11 minute read
NEWS
MULTIPLE CAMPUS RIDE SERVICES MERGE INTO ‘DUCK RIDES’
Campus ride services have adapted their operations to best accommodate the new reality of COVID-19. Student workers of what was once Safe Ride and Designated Driver Shuttle say that the new service is a cohesive program for students to get rides on and off campus.
Prior to COVID-19, the University of Oregon offered three different ride services for students: the Campus Shuttle, Safe Ride and the Designated Driver Shuttle. However, in order to best accommodate new COVID-19 circumstances, these three have consolidated into one service: Duck Rides.
“I think this switch was just a COVID thing,” Kira Cadiz, a junior at UO and driver for Safe Ride said, “Safe Ride, DDS and Campus Shuttle all had diffeent mottos, so now it’s definitely different.”
Prior to the change, Safe Ride scheduled rides by appointment, while Campus Shuttle operated on a fixed-route. DDS was a free shuttle service with the mission to offer an alternative option to students who may endanger themselves on the road.
Cadiz said that this year the hours have changed with all drivers moving to Duck Rides; the service offers rides until 10:30 p.m. every day. Last year, she said they drove from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. on weekends, and until 12 a.m. on weekdays.
UO student Hayden Grow worked for DDS prior to Duck Rides. He said DDS was similar to Uber, but with more restrictions.
Grow said the drivers are only allowed to take one to two people in the cars, and they are only allowed to drive to and pick up from essential businesses or houses.
“A lot of people had quit working or graduated anyways, so I like it being all under one system now,” Grow said. “I think it makes more sense.”
UO student Megan Lough worked for Safe Ride since winter 2020, and said that there have been a lot of adaptations made in • BY JANE GLAZER •
response to COVID-19.
Lough said that drivers wear masks at all times and stand in taped off areas in the rooms where they wait for calls. There is a plastic separator in the car, and the AC is required to be on high constantly.
“There’s also a large Ghostbuster-like cleaning backpack that’s used at the end of the night,” Lough said.
Cadiz said that drivers are not allowed to switch who they drive with for the night, and they are required to pick up essential workers first.
Lough said she thinks that Safe Ride, DDS and Campus Shuttle will go back to being separate organizations after COVID-19 is over, but she is not sure.
In the meantime, Lough and Grow both said that not very many students have taken advantage of the service. They said that most of the people taking rides are the same people that typically take rides.
“I don’t think that many people know about it,” Lough said.
Duck Rides has been attempting to make students more aware that a ride service still exists through Instagram.
As of right now, Duck Rides can take appointments in advance, or students can call for an immediate pickup. Depending on how busy the night is, drivers are available to pick up students without an appointment in advance. Students can call any time during the day to schedule a specific pick-up time for that night.
Duck Rides provides essential nighttime transportation in place of the University of Oregon’s previous transportation services, including Safe Ride, Designated Driver Shuttle and Campus Shuttle. Duck Rides is the new transportation service at the University of Oregon. (Ian Enger/Emerald)
AlumnI TAKE FLIGHT UO Alumni share career lessons they’ve learned Tahni Kalina
Job Title: Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker Major: Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Psychology Graduated: 1992
Tahni Kalina graduated from the University of Oregon in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.
Kalina jumped straight into social work out of college, later earning a master’s degree in social work from Eastern Washington University. She now runs a private practice as an independent clinical social worker for adults and adolescents.
What kind of leadership skills do you admire the most?
I’ve always admired people who are very authentic. If they’re willing to put in the time with you to the point where you feel like they are a partner in your success, that’s great. It’s nice when people are encouraging, and that they point out things you need to work on, but in a kind and respectful way. Those qualities make for a great leader and are things I try to practice and keep in mind for my own practice.
How does being in a leadership position affect the way you communicate with colleagues and clients?
With clients, it’s really important to be mindful that they look to you as the expert and be aware that what I say can have a lot of impact, so I need to choose my words carefully. Paying attention to key details like the tone and body language when I’m hearing their stories and sharing ideas with them helps the conversation stay constructive and balance out that dynamic. I conduct a lot of conversations around healthy communication and different ways to strive for that.
What advice would you give to current UO students as they’re trying to navigate a notably non-traditional university experience?
I think self-compassion is important, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t hard. Going from learning in-person where you get rich discussion and interaction to doing all of that online is tough. If students are receiving grades or results that they aren’t used to receiving, just showing yourself some grace and engaging in self-care activities is always important, especially now.
Read the full interview at www.uoalumni.com
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UO STUDENTS FRUSTRATED WITH FREQUENT CAR BREAK-INS AND LACK OF RESPONSE FROM HOUSING MANAGERS
BY REINA HARWOOD
Several students experienced vehicle damages within a three-mile radius of University of Oregon’s campus. Damage repairs cost about $200 to $300, and students wish to see more concern from property managers.
Earlier this fall, Jacob Weiser, a third-year student at the University of Oregon, came home to shattered glass laying across the passenger seat of his bright orange two-door truck. He felt angry his car was targeted out of the rest in the garage of Parkside Place, a residency owned by AG Campus Housing. After sharing his concern with the management company, he felt disappointed in the efforts of understanding and concern they took, leaving him feeling forced to take matters into his own hands.
In an attempt to keep his and other vehicles in Parkside Park’s garage protected, Weiser sat in the back of his truck while studying and listening to music, he said.
“I’d wait for people to come down so that I can call the cops,” he said. “I don’t want my car getting broken into again. If it takes me sitting down there all night then I’ll do that.”
Around the UO student community, reports of car theft and vandalism have become a natural
(Courtesy of Jacob Weiser)
occurrence on streets, in car parks and around offcampus housing. As the state of education during COVID-19 has become more and more stressful for students, the added anxiety of property damage has caused a swell of negative emotion in the community.
“Almost 100% of vehicle break-ins can be prevented,” Steven Chambers, Eugene Police Department’s Community Engagement specialist, said. “The key message to students would be to not leave anything — and we cannot stress anything enough — visible inside of your vehicle.”
About two months ago, Lauren Monkewicz, a thirdyear student at UO, received a phone call during a Zoom class from a friend who witnessed her vehicle being vandalized.
“I thought it was a joke,” she said. “It didn’t make sense.”
Monkewicz’s friend, Roger Lozano, whose car had also been broken into a few weeks prior, noticed suspicious behavior from a man outside who was yelling and Lozano called the police.
During the phone call, Lozano witnessed the incident occur. “We looked out the window and he stared at us and then chucked something at our friend’s car,” he said. “It broke her windshield, and he just ran off.”
Although nothing was stolen, Monkewicz said she paid about $300 for repairs, out of pocket on her new car. “I was shocked and upset because there was a big bill because of it,” she said.
After the incident occurred, she filed a police report and said EPD was helpful. Chambers said that when a student experiences car damages and vandalism, the first thing to do is make a police report, which is what Monkewicz did.
One report can help solve another case that may already be under investigation. Therefore, Chambers said it’s important to report incidents so the data is present and accessible.
“What you don’t know is that there could be
(Courtesy of Jacob Weiser)
multiple other crimes that haven’t happened to you, of the same crime, and if we catch the person we’re able to backtrack crimes to that person,” Chambers said.
Later, Monkewicz contacted her property’s management at Ducks Village, but said her situation was poorly handled and believes car vandalism and car break-ins are issues that deserve more attention.
“It was a bit upsetting to know not only the security encountered this individual, but that property made sure he left, which ultimately stopped the police from being able to do their work,” she said.
Monkewicz said that she and her friends have experienced about five car break-ins in their three months living at Ducks Village.
Although Monkewicz believes vehicle damages are out of the property management’s control, she said she would like to see more concern, initiative and cameras to prevent car break-ins. Based on her experience living at Ducks Village this year, Monkewicz said she feels like vehicle damage is expected to happen. “It’s just so common,” she said.
Monkewicz said she and her friends are worried about where they park and keep in mind certain parking spots where they believe their cars are less likely to be vandalized.
Monkewicz and Lozano are not alone in their concern around vehicle damage, vandalism and theft occurring near campus.
More recently, in December, Weiser’s roommate Max Lafreniere also experienced a vehicle break-in with triple the damage in shattered windows.
After Weiser noticed the damages on his car, he filed a police report. Similar to Monkewicz, he said EPD was helpful. Aside from the cost of repairing window damages, Weiser said a dollar in change and his car registration were stolen.
(Courtesy of Lauren Monkewicz)
“It doesn’t feel good when you have to spend $200 us deter criminal activity is if more people were of your own money to pay for a car that I just got,” he observant about suspicious activity going on around said. “It’s frustrating.” them,” Chambers said.
During that time, Weiser said he called AG Campus Housing several times and left angry voicemails Bruno Crolla contributed reporting to this story. about the housing management not doing enough to protect tenants’ property. “They still never did anything about it,” he said.
Similar to Weiser, Lozano said he feels concerned and seeks initiative to prevent the problem by investing in security cameras if Ducks Village won’t.
As of today, Weiser leaves notes on the driver seat window of his car that reads, “There is nothing valuable in my car. Please don’t break in.”
About three months after Weiser’s incident and shortly after Lafreniere’s, AG Property Management sent out a text to tenants at one of its properties, Parkside Place. The text informed everyone that the codes to the garage had changed. According to Weiser, Lafreniere and several It doesn’t feel good when you have to spend $200 of other tenants at Parkside Place, it was the first time since this academic year tenants have seen garage and door codes change. About two weeks later, a second text was sent to remind tenants to ensure the garage door is your own money to pay for a car that I just got. closed each time they’ve exited the building, avoid leaving valuables in the car and to JACOB WEISER report suspicious behavior. AG Campus Housing has declined to UNIVERSITY OF OREGON STUDENT provide a statement addressing the issue of car damages occurring on its properties, along with the number of reports made this year.
“One of the things that would really help
