren’t allocated by the federal government. By installing the grand sum of HHRs in the Flying Lark, Boersma will essentially redirect the $6 million into his own pocket, adding to his current $2.5 billion net worth.

Should we, a university that begins nearly every presentation with a Kalapuya land acknowledgement, let this financial theft occur without protest? Ashley Younger, member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and president of UO’s Native American Student Union (NASU), does not consider the actions of the “wannabe casino man” excusable.

“I always think about how people say money is the root of all evil. I don’t believe it at all; I think money brings out the evil in people, but it has to already be there for that to happen,” Younger said. “If it doesn’t bother you to exploit someone’s culture, or to try to steal from them, then it’s not because you were offered some money. You already had that in you.”

The fact that the plans to use HHRs within the Flying Lark continue despite public tribal outcry on the matter displays this “evil” within Boersma. He’d rather add to his overflowing bank account than grant respect to Indigenous Americans.

“I’m tired of people from vulnerable groups — such as people who live on reservations who are supposed to have some shred of dignity after centuries of exploitation and murder and dehumanization — have that completely violated by people who are just trying to make a buck,” Younger said. “This is one of the few things that we are afforded, or supposed to be afforded.”

Greed-driven Americans have been taking from Indigenous populations with no regard for their collective livelihood since before the nation’s founding, and we must break the cycle of exploitation without consequences once and for all.

The UO student body should stand with the Native tribes of Oregon as well as our NASU and boycott Dutch Bros. Coffee until the Flying Lark withdraws its application for the use of HHRs or the application is officially denied by the Oregon Racing Commission.

Emma J Nelson is an opinion columnist for the Daily Emerald. She is a first year student studying journalism and creative writing. She can form an opinion on anything, but most passionately discusses queer and women’s issues.

EDITORIAL CARTOON

Unthank food prices totally make sense

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.

(Illustration by Julia Stalnaker/Emerald)

INSIDE UO'S STUDY DRUG PROBLEM

BY WILL COZINE

The increase in use of prescription stimulants as study drugs has created a shortage of medication and puts students with prescriptions in a challenging ethical bind.

Editors’ note: The Emerald spoke to several UO students who have shared their Adderall prescriptions or used Adderall that wasn’t prescribed to them. These sources are anonymous. In cases where someone telling their story could result in legal repercussions, the Emerald allows the use of anonymous sources.

College students experience high levels of stress on a daily basis. They work jobs, maintain relationships and face debt — all while taking a full load of classes. To overcome tiredness and fatigue, some students drink copious amounts of coffee. Others will pop an Adderall pill before writing an essay or studying for a test.

An American Journal of College Health study found 34% of college students report misusing at least one prescription stimulant medication. These stimulants are prescribed to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder but are sometimes used illicitly as a study drug.

The prevalence of prescription stimulant misuse has led to high demand for pills, putting students with access to medication in uncomfortable situations. The University of Oregon has policies and educational programs intended to reduce misuse.

The student dilemma

One UO student said, since starting college, he has been struggling to access the same medication — Adderall — he has been taking for years.

“Since moving to Eugene, I haven’t been able to find a general care provider who can take me in to talk about renewing my prescription,” he said. “Even though I’ve tried several doctors for the last two years, no one is taking new patients because of COVID.”

He believes students using ADHD stimulants without prescriptions are the root cause of his situation.

“Those people make it incredibly difficult for people like me to get the help I need to succeed,” he said.

The National Institute of Health reported some students fake ADHD symptoms in order to get access to medication, which is leading to a shortage of ADHD medication such as Adderall.

Because he can’t legally access medication, he has started buying Adderall off the street — a costly endeavor.

Street Adderall is often given or sold by students who have prescriptions but don’t take their medication every day. Because of how difficult the medications are to obtain, black markets have developed at schools in the U.S.

According to the National Institute of Health, a prescription stimulant pill generally costs 50 cents when obtained legally but can cost anywhere from $3 to $15 when obtained illegally.

Some students share or sell their medications. One student said she gives her medication to friends if they “indicated they were having trouble studying or finishing an assignment.”

Another student said he gives his extra medication to people who need it simply because he has enough to do so.

According to the American Journal of College Health study, most prescribed students don’t take their medication every day and thus have a surplus.

“Selling their leftovers is simply seen as a morally inconsequential win/win decision,” the study wrote.

Other students never shared or have stopped sharing their medication due to health and safety concerns.

“I’ve talked in great detail with my doctor about taking it responsibly, monitoring the effects and being aware of the potential longterm consequences,” one student said. “Someone who hasn’t had these conversations with their doctor might not understand the gravity of taking stimulants and might get into trouble.”

Stimulants can help students stay awake and focused during times of high academic stress. However, when taken in improper amounts or in combination with other drugs, there can be significant adverse health effects.

According to Healthline, Adderall can dull the symptoms of being drunk and lead to over-drinking and other risky behaviors.

Adderall and other prescription stimulants are classified as Schedule II drugs, which means they have high potential for abuse and addiction. The misuse of stimulants is associated with dangers like psychosis and heart muscle disease, according to NIH research.

Addressing the issue

The University of Oregon attempts to reduce prescription stimulant misuse by educating students about the legal and health ramifications of misuse.

UO spokesperson Saul Hubbard said the university takes the issue of prescription stimulant misuse seriously.

“Abusing these medications is a crime, and doing so can lead to negative health consequences,” Hubbard said.

According to the University Health Services’ website, UHS does not routinely provide ADHD evaluations, diagnose students with ADHD or prescribe medications to students with outside diagnoses. The UHS pharmacy does refill outside prescriptions, although UHS clinicians don’t.

“When filling outside prescriptions, UO staff queries the Oregon Prescription Drug Monitoring Program to make sure a patient is not using multiple pharmacies or prescribers and to ensure that the fill interval is appropriate,” Hubbard said.

A study from Chapman University gauging the impact of education on stimulant misuse claims the best way to address the issue is by changing the widely held attitudes of students toward stimulants.

“The communication and culture surrounding misuse on college campuses is a likely facilitator of this growing misuse,” according to the study. “The misuse of prescription stimulants is largely viewed among college students as a necessary, safe, and even respectable means of doing well in school.”

According to the NIH, media reports often condone the use of prescription stimulants for performance, as 95% of articles mentioned at least one possible benefit of using prescription drugs for neuroenhancement, but only 58% mentioned any risks or side effects.

Hubbard said UO’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Education team runs Study Smart campaigns to educate students on prescription stimulant misuse and to provide to students stress reduction tips and resources.

The Chapman study claims that “ideally, college students should be the messengers of any campaign efforts [to reduce stimulant misuse], as it appears that nearly all of the communication surrounding this behavior occurs among peers.”

(Data from the National Institute of Drug Abuse, graphic by Lynette Slape/Emerald)

Since moving to Eugene, I haven’t been able to find a general care provider who can take me in to talk about renewing my prescription.”

ANONYMOUS UO STUDENT

On the difficulty of accessing Adderall for his ADHD, which has previously been prescribed to him