JUNE 1, 2021
Tuesday Edition
Emerald Media
A PROMISE, 5 YEARS LATER Five years ago, the UO Foundation pledged to end fossil fuel investments. Has it?
NEWS
STUDENTS WITH CHILDREN PG 4
A&C
COMICS ARE FOR EVERYONE PG 8
OPINION
PLEASE KEEP WEARING A MASK PG 9
SPORTS
HALEY CRUSE'S CAREER PG 11 T U E S D AY, J U N E 1 , 2 0 2 1
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QUICK HITS
HOT OR NOT? From the Emerald Opinion Desk
“BUTTER” BY BTS EMERALD MEDIA GROUP 1395 UNIVERSITY ST., #302 EUGENE, OR 97403 541.346.5511
The ultra popular K-pop boy band, BTS, just dropped a new bop, “Butter.” The smooth, sexy song exudes joy, shows off the charisma of all seven members and is sure to have listeners smiling and dancing all summer long. - Elizabeth Groening
NEWSROOM
“A QUIET PLACE: PART TWO”
VOL. 122, ISSUE NO. 55
GET IN TOUCH
This movie embodies what a perfect sequel looks like. The whole cast gives another mind-blowing performance, the backstory is chilling and your heart will be thumping through the whole film. This one is a mustsee. - Jael Calloway
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Ryan Nguyen MANAGING EDITOR
Francis O’Leary ENGAGEMENT EDITOR
Ashley Ng
NEWS EDITORS
Jack Forrest Duncan Baumgarten Ardeshir Tabrizian
OREGON’S VACCINE LOTTERY
A&C EDITORS
Sarah-Mae McCullough Grace Murray
The vaccine lottery in Oregon follows a trend of incentives to get citizens vaccinated. It’s a smart tactic, but it shows that some Americans are more motivated by a near-zero chance of getting money than by protecting others. - Parsa Aghel
SPORTS EDITORS
Shane Hoffmann Mojo Hill Charlie Gearing PHOTO EDITOR
Maddie Knight
DULCE DE LECHE CEREAL
DESIGN EDITOR
Kira Chan
Dulce De Leche Cereal General Mills recently released Dulce De Leche Toast Crunch, but don’t get too excited. There’s an extreme artificial taste and the squares turn soggy too quickly. Not the worst, but definitely not the best. - Jael Calloway
COPY CHIEF
Sophia Edelblute Capps MULTIMEDIA EDITORS
Meaghan FitzPatrick Sarah Miller DIGITAL EDITOR
Jordan McMinn
BUSINESS
GOP KILLS CAPITOL RIOT INQUIRY
PUBLISHER & PRESIDENT
Bill Kunerth X317
Senate Republicans prevented an investigation of the Jan. 6 attack on the nation’s capital. What more do you expect from the party that spent 18 months blatantly disregarding human life and accountability during a pandemic? - Bazil Sterling
bkunerth@dailyemerald.com VP OPERATIONS
Kathy Carbone X302
kcarbone@dailyemerald.com DIRECTOR OF SALES & DIGITAL MARKETING
Shelly Rondestvedt X303
srondestvedt@dailyemerald.com
ALLERGIES
CREATIVE & TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
It’s springtime in Eugene and you know what that means: actual hell. Oregon being the grass seed capital of the world stops being so impressive when Eugene and Springfield are swamped in pollen that blinds and suffocates. - Andrew Stevens
Sam Rudkin X327
creative@dailyemerald.com STUDENT SALES MANAGER
Stella Kalomiris
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Patrick McCumber Keaton Roberts Amy Menendez 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.
Several pipes within the University of Oregon Central Power Station are labeled “natural gas.” (Maddie Knight/ Emerald)
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REGIONAL AND STATE NEWS STATE HOSPITAL STAFFING CRISIS PROMPTS REQUEST FOR NATIONAL GUARD ASSISTANCE: State health officials requested 30 nurses from the National Guard on May 26 as the Oregon State Hospital remains in a staffing crisis. This Memorial Day weekend, 24 managers filled shifts for nurses on the Salem campus, with 33% of nursing staff on coronavirus-related leave and 20 hospital employees having resigned just this month, according to the Salem Reporter. Gov. Kate Brown’s office has not yet announced whether it will call on the National Guard. – ARDY TABRIZIAN NO. 15 OREGON BASEBALL LOOKS TO MAKE A SPLASH IN PLAYOFFS: After winning their final series versus Cal, the Ducks finished their season top 25 in the nation with a record of 37-15. The Ducks won 10 of their 14 series throughout the year and finished second in the Pac-12. Since the beginning of April, the Ducks only have lost eight games, which gives them a compelling reason as to why they should host regionals. – KAI KANZER
Emerald Recommendations
THE DAILY EMERALD
ON THE COVER
Around OR
‘FRIENDS: THE REUNION’ The episode where the “Friends” cast gets back together is quite possibly one of the best things to come out of television in 2021 thus far. The hour-and-45-minute-long episode is full of surprise guests, happy memories, tears, table reads, exposed secrets and nostalgia. Anyone who has ever watched “Friends” will appreciate the television special for its genuine heartwarming nature and stellar production value. - Grace Murray
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TAYLOR SWIFT’S RE-RECORDED ALBUMS
After her record label sold rights to her music to a manager who Swift says bullied her, the singer decided to re-record and release her old albums. “Taylor’s Version,” the new mix, includes nearly identical re-recordings of classics like “Love Story” as well as songs “from the vault” that didn’t make it into the original albums. The tracks stir up memories of country Taylor but with higher production quality and a matured voice. -Sarah-Mae McCullough
(Maddie Stellingwerf/Emerald)
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NEWS
STUDENTS WITH CHILDREN FACE UNIQUE CHALLENGES DURING THE PANDEMIC Nontraditional students with children have found support through UO’s resources and connections with each other. BY ERYN McGUIRE • TWITTER @ERYNMCGUIRE_
Moss St. is a program that is provided through the EMU. It aims to aid UO Faculty and students with a flexible daycare experience. Moss St. Children’s Center accommodates the needs of parents’ workloads when enrolled in University. (Maddie Stellingwerf/Emerald)
Throughout the academic year, navigating online classes has been more difficult for some than others. This is especially true for many students with children of their own who have faced the task of balancing their child’s Zoom learning with their own. Danica Barrick, a UO public relations major and mother of an 11-year-old, has found support through the Nontraditional Student Union, a student-run organization dedicated to connecting these students to resources as well as each other. “I can't say I connected with too many other undergrads that were outside of the Nontraditional Student Union, but when I got to meet other parents in the same situation as me, that's when I found my people,” she said. “I think that finding that community was imperative for me to feel accepted on campus.” Barrick, 36, moved her family from southern california to Eugene to pursue a bachelor's degree after getting an associate’s degree at her local community college. Along with her 11-year-old son, she also has two stepsons, aged 21 and 20. When all UO classes moved online due to COVID-19, Barrick was home with her son, helping him navigate fifth grade on Zoom. He suffers from test anxiety and had an especially hard time adjusting to taking exams at home with none of his classmates around, she said. She sometimes needed to miss class to be there to support him. Barrick took online classes while studying for her associate’s degree, but it’s been a lot more difficult with a child at home, she said. She never gets the chance to turn off her “mom brain” and focus on her work. When her son is somewhere else, under someone else’s supervision, it’s easier to get work done, she said. “Once you start reading and writing it's like you can't get on a roll because you’re getting interrupted all the time like: ‘Mom, I need help. Mom, I need to snack. Mom, I need to go to my friend's house,’” she said. Barrick currently serves as co-director of the Nontraditional Student Union and works to connect student parents with resources for success. She also works with Maria Kalnbach, coordinator of nontraditional and veteran student success, who leads the Dean of Students-run Nontraditional Student program to plan events and PA G E 4
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The Children's Center is located on the corner of 17th Ave and Moss St. It accommodates the needs of parents’ workloads when enrolled at UO. (Maddie Stellingwerf/Emerald)
help connect students to one another. “If you're a student, parent or a nontraditional student that needs to work, study and be a parent, you're balancing and juggling a lot of things,” Kalnbach said. “We try to help them figure out how to manage all of that stuff without getting into too much stress.” During spring term, NSP worked alongside the UO Women’s Center and University Housing on a children’s clothing swap, an annual event that was held for the first time since the pandemic started. Each year, NSP collaborates with the Student Rec Center to host a family recreation day during winter term. It’s also brought in tutoring center staff to teach students about speed reading and time management, as well as counseling center staff to talk about mental health resources at the university. Moss Street Children’s Center, located at the south edge of campus, serves families with parents who either study or work at UO, with first priority given to students. At the start of the pandemic, the center closed until resuming limited in-person sessions in August. While shut down, it still offered virtual resources for parents, the center’s director Becky Lamoureux said. “It’s great that we’re able to be open even though there are a lot of safety protocols to be followed,” she said. “We love seeing how much the children are getting out of being here and how much appreciation the parents have for us being open.” Barrick said that she and her peers feel that the university does a good job of offering support to students with children, but there is always room for improvement. Many student parents would benefit from having a wider range of online classes year-round and having the ability to bring their children into buildings like the EMU, she said. “I know that there are a lot of parents that have smaller children, and there's no way they can get to use our printing resources or to talk to anybody on campus without being able to bring our kids into the EMU,” she said. Barrick is six classes away from graduating with a bachelor’s degree in public relations. Her son is now going to school in person for four hours each day, and she looks forward to the day when his classes are back to normal.
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NEWS
UO TO OFFER NATIVE AMERICAN AND INDIGENOUS STUDIES MAJOR Pending approval from state legislators, UO will extend the Native studies minor into an undergraduate major. BY JOANNA MANN • TWITTER @JOANNA_MANN_
(Courtesy of Kirby Brown)
The Many Nations Longhouse, located on the University of Oregon campus, serves as a meeting place for Indigenous/Native American students at UO. The UO Senate and Board of Trustees have approved a new Native American and Indigenous studies major. (Will Geschke/Emerald)
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The University of Oregon will offer an undergraduate degree in Native American and Indigenous studies starting in either fall 2021 or 2022. It will be the only undergraduate program on campus with “explicit commitments to serving Indigenous nations and communities,” according to Native American Studies Director Kirby Brown. “The university has stated public commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion and has acknowledged that Indigenous and communities of color have been severely underrepresented, structurally and systemically,” Brown said. “Having a Native studies program on campus at the flagship institution in the state of Oregon, with nine federally recognized tribes, is an important symbolic but also intellectual gesture.” UO is built on Kalapuya Ilihi land and has an Indigenous population 50% higher than the national average, with 0.7% of UO students identifying as Native American. A Native studies minor was created in 2013 and has grown steadily over the years, with an alltime high of 41 students currently enrolled in the minor. Over 80% of students in the minor identify as Native. One of these students is UO senior Gwen Wolfe, who is a member of the Choctaw nation of Oklahoma and is an Indigenous, race and ethnic studies major. They are involved with the UO Native American Student Union and work with Native faculty at the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence. Wolfe said they have been advocating for a Native studies major since coming to UO in 2017. Had it existed a couple of years ago, Wolfe said they would have absolutely declared the major. “Indigenous studies is my focus within the IRES [major],” they said. “There have been classes that I've had to take to fulfill my major requirements that have caused me to not be able to take Indigenous studies-related classes that I wanted, because I just didn't have the slots open.” The major, an extension of the current Native studies minor, will be offered as a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of science. It will have an interdisciplinary track and a language track, both of which will require 56 credits. All students will take Intro to Native American Studies, Indigenous Peoples of Oregon, Native Feminisms and Indigenous Methodologies. The program was approved by the UO Senate and Board of Trustees, and it now has to go through multiple levels of state approval. If completed over the summer, the major will begin in fall 2021. If not, it will start up the following year. Brown said he wants the new major to be a place where Native students can see themselves represented in the curriculum and have their communities and experiences centered in the classroom. However, non-Native students are encouraged to take these courses as well. “We believe that Native studies is for everyone, and we absolutely want every student who comes to the University of Oregon to have some exposure to Native American studies,” Brown said. “You can't really understand Oregon history or American history without understanding the relationship of Native peoples to that history and to the federal government.” Students who are currently enrolled in the minor will be able to shift their credits over to the major. Additionally, undeclared students and other underclassmen will be able to declare the major along with incoming students. Portland State University and Southern Oregon University already offer Native studies programs in their curriculum. Every course will be taught by faculty who currently work within the IRES department. “The UO hasn't always had a reputation as a place that was welcoming for Native students,” Brown said. “I think that having a major curriculum that both Native and non-Native students can pursue at the university will be a pretty big draw for Native students who are considering higher education in the state of Oregon.”
COVER
‘MONEY SPEAKS:’ THE UO FOUNDATION’S PROMISE TO END FOSSIL FUEL INVESTMENT, 5 YEARS LATER UO Foundation president Paul Weinhold said the foundation has “absolutely honored” its commitment to let current contracts with fossil fuel extractors run out, but some climate change activists cast doubt on the organization’s transparency.
(Emerald Archives)
BY DUNCAN BAUMGARTEN • TWITTER @DUNCANBAUMGART2 The University of Oregon Foundation, a charitable organization in charge of allocating private donations given to UO, has not made any new investments in fossil fuels since its 2016 promise to no longer financially support its extraction, UO Foundation president Paul Weinhold said. Weinhold and the UO Foundation said they won’t release current investments for independent verification. “We explained at the time that sometimes the investments we make are long-term investments with private managers, and we will let those run out, and those are in the process of running out,” he said. “It’s literally a fraction of what we had in 2016, I believe. We’re absolutely honoring that commitment.” The UO Foundation is a private organization separate from UO, which maintains confidential investment agreements with various investment managers. For that reason, the foundation does not share information publicly about which investments it holds and does not publish its investment catalogues. Citing the confidential nature of some of its investments, the foundation declined to provide the Emerald with its current portfolio for the purposes of independently verifying when the existing contracts between itself and fossil fuel extraction corporations will expire. However, Weinhold said all of the foundation’s existing investments are set to run out within the next one to two years. Mirjana Knepprath is a member of the Climate Justice League’s Divest UO campaign, which advocates for the UO Foundation and the university to fully divest from all fossil fuels. She said Divest UO is satisfied with the intentions behind the UO Foundation’s pledge, but “isn’t satisfied at all” in the way the foundation is trying to
accomplish it. The campaign’s main issue is with their members’ interactions with the foundation. Knepprath said that despite repeated attempts to get a clear answer about the status of the fossil fuel divestment, they haven’t been able to get one. “They’ll say they’re divested from fossil fuels, but the problem is transparency,” she said. “We can’t look into their investments, and a lot of their investments are investments they can keep private for legal reasons.” Unless the UO Foundation allows students to see their current investments, she said, students can’t know for sure whether it has divested fully or whether it has signed new contracts with fossil fuel extractors. Knepprath said the first thing that needs to happen is for the foundation to be completely transparent in its investments. “I can’t know — and we can’t know — where they’re invested or even what new things we could be invested in without knowing what they’re currently invested in,” she said. “Everything starts with transparency.” She acknowledged that the UO Foundation does have a legal obligation to abide by the confidential contracts it has signed but said that the contracts shouldn’t exist in the first place. “Their first priority should be to the students and ensuring that the students have a transparent look into how the foundation operates and what they invest in,” Knepprath said. Jay Mamyet, then-chief investment officer for the UO Foundation, highlighted in 2016 the foundation’s belief that initiatives like solar and wind power, as well as sustainable forestry and organic farming, would gradually replace the backing of fossil fuels. “We intend to let those carbonbased investments — which were
initiated many years ago — expire without renewal, ending our investment in carbon-based fuel sources,” Mamyet wrote. Weinhold said that the decision to no longer invest in fossil fuels “hasn’t harmed us in any way,” given the foundation’s original position that fossil fuel extraction isn’t a good investment. Grace Brahler is the Oregon climate action plan and policy manager for the local climate activism group Beyond Toxics. She said the board’s decision has huge implications. “It’s all about power,” she said. “Fossil fuel divestment — especially by such a large and well publicized institution like the UO Foundation — really holds the fossil fuel industry accountable for its culpability in the climate crisis.” Divesting from fossil fuels is a worldwide movement across multiple industries, including governments, faith-based institutions and philanthropic foundations. Nearly 1,400 institutions around the world have pledged to divest from fossil fuel extractions, according to 350. org’s Fossil Free, totaling an estimated $14.56 trillion value. “Fossil fuel divestment, that movement, it can just break the hold that the fossil fuel industry has on our society and our government,” Brahler said. “And so this is a big signal that the public no longer wants to consent to the destruction caused by the fossil fuel industries and especially on those vulnerable communities.” Brahler said the UO Foundation’s move to divest also highlights the moral dimensions of climate change, and that Beyond Toxic’s work centers those who are most seriously impacted by the climate crisis. “We work to involve and center and highlight the impact on frontline communities, who have and will continue to experience the impact
of climate change first and worst,” Brahler said. Weinhold said the UO Foundation has a “very singular focus,” which is to grow the endowment for the university community. “We take into consideration environmental and social and governance issues at all times, and that we care about the same things they care about,” he said, regarding what the UO community cares about. “But we do have a mandate, and that’s to maintain the purchasing power of the endowment for generations to come.” Weinhold said that he appreciates students’ concern and input regarding the investments of the UO Foundation. “Oftentimes, students can be very close to things that are happening in the world that maybe we’re not, so certainly we appreciate that feedback,” he said. Weinhold said the UO Foundation takes the concerns of the Climate Justice League “very seriously,” calling them “a passionate group of students who care about the future of the planet.” Knepprath said that it’s important for big investors like UO to more broadly divest from fossil fuels. “Just generally, fossil fuel companies cannot continue their work without investors,” she said. “It’s important for all these other big foundations to divest on a larger scale, because if you can start small at a small university, this can happen at other universities.” “Money speaks,” Brahler said, “and the sooner that our prominent institutions or foundations use their power to divert those funds away from the fossil fuel industry, the sooner much needed broad level systemic change can take place and we can actually begin to realize the future — the just future where our communities are healthy and thriving and supportive.” T U E S D AY, J U N E 1 , 2 0 2 1
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A&C
COMICS ARE FOR EVERYONE BY MIA RYDER-MARKS • TWITTER @MIARYDERMARKS
Andrea Gilroy (Mia Ryder-Marks/Emerald)
Books with Pictures Eugene provides an inclusive space for all comic lovers. On the intersection of Olive Street and Broadway, nestled beside a local cocktail bar, the shop Books with Pictures offers an inclusive twist for comic book lovers. Inside the brick building with a green roof and tall windows, visitors are greeted with a warm welcome from owner Andréa Gilroy and store manager Finlay Louden. Gilroy has always loved comic books. In 2015, she graduated from UO with a Ph.D. in comparative literature, where she studied and taught the history of comics and how the content reflects identity. Aside from her passion for the content, Gilroy said that comic book shops often have a reputation for catering to one group — whether they deserve it or not — which can make them unapproachable to general audiences. "That kind of thing is not only alienating to people who aren't comics fans but want to get into comics,” she said. “It's especially alienating to women, People of Color, LGBTQ folks on top of it." This inspired Gilroy to create a shop that was not only inclusive but a community-focused hub for all walks of life: somewhere that could host events, book clubs and discussions. She wanted to "have lots of nights where geeks and nerds could kind of come together and hang out and talk about things.” “I also wanted to see a place that was really intentionally open and inviting to people who weren't necessarily already sort of comics geeks,” Gilroy said. The Eugene shop is a sister shop to the company in Portland. They share a name and many of the same ideas, such as their mission to harvest and foster a welcoming space for anyone interested in comics, no matter their identity or knowledge level. Books with Pictures Eugene cut its opening ribbon in March 2020, but after only two weeks the store had to close its doors for eight weeks due to COVID-19 guidelines that hammered down on Eugene’s local businesses. Yet, the store adapted by offering online sales, pickups and deliveries. Despite the social distancing restrictions, the shop still created a community, Gilroy said. Although they faced many challenges in the first year since opening, Gilroy said it was a humbling PA G E 8
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experience. "People have responded in a lot of really amazing ways. The fact that people continue to find us and people continue to tell their friends," she said. "We continue to grow; it's really moving." The shop collaborates with local artists and authors who produce zines, books, stickers, pins or prints and they hope to host in-house events like book clubs, drink and draw events and Dungeons and Dragons game nights soon. The comic book selection stands from floor to ceiling and offers “a little bit of everything” with genres like youth, manga, fiction, nonfiction and superheroes, among others. Gilroy prioritizes marginalized voices such as People of Color, women authors and LGBTQ+ people when curating the store’s stock. The two employees are happy to guide customers through their vast selection and have an enthusiastic and educational approach to customer service, Gilroy said. This might be the perfect solution for individuals
who are intrigued by comic books but don’t know where to start. Besides the store’s large selection, Books with Pictures offers a place for inclusivity and shows that comic book stores are for everyone. “Some people think that comics are a specific thing or that comics can only tell a specific kind of story, and that's just really not true,” Gilroy said. “If you like stories, there's probably a comic out there that might appeal to you. It's a really powerful and interesting storytelling medium. That's what excites me most about it. That's why I love it so much.”
(Mia Ryder-Marks/Emerald)
OPINION
PLEASE KEEP WEARING A MASK BY ANDREW STEVENS • TWITTER @VNDREWWS
STEVENS: Despite new CDC guidelines that allow vaccinated people to stop wearing a mask, we should all keep our masks on for the sake of front-line workers and those who are still vulnerable.
In mid-May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released information stating that if you’re fully vaccinated, you aren’t required to wear a mask in public. As expected, this information was met with joy. Who isn’t tired of breathing in their own carbon dioxide? While it may be tempting to see this as the green light to stop wearing a mask entirely, I suggest that you still wear a mask when in public, if not for yourself then for the minimum wage workers who interact with dozens of people daily. Before the new mask suggestion from the CDC and state specific legislature, people were already overly eager to stop wearing their masks. Oregon is a perfect example of a state where much of the population is skeptical about the legitimacy of the vaccine but also ready for things to reopen as usual. These new guidelines give skeptical people all the more reason to not wear their masks, even if they aren’t vaccinated. Very blatant evidence of this issue is the entire state of Texas, where the governor has prohibited governmental bodies (e.g., schools) from requiring masks. It’s preposterous to act like COVID-19 has just disappeared, especially in Texas where only 35% of the population is vaccinated. Impatient adults are selfishly choosing to put children at risk by rushing anti-mask regulation through. Oregon isn’t much better though, as only 42% of Oregonians are fully vaccinated, according to the Oregon Health Authority. Seeing these numbers should be enough to deter someone from saying the pandemic is over or that we don’t need to wear masks. I’m not the only one who’s worried though; at an Infectious Diseases Society of America press conference about the new CDC guidelines, Dr. Jeffery Duchin, liaison between the CDC and the IDSA, said, “What the CDC did though was sub-optimal and allowed for misimpression that the mask mandates have been lifted.” I find that the hardest part of all of this is how it affects public trust of science and government. It was hard enough to convince people that we really do need to wear masks and that the government and scientists are not lying. I don’t know if it’s possible to convince those same people that even though the CDC says you don’t have to wear a mask, you definitely still should. In the end it comes down to people’s ability to think critically. Inform yourself by using the websites of the CDC, the IDSA, and the WHO to find statistics and trying to understand the basics of the pandemic. If everyone did this rationally, it would be obvious that we should still wear masks, at least a little longer. In a matter of time, the pandemic really will be in the rearview, but for now it is still all around us taking lives. Out of respect for the millions of people who lost their lives to COVID-19, continue to wear a mask until more are vaccinated. And if you’re not vaccinated, make it happen ASAP. If you’re in Lane County there are lots of vaccine resources, so there’s really no reason not to get it. A post-pandemic world is possible; everyone has to do their part just a little while longer. Get a vaccine, wear a mask and act like others are worth saving.
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 (Kayla Lockwood/Emerald)
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University
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Hayward had a fascination with shoes that began long before he arrived in Eugene. Before one of his professional races, Hayward came out for his warmups wearing striped socks over his shoes. As soon as the gun went off, Hayward ripped off the socks, revealing a new pair of shoes with spikes on the soles — one of the first known pairs of spiked shoes to ever be used in a track meet. He won by a landslide.
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During the race, a number of nearby retail stores were robbed by a suspect who’d climbed in through the roof. Because of his spiked shoes, Hayward was briefly held and questioned by the local police. He was released soon after, free of any charges.
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EUGENE, OREGON
SPORTS
HOW ONE PHONE CALL CHANGED HALEY CRUSE’S CAREER BY KAI KANZER • TWITTER @RIVERKAIKANZ
Once a Stanford commit, the school dropped Cruse just days before national signing day.
Ducks outfielder Haley Cruse (26) swings and hits a Arizona pitch. Oregon softball takes on Arizona Wildcats for senior day at Jane Sanders Stadium in Eugene, Ore. on May 09, 2021. (Kevin Wang/Daily Emerald)
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It’s the end of the Haley Cruse era in Eugene, Oregon. After a heartbreaking loss to the University of Texas in the NCAA regional finals, Cruse, one of the best softball players to ever put on an Oregon jersey, graduated. The first player in program history to lead the team in hitting for four straight years, Cruse owns countless program records. In her 216 career games, Cruse sits at an astonishing .375 batting average. But despite her overwhelming success, Cruse’s career in Eugene wasn’t supposed to happen. As a sophomore in high school, Cruse committed to Stanford University. But, as fate would have it, less than a week before Cruse was supposed to sign her letter of intent, the school dropped her, leaving her devastated. Cruse wasn’t admitted academically, although she thought she had all of the grades that she needed. Cruse’s career would look vastly different had she never received that phone call. But what once looked like a potential end to her softball career was a blessing in disguise, opening an entirely new world of possibilities for Cruse. “I was very thankful that Oregon picked me up so fast,” Cruse said. “I heard the news about Stanford on a Wednesday, and I was visiting Oregon on that Friday. I was very lucky that a school as successful as Oregon was willing to take me on that late in the game.” Cruse knew that it would not be an easy task — that she’d have to earn her spot and prove herself to a coaching staff that lacked a depth of background knowledge on her. “That was a challenge coming in, because I was coming into the No. 1 recruiting class. I honestly felt like I didn’t belong,” Cruse said. “I struggled a lot freshman year with confidence because of that.” Cruse only started four games, and it wasn’t until her sophomore year that she was able to transform her game and take it to the next level. “[She] came in early and didn't know how great of an athlete she was,” head coach Melyssa Lombardi said. “She started figuring that out I think towards her sophomore year.” Cruse broke out in her second season, leading all Pac-12 hitters with a .426 batting average in conference games and a .377 overall batting average. That very season, Cruse led the Ducks to a 53-10 overall record, a Pac-12 Championship and an appearance in the College World Series of softball. The year after, in Cruse’s junior season, the Oregon softball program underwent major changes. After winning the Pac-12 in 2018, head coach Mike White took a new coaching job at the University of Texas. White's departure wasn’t Oregon’s only blow; 10 players, many of whom were starters, transferred, leaving Oregon’s roster gutted. “People [thought] that we weren’t even going to be able to field a team that year,” Cruse said. “For us to come out and do what we were able to do — with the lack of depth that we had — just showed how much fight and resilience this team had. That was a pivotal moment in our program and really established a culture that we have been able to build off of since then. Cruse stayed through it all, watching her teammates depart as the program was dismantled piece by piece. She felt as if she owed it to Oregon to return after White’s departure. After all, it was Oregon that took a chance on her when it seemed like nobody else would. Cruse became the face of Oregon softball. The adversity that Cruse had faced allowed her to blossom into a resilient, experienced leader. “I have always been a quiet leader that likes to lead by example, but that year I really had to step out of my comfort zone and learn how to be more of a vocal leader and share my wisdom,” Cruse said. “I think that has helped me immensely, not only on the field but in life too. It really brought me out of my shell and forced me to learn quickly how to influence others.” After an unfortunate and premature ending to the 2020 season, Cruse thought she had played her last softball game ever and would never put on an Oregon jersey again. As it turned out, it was not the end of Cruse’s run with Oregon. The NCAA announced in May of 2020 that they would allow seniors to return for another year. “[The 2020] season didn’t end how I wanted it to,” Cruse said in an interview with the Pac-12 Network in 2020. “Coming back was never a decision of whether or not I wanted to come back, it was more of whether or not I would have been able to.” As soon as Cruse got word that the NCAA was allowing seniors to return, she immediately let her coach know that she wanted to play another year at Oregon. Cruse in her final season left everything that she had on the field. She enjoyed every second and made as many memories as she could. While she moves away from the field, Cruse’s love for the game won’t ever fade. In hopes to stay around the game that has given her so much, Cruse wants to do everything that she can to give back to the game that made her who she is. She will graduate from Oregon with a bachelor’s in sports business as well as a master’s in advertising and brand responsibility. As Cruse departs from Oregon and starts the next chapter in her life, she will always carry with her the immense values of loyalty, hard work and enjoying the moment. “It's about living in the present and enjoying every moment, because it is so easy to be concerned about the future,” Cruse said. “So live each moment like it’s your last, because you never know when it is going to be taken away.” T U E S D AY, J U N E 1 , 2 0 2 1
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EDITORIAL
EMERALD’S FIRST CENSUS SHOWS WHITE,
WOMEN-MAJORITY NEWSROOM BY RYAN NGUYEN • TWITTER @RYANJJNGUYEN
Our diversity census reveals that our average employee is a White woman in an unpaid role. Editor’s Note: This column reflects the opinion of the editor-in-chief and not of the newsroom as a whole, the editorial board nor individual Emerald reporters. The Emerald’s first diversity census has been a long time coming. Across the U.S., newsrooms are largely White, male and heterosexual. The most recent data from the American Society of News Leaders — which surveys newsrooms annually on their demographics — shows promise, but is frustrating in the slow improvements it does display. Some key highlights from the 2019 ASNL survey include how People of Color comprise about one in five (21.9%) of surveyed salaried newsroom employees. About four in 10 (41.8%) newsroom employees are women, and among management, just under one in five (18.8%) are People of Color. Nearly half (40.5%) are women and very few (2%) are non-binary. What does this mean for news organizations? Newspapers rarely reflect the diversity of their readerships, nor the communities they are based in. This disparity is reflected in their reporting, which can weigh White issues more heavily and minimize issues faced by Black, Indigenous, People of Color and other minorities. News reporting can shape our understanding of present reality, our perceptions of the past and the imagined possibilities of the future — but when entire perspectives are written out of existence, it furthers racist narratives and continues a harmful legacy of reporting. Few college newsrooms conduct these surveys, and some — but not all — professional newsrooms do so. To be sure, journalists have made strides in advocating for more diverse reporting and newsrooms. There are several newsrooms across the country that focus on issues that BIPOC, women and LGBTQ+ people face, including The 19th News, MLK50 and Autostraddle, among others. But there’s always more that we can do. We conducted a survey in May, and 52 of the Emerald’s 70 employees responded, making for a PA G E 1 2
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response rate of 74%. Here are the key facts. These statistics reflect the demographics of respondents, but they need to be carefully used when discussing the newsroom as a whole. • • • • • • •
Nearly four in five (78.8%) of respondents are White Over half (53.8%) are women About two-thirds (67.3%) are heterosexual Nearly two-thirds (65.3%) are “very liberal” and none identified as conservative 26.9% have UO need-based academic scholarships, 25% are not using financial aid and 40.4% have some kind of loan About two thirds (65.4%) do not receive a regular paid stipend The vast majority (90.4%) do not consider themselves to have a permanent or temporary disability
Some of this data aligns with the University of Oregon’s own demographics. For one, the Emerald and UO have nearly the same percentage of women students, with a difference of less than a percentage point, according to 2019 UO data. But there are a few key differences. The Emerald has a higher percentage of White students than UO’s student body, which is 60.0% White. Additionally, the UO Office of Institutional Research — which collects much of the data surrounding university demographics — does not have data on
students’ sexualities or hometowns, so making some direct comparisons is difficult. This survey also collected anonymous written responses about the newsroom’s diversity efforts from Emerald staff. “I don’t think our work engages issues of race enough,” one respondent said. “I don't have a lot of insight into what's happening when it comes to hiring/internal work, but I feel like I haven't seen a lot of intentional talk about diversity and inclusion beyond going to student groups for ETP,” another respondent said, referring to the Emerald Trust Project, a newsroom initiative for building transparency and community trust. “I think we could make ourselves more accessible to students who don't necessarily have a lot of time to put into an unpaid position and ensure reporters are getting the support they need to grow and learn,” one respondent said. Since this is the Emerald’s first diversity census, it’s also not very easy to gauge movements toward or away from a more representative newsroom when examining previous years. My hope as I graduate this spring is that these censuses continue annually so the Emerald can continue working on these issues. A more representative newsroom means more accurate and truthful reporting — a goal that every journalist needs to have.
Results from the Emerald’s census in May (Ryan Nguyen/Emerald)