FEB. 8, 2021
Monday Edition
Emerald Media
LUNCH PEOPLE EUGENE’S NOT-FOR-PROFIT COMMUNITY CAFE
NEWS
A&C
HOUSING PROJECT WILL CHANGE LOOK OF CAMPUS PG 3
BUY NOTHING PROJECT PROMOTES SUSTAINABILITY PG 8
OPINION
SPORTS
SAFETY LAST, ACCORDING TO UO PG 9
REFURBISHED HAYWARD AWAITS CENTER STAGE PG 10 M O N D AY, F E B R U A R Y 8 , 2 0 2 1
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HOUSING TRANSFORMATION PROJECT WILL CHANGE THE LOOK OF UO’S CAMPUS THE $219.6 MILLION PROJECT WILL REPLACE HAMILTON HALL, WALTON HALL AND HUMPY LUMPY LAWN BY JOANNA MANN • TWITTER @JOANNA_MANN_
Around OR REGIONAL AND STATE NEWS TEAR GAS BILL: Oregon state representative Janelle Bynum proposed a bill that would ban the use of tear gas and other crowd-control munitions, OPB reported. The proposed bill comes in response to the police’s use of chemical agents on Portland protesters that left a harmful residue that impacted individuals’ health. If passed, the bill would only allow police to use chemicals and impact munitions on individuals when physical force is needed. – SILAS SLOAN
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ON THE COVER
Corey Prunier (left) and Alyssa Young (right) prepare a bag of free food and masks on Jan. 23, 2021. On Saturday afternoons Lunch People can be found serving free lunches for members of the Eugene community. (Madi Mather/Emerald)
A $219.6 million housing transformation project is underway on the University of Oregon’s main campus, which will include three new residence halls and a large green space when completed. Two of the oldest dorms, Hamilton and Walton halls, will be completely torn down and replaced by the new buildings by August 2024. Hamilton was constructed in the early 1960s and Walton in the late 1950s, and Housing Director Michael Griffel said the renovation is coming at an “incredibly exciting time” for UO. “The university is internationally an exceptional school, and the undergraduate experience is really an important part of this university,” Griffel said. “Living on campus contributes significantly to students doing well in school academically, to staying in school, to graduating more quickly.” The project is primarily being funded by UO’s internal bank, from which the university borrows dollars and eventually pays them back through room and board fees. UO is currently Phase 1 of the project, with the construction of Building A costing approximately $80 million. The residence hall will open in fall 2021, complete with 695 beds, a Pacific Northwest Market with nine dining venues and the university’s prospective student recruitment and welcome center. Griffel said the welcome center will give prospective students a “really great flavor” of the university through presentations, walking tours and a virtual reality tour of the campus. The $9.6 million welcome center is separately funded from the rest of the project but will still be located inside Building A.
Across from Hayward Field, construction on the Hamilton and Walton project continues in Eugene, Ore., on Feb. 6, 2021. (DL Young/Emerald)
Phase 2 includes the construction of Buildings B and C, and will cost an estimated $120 million. Building B will be almost identical to Building A, but with 705 rooms and a mail and package room instead of dining venues. Both buildings will offer single, double and triple rooms with bathrooms inside of each bedroom. Building C will be a 400-bed residence hall filled with small studio bedrooms for sophomores, juniors and seniors. Phase 3 is the $10 million demolition of Hamilton and the construction of a new green space on the southeast corner of 13th and Agate. The green space will replace Humpy Lumpy Lawn, the green space between Hamilton and Global Scholars Hall that students used for ultimate frisbee and studying. “It’s going to be very multipurpose,” Griffel said. “There will be some humps and lumps, or undulations, in it. It’s still under design, but we hope that there will be tabling events, large gatherings, the ability to do any number of festivals, activities and Hamstock. It’s much larger than Humpy Lumpy.” Griffel said the housing team is hoping to start scheduling tours in mid-April of this year so students can see a sample room of where they will be living this fall. The building, however, will not be completed until August. Vice President for Student Services and Enrollment Management Roger Thompson said the housing team is trying to “create a buffet” of opportunities for students so they have plenty of housing options to choose from. “This has been a really good collaborative team effort,” Thompson said. “It’s really going to change that whole corner with the new Hayward and eventually Buildings B and A.”
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PROGRAMS COLLECT WINS: Both basketball programs picked up key wins on Saturday, Feb. 6. The men’s program, which fell to Washington State 74-71 on Sunday, completed the season sweep of Washington with a 86-74 win in Matthew Knight Arena. The women’s team played later in the day Saturday, downing the previously undefeated UC Davis Aggies, 63-57. The Ducks’ Erin Boley led the team with 17 points. – SHANE HOFFMANN
(Summer Surgent-Gough/Emerald)
WILD ALASKA EXHIBIT: Oregonborn and raised photographer Cory Lescher documents beautiful Alaskan wildlife in the “Wild Alaska” exhibit in the Aperture Gallery of the Erb Memorial Union. The exhibit is on view through Feb. 11 and a UO ID is required to visit. An artist talk with Lescher and photos of the exhibit are available on the UO Visual Arts Facebook page. – GRACE MURRAY
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NEWS
COVID-19 cases rise in
off-campus housing BY ERYN MCGUIRE • TWITTER @ERYNMCGUIRE_
Since students began returning to Eugene after winter break, COVID-19 cases have been on the rise, particularly among those living in off-campus housing and apartments. Some students feel that property management companies are doing the bare minimum to keep them safe. However, there is only so much they can do to keep their residents from gathering in large groups. Between Jan. 11 and Jan. 18, case reports among off-campus students nearly doubled, going from 59 to 105. The following week remained high with 82 offcampus cases. Off-campus students have made up 70% of cases associated with the university since June. While students living in the residence halls have RAs enforcing regulations and giving real consequences, those living off campus have more freedom. Property managers for apartment complexes near campus have been working hard to minimize risk since the beginning of the pandemic, but they’re still expected to honor their residents’ privacy. “At the end of the day, there are certain boundaries that apartment complexes can’t cross,” said David Sonovskiy, a sophomore at the University of Oregon living at The 515. American Campus Communities owns The 515, 959 Franklin and 2125 Franklin, three large student apartment complexes in the area. All of their properties require residents to sign a COVID-19 personal responsibility acknowledgement. “This includes a pledge to practice physical distancing, wear a face covering when required and perform a daily wellness self-checklist to identify any COVID-19 symptoms,” according to the website. Sonovskiy said that The 515’s management has put in some effort to enforce these guidelines. They put up signs reminding residents to wear masks in the lobby and encourage only two people to ride in the elevators at once. Sometimes, the security guard at the front will ask residents to put their masks on. However, Sonovskiy said that residents often don’t follow these rules. “They put up signs to say only two people can be in the elevator at once, but I’ve
been in there with five or six people before,” he said. Sonovskiy said security often looks the other way when residents bring groups of people up, as long as they are all wearing masks. The only time when security is able to intervene is when another resident makes a noise complaint, in which they can ask guests to leave. “If the people living here don’t want to follow the rules and they’re not making noise, there’s not much that they can do,” Sonovskiy said. “They can’t just go around doing room checks like RAs.” Sierra Goerlich, a senior at UO, agrees that the apartment complexes don’t have very much influence on their residents, so they can’t take all of the blame for the rise in cases. “The majority of my frustration lies with the students,” she said. “I just don’t understand the need to go out right now.” Goerlich has been living at 959 Franklin since this past fall. She lives in an apartment alone, and has kept herself isolated for the majority of the pandemic. She says she feels disappointed with how few of her peers have been taking social
distancing seriously. She and Sonovskiy both said they’ve noticed a lot of noise in their hallways and think that a lot of their neighbors have been going out. “I would love to hang out with my friends right now; I want nothing more than that,” Goerlich said, “but it doesn’t feel right to me.” She also feels that the university is somewhat responsible for the high case numbers. Administration did not come out with a solid plan for fall term until late August. A June email from UO President Michael Schill said that they estimated “over 70% of all classes will be entirely in person,” which was far from the reality of fall and winter terms. Goerlich said she feels that if UO had a solid, realistic plan early on, students would be more inclined to avoid going out. “I think that if the University of Oregon were taking it more seriously to begin with and had an actual plan before the students came back for fall term, then that level of seriousness would be matched by the students,” she said.
Chase Village is an apartment complex located near Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. (Summer Surgent-Gough/Emerald)
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Skyla Patton Editor in Chief Special Sections
The majority of frustration lies with the students. I just don’t understand the need to go out right now.” SIERRA GORLICH UO senior
“Everyone affiliated with UO in any way should subscribe to the DailyE because it’s THE BEST way to keep the university on its toes. Accountability has to come first and there’s no better way to hold institutions accountable than good journalism and a dedicated readership.”
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959 Franklin is an apartment building located on Franklin Boulevard in Eugene, Ore. (Summer Surgent-Gough/ Emerald)
Everything you need to know, Everything UO M O N D AY, F E B R U A R Y 8 , 2 0 2 1
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COVER
‘THERE’S JUST SO MUCH NEED’ LUNCH PEOPLE DEVELOPS NOT-FOR-PROFIT CAFE To combat pandemic-related food insecurity, a couple chefs started feeding a few people at Acorn Park. Now, they’re trying to feed the community. BY EM CHAN • TWITTER @CATCHUPTOEMILY On a Saturday afternoon at Acorn Park, as kids played in the play structure and as Street Feed and Street Outreach Alliance Project. parents chatted among themselves, Corey Prunier and Alyssa Young stood at a When Lunch People started serving food, “it wasn’t much to juggle since we were picnic table with two large black containers on top of it. Inside were 40 boxes of furloughed and had all week to prepare,” Prunier said. “That first call with CORE homemade vegan chocolate-hazelnut spread sandwiches and vegetables they had made it real.” brought to distribute freely. McKeever said CORE encouraged her and Prunier to continue their cause, Prunier opened one of the black containers, grabbed a box and held it up. “Would describing how on an early phone call with CORE members, the duo thought you like some food?” he asked. of passing on their efforts to “people who were more qualified,” but that the Lunch People — a spin off of the term “lunch lady” — is a community group organization insisted that Lunch People’s efforts “could be something bigger.” composed of Miranda McKeever and Prunier, chefs who’ve worked together in “We were filling a niche as a low barrier food resource with no qualifications, the Eugene food scene for over five years. After being laid off from Izakaya Meiji since many others require age or other qualifications,” McKeever said. “[CORE] at the start of the pandemic, McKeever and Prunier wanted to feed people in need, appreciated that we were filling in the cracks for people in the pandemic, especially especially with the knowledge of how many food insecure people there are in since it was hot, high quality food with no barriers.” Eugene and how the pandemic has exacerbated the issue. In the summer, McKeever and Prunier served between “We wanted to use our skills to help out,” Prunier said. 25 and 100 hot meals a week as well as produce boxes According to the Oregon State University Policy Analysis composed of donations from local farms. Laboratory, food insecurity rates were down to around 10% Then the summer wildfires hit, bringing both a harrowing by December 2019, but the pandemic “brought insecurity up experience and a significant turning point for Lunch People. to at least double.” An estimated 1 million Oregonians, about “We got hundreds of pounds of produce during the wildfire, one in four people, were food insecure in 2020. we had a flower farm donate flowers and over a hundred In March, shortly after Gov. Kate Brown declared the deliveries,” Prunier said. “Because we’d been working with pandemic an emergency, the two started whipping up hot, local farms, they had to take all their produce with them, but vegan meals and serving them at Acorn Park, in the heart had no way to sell it. So they offered it to us and two other of the 4J school district. After receiving a strong, positive organizations since it was rotting and they didn’t want that response from neighbors of the park, with some even giving produce to go to waste. That was a way for us to prove that donations, McKeever and Prunier continued making and we were dynamic, that we were important.” distributing food, while thinking about how to make the Even in the midst of tragedy for many during the wildfires, project more “official,” McKeever said. Thessen said the disaster brought a huge boost in support for Lunch People’s first collaboration was with Craig Edwards Lunch People, since it was one of the few organizations that and Yen Pham, two community members who wanted to wasn’t shut down. Due to the hazardous air quality, Lunch donate masks since there were not enough of them to go People switched to contactless delivery, which encouraged around at the beginning of the pandemic. Pham sewed the many people to reach out and ask how they could help. masks herself and gave them to Lunch People to distribute at “There were a lot of things at the time we couldn’t do, ERIKA THESSEN Acorn Park. As of mid-January, they had given out over 8,000 but that was something we could do that made us feel all LUNCH PEOPLE VOLUNTEER masks, Prunier said. connected,” Thessen said. Other early supporters and partners include Organic The wildfires and COVID-19 both made serving hot meals Redneck Growers and Hummingbird Wholesale who donated every week difficult, and Lunch People started looking for a both produce and money, even before Lunch People became a registered not-formore sustainable, long-term way to deliver their services, which inspired opening a profit, making donations tax deductible. cafe. The idea of Acorn Community Cafe was born, with the name paying homage to “We made an Instagram account as a form of accountability, initially, so people the park where everything started. would be able to see where their money was going to,” McKeever said. “From there, At the end of October, Lunch People announced in an Instagram post that it people expressed being interested in helping and making and giving out food. Our would take a couple month hiatus to recharge and plan for the new year. During first two volunteers were actually from [Community Outreach through Radical this break, Lunch People and CORE discussed how to make the cafe a reality. Empowerment], Dylan and Ericka.” In discussing what business model the cafe should be, Lunch People and CORE Ericka Thessen, one of Lunch People’s first volunteers, also lives in the Acorn decided it made the most sense to open as a not-for-profit cafe rather than a 501(c)3 Park area. She said her involvement started when she heard that Lunch People was nonprofit, allowing them more flexibility with funding and to make decisions serving food in her neighborhood and sent a message online asking how she could quickly like they did during the wildfire, McKeever said. help. As a volunteer, her duty was to deliver any extra food to people who needed it. Lunch People’s fundraisers have come in all shapes and sizes, including selling Sometimes she stopped by homeless camps, but other times she dropped the food art pieces from community creatives, Heart of Willamette Cooking School raffling off at a doorstep of a fellow 4J school district family in need, Thessen said. off lessons and partnering with Party Downtown and Izakaya Meiji to do pop-up Thessan is also the youth advocate of CORE, a community organization benefit events. “dedicated to supporting, empowering and advocating for young people,” according “We’re encouraged by people wanting to do fundraising for us, and it’s cool to see to its website. CORE’s efforts also include food insecurity alleviation programs such that we’re raising money through small businesses and artists instead of relying on
“There’s just so much need, and that’s the only way to describe it.”
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COVER corporate sponsorships,” McKeever said. At the end of December, Lunch People had partnered with CORE to bring to life the not-for-profit community cafe to west Eugene. The two organizations put together an advisory board to oversee the operations of the cafe and other programs within it, including continuing the distribution of free food on a “pay as you will” system, a food pantry and a paid job training program. The job training program was a direct request from CORE, since it was a service that the community wanted, Prunier said. She wanted to make a program to help young people learn their rights and gain confidence in those spaces, since when she was younger she also faced homelessness and working in restaurants helped her out of it. “Part of CORE’s main objective in the partnership is putting people into an eventual internship or paid employment after going through training at the cafe, especially since it’s difficult for marginalized, at-risk youth to find employment with little experience and especially no address,” Thessen said. “It’s more than just feeding them one time, but really uplifting them from those at-risk poverty situations.
At the beginning of February, Lunch People secured the lease for their location at 769 Monroe St., formerly Mandala Cafe, and paid the first month’s rent with the combined funds from their GoFundMe page, donations, Patreon members and benefit pop-up earnings. The cafe and its programs will not be slated to open until spring, because the space needs cleaning, equipment and licenses to operate. Even though they’ve secured the space, there’s still much to do, and as a notfor-profit cafe Lunch People’s budget is very limited. They will continue their fundraising efforts with more benefit pop-up collaborations planned in the coming months. In the meantime, they’re encouraging people to subscribe to their Patreon, since it’s a more consistent stream of funds and allows for them to “open [community members] up to the inside world of Lunch People,” McKveever said. Lunch People also ended their hiatus the first weekend of January and have been seeing more new faces with each weekend, McKeever said. “I’m excited to see the cafe, because it’s more downtown and able to get a larger connection with a broader swath of community,” Thessen said. “There’s just so much need, and that’s the only way to describe it.”
Co-founder Miranda McKeever takes orders for beignets and coffee. Lunch People holds various fundraisers around Eugene to raise money for the organization. McKeever and Corey Prunier, co-founders of Lunch People, plan to open their new location in the spring of 2021. Lunch People is a not-for-profit that provides free meals for families and community members in Eugene, Ore., Jan. 24, 2021. (Madi Mather/Emerald)
On Saturday afternoons Lunch People can be found serving free lunches for members of the Eugene community. Lunch People is a not-for-profit that provides free meals for families and community members in Eugene, Ore., Jan. 23, 2021. (Madi Mather/Emerald)
Corey Prunier (left) describes the goals of Lunch People’s new location: “It’s free food, a training program, and it’s a regular cafe.” Miranda McKeever and Corey Prunier, co-founders of Lunch People, plan to open their new location in the spring of 2021. Lunch People is a not-for-profit that provides free meals for families and community members in Eugene, Ore., Feb. 3, 2021. (Madi Mather/Emerald)
Lunch People are fundraising for covering the costs of getting the cafe up and running. To support them check out their Patreon. M O N D AY, F E B R U A R Y 8 , 2 0 2 1
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A&C
THE BUY NOTHING PROJECT PROMOTES
COMMUNITY & SUSTAINABILITY There are a lot of treasures to be found in this gift economy. BY JENNAH PENDLETON • TWITTER @JENNAHPEN Most of us have it: that pile of stuff that occupies too much space in our too-small apartments and in our minds. Sometimes it’s a bag of clothes you have been meaning to take to Goodwill for ages, a defunct printer you keep attempting to fix or an appliance you think you’re going to get some use out of some day. For me, it was a brass industrial lamp that sat in the corner of my living room for six months. In January, I discovered the Buy Nothing project, a movement with groups all over the world that provides a community platform for gift economies. In these groups, users can give away or lend any item, or they can ask for something they need. The main rule is that everything must be given for free — no buying, selling, trading or bartering. “Buy Nothing exhibits this philosophy of reaching out to neighbors, building relationships and sharing whenever possible,” said Arwen Lavengood Davis, coadministrator of “Buy Nothing Eugene (South), OR,” one of Eugene’s three Buy Nothing groups. The goals of the movement are to reduce unnecessary consumerism and encourage fostering relationships with members of your community. Whether one is giving a screwdriver or a couch, Buy Nothing views “all gifts as equal; the human connection is the value,” according to the Buy
Nothing project website. Scrolling through the group feed will give you an idea of both the community’s generosity and what kind of items are given in the community. In short, you can give or request almost anything. In a few weeks of scrolling through the page, I was amazed at the range of items people offer to give: children’s clothes, cooked meals, packing peanuts, bookcases, live chickens, house plants, kitchen appliances, rain boots and a deer carcass, to name a few. “Buy Nothing was the perfect way to align my values with giving in the community,” Merry Love, a coadministrator of the group, said. “I love the minimalist, Marie Kondo-esque philosophy and regularly parting with possessions I don’t need. On the flip side, the anticonsumer, second-hand loving side of me was excited to have a way to find things I might need that would result in purchasing less new stuff.” Being a part of Buy Nothing has made me rethink the way I determine the value of an item. This group brings new meaning to the phrase “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” One person claimed a tangle of broken guitar strings for an art project. Another offers trash bags full of empty plastic bread bags to use as dog waste bags. A couple weeks ago, I finally decided to snap a few
photos of that lamp and post it on the group. Five minutes later, it was claimed. Two hours later, it was out of my house and in the home of someone who was excited to use it as their new reading lamp. I was amazed at the lack of effort that went into making someone else’s day. In terms of sustainability and ethical exchange, giving directly through Buy Nothing trumps giving to Goodwill or other thrift stores, because it guarantees that an item will go to someone in your community who will use it and not to a store that would either sell it for a much higher price than free or may not even sell it at all. “I feel strongly about the model of a gift economy and of reducing, reusing and recycling whenever possible,” Davis said. The classic saying goes that it is better to give than to receive. Even better than getting a gently used air-fryer for free is helping to ensure that everyone in your community is taken care of and receives the aid they need. “We all have personal resources to share, whether they are things, skills or knowledge,” co-administrator Hillary Avis said. To find a local Buy Nothing project group, visit buynothingproject.org.
RG Students isStudents the state’s student-directed and nonprofit started in We 1971. traintostudents to be OSPIRG is theoldest state’s oldest student-directed andfunded funded nonprofit started in 1971. trainWe students be effective activists win a greener, healthier future all. Since Since our start, we’ve done everything from passing Oregon’s ive activists and win aand greener, healthier future forforususall. our start, we’ve done everything from passing Oreg Coal to Clean bill, to protecting $2.6 billion of the Pell Grant. Last year we put Wildlife Over Waste by winning a ban on foam to Clean bill, to protecting $2.6 billion of the Pell Grant. Last year we put Wildlife Over Waste by winning a ban on f cups and takeout containers in Eugene. Last fall, we made hundreds of class announcements to help students register to and takeout containers in Eugene. Last fall, we made hundreds of class announcements to help students register t vote in the 2020 elections. n the 2020 elections.
The thing that makes us effective is that we’re funded by all of you! Every two years students at UO vote to reaffirm our funded by students chipping-in $1.75by perall term, and two years two ago over 80% of Ducks voted yes for OPSIRG hing thatfunding. makesWe’re us effective is that we’re funded of you! Every years students at UO vote to reaffirm our —so thanks! We pool this money statewide and hire professional staff to work for students. Expert staff give students the ng. We’re funded by students $1.75 per term, years over 80% Ducks voted skills and resources to makechipping-in a difference here on campus, andand also two in Salem andago Washington D.C. of where decision are yes for OPS thanks! made. We pool and hire professional staff to work for students. Expert staff give students th You’llthis get money a chance statewide to vote to reaffirm our funding this spring.
and resources to make a difference here on campus, and also in Salem and Washington D.C. where decision are We will refund any UO student who does not wish to fund OSPIRG, please go to ospirgstudents.org/refund to request one. . You’ll get a chance to vote to reaffirm our funding this spring.
ill refund any UO student who does not wish to fund OSPIRG, please go to ospirgstudents.org/refund to request o PA G E 8
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OPINION
SAFETY LAST, ACCORDING TO UO
THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON NEEDS TO STEP UP AND ADDRESS THE SAFETY NEEDS OF STUDENTS IN EUGENE HOWEVER THEY CAN. BY ANDREW STEVENS• TWITTER @VNDREWWS
(Summer Surgent-Gough/Emerald)
Less than a month into 2021 and rumors of kidnappings taking place in Eugene were already circulating. A now deleted TikTok of a white van on Franklin Street with muffled screams in the background went viral, garnering more than 2 million likes and spreading fear throughout the Eugene community. Weeks later, this rumor has been debunked by Eugene police, but the impact it left still remains. I’ve gotten used to walking my female friends home, even if it is midday. This speaks less to the validity of the rumor, but more the mindset of most students in the Eugene area. The University of Oregon should increase safety measures for students in Eugene through more ride programs and an app that helps students communicate their location to friends and authorities. Despite a large community of students living within a mile of campus, myself included, it is very common to feel unsafe at UO. Throughout my four years in Eugene, I have heard of muggings, attacks and even kidnappings. Three close personal friends have been mugged or beaten up while walking in the Eugene area. For a city with a population of around 170,000 people, it’s surprising how frequently these kinds of crimes occur. From 2018 to 2019 there was an increase of almost 1,000
crimes in the city of Eugene. That is why it is even more surprising that UO has next to no safety measures for students who live off campus. Safe Ride is the main safety precaution provided by UO; it can be effective when students make plans and stick to them.he problem is that rarely happens. Safe Ride offers free transportation around the Eugene area, but only with around an hour’s notice. Many students are also more comfortable just calling an Uber since it is not affiliated with the school. Uber has actually only recently become available in Eugene, making it much easier for students to get around campus while drinking, but it begs the question of why UO hasn’t partnered with them to provide students free rides. Other universities have already explored this route. The University of Southern California provides its students with free Lyft rides through a partnership. Having the free rides through Lyft rather than the school itself is valuable because it helps students who are afraid of being drunk around University employees. One of the easiest ways UO could increase student safety is by creating an app like the Claremont Colleges. LiveSafe allows students to send each other their location and notify them when they are walking. With that, one can also quickly contact the campus or
regular police with location information. At the very least, UO should be working harder to inform students about the dangers of walking alone in Eugene. During my time at school here I have received no information or support from UO about how to handle being attacked or robbed. Self defense courses or complimentary pepper spray would help the university at least feign care for their students. Right now it‘s easy for the school to ignore the safety needs of students since all classes are digital, but when students inevitably return to campus and the Eugene area, the same issues will arise. Andrew Stevens is a columnist for the Emerald’s opinion desk. He writes about student social issues and specializes in disliking the thing you like. Follow his Twitter @vndrewws
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A REFURBISHED HAYWARD FIELD AWAITS CENTER STAGE
After two years of construction, Hayward Field is finally ready to make its debut. BY OSCAR DUYCK The completion of Hayward Field over the summer 2020 was not met with the fanfare that the university community expected. As the COVID-19 pandemic raged and Eugene suffered one of the worst wildfire outbreaks in recent memory, the newly refurbished stadium stood vacant. The project shows the University of Oregon community’s innovation, but has also been met with a fair amount of skepticism. Higher education has been rocked by rising costs and shuttered campuses due to the COVID-19 pandemic? The renovations, which began in summer 2018, were undertaken in order for Hayward Field to host the 2020 U.S Olympic Trials for the Olympic games in Tokyo. The project was primarily funded by Phil and Penny Knight along with 50 other donors. After the Olympics were canceled due to COVID-19, the new Hayward Field remained, awaiting the return of sports. The new Hayward boasts a number of amenities, including modern locker and weight rooms, a nine-lane track, a hydrotherapy space and an antigravity treadmill room. These features are made with elite international athletes in mind as Eugene tries to position itself as the hub of international track and field. On an aesthetic level, the new stadium pays homage to the long tradition of track and field in the UO community. The stadium contains a 4,000-square-foot museum that will educate fans about the figures of Oregon’s track and field history. For the spectator, the university promotes a theatrical experience for track and field, with the roof curving over the stands to
protect fans from the rainy willamette valley climate. The redesign includes creating unobstructed sight lines which enhances the viewing experiences. “As a team we really wanted to respect the past and represent the future,” Nike’s creative director for special projects Todd Van Horne said. “There are certain elements of the hallowed ground of Hayward Field that we wanted to bring forward: intimacy with the crowd and the echoing of the crowd.” The biggest structural change in the new Hayward Field is the ten-story tower. The tower will contain an observation deck as well various security and satellite offices. The tower is decorated with groundbreaking members of Oregon’s track and field past including former coach and Nike collaborator Bill Bowerman, as well as runners Steve Prefontaine, Raevyn Rogers, Ashton Eaton and Otis Davis. The current track and field team has spent 22 months away from their home track and will now finally have a chance to return and access the new amenities. “For the athletes, it’s going to be one of those kids in Christmas moments,” Oregon track and field coach Robert Johnson said. “Something that they have waited 22 months to unwrap. The look on their faces will be priceless.” For current and future Oregon athletes who one day aspire to represent their country in the Olympics, an Olympic-quality stadium like Hayward Field will be a major draw. “A new facility will add to the mystique, the motivation of what’s next for the university and the program,” Rogers said. The reconstruction of Hayward Field is a testament to the growth of the Oregon track and field program. Hayward Field was first constructed in 1919 as an allpurpose arena, which also hosted the football team. After Autzen Stadium was constructed in 1967, Hayward Field was solely a track and field stadium. Over the decades, many elite track athletes have competed at Hayward Field, as Eugene adopted the moniker of “Track Town, USA.” The stadium has hosted many marquee events including three Olympic trials and nine NCAA championships. The multi-year construction project did not escape
Located across from the William Knight Law Center, Hayward Field is the University of Oregon Track and Field team’s stadium. (DL Young/Emerald).
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controversy. The project, which had a budget of $60 million, was rumored to cost over 200 million dollars. The construction of Hayward Field, as well as the redesign of Hamilton Residence Hall and the new construction of the Knight Campus, was seen as financially irresponsible by some members of the community, especially in the face of declining enrollment. In 2017, the university petitioned Salem for $100 million for the construction of Knight Campus, while the state was over a billion dollars in debt from the construction of new university building projects statewide. The unforeseen financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has put colleges nationwide in a bind and it has somewhat dampened Hayward Field’s debut. The student angst over the rising costs of tuition with the continued construction of new facilities culminated in students zip-tying signs to the fencing outside of Hayward, protesting the high costs of university construction. The daily construction, especially the drilling, created high levels of noise pollution. Construction especially impacted campus freshmen. Students who lived in the dorms adjacent to the construction site had to contend with construction that stretched late into the night and early mornings as the project fell behind schedule. In May 2019, there was controversy over the pouring of hot rubberized asphalt during construction, which created an odor that further impacted students living in dorms who were paying high prices to live in an uncomfortable environment. Some community members questioned if the university was fulfilling their self-imposed climate plan, as in the summer 2018 during the opening phase of construction, almost two dozen trees were taken down to facilitate construction of Hayward Field. All in all, the construction of Hayward Field stands as a monument of achievement for the growth of sports culture in the Eugene community. As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout process continues, there is hope that fans will finally be able to return to Hayward Field after a long two-year absence.
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