NOV. 9, 2020
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STUDENT STUDENT VOICES VOICES MATTER MATTER 2020 ELECTION PROMPTS STUDENT VOTERS TO TURN OUT IN HIGHER NUMBERS THAN EVER BEFORE
NEWS: ATTEMPTS TO BREAK SORORITY LEASES P. 4
A&C: ‘MOVE’ TV SHOW REVIEW P. 11
OPINION: COVID-19 IS DEPLETING UO’S ENDOWMENT FUNDS P. 12 M O N D AY, N O V E M B E R 9 , 2 0 2 0
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4-YEAR RENOVATION PROJECT FINALLY COMPLETE, VOL. 122, ISSUE NO. 21
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BY CLAIRE WARNER • TWITTER @CLAIRENWARNER The University of Oregon completed its final touches on the Klamath Hall renovation project in October. The project began November 2016 to redesign the hall’s third floor, which houses several science laboratories. The original building design, completed in 1966, did not meet current lab standards. Klamath Hall’s concrete frame and waffle slab design, popular in the ‘60s, had short floor-tofloor height. As a result, the distance between the second and third floor was “not conducive to running all of the ductwork and piping and utilities that a modern lab requires,” Mandy Butler, principal for TVA Architects and a UO graduate. TVA Architects is a Portland-based firm that conducted the third-floor renovation. “It was really unsafe,” UO Owner’s Representative Denise Stewart said. The facility had back-to-back fume hoods — a ventilation device that reduces exposure to toxic fumes — and narrow aisles, making it difficult for researchers to exit the labs if an accident occurs. “If there’s an accident in that fume hood, there’s nowhere for anybody to go,” she said, “so getting out of that lab is problematic.” TVA redesigned the floor to create safer conditions for researchers and increase natural light. They also replaced the building’s outdated mechanical systems to meet modern airflow and efficiency standards. “That’s to give that building another 50 years of life serving the students of the UO,” Butler said. Butler’s team added 62 fume hoods, which needed increased air supply. The mechanical systems that support the first few floors of the building were not sufficient to support the
additional fume hoods on the third floor. TVA decoupled the third floor from the rest of the building so it has its own mechanical systems and functions independently of the floors below. The renovation also included new collaborative spaces, such as a kitchen and work area for students and faculty. Klamath Hall has a new gender-neutral bathroom as well, which was “a nice addition that we’re all happy to have to have a greater degree of inclusivity,” Butler said. The most challenging aspect of the project was completing the renovation while the building was occupied, Butler said. In order to decouple the third floor, TVA had to turn mechanical systems on and off, which required coordination to not disrupt other parts of the building. To allow faculty and student research to continue on the third floor, TVA conducted the renovation in two phases, the first taking place on the south side of the building and the second on the north side. Faculty had to consolidate lab spaces during construction to ensure research remained undisturbed. “Certainly, things got cozy during that time when people were squished together, but I think, as a whole, it went very well,” biology professor Mike Pluth said. Pluth’s original lab had back-to-back fume hoods, an awkward layout and around 15 sinks, which he found excessive. He said his renovated lab space is much better. “It’s hard to believe it’s the same building,” Pluth said. He described Klamath’s third floor as having a “better layout that accommodates how people do science now rather than how people did science 40 years ago.”
PORTLAND REJECTS POLICE BUDGET CUT: The Portland Commission rejected a budget amendment Nov. 5 that would have cut $18 million from the Portland Police Bureau and used the money to fund the city’s pandemic response. Jo Ann Hardesty, the first Black woman Portland commissioner, proposed the amendment following antiracism protests in response to police violence. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler voted against the amendment. The commission passed a similar budget amendment in June, cutting police funding by nearly $16 million. – SAM ANTHONY UO FOOTBALL KICKS OFF: The University of Oregon football team won its first game of the 2020 season at an empty Autzen Stadium, scoring 35-14 against the Stanford Cardinal. New starting quarterback Tyler Shough threw for 227 yards, 1 touchdown and was intercepted once in the victory. Running back CJ Verdell led the Ducks in rushing, picking up 105 yards and a touchdown. – CLAYTON FRANKE
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ON THE COVER
A community member holds up a Biden-Harris sign outside of the Wayne Lyman Morse United States Courthouse. People in Eugene, Ore. celebrate President-elect Joe Biden’s victory on the weekend of Nov. 7, 2020. (Summer SurgentGough/Emerald)
Laboratories in Klamath Hall recently underwent renovations. The renovations were designed by TVA Architects and include state-ofthe-art equipment for the building’s wet labs. (Summer Surgent-Gough/Emerald)
JORYŪ HANGA KYŌKAI’S PRINT: When art lovers think about 1960s New York City, they may think of Andy Warhol, Donald Judd or Ellsworth Kelly. But to remember only White men would be a misrepresentation. The Portland Art Museum’s show Joryū Hanga Kyōkai, 1956–1965, which is on view until April 11, 2021, provides a beautiful reminder that our histories can almost always be made more inclusive. The show presents prints by Japanese women printmakers who have been largely written out of mid-century art history. – AUDREY KALMAN
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NEWS
MEMBERS OF SORORITY HOUSES
ON CAMPUS SEEK TO BREAK HOUSE LEASES DUE TO COVID-19 BY JANE GLAZER Girls gather on the Knight Library lawn as bid day activities begin. Potential new members of University of Oregon’s sororities open their envelopes on Bid Day on the Knight Library lawn in Eugene, Ore., on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017. (Emerald Archives)
Editor’s note: The Daily Emerald changed the names of the sorority members interviewed for this story to protect their housing status and to avoid possible retaliation. For most sororities on campus, members are contractually required to live in for one to two years of their time as an active participant. These contracts are typically signed well in advance, meaning most members who planned to live in for the 2020-21 school year signed their lease before they knew how extreme COVID-19 would become. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends social distancing and limiting the number of people that individuals come in contact with to lower the risk of being exposed to COVID-19
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in shared or congregate housing. Living in a sorority house, however, poses challenges to these recommendations. Sarah, one member of a sorority, explained that living in a sorority house right now is much different than she expected. While she was still excited to have the experience of living in her chapter facility, there are several adjustments that have come with living there. “It’s a lot more isolating,” Sarah said. “You have to wear a mask anytime you’re not in your room or not eating. When you go to the bathroom, obviously you have to wash your face and brush your teeth, so you walk in with one [and] take it off.” She said all of the meals are pre-packaged, and each member is assigned a time to come pick up
their meals. They are allowed to eat in the dining room, as each table now only has two chairs to accommodate for social distancing guidelines. To accommodate for COVID-19, only half of the members of Sarah’s pledge class are now allowed to live in. Executing this was no problem, Sarah said, as more members volunteered to live out than wanted to live in. Sarah said that members of the sorority’s executive board, as well as the national headquarters, are trying to find ways to navigate 26 women living together. The rules, however, are inconsistent. “They’ll blatantly ignore some things,” Sarah said. “Like during work week, when everyone was together not wearing masks they didn’t say anything, but then later they got mad for something completely different.”
NEWS You don’t know where everyone’s been. If I go see friends that aren’t in Greek life, I don’t want to have to be overly stressed that I’m gonna get them sick because I live in the house, and if I see people, I don’t want to get the house sick.”
New sorority members run to their houses on bid day on the Knight Library lawn in Eugene, Ore., on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017. (Emerald Archives)
ANONYMOUS SORORITY MEMBER
Sarah is filing for dispensation — an exemption to live out of the chapter facility— for winter term. To do this, she has to write a letter to the officials in charge of housing for her sorority explaining why she wants to move out. She said her main reason for doing so is that living in the sorority house during a pandemic has caused even further stress. “You don’t know where everyone’s been,” Sarah said. “If I go see friends that aren’t in Greek life, I don’t want to have to be overly stressed that I’m gonna get them sick because I live in the house, and if I see people, I don’t want to get the house sick.” Sarah said her parents are older and have medical conditions, and she wants to be able to see them without putting them at any risk. She thinks that because of her circumstances, she will be granted dispensation. Gigi Rutsky, president of Kappa Delta, said her chapter made the decision over the summer to close their chapter facility for the year. “We made this decision to ensure the health and safety of our chapter members, as that is our top priority,” Rutsky said. Other chapter facilities on campus weren’t as transparent with their plans for their members living in going into the school year. A member of another chapter, Lauren, mentioned there was an addendum in her chapter’s housing contract stating the live-ins were not guaranteed a refund if they were to get evicted due to COVID-19. Contracts in sororities, however, are common, and for some it can be easy to accidentally skim over important information. “A lot of people are like, ‘Sign it, sign it, sign it,’ and you just kind of get tired of people asking you to sign it, and then you do,” Lauren said. “I am used to just not reading contracts, because we have so many thrown our way.” Lauren said there has been a general lack of transparency and communication about COVID-19 accommodations in her chapter,
which causes confusion for girls trying to figure out the best plan for their specific situation. Her chapter president sent out a poll asking if the members would rather live in the chapter facility or stay home, and those wanting to stay home were notified that they didn’t have to pay rent fall term. However, there was a miscommunication as there was no option for coming back to Eugene, but not living in the house. Lauren moved back to Eugene after marking the “stay at home” option, not realizing it would cause complications with her chapter, and an expectation for her to pay her sorority’s “live-in” rent. “I am now being held accountable to pay my rent for the sorority,” she said. “That’s confusing, because they never really gave us that information prior. They never said, ‘If you choose to move back, you are going to be held accountable for your rent.’” Sarah hopes that she will get dispensation and no longer be accountable to pay rent for her chapter facility, but she said the overall unprecedented time has left her confused about what will happen to her chapter facility in the future. “I know that other people have been trying to get dispensation,” Sarah said. “I think that if they’re saying they’re uncomfortable, I just think there’s no way that they can deny them it. But I don’t really know what that means for the house.” Applying for dispensation is a caseby-case situation, so the members will hear back individually at some point in the future about whether their request is granted. “Hopefully by the time that, if girls want to live in next year, they will have figured most things out, and we’re kind of just the lab rats for it,” Sarah said. “Right now everyone’s just figuring out how most things work, so I don’t know.”
UO GREEK LIFE SINCE OCT. 25 ACCORDING TO LANE COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH:
- 166 CASES - 18 OUTBREAKS - 35% OF ALL CURRENT OUTBREAKS
Leo Baudhuin contributed reporting to this story.
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AFTER JOE BIDEN IS ELECTED PRESIDENT,
STUDENT GROUPS SAY THE REAL WORK BEGINS BY JOANNA MANN
College students turned out to vote this year in higher numbers than ever before. often not something that women are socialized to do.” Student organizers, faculty and campus organizations helped students through the Weiss said she hopes to get as many guest speakers as possible to come to voting process by making sure they knew how, when and where to drop their ballots. meetings, and not just women in politics. She said she plans to reach out to women On election night, it was clear that Biden had swept Oregon in a landslide; 58% of in business, as well as UO professors and deans. the vote went to Biden, and 39% went to Trump. “I think we’re so lucky to live in a city that has such strong women representation The state of Oregon ended up with approximately 81% voter turnout, and Lane in our public service,” Weiss said. “My goal is to create a robust and supportive County had 82% turnout, according to the Oregon Secretary of State community where people can talk about their goals and fears and website. not feel like they’re being judged.” Jude Stone, a student leader with the Oregon Student Public As for partisan issues, the UO College Democrats and the UO Interest Research Group chapter at UO, said he has seen a huge rise College Republicans have been hard at work recruiting students in student voter turnout lately. and encouraging them to vote for certain candidates on the state “We know that our generation is the largest and most diverse and national level. UO College Republicans Political Director Isaiah group of potential voters in the country,” Stone said. “So we think De Alba said his group has gained quite a few students this term, it’s really important to recognize the fact that we have the power to despite the challenges brought on by COVID-19. elect the next generation of leaders who care about the things we do “What I’m seeing is not so much a result from specifically our We know that our and who will fight for our version of the future.” club, but just younger people influencing one another,” De Alba said. generation is the OSPIRG is a non-partisan advocate for the public interest that “I think people in our club do that a lot, because there are a lot of aims to find common ground between parties and effectively make people in our club who are openly Republican.” largest and most change. Its most recent campaign focused on organizing a final push While the UO Republicans would normally go knocking door diverse group of to help young voters cast their ballots, and preliminary surveys to door to campaign, this election season they have pivoted to potential voters in the indicate that the youth voter turnout in Oregon increased from 12% literature drops, leaving informational pamphlets on people’s country. So we think in 2016 to 18% in 2020. doorsteps so they do not have to interact with them face to face. it’s really important In addition to the New Voters Project, OSPIRG also participated in In addition to lit drops, the group has phone banked and tabled a competition between PAC-12 schools to see which university could outside the EMU to answer questions the UO community may have to recognize the fact achieve the highest voter turnout and most plans to vote. Stone said about their party. that we have the a plan to vote is when a student has an exact day and time they plan After the election, De Alba said he plans to find nearby power to elect the next to drop their ballot off. organizations or campaigns for the UO Republicans to become generation of leaders “There’s a lot of requirements and deadlines to keep in mind, so politically involved in. But for now, the group does not have any who care about the we just try to simplify the process,” Stone said. rallies or protests planned. After the election, Stone said OSPIRG will spend the rest of the “We’re playing it slow and seeing what happens because we don’t things we do and who term focusing on other campaigns, such as 100% renewable energy, want to send people out to go do things and put them in danger,” De will fights for our wildlife over waste and affordable textbooks. Alba said. “Things are kind of strange right now.” version of the future.” “We’re really excited about segueing into the other work that we The UO College Democrats held an on-campus event the day do, which is more on a local level,” Stone said. “We’re excited to use before the election, featuring Representative Peter DeFazio, newly JUDY STONE Student leader with the Oregon Student Public Interest the excitement that people have for being engaged and then go back elected Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, Senator Ron Wyden, Research Group to work on the other really important issues that we normally do.” State Treasurer Tobias Read and Senator Jeff Merkley, all of whom Another non-partisan student group on campus is Leading were elected to office on Nov. 3. The candidates gave speeches and Women of Tomorrow, which UO senior Hadley Weiss helped encouraged students who had not cast their ballot yet to do so. to start this fall. She said the group is about building professional skills, finding In his opening remarks, DeFazio referenced a John Hopkins analysis that said opportunities, networking and empowering women regardless of their political Trump’s unmasked rallies have resulted in 30,000 COVID-19 cases and 700 COVIDaffiliation. 19-related deaths. “It’s very much about solving the gender gap in elected officials by empowering “Donald Trump and his cronies are the most corrupt administration in the history and encouraging the younger generation,” Weiss said. “We are going to encourage of the United States of America,” DeFazio said to the crowd. “This has to stop and it young women to pursue these careers in politics and public service because that is stops tomorrow with election day.”
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COVER
A makeshift sign reads “Count every vote,” referring to outgoing-President Donald Trump’s allegations that ballot should not be counted after Election Day. People in Eugene, Ore., celebrate President-elect Joe Biden’s win on Nov. 7, 2020. (Summer Surgent-Gough/Emerald)
Fagan talked about how mail-in voting is the most “boring topic in Oregon politics,” because it has worked so well for all parties and candidates in Oregon for years. “But this cycle, of course, the president has decided to make it an issue,” Fagan said. “Claims of widespread voter fraud are a myth, and they are a myth spread by people who want to make it harder for people like you to vote.” The state of Oregon used to almost exclusively vote Republican, but has been voting for Democratic presidential candidates since 1984. Oregon has seven electoral votes in the Electoral College, but current projections have it gaining an eighth vote for the 2024 presidential election, according to a report conducted by Election Data Services. Although election results were not yet finalized, a Rally for Democracy was held the day after Election Day at the Wayne L. Morse Federal Courthouse on
A community member holds a sign that reads, “Message to the world: We’re back!!” referring to a democratic President holding office. People in Eugene, Ore., celebrate President-elect Joe Biden’s win on Nov. 7, 2020. (Summer Surgent-Gough/Emerald)
8th Ave. and Ferry St. The event was organized by the Community Alliance of Lane County, and featured speakers, singers and dancers all emphasizing the right to vote. Among those in attendance were the Raging Grannies of Eugene, a local activist group that goes to protests and sings about various issues facing society. During the rally they broke into a song “Climate Change is Real,” waving flags and signs that drew attention to their message. “Our country is pretty effed up, don’t you think?” said Trudy Maloney, a Raging Granny wrapped in a rainbow cape. UO College Democrats President Tristan Waits said the UO Democrats are hopeful and excited about Biden’s win, but their work is far from over. “The feel of the group is pretty unanimous in the way that we are more so celebrating a Trump loss than a Biden win,” Waits said. “Just because
Donald Trump is out of office doesn’t remove the systemic racism in this country, the problems facing immigrants, issues facing healthcare, the environment, all that.” Waits said the work UO Dems will be doing postelection includes lobbying in Salem and holding town halls with elected representatives. He said he noticed a huge uptick in student political interest, and one would be “hard-pressed” to find someone who considers themselves apolitical. However, he said he thinks there will be a lag in action postelection due to how burned out students feel. “In regards to Biden winning, I don’t think there’s anybody on our executive board that will try and pretend like Biden and Kamala Harris are the liberal progressives that we need right now,” Waits said. “But I think we are all once again overjoyed that Trump has lost.”
Notable Measures Passed in Oregon MEASURE 108
MEASURE 109
Oregonians voted Tuesday to increase taxes on cigarettes and to start taxing e-cigarettes starting Jan. 1. The measure raises Oregon’s cigarette tax from $1.33 to $3.33 a pack, increases the maximum cigar tax to $1 each and establishes a tax for e-cigarettes and other nicotine vaping products, which will be taxed at 65% of the wholesale price. Taxes on nicotine products are currently $1.33 per pack and up to 50 cents per cigar. E-cigarettes are not being taxed at all. The state estimates that the additional tax will increase state revenues by $331.4 million in 202123. Ninety percent of that revenue will go to the Oregon Health Plan, with the remaining going to tobacco use prevention and cessation programs.
Oregon voters made the historic move to legalize the use of psilocybin for therapeutic purposes. It is the first state to legalize the use of the substances found in what’s commonly called “magic mushrooms.” The measure passed with around 56% of the vote, according to the Associated Press. Measure 109 does not legalize the commercial selling or use of psilocybin, but allows licensed therapists in state-approved centers to use the substance to treat patients with mental health issues like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety and depression. The Oregon Health Authority has two years to develop standards and practices with the substance before it rolls out its use in therapeutic settings.
MEASURE 110
Oregon voters passed Measure 110, making a historic move in becoming the first state to decriminalize possessing small amounts of heroin, methamphetamine, oxycodone and other drugs. 59.1% of voters supported the measure, while 40.9% did not. The measure instead institutes a $100 fine or a health evaluation with an addiction treatment professional. A portion of tax revenues from marijuana sales will fund addiction recovery centers in Oregon.
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NEWS
UO ARCHITECTURE PROFESSOR WANTS TO TEST FOR COVID-19 IN AIR VENTS BY SALLY SEGAR • TWITTER @SALLYSEGAR
Courtesy of Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg
Current COVID-19 testing strategies include options like viral testing and antibody testing of individuals, as well as surveillance options like wastewater testing. Another surveillance option includes testing for transmission through indoor air systems, but this monitoring technique hasn’t been implemented as widely — yet. University of Oregon architecture professor Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg directs the school’s Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory, where he works toward improving global health and sustainability through architectural design. Van Den Wymelenberg said it’s clear the virus spreads through the air, specifically through indoor air. “That is what we are good at,” he said. “We are good at figuring out indoor air.” Van Den Wymelenberg also directs UO’s Institute for Health in the Built Environment, which conducts and applies research surrounding the microbiomes and carbon footprints of buildings.. The institute had people who have studied microbes in buildings for a decade all working
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together, he said. Across all of his work, Van Den Wymelenberg said, the common question is, “How do we make healthier buildings?” During the pandemic, that is what he has been working on. Van Den Wymelenberg researched the airborne transmission of COVID-19 related to childbirth — which was published in a peer-reviewed paper. He also worked on identifying COVID-19 in healthcare heating, ventilation and air conditioning units in a paper currently undergoing peer review. Van Den Wymelenberg said these papers have led to a wide range of work. He and others from various Oregon universities — including between 10 to 15 faculty and over 10 students at UO — are looking for sampling techniques to do aerosol testing faster and cheaper. His “holy grail”? Implementing a “viral smoke detector” in buildings. This would be a tool used to monitor the air in real time and notify occupants if COVID-19 was detected. “The technology is completely available to do it,” Van Den Wymelenberg said. “It’s just never
been engineered to solve that problem.” He and faculty from universities like University of California, Davis and Oregon Health and Science University have done research and work toward this goal themselves, but Van Den Wymelenberg is also working with industries to explore technologies that could be purposed, repurposed or combined to reach his goal. Enviral Tech is one of those companies. Based in Eugene, the company provides COVID-19 surveillance for long-term senior care facilities, according to its website. Enviral Tech sells surface testing kits and has a waitlist available for air test kits. Van Den Wymelenberg worked as a science advisor for the company, he said. In early March, when Enviral Tech was just launching, he collaborated with the company in a study of senior care facilities around the Northwest, he said. Enviral Tech’s air testing kits detect the virus using an air intake device with a fitted filter, according to its site. The filters are removed and changed for conducting samplings and mailed
to the company for testing. With the surface kit, clients swab high-traffic surfaces. Surface swabs in strategic locations can act in place of air intake devices, Van Den Wymelenberg said, because microbes that were once in the air eventually settle to surfaces. Ideal locations might include air grills or other locations where air is being sucked out of a room or building, he said. Enviral Tech has just a 24-hour turnaround time for test results, according to its website. “Which I think is phenomenal actually,” Van Den Wymelenberg said. “You can really turn that into actionable information.” Data from air and surface sampling can be used to guide future contact tracing and testing, evaluate cleaning protocols and implement enhanced air filtration if needed, he said. Enviral Tech’s 24-hour turnaround is helping Van Den Wymelenberg and his team learn about limits of viral detection and what level of abundance might be a good threshold to sound a viral smoke detector or alarm. This research is also helping him
“THE TECHNOLOGY IS COMPLETELY AVAILABLE TO DO IT. IT’S JUST NEVER BEEN ENGINEERED TO SOLVE THAT PROBLEM.” KEVIN VAN DEN WYMELENBERG University of Oregon Architecture Professor
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Courtesy of Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg
and his team start learning about collecting environmental monitoring data while considering questions regarding liability, communication and occupant safety. “We can learn all of that on this 24hour turnaround as we are working on technology that can do it faster,” Van Den Wymelenberg said. He and his team are currently exploring this technology in private enterprises and on multiple campuses, including UO. “It’s all research,” he said, “and so the goal will be that we can learn how to consume this kind of information so that it can scale and become part of our public health strategy in the future.” Van Den Wymelenberg is eager to translate his research into practice, he said, and is looking forward to using this type of data to guide action. Some locations — such as those that needed to remain open during the pandemic — already implement aerosol monitoring as part of their regular practice, and Van Den Wymelenberg hopes to see this become more widespread. The dream, he said, is to implement his research in the places that do
need to stay open — such as hospitals and senior care facilities — and use the findings to “guide every kind of building in terms of a surveillance technique and building operations protocols.” Even if there is a COVID-19 vaccine released tomorrow, he said, we still don’t know what would happen. For example, we’ve been dealing with the flu for years, and every year we still care about it. Van Den Wymelenberg said his “best case prediction” is that COVID-19 settles down to something like that. In the end, there will likely be an integrated surveillance program involved in public health operations, Van Den Wymelenberg said. It might include wastewater testing as well as building aerosol monitoring, which both have positives and negatives. “My hope is that this has been enough of a wakeup call that we need to do a better job monitoring microbes in our buildings,” Van Den Wymelenberg said, “and that it will become part of our public health strategy and it will become part of our building operations protocols.”
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M O N D AY, N O V E M B E R 9 , 2 0 2 0
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MU S IC R E V I E W
DOES TRIPPIE REDD FALL FLAT? BY LUCAS WARNER As the rapper rises in popularity, Redd’s newest album, “Pegasus,” is more quantity than quality.
(Billy Lawson/Emerald)
Trippie Redd can turn a sad song into a party. On his past releases, tracks such as “Hellboy,” “Romeo & Juliet” and “Love Me More” attest to his skill for taking sad subject matter and creating a cathartic experience for listeners. On his newest album, “Pegasus,” Redd seems like he is done with expressing his true feelings and wants to evolve into a more positive artist. Will fans like this new direction the artist wants to take them in? When Redd started with his first EP, “A Love Letter To You,” the project had 12 tracks and was 36 minutes long. “Pegasus,” on the other hand, has 26 tracks and clocks in at an hour and 14 minutes. The longer length makes this album feel bloated, and when listening from start to finish, it’s challenging to sit through. Songs mesh together pretty quickly, and with 26 tracks, more than half are skippable. What this album lacks is standout moments when Redd is willing to be real with his listeners. This isn’t a knock on Redd for mixing up his themes, but he excels at putting his emotions into his lyrics, which don’t get much chance to shine on this album. The album starts with “Let It Out (feat. Myiah Lynnae),” in Redd’s signature ballad style. The beat emulates the sensations of indistinguishable floating instruments that fill the listener’s ear, giving a sense of uncertainty. Then Redd comes in to express the passion he wants to show his loved ones. Redd’s voice isn’t necessarily soothing, as it’s laced with different levels of autotune at different times. Yet, the lack of pitch makes his words and singing more relatable to the average listener who may not be a musician. Lynnae adds excellent contrast in this track, as she has the natural ability to find her notes. The track is a decent introduction, but it doesn’t build on previous work from the artist.
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The album then goes into a few easily skippable tracks — they don’t have much that we haven’t heard from Redd in the past. Redd does give listeners an intriguing feature with PARTYNEXTDOOR on the track “Excitement.” As the lead single for this album, it shows how Trippie Redd has begun to change. He is no longer at a loss with love, as he sings about the distinct emotions his loved one makes him feel. The introduction is somewhat somber as a distorted organ sound backs up PARTYNEXTDOOR’s worshipping of his partner. Once the refrain is over, the beat drops to a deep base and a hi-hat interwoven with Redd’s wailing. It’s a nice change to hear Redd speak to his positive emotions as most of his tracks deal with his sadness over love. The moment we hear Redd having the most fun is in “Weeeeee.” He immediately comes in with a different tone to his voice — it’s natural, not autotuned — and demonstrates that he can command a song differently. The beat has a sharper edge to it than on previous tracks, as Redd aggressively flaunts what he has done over the past four years on his rise to success. What makes this song stand apart is the jovial nature intermixed with this abrasive persona. Out of the 26 tracks on “Pegasus,” only these three jump out. Many of them seem to repeat the last, and not much grabs the listener’s attention from track to track. When Redd was writing the Love Letter series, it always seemed like he had a direction for his work. “Pegasus” seems like a jumble of tracks that the artist may like, but don’t necessarily blend well enough to make an interesting album.
“The beat has a sharper edge to it than on previous tracks, as Redd aggressively flaunts what he has done over the past four years on his rise to success.”
A&C
MORE THAN DANCE:
‘MOVE’ SHOWS HOW PLACE AND CULTURE IMPACT ART BY JENNAH PENDLETON • TWITTER @JENNAHPEN
“Modern dancers at Alliance Francaise” by foko_madagascar is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
“Move” is about dancers, yes, but it is not about dance. It is not a retrospective history of the art, nor about the technical aspects of each discipline it portrays. “Move” instead tells the story of many cultures through the lens of dance. Each episode of the Netflix docuseries concerns a different aspect of the human experience: rising through oppression, working through pain, subverting social expectations and finding sexual empowerment. It is about the context in which artists across the world have come into their form of dance and how that form exists in their culture. “Move” consists of five separate chapters, each highlighting one or two figureheads in their respective styles: street dance, Gaga, flamenco, Jamaican dancehall and contemporary Kathak. More than the dance itself, the creators of “Move” were concerned with providing a rich experience of the culture these dancers exist in. Intimate visuals of cities like Tel Aviv, Israel, and Kingston, Jamaica, give the audience a strong sense of place — of the setting that has shaped a dancer’s particular style. For example, the documentary shows how the fierce political divide in Israel shapes Ohad Naharin’s
method of movement that seeks to set the body free. The most vibrant episode features Kimiko Versatile, a Jamaican dancehall artist. The episode centers itself in the colorful but poverty-stricken streets of Kingston, where dancehall has emerged as a form of artistic resistance, much like reggae before it. Dancehall was once a historically male form of dance, but in recent years, dancers like Kumiko have subverted this idea, transitioning the form toward femininity. Her movement is grounded and intense, but simultaneously sensual and fluid, showing that feminine dance is powerful in its own right. While the episode does show the technical aspects of how women perform dancehall, the story is really about how women in poor areas have found economic independence by dancing in a way that embraces her feminine power. Other episodes also deal with the idea of subverting expectations. One profiles Israel Galván of Seville, Spain, who was considered to be one of the most gifted Flamenco dancers in the world and has caused great controversy for defying gender norms. Another episode episode deals with American street dancers Jon Boogz and Lil Buck who take inspiration from
ballet and perform to classical music. In many cases, this subversion is directly related to political happenings in the places where the dancers are from. Another central theme of the series takes the form of a question, “Is this form of dance fine art?” Almost every episode explicitly and implicitly draws a comparison between the represented form of dance and ballet, which is the most well-known form of concert dance across the world, and widely considered to be “high art.” In the first episode, street dancer Jon Boogz says his mission is to show the world that street dance is fine art. Upon seeing the world of discipline and artistry that goes into popping, most audiences will agree that he succeeded. “Move” shows that like any other art, dance is an exploration. It is an exploration of community, of gender, of self. While “Move” does a fantastic job of exemplifying the purpose of dance, it shines the most when it shows uninterrupted shots of its ultratalented subjects moving in space. In those moments, the audience can really see why dance has the power to challenge preconceived ideas of art.
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OPINION
TRUMP’S MISMANGEMENT OF COVID-19 HAS
DEPLETED
GAINS ON U0’S ENDOWMENT FUNDS BY JAEL CALLOWAY • TWITTER @JAEL_CALLOWAY
The stock market crash earlier this year has been called the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression by the International Monetary Fund. Fear over the COVID-19 outbreak and President Trump’s negative response worked together to create a drastic hit to the U.S. economy. The whole country is feeling the negative impacts of the mismanaged virus, and UO is not immune, as it experienced a sudden drop in endowment funds used to award scholarships. Endowments are a series of donations that, upon collecting interest and gains, are used to fund scholarships in perpetuity. In essence, the principal amount is never donated, and the accrued
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He then claimed in March that he wanted to play the pandemic down in order to avoid a panic. Instead of making a decisive plan to curb the spread of COVID-19, he continued to underemphasize its impact, pushing for the reopening of nonessential businesses. The only official plan from his administration: “transition to greatness.” As if those three words could somehow curb the spread of the virus and prevent economic downturn. Unfortunately, his confident words were not enough to curb the (Makena Hervey/Emerald) spread of the virus. More than 100,000 small businesses have interest and gains are given to permanently closed students as scholarships. UO splits and more than 238,000 people its endowment distributions three have died from COVID-19 as of ways: academic support, student Nov. 8. The two largest pieces that scholarships and extra UO support. make up America’s gross domestic Investors’ confidence has allowed product ─ or the market value of these sections to continue growing all goods and services produced their return funds and creating in the country ─ are consumption better programs for students. and investment. But, because But, with the March 2020 stock Trump did not create an efficient market crash, their confidence has plan for our economy to survive diminished. Endowment funds the shutdown, both pieces are decrease as a result, leading to struggling. Consumption has fallen less money for scholarship and as businesses close and individuals academic programs. choose not to make any major Trump was the worst person to purchases, and investors are have in office during the COVID-19 holding off until they can gain some outbreak. In February, Trump sort of clarity on the full impact of confidently claimed that COVID-19 COVID-19. was “going to disappear. One day Now, remember UO’s it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.” endowment funds? Well, their
returns are directly correlated to equity investment returns, so when investors panicked and withdrew large sums of investments — thereby lowering stock prices and changing interest rates — the value of UO’s investments plummeted. In an internal report from UO, endowment investments had an expected return of 5.3%, but only actually grew 1.1%. For context, over the past 10 years, UO endowment investments have exceeded benchmark expectations by 0.5%. What’s this all mean? Less money available for UO to give back to students in the form of scholarships. It’s no secret that higher education is the golden ticket that allows students to break the cycle of generational poverty. A student who works with a bachelor’s degree will earn $1 million more than an individual with a high school diploma, according to ReUp Education. Education paves the path to a stable career, better health, and higher quality of life. But for low-income families, it removes their students from the cycle of poverty which becomes the biggest dilemma. Higher education has never been more expensive than it is now ─ and the ever-rising tuitions show no sign of slowing down any time soon. I’m able to attend UO because of the scholarships I worked hard to get. Students put in time and effort to ensure they are the one that gets the scholarship that will propel them forward. Trump’s laziness towards handling COVID-19 has killed over 200,000 people in the United States alone. How many more of the “tired, poor, huddled masses yearning to be free” won’t be able to attend college because he stole their scholarship?