4-04-2025 – Daily Emerald – EMG by Emerald Media Group

Greenhill and Carry It

Forward call for more services for unhoused with pets

University of Oregon Dance Team faces battle for recognition

The University of Oregon’s competitive dance team is fighting for official recognition after being denied the ability to compete at a national level due to their club status

University of Oregon plans for major developments to east campus

By Sasha Love & Ana Narayan Daily Emerald Reporters

A new housing project is underway on the east side of the University of Oregon campus. Starting this summer, UO will build a seven-story, 870-bed residence hall that has not yet been given a name. It will primarily house first-year and transfer students.

The building will be located south of East 19th Avenue between Columbia Street and Villard Street, and will cost an estimated $160 million dollars to build. Fortis Construction is the contractor, according to UO spokesperson Eric Howald.

The building is part of the first phase of an extensive redesign project of the east campus.

Continue story on page 5

ARTS & CULTURE

Denim forged in storms

By Mark Munson-Warnken Arts & Culture Writer

Quality never goes out of style, but when manufacturing is shipped overseas and corners are cut in pursuit of profit margins, consumers must go great lengths to recreate the heritage quality of the past. Such is the case for Eugene’s own David Mattox, 42, whose work in the Alaskan fishing industry exposed the flaws in denim, forcing him to roll up his sleeves and take matters into his own hands.

His jeans are crafted with years of experience braving massive swells in the Gulf of Alaska, where Mattox developed a uniquely utilitarian view on workwear. His lived experience and attention to detail reframes a subgenre of fashion which has shifted towards gaudy adornment in recent years. Guided by a penchant for pre-World War II era sewing machines and nearly a decade of trial and error, his denim creations guide workwear back to its roots in timelessness, reliability and dedication to craft.

Mattox, who grew up in Boring, Oregon, has a storied history with America’s most historic denim manufacturer. “My grandpa gave my dad two

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THE DAILY EMERALD

The Daily Emerald is published by Emerald Media Group, Inc., the independent nonprofit media company at the University of Oregon. Formerly the Oregon Daily Emerald, the news organization was founded in 1900.

The best happy hour spots in the Emerald City

Look to these Eugene pubs and breweries to find drinks and appetizers for under $10

By Andres Baisch Arts & Culture Writer

Now that winter is behind us, a cocktail, an appetizer and a good laugh with friends can be a fun way to jumpstart the weekend. These Eugene bars and breweries are ready to welcome groups to happy hour across town.

Sunriver Brewing Company

Sourcing beer from Sunriver, this brewery at Oakway Center is ready to pour you a beer full of hops from Deschutes County. Sunriver’s deals are found during “Hoppy Hour,” which runs all day on Monday and Tuesday through Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m.

Nag: UO versus the Big Ten

Currently, the University of Oregon lacks a space dedicated to learning about human rights, something that nearly all other institutions in the Big Ten have

By Aishiki Nag Opinion Columnist

Emerald Media Group 1395 University St.,#302 Eugene, Or 97403 (541)-346-5511

“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin?” Eleanor Roosevelt, a beloved former first lady and renowned human rights activist, said. “In small places, close to home.”

In our age of globalization and interconnectedness, every person and institution holds a certain responsibility to reflect the ethos of a human rights-based framework. Academic institutions hold an increased responsibility to provide resources and spaces to discuss world events and provide opportunities for students across disciplines with academic, professional and experiential opportunities regarding human rights.

How enrollment affects revenue projection

An insight into how enrollment by students, particularly outof-state students, affects revenue projection for UO

By Reilly Norgren Investigative Reporter

At a December 2024 Board of Trustees meeting, quarterly financial and treasury reports shown to the trustees were lower than previous financial projections following the fall census date.

Final enrollment for first-year students following the census date was 5,113, the second-largest class in UO’s history. However, numbers indicated that there were 450 fewer nonresident students than initially anticipated. This resulted in a $2.3 million reduction in expected revenue for the fiscal year.

Initial projections from June 2024 showed that the forecasted tuition and fee revenue was $15.1 million. In September, these long-term projections were reduced to a gain of $7.8 million. Based on Quarter One information, those projections were finalized to estimate a $2.3 million shortfall, making the total revenue for tuition and fees $5.5 million.

This was due to the incoming first-year cohort mix, or the fewer nonresident students. However, revenue is projected in long-term estimations to remain up, in the amount of $3.8 million because of circumstances such as students taking higher than average credit loads.

Nonresident students pay $43,302 in annual tuition and fees compared to resident students’ $15,669.

According to Brian Fox, the associate vice president for budget, financial analysis and data analytics, the Office of Admissions and the data team within Student Service and Enrollment Management monitors metrics like applications and student interest in order to forecast the size of a class for the incoming fall.

“Non-resident enrollment — and tuition — is a significant revenue source for the university,” Fox said. “Net tuition revenue, after scholarships, last fiscal year was approximately 77% of the university’s general operating budget.”

According to Fox, non-resident undergraduate tuition was 61% of that total net tuition revenue during the last fiscal year.

University of Oregon plans for major developments to east campus

New residence halls and more will be built within the next few years. East campus residents are both concerned and optimistic about imminent construction.

The plan aims to increase student housing, as laid out in the 2025 UO Next Generation Housing Development Plan.

The adjacent proposed building, planned for phase two, will consist of a six-story, 670-bed residence hall catered towards older undergraduate students and will cost $117 million dollars to build.

Michael Griffel, the UO associate vice president for student services and enrollment management, said the housing waitlist is “an enabler and a push for the project,” at the March 17 Board of Trustees meeting.

According to Griffel’s presentation at the Board the Trustees meeting, 1,169 students requested university housing in fall 2024 but were unable to receive student housing.

According to the development plan, getting students off the waitlist and into UO housing would “Improve student grades, student retention, on-time graduation rates and reduce time to graduation.”

For the past several decades, UO has owned buildings in the Fairmount neighborhood, where the development plan is set to take place. Apart from owning the land, UO possesses 10 units in the area, of which nine are currently leased out to students and community members.

According to Howald, in May 2024, residents of those nine units received a letter notifying them that their leases would be set to expire at the end of June 2025.

Some impacted neighborhood residents from the project raised concerns and questions about the need for further development, including Austin Wilson, a UO alumnus and housing community assistant renting from the university. Wilson lives directly next to the phase one site.

“I think it is kinda shitty for the people who live down there. It’s like, do we really need more undergrad housing?” Wilson said.

Wilson, who has a partner at UO and two kids, said he is concerned about traffic flow and the potential for heightened nightlife with two kids and a partner at UO.

“I’m not 100% against the idea, but it is already becoming an overcrowding issue. It’s like butts in seats compared to quality education,” Wilson said.

Griffel thinks the university is “sizing appropriately.”

“It’s good that we’re building things that are in demand and creating programs and interests in helping students

to be successful and are continually trying to both forecast and meet that demand,” Griffel said.

Jeff Philpot, co-chair for the local Fairmount Neighborhood Association, encouraged members to attend UO open houses about the developments and hosted a UO presentation on the plans at a recent community meeting.

Philpot said historical preservation should be “respected,” but acknowledged change is a natural development of any neighborhood.

“For transformation, it’s evolution, of course it is, and I don’t think anyone expects the streetcar to be reinstated and every craftsman house to be preserved like it’s Disneyland or something (…) we’re a viable working and living neighborhood,” Philpot said.

Philpot also said the Fairmount neighborhood relies on the university for sports entertainment and the amenities it offers.

“They’ve grown up around each other for 130 years or whatever,” Philpot said.

One concern repeated by nearly every resident The Daily Emerald interviewed was traffic flow and congestion.

“We still want to maintain the character of our neighborhood (because) this is a quaint, cute little corner neighborhood, and so we want to make sure that that’s maintained and that there’s not a lot of big truck travel going through here,” Barofsky said.

Olsen said commercial traffic would increase by one to three semi trucks on Agate Street and East 19th Avenue, and impacts from student’s personal vehicles would be minimal.

“As far as truck traffic, the intent is to continue to minimize any impacts to the surrounding neighborhood from either service and deliveries or personal vehicle traffic,” Olsen said.

The expected project completion date for phase one is fall 2027. Phase two construction is projected to end in fall 2028.

( ABOVE) Karl Scholz and Steve Holwerda, both members of the Board of Trustees, listen to a student during a Board of Trustees meeting in the 2024 spring trimester.

(Molly McPherson/Emerald)

( BELOW ) Moss Street is between Columbia Street and Villard Street, both streets where the new construction will take place.

(Molly McPherson/Emerald)

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ASUO ELECTIONS

By Bella Bishop Campus News Reporter

On April 1, the Daily Emerald moderated the Associated Students of the University of Oregon’s presidential debate, introducing the two 2025 ASUO presidential candidates. The candidates had the opportunity to respond to various questions from both the Daily Emerald and the student body about their plans of action if chosen as ASUO president.

Each presidential candidate ran under a group known as a “slate.” The two slates for the 2025 election are Unite UO, led by Taliek Lopez-DuBoff, and UO Student Power, led by Prissila Moreno. The spring election will take place between 9 a.m. on April 7 to noon on April 11.

Moreno, a third year, and Lopez-DuBoff, a second year, have worked within ASUO in some capacity in all of their time at UO and have taken on leadership roles up until this point.

Lopez-DuBoff is running under the Unite UO slate and Moreno is running under the UO Student Power slate.

At Tuesday’s debate, topics ranged from the candidates’ plans and priorities coming into office to various concerns about decisions happening on the federal level and how they are impacting not only the candidates but also UO students and how they plan to support the unions on campus during tumultuous bargaining sessions.

The order for opening statements was chosen alphabetically by the Daily Emerald for fairness and the order for responses was then randomized.

Lopez-DuBoff said he will accomplish the slate’s mission by “protecting spaces like the Women’s Center and the Men’s Center, the Multicultural Center, and ensuring that

Introducing the ASUO 2025 presidential candidates

Both candidates had the chance to respond to various questions from both the Daily Emerald and the student body during the presidential debate on April 1

our student organizations, that are the soul of our campus, continue to have the funding and support they need.”

When asked about how each slate differs from the other, both Moreno and Lopez-DuBoff highlighted some clear distinctions between the two campaigns.

Lopez-DuBoff highlighted the diversity within the Unite UO slate and the importance of representing all students within his slate and campaign.

“They (slate members) come from different parts of campus, but they all have the same goal of doing the best they can for the people that they represent… and each member of our slate brings a different perspective,” Lopez-DuBoff said.

Lopez-DuBoff also highlighted the involvement that many of his slate members already have within ASUO and their commitment to public service.

“Believe me when I say they’re already leading in ASUO. They don’t need to take this on, but they understand what it means to do public service, and what it means to serve in something bigger than themselves,” Lopez-DuBoff said.

Lopez-DuBoff said he hopes to bring a sentiment to ASUO that is “making that tangible change… and coming up with new ideas and innovating.”

Moreno emphasized the work that the members of the Student Power slate have been doing within organizations, including OSPIRG and Climate Justice League.

“I think what makes us unique is that student power is made up of organizers; not only are we saying that we are going to do this work in ASUO, we already have been,” Moreno said.

Moreno also highlighted the community engagement that she and her slate have been developing. ,

“In the past couple of days, we’ve had over 700 conversa-

tions, and I think that’s a testament to the organizing that we’re able to do out there on campus,” Moreno said. “We’ve been fighting for climate justice, we’ve been fighting for racial equity and workers’ rights through campus for years, so we don’t just say that we hear you. We show up and we act with you.”

Both candidates were also given the chance to address issues concerning the current political climate under the Trump administration.

Lopez-DuBoff described education as the “great equalizer” and believes that “the right to funding student organizations is not political.”

“None of the things that we’ve addressed here today need to be inherently political. These are things that students need to survive to get through this education,” Lopez-DuBoff said.

On the contrary, Moreno said she hopes to bring community engagement and the mentality of utilizing ASUO political power to fight against the Trump administration.

“In times like these, where there’s students being harmed already by federal orders and policies, I don’t think that ASUO can afford to be solely politically neutral…ASUO must be a force that stands with students, especially those most targeted, marginalized, and silenced,” Moreno said.

The Daily Emerald will be moderating the Presidential and Vice Presidential Follow Up Debate on Tuesday, April 8 at 6 p.m. in the EMU Crater Lake Rooms.

ASUO 2025 election candidate Town Hall recap

Each candidate had 90 seconds to outline their campaign goals and vision for their ASUO role during the election

By Bella Bishop Campus news reporter

On April 2, the Daily Emerald moderated the Associated Students of the University of Oregon’s candidate town hall, introducing 48 candidates for ASUO Senate and different positions within the finance committees.

Each candidate represented the Unite UO slate, led by Taliek Lopez-DuBoff or UO Student Power, led by Prissila Moreno, or were not representing a slate and are running independently.

The town hall began with the current ASUO Senate seat members who are running for ASUO because they had to leave early for the 7 p.m. Senate meeting. The first candidate who spoke was Rain Baumann Gwirtz running for Senate Seat 03 and representing the Programs Finance Committee.

Baumann Gwirtz explained that as an individual on the autism spectrum, she hopes to represent neurodivergent and disabled students

Justin Begley, representing the Unite UO slate and running for Senate Seat 03, plans to “ensure the safeguards and proper funding for student-led organizations, particularly our cultural and affinity group.”

Begley emphasized a common issue that student orgs face when coming to ASUO for funds and says, “Students should not feel attacked when coming (to ASUO) to ask for their money.”

Jess Fisher, running for Senate Seat 03 representing the Programs Finance Committee, expressed UO Student Power’s belief that students have the power to organize and make a difference, which was echoed by candidates within the slate throughout the meeting.

“To me, student power isn’t just a catchy slogan, it’s a political vision of what ASUO can be and how students can organize to achieve the things we need to fight back against the rising tide of authoritarianism and rapid rollback of civil rights in this nation,” Fisher said.

Many candidates discussed the importance of “community,” safeguarding the spaces and organizations that “provide leadership opportunities for professional development and spaces where students can build meaningful connections,” Derian Ortega representing Unite UO for Senate Seat 04 Programs Finance Committee said.

A large theme and talking point among all candidates included their commitment to “being a constant advocate for student-based needs,” as stated in Quadrian Gill’s state-

ment representing UO Student Power for Senate Seat 07 Contracts Finance Committee.

‘Transparency’ within ASUO was also a common theme discussed among the candidates and Parker Nagy, who is running for Senate Seat 11 to represent Arts & Science Undergrads, highlighted the importance of transparency in student government by saying, “they (the students of UO) all share a need for communication, transparency and affordability policies.” Nagy is not associated with either the UO Student Power slate or Unite UO slate.

Tyler Chisholm, running for Senate Seat 13 Arts & Science Undergrad 3 and representing UO Student Power, voiced the barriers that many student organizations face when it comes to funding forms through ASUO.

“My main goal is to break down barriers. And I can tell you personally that some of these Engage forms are F—* and we (student orgs) need different ways to be able to complete required items,” Chisholm said.

All candidates were given a chance to speak about the role they are running for and were given one minute and 30 seconds to speak about their campaign as well as their goals for ASUO while running during this election.

The Emerald will also be moderating a vice-presidential debate today at 6 p.m. in Straub Hall, room 145. On April 8, there will be a vice-president and presidential debate at 6 p.m.

(ABOVE) A fairly large crowd assembled in the EMU Ballroom to watch the debate. Candidates Taliek Lopez-DuBoff and Moreno Kunkler go head to head in the ASUO Presidential Debate in Eugene on April 1, 2025.

(Tyler Graham/Emerald)

CITY NEWS

Greenhill and Carry It Forward call for more services for unhoused with pets

Local organizations who work with unhoused individuals say there are not enough services for people experiencing homelessness and their pets

By Jess Coronado City News Reporter

Greenhill Humane Society and leadership from a non-profit organization, Carry it Forward, are calling for more services for unhoused people and their pets.

CIF helps people experiencing homelessness with pets at their Tom Campbell Safe Sleep Site, at 175 Commons Drive, a pallet shelter for people with special needs.

Greenhill Humane Society connects with people and pets experiencing homelessness through programs like their pet food bank, where individuals with financial needs can come to get food for their pets and when pets get separated from their owners.

“Carry it Forward works closely with the city of Eugene, which sponsors vet clinics at our camps, providing basic health check-ups, vaccinations, wound care and scheduling for spay and neuter,” Arwen Maas-DeSpain, assistant director at CIF, said. “But, I would like to see more pop-up clinics in high-traffic areas and camps.”

According to Maas-DeSpain, unhoused pets are more at risk for illnesses like parvovirus, a disease with a high mortality rate, getting stolen and separated from their owners.

Owners are often separated from their pets when they are arrested or removed from an encampment. Maas-DeSpain and Executive Director Kris McAllister said they encountered a situation where they found a dead dog in a car after their owner was arrested and separated.

Rod Grissom has been unhoused in Eugene for 15 years since moving from California. His dog, Frederick, sleeps with him in his truck or in a tent when Grissom wants to sleep outside.

“Fred needs me,” Grissom said. “I would rather have him than some human be my best friend, to tell you the truth.”

Grissom said that pets provide unhoused people with men-

tal support, keep owners out of trouble and help them “function on a day-to-day basis.”

“There are a lot of people out here, some of them better as a pet owner than others. Some are short, but for the most part, the dogs all get fed. They get attention,” Grissom said. “I think in a lot of ways, people out here give animals more attention than somebody with a home and a backyard.”

On cold nights, Grissom said he and Fred sometimes build a fire and “bundle up” together. Grissom gets most of his materials to stay warm from Home Depot and White Bird Clinic, an organization that helps many unhoused individuals with resources and survival materials.

“Not all people who are experiencing homelessness are irresponsible pet owners and many of them put their pets’ needs before their own,” Community Engagement Manager Kelly Fleischmann said. “The bond between a person and their pet is just as strong as those who are housed, and in some instances, unhoused individuals actually spend more time with their pets.”

Fleischmann said Greenhill’s goal is to ensure that people and their pets stay together. To do this, workers at Greenhill have to make sure there is enough room in their cattery, kennel, fosters and Crisis Care Boarding, which helps people in crisis or in need of emergency health care to have a place to temporarily board their pets.

“Many unhoused (individuals’) pets are incredibly well cared for,” Fleischmann said. “But it’s not to say that they’re still needing additional support.”

Some of the most common health issues she sees with unhoused pets are matted hair, flea treatments, dental care, long nails and vaccinations.

Fleischmann said she would like to see places where people experiencing homelessness can take their pets for vaccinations and medical care. She also thinks these services should be brought to them in the event that people cannot get to Greenhill, since many travel by foot or bike.

said there needs to be a call to action for the community and wants to see more pet-friendly homeless shelters and donation services for pet food and essentials.

“Unhoused people often get pets for emotional and mental health,” Maas-DeSpain said. “Some animals have been trained to be service animals. To have and care for an animal is very humanizing.”

Georgia Quinn’s Fight for the unhoused

Georgia Quinn’s journey from childhood lessons on homelessness to experiencing it herself has shaped her dedication to the unhoused community

By Jess Coronado City News Reporter

The first time Georgia Quinn encountered an unhoused person was when she was six years old and living in Arkansas. She now believes what her mother said about the man, that he came from a wealthy home, was to teach her a lesson that anyone could end up in his position.

Quinn has worked as White Bird Front Room volunteer coordinator since August 2023 and although she is no longer clocking in for work, she is still technically employed. Quinn has dedicated a part of her life to helping the unhoused community and still continues to feel anxious about what will happen to White Birds’ remaining services after WBFR closed in December 2024.

“I look at pictures sometimes and it’s heartbreaking to think that that place isn’t there anymore,” Quinn said. “I’ve never had a big family. I feel like a lot of us are traumatized people for lack of a better term. We come to this work even if we haven’t been houseless because we’ve been through some hard sh—.”

Quinn sat in her living room dressed in all black, wearing a WBFR T-shirt. She flipped her red hair back with her long maroon nails as her black cat, Bruce, rested on his heating pad beside her.

Quinn came from a liberal lower-middle class family in Arkansas. It was just her parents, her sister and herself. Years later, from 2019 to 2020, she found herself experienc-

ing homelessness just like those she helped while working at WB later in life.

“I am very well aware that I have gotten lucky in terms of that,” Quinn said. “It’s always been luck and privilege that has kept me from sleeping on the street.”

Quinn said that while she was living in Paris as an au pair in 2019, she became unhoused after the family’s home underwent renovations and they asked her to leave. When Quinn was able to get back to the United States, she was unhoused again in Colorado.

Quinn said that experience has helped her understand the unhoused community.

“All of a sudden, I was like ‘oh sh—, no wonder I like doing this work.’ I actually have been houseless before,” Quinn said.

Quinn said the closure of WBFR has been difficult to navigate and still feels anxiety and stress when thinking about the potential future for WB and its other programs.

“I had the nice side of not technically being in front rooms. I was in administrative work. I didn’t have the fear of losing my severance if I said the wrong thing,” Quinn said.

Quinn looked down as tears welled up in her eyes as she shared some of her favorite moments working for WB.

“It’s really hard when you know certain clients are really vulnerable. I was going to go run some errands and I saw them in a nice warm, safe space, just in passing by,” Quinn said. “It’s so nice to be able to see, even if I can’t say hi, just to glance and be like, ‘thank God.’”

Fleischmann

(Molly McPherson/Emerald)

A dog sits on the side of the road as two people talk. Volunteers with Neighbors feeding Neighbors hand out food and drinks at 5th and Washington Wednesday-Saturday starting at 9am.

(Courtesy?/)

Georgia Quinn smiles as she pets her cat, Bruce.

University of Oregon Dance Team faces battle for recognition

Riley Fox and Reilly Norgren Investigative Reporters

The University of Oregon’s Dance Team has been representing the school on the national stage since 2001, with 13 of those years spent competing at the Universal Dance Association Collegiate Championship.

But while preparing for the 2025 UDA Championship, which took place in January, the Duck Dancers were informed that they did not meet the competition’s requirements due to their status as a club sports team and a lack of mandated “spirit points.”

As a result, their ability to compete was taken away, and they were left ineligible to earn awards at the competition — leaving the team fighting for future opportunities to participate.

The decision was unexpected, as they had been competing in varsity-branded competitions for 25 years with minimal oversight from UO athletics, according to current Duck Dancer Hadley Flagg.

Per UDA’s rules, teams must prove “they are representing in competition and official members of that school’s spirit team (no club teams or competition only teams).”

“Spirit points” are a method of qualification used by Varsity Spirit to determine a team’s eligibility. The points are earned by teams via performances at school sporting events, such as halftime performances of basketball and football games.

According to the dancers, they previously had opportunities to perform in halftime shows at men’s and women’s basketball games.

In addition to earning points through these performances, teams are required to submit a video demonstrating these performances as well as interactions with fans as part of their eligibility for the competition.

“Spirit is 5% of your overall score and you have to have it to compete,” Rylee Boyersmith, a current team member,

The dance team believed they had been fulfilling the required “spirit points” through their performances at UO hockey games, which at that point was one of their only regular performances.

“Because hockey is also under the club sports bracket, I guess that doesn’t count, which we didn’t know in previous years,” Boyersmith said. “It wasn’t something that we weren’t aware was even in the rule book. From what we knew, we just needed to have spirit opportunities. We did and still do

hockey, but it’s kind of the only thing we can do.”

Since hockey was also classified as a club sport, the dancers’ performances did not fulfill the spirit requirement. With football season over and winter break beginning, the team was left scrambling for spirit opportunities they say never came.

Jimmy Stanton, senior associate athletic director for communications, said in a statement to the Emerald that the athletics department has no oversight of the Duck Dancers because club dance teams are affiliated with the Office of Student Life and not athletics.

According to Stanton, the official University of Oregon Cheer and Dance program is made up of only a coed stunt team, a dance team and the Oregon Duck mascot.

Boyersmith said that while Varsity Spirit “wanted to work with” the team, they still would not be able to compete unless they could prove they were the university’s official dance team or get a signature from somebody within the school.

Boyersmith said the team was unable to get that signature.

“The Oregon Cheer and Dance program is the official spirit team for Oregon athletics, and club dance teams are student organizations,” Stanton wrote. “No one in athletics would sign a statement affirming otherwise, as that would be inaccurate.”

Lost Opportunities

to Perform at Sporting Events

“In the past, we were allowed to perform at women’s basketball games every year, and we even had a few men’s basketball halftime performances,” Seagraves said. “Slowly, those opportunities were taken away from us, even though we had (athletics) signing off on them before.”

According to Stanton, the athletics marketing department schedules all half time performances.

“Our marketing department prioritizes scheduling groups that enhance fan experience, prioritizing groups who have been well received by fans in prior appearances and also those that have not previously had the opportunity to perform at past events,” Stanton said.

Seagraves said the team was never provided with any explanation from UO as to why this decision was made.

The dancers argue, however, that there are other non-athletic teams that have been allowed to perform at halftime shows such as the Duck Street Dancers, a dance club at UO.

“There’s no legitimate reason why we aren’t allowed to perform at games anymore,” Seagraves said. “Other community groups are allowed to perform at halftime, but not us. With the decreasing spirit opportunities being given to

the Duck Dancers, they struggled to gather the necessary “spirit points,” to compete. According to Seagraves, this is sue has arisen at other schools in prior years.

Despite these Duck Dancers setbacks, in 2025 Varsity Spirit allowed the dancers to perform as an exhibition in the D1A Jazz and Pom categories at UDA Nationals — meaning their performances were ineligible for award.

They were also offered the opportunity to compete in the University World Cup Cheerleading Championships in both pom and jazz in January, in which they won gold — a victory they hoped would have proved their legitimacy to the university, Filler said.

“We work super hard to have our routines ready, and we went and won gold at this competition,” Boyersmith said.

“

If we’re not there, people will wonder ‘what happened

to Oregon?’

“

“This is why we should be able to compete at UDA again.”

The dance team has asked for support to be rec ognized as an official spirit team of UO, which will provide them with the official designation that would allow them to compete — a petition on change.org has garnered over 8,000 signatures.

According to UO Spokesperson Eric Howald, the school is aware of the petition and said the UO Division of Student Life “appreciates student ac tivism.” However, “There are no current plans to change the Duck Dancers’ status at the univer sity.”

“People know us at UDA. They see the Ducks and cheer,” Boyersmith said. “If we’re not there, people will wonder ‘what happened to Oregon?’”

The UO has yet to publicly respond to the team’s latest efforts.

“We’re not asking for funding,” Boyer smith said. “We just want the chance to compete.”

- Rylee Boyersmith, Oregon Duck Dancer

OPINION

Milly is a senior at UO majoring in Journalism with a minor in Sustainable Business. She has been writing for the opinion desk for three years and likes to write articles about drugs, politics, and societal issues.

Is this even legal?

As students are arrested for organizing free speech protests and the governing powers claim that this is the “first of many,” everyone should be alarmed and stay alert. America is famous for its supposed freedom of speech, but is that even true anymore?

By Milly Gamlen Opinion Columnist

We are undeniably living in a historical time, partially due to the actions of President Trump. I often hear people say that they like Trump because he runs America like a business, but if that’s true, what happens to the people who disagree with his business practices?

The United States has made a lot of waves recently with its arrests and detentions of people who are in the country legally. A key name in these articles is Mahmoud Kalil. His arrest for his pro-Palestine opinions and activism alerted a lot of people to the lack of security that green card holders have, especially given the current stances of our administration.

The idea that ICE can come into your home, acting on orders from the State Department, tell you that they are taking away your student visa and then when they find out you are a permanent resident, having the possibility of your visa being taken away is not only shocking, it is terrifying.

I would like to clarify, there are reasons that a green card can be taken away such as committing fraud or being a member of a terrorist organization. But that is not what

happened in this case. This threat of deportation happened because of Khalil’s identity as a Palestinian and his desire to use his voice to speak up for his people.

Khalil has been on record stating his desire to help liberate people and how he thinks that “the liberation of the Palestinian people and the Jewish people are intertwined and go hand-by-hand and you cannot achieve one without the other.”

These are not the words of someone who is a threat to national security. This is someone who seeks change.

The Trump administration claims that he gave out fliers that aligned with Hamas and that made him “adversarial to the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States,” according to Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary.

But if that were true, the Trump administration would not now be using a whole different reason for his arrest after their original reason for his deportation was blocked by a judge.

The idea that someone could be deported over something that thousands of citizens were doing is scary. It should be something we are all paying attention to.

What we are seeing is not someone who is a threat to national security, we are seeing a college student who is

Citizenship premium

Trump’s attacks on immigration have long centered on the supposed criminality of the immigrants — but his pay-toplay “Gold Card” system takes morality entirely out of the picture

By Maddox Brewer Knight Opinion Columnist

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best… They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” These words, uttered by presidential candidate Donald Trump, galvanized the nation in 2015.

Trump won his first presidential election on a campaign of fear, and this fear was a prominent motivating factor for many of his voters. According to Pew Research Center surveys from 2016, 79% of Trump voters identified immigration as a very important issue in their voting decision.

This wall, so often referenced in slogans and chants, was Trump’s selling point: a glimmering beacon of exclusion that promised to preserve the sanctity of a white, English-speaking nation.

Trump justified his xenophobia by focusing on the alleged criminality of Mexican and Central American immigrants — these were “bad hombres,” and their immorality disqualified them for entry through the golden door. In his 2024 campaign, Trump doubled down on this

openly disagreeing with not only what our government is doing but also one of their allies. That is what our administration doesn’t like. This is a clear message that the current government will bend the law to align with their opinions and feelings about things. The president tweeting that this arrest will be “the first of many,” is objectively scary. The idea of ICE coming onto our campuses and detaining your classmates is objectively scary. This is meant to be a place where we learn about policy and question those in power, not somewhere that silences students out of fear.

This is a weaponization of immigration services, and as a green card holder myself, I’m scared. This is not the America I signed up for.

Maddox Brewer Knight is an opinion columnist at the Daily Emerald. She is a second-year CHC student pursuing a double major in English and Spanish and a minor in linguistics. As a lifelong Oregonian, Maddox cares deeply about confronting social issues both within UO and in the greater community to make our home region a better environment for all.

rationale, this time shifting his focus to Caribbean immigrants. During the presidential debate, he reiterated the unconfirmed claim that Haitian immigrants were eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio. But never fear — concerned voters could protect their pets and their neighborhoods by voting him into office, allowing Project 2025’s deportation sweeps to restore law and order to their communities.

And vote they did. Trump rose to power once more with 49.8% of the popular vote. He immediately implemented Project 2025, a political initiative devised by a conservative think-tank that aims to restructure the federal government to support authoritarian right-wing policies. One initiative came as a particular shock: the Gold Card visa.

Proposed as a way to reduce the United States’ national debt, the Gold Card allows wealthy foreigners to effectively purchase permanent U.S. residency for $5 million each.

This program is intended to replace the EB-5 immigrant investor visa program. EB-5, established by Congress in 1990, allowed foreigners to obtain a Green Card by investing in a U.S. enterprise and promising to create and maintain at least 10 full-time jobs for U.S. workers, bringing wealth to underprivileged regions.

The Gold Card program entirely abandons this community-focused prerogative, reducing the wealthy foreigners’ obligation from a long-term commitment to a simple one-time fee.

Furthermore, this program contradicts Trump’s supposed preoccupation with moral purity. During his campaigns, Trump claimed that his immigration policy would

protect Americans from rapists, drug dealers and criminals. However, some of the most infamous criminals of our era could have easily afforded this fee, speeding down the path to citizenship while asylum-seekers languish in limbo.

Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada possessed roughly $3 billion at the time of his arrest in July 2024. Alleged serial rapist and Egyptian luxury mogul Mohamed Al-Fayed had $2 billion at the time of his death, while convicted rapist and British entrepreneur Lawrence Jones was a multimillionaire at the time of his arrest.

Additionally, the Gold Card could open the doors for Russian oligarchs with whom Trump has personal ties. This list includes figures such as Dmitry Rybolovlev, whose offshore wealth concealment was cited in the Panama Papers, or Roman Abramovich, an investor guilty of bribery, loan fraud and over-pollution.

The Gold Card confirms that Trump never truly cared about protecting Americans from crime — after all, he is a white collar criminal and sexual abuser protecting his own. Instead, Trump’s immigration policy is motivated by racism and a deep disdain for the poor and needy, those who could most benefit from American residency.

America has long prided itself on being a bastion of democracy, refuge and freedom, but Trump’s Gold Card is a threat to core virtues, treating residency as a commodity to be sold instead of a right to be upheld. The damage done by this policy should serve as a warning for future voters — greed and corruption cannot make America great.

(Rossi Nelson/Emerald)

ARTS & CULTURE

City Nights nightclub offers a big city experience in downtown Eugene

Feel like a VIP at Eugene’s hottest nightclub, City Nights

By Andres Baisch Arts & Culture Writer

Downtown Eugene offers various options for live music, bars, craft breweries and shopping. However, the nightlife scene is lacking. The existing bars and clubs are similar in environment and host similar themed nights. It seems like every bar rotates the same events every week — trivia, karaoke and some form of a drink-wheel.

Co-owner and General Manager Ranger Glenzer said he was inspired to open the club to provide Eugene with a party scene that has a big city feel. Glenzer and Co-owner Amit Singh opened City Nights, Eugene’s newest nightclub, in March 2024 to mix up the bar scene.

“We have a lot of sports bars, but no one fully centered on having a nightclub. VIP has never existed the way we’re doing it,” Glenzer said. “We wanted to create a space where people can learn how to party safely.”

City Nights has multiple practices to keep you safe on a night of dancing and partying. Glenzer says the club puts lids on mixed drinks to keep guests safe from druggings, and they buy rideshare transport for people who are too drunk. The VIP service offers bottle service, private tables for rent and private bartenders for the night.

Glenzer and bartender Amy Reeves have plenty of experience working in nightlife in Eugene. They both graduated from University of Oregon and remember Eugene’s nightlife scene in the early 2010s. “It was definitely a little lawless back then,” Reeves said.

Glenzer said the VIP service offers a unique experience for a group celebrating, whether that be for birthdays or visits. The VIP experience comes with sparklers and light-up signs decorated with whatever the group wants.

Glenzer’s and Singh came up with the establishment’s name after visiting an 18+ bar in California called City Nights. Born and raised in Eugene, Glenzer has tried to bring back elements he used to see in nightlife of years past.

Denim Forged in Storms

When David Mattox became an Alaskan fisherman, his Levi’s couldn’t hold up in the trying conditions. His solution? To make clothes that could.

“Back in the day, we had a lot of different spots that we could go to and you could just show up and see everyone you know,” Glenzer said. “I’ve worked at most of the bars in this downtown area, so I have a good idea of what we needed. I wanted to bring back some of that community base, where everybody’s getting along.”

Glenzer said the inspiration behind his work to maximize inclusion at City Nights stems from the divide he sees in Eugene’s nightlife. Some bars are known to be popular with different demographics, and Glenzer said he doesn’t like how there are known college bars, hip-hop bars and LGBTQ bars.

“It’s 2025. We should all be hanging out with each other,” Glenzer said. “Fortunately, partying can help do that with the right mindset.”

Ownership focuses on making the club a space for everyone in Eugene, similar to the diverse scene of a big city on a weekend. When the club opened, Glenzer and Singh took precautionary measures, like having sexual assault support services train all employees on domestic violence prevention.

Glenzer and Reeves have both bartended at a variety of places in Eugene, and they said that power-tripping is what can kill a nightclub’s vibe. While ensuring guests are respectful, Glenzer runs the club like he’s hosting a house party.

“Every night I’m thinking to myself, like, ‘I can’t believe I run this,’” Glenzer said.

Instead of picking a typical male promoter, Glenzer hired a female friend who is the club’s “Hype Queen.”

City Nights has held ladies’ nights, random costume-themed nights and hosted DJs that you may have seen at the bars near campus.

The club is aiming to reach more of the student population, hoping to become an even bigger Eugene melting pot.

pairs of Levi’s 501s every Christmas,” Mattox said. “That was a constant, positive thing that happened every year in my dad’s life, so he started giving me two pairs of Levi’s every year in high school.”

In the early days, Mattox’s Levi’s were a treasured possession, and he acquired piles of the then sturdy jeans.

While he never had any real interest in fashion, Mattox’s interest in reputable workwear brands developed throughout high school and college, and he gravitated towards brands like Filson and Pendleton, which were made in the Pacific Northwest.

“At the time, I thought buying Filson and Pendleton was buying locally because I lived in Portland,” Mattox said. “Maybe that’s why those brands were important to me in my teens and twenties.”

However, as Mattox entered college at University of Portland in the early 2000s, Levi’s — and an array of similarly esteemed manufacturers — began to shift operations overseas. At the same time, Mattox, who was a year into his philosophy and English double major, happened upon a summer job at an Alaskan fishery. In the years that followed, it became clear his passion for grueling labor and the lifestyle to match would test the mettle of the jeans he loved.

Chasing the allure of a profitable summer job and an adventure, Mattox journeyed to the Last Frontier for salmon season.

But when each laborer is churning through thousands of salmon daily, those who can’t adapt don’t survive.

“We got started working in the butcher room which is the grossest room to be in,” Mattox said. “It’s cold, bloody and there’s ice and water everywhere. You’re in full rain gear touching fish that have been in refrigerated salt water so you’re just cold, wet and miserable, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun.”

By the time he graduated college, Mattox had progressed from the cannery to the boats and his Levi’s couldn’t keep up. As he pulled massive buoys from swells over eight feet, his jeans— and their shoddy overseas manufacturing— began to deteriorate before his eyes.

“I just remember that first summer thinking, ‘Wow these buoys don’t give a shit

about my Levi’s,’” Mattox said. “It got to a point when two pairs of 501s would fall apart before I even had the chance to break them in. You can see the details and construction of some of my earlier pairs, like the inseam was flat felled, so Levi’s was changing things and their pants weren’t lasting as long as they used to.”

Recently, “selvedge” has been circulating internet menswear circles as a catch-all term to imply a thoughtfully made pair of jeans.

Mattox represents the true spirit of workwear — a genre of fashion which has been misconstrued in the 21st century. As uncalloused hands reached for new and thrifted variations of Carhartt, Levi’s and Ben Davis, phrases like “blue collar stolen valor” began to appear in internet lexicon.

“They’re work pants. I get excited about wearing a pair of pants while I work because that’s how they get broken in,” Mattox said. “They don’t get broken while sitting at a desk. I want to go out and I want to get them dirty. I want to work hard, sweat and drink a beer and smoke a cigarette afterwards.”

The mindset of simplicity and intentionality which Mattox represents has become blurred in the eyes of the next generations, whose attention is attracted to the LED screens which make up the world, rather than the history of the world that surrounds them.

“The best tool you can have when it comes to making something is understanding how your machine works,” Mattox said. “A sewing machine is a tool, the same way an iPad is a tool, but people expect their tools to do things for them.”

Mattox’s denim reflects life. The secret to a killer fade is to put in the time and embrace the struggle because the result is a unique and beautiful character.

“You’ll break in a pair of pants way different than I break in a pair of pants,” Mattox said. “So go out in the world and break them in.”

( ABOVE) City Nights,

club opened in March 2024, is seen with a line of people waiting to enter on March 9. (Alex Hernandez/ Emerald)

(BELOW) David Mattox is a clothing designer and loves designing jeans and funky pants. He has turned his home basement here in Eugene into his workspace.

(Julia Massa/Emerald)

The Reece 101 is a sewing machine used to make button holes. David Mattox is a clothing designer and works out of his home basement here in Eugene.

The Big Ten’s celebration of basketball

My unique experience following the Oregon men’s basketball team to Indianapolis

By Jack Lazarus Sports Associate Editor

Conference tournaments provide incredible opportunities beyond the game of basketball. While I relish getting to talk hustle stats with Oregon head coach Dana Altman, the Big Ten also sports some of the best coaches in the nation.

For years, I had seen Michigan State’s legendary head coach Tom Izzo go after reporters with his gruff voice, but this time it was me.

For years, I had seen UCLA’s puppetmaster head coach Mick Cronin pop off at reporters asking about his future, but this time I was there.

The Big Ten Tournament became the first time I had been truly starstruck entering a room full of journalists. After riding three planes, just being able to sit in that room should have made me feel as if I deserved to be there, but it didn’t.

Everything I experienced felt surreal — both as a sports fan and reporter.

Checking into a hotel directly across the street from the Indianapolis Colts’ monstrous Lucas Oil Stadium would have felt like a dream in any normal sense. But, when I checked in at midnight after 10 hours of traveling, the bright red lights bearing the stadium’s namesake made the sky light up.

The next morning, the short walk to Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the home of the Indiana Pacers, checked off a part of a long-term bucket list item of mine — going to all 30 NBA arenas.

Indiana is also known as the home of many of basketball’s greatest stars

— from Larry Bird to Darius Garland — so the history of the sport bled through to the tournament.

Indiana’s state-wide media coverage made up for well over 20 reporters, while Eugene-based media only accounted for two.

The score didn’t reflect the ratio of each team’s respective media coverage, but that’s something that the Ducks have had to deal with in their first season in the Big Ten. Oregon won its second round matchup 72-59 over Indiana.

“We knew their crowd was going to be involved with it being here in Indiana. I feel like we play good on the road, and with crowds involved. We’re kind of the away team,” Oregon point guard Jackson Shelstad said.

The next day, the Ducks matched up against coach Izzo’s top-seeded Spartans and lost 74-64 in the quarterfinal. Losing to the highest seed in the program’s first Big Ten tournament can never be frowned upon, especially to a coach who’s been at it with the same team for the last 31 seasons.

When asked how it felt to beat up on one of the newest conference teams as a tenured Big Ten member, Izzo’s answer came as a memorable surprise.

“There was no beat up. Were you drinking, or were you seeing a different game?” Izzo said.

The Basketball Hall of Famer, who is lauded for his incredible resume in March, then went on to describe how Oregon would make a lot of noise in the NCAA Tournament, as if I had not been covering this team all season.

menced, there were still three more games to be played.

What I couldn’t gather from the press box was the incredible atmosphere of a conference tournament’s early rounds. Fans representing every team, even those eliminated, came to enjoy two or even four games of Big Ten hoops. The one thread that connected everyone, myself included, was an intense love for basketball.

The Ducks lost in the quarterfinals, but that result played second fiddle to my experience immersing myself in one of the capitals of the basketball world. My first experience at a conference tournament proved that these events are much less a competition than a celebration of basketball.

(LEFT) Keyshawn Barthelemy (3) celebrates a “dagger” three-pointer with Steph Curry’s iconic “night,night” celebration. The Oregon Ducks took on the Indiana Hoosiers in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN, on March 13, 2025. (JonathanSuni/Emerald)

The Ducks played in the first game, and once my work for the day com-

NCATA Championship Rankings: Biggest winners, losers, on the bubble

By Owen Murray Sports Reporter

The National Acrobatics and Tumbling Association released its initial set of Championship Rankings, which will determine the eight teams selected for the 2025 National Championships, on March 26.

No. 2 Oregon (5-1) rose from fourth in preseason polling to second overall. Here’s a look into the biggest winners and losers from the initial set of rankings, plus a look at those on the bubble. Rankings are accurate as of April 2, 2025.

Biggest winners: No. 2 Oregon, No. 4 Augustana University, No. 5 Fairmont State University

Oregon has won all but one meet so far this season — a loss at home to Baylor University — and will feel secure in the No. 2 spot ahead of a rematch with the Bears on April 5. Plus, with that seed, the Ducks wouldn’t meet the Bears in the postseason until the final round.

Augustana, meanwhile, rose from No. 11 overall in the preseason coaches’ poll to No. 4 in the initial championship poll. The

Breaking down the postseason picture in the world of acrobatics and tumbling

Vikings (5-0) have strong wins over three preseason-ranked teams: No. 3 Gannon University, No. 7 Azusa Pacific University and No. 12 Hawaii Pacific University. Those three now sit No. 11, No. 9 and unranked, respectively, in the poll. Augustana is undefeated before its regular season finale against Missouri State University and should secure a postseason spot.

Fairmont State (7-1) has just two ranked victories — and none in the top 10 — but still sits at No. 5 in the rankings. The Fighting Falcons beat No. 11 Gannon and No. 13 Glenville State University, but suffered a loss to No. 9 Azusa Pacific on March 19 and have no ranked matchups remaining on their schedule. They’re a winner because they’re in a postseason slot — for now.

Biggest losers: No. 11 Gannon, No. 7 University of Mary Hardin-Baylor No. 11 Gannon (3-4) is undoubtedly the program that suffered the most between the preseason poll and midseason rankings. The Knights were picked third in preseason after a run to the 2024 NCATA Championship final, but they lost key contributors in the offseason and dropped meets to No.

2, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 12. They’ll likely finish ranked, but are a world away from a championship berth.

Mary Hardin-Baylor (3-3) currently has its hands on a postseason spot, but dropped two spots from No. 5 to No. 7 in the first poll. The Cru have had their chances, but didn’t look competitive in 19.175 and 20.905-point losses to Oregon and Baylor, respectively. They had a shot at No. 6 Iona University, too, but dropped a heartbreaker to the Gaels by just 0.130 points on March 19. They now face a first-round matchup with the No. 2 seed instead of the No. 4 seed.

On the bubble:

Mary Hardin-Baylor and No. 8 Limestone University (10-1) currently sit as the final two teams in for the NCATA Championships. The Saints have no wins ranked higher than over No. 13, and have a loss to No. 3 Quinnipiac University.

The Cru tally one regular-season meet left, but it’s against DIII Texas Lutheran University. Limestone will compete in the Conference Carolinas Championship, but have no regular-season meets left.

On the outside looking in are No. 9

Azusa Pacific (3-3) and No. 10 Saint Leo University (4-2). Azusa Pacific has just one ranked win and no regular-season meets remaining, so the Cougars are likely out. Saint Leo faces only unranked duo University of Montevallo and Talladega College before the season ends, and is also unlikely to jump into the top eight without help elsewhere.

The NCATA will release two further sets of rankings, on April 2 and April 9, before the final field is revealed on April 14. The 2025 NCATA Championships are scheduled for April 24-27 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

(Roshni Ram/Emerald)

Members of the Acrobatics and Tumbling team perform an acrobatic lift together.