9-28-23 Emerald Media Group - Week of Welcome

NEWSROOM

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Evan Reynolds

PRINT MANAGING EDITOR

Emma J Nelson

DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR

Romie Avivi Stuhl

NEWS EDITOR Tristin Hoffman

A&C EDITOR

Reilly Norgren

SPORTS EDITORS

Nina-Grace Montes

Brady Ruth

OPINION EDITOR

Sophia Cossette

PHOTO EDITORS

Molly McPherson

Jonathan Suni

DESIGN EDITOR

Liz Blodgett

COPY CHIEF

Olivia Ellerbruch

SENIOR COPY EDITOR

Alex Woodward

VIDEO EDITOR

Anne Marie Armstrong

PODCAST EDITOR

Mirandah Davis-Powell

SOCIALS EDITOR

Alicia Santiago

VISUALS EDITOR

Stella Fetherston

BUSINESS

PUBLISHER & PRESIDENT

Bill Kunerth X317 bkunerth@dailyemerald.com

VP OPERATIONS

Kathy Carbone X302 kcarbone@dailyemerald.com

DIRECTOR OF SALES & DIGITAL MARKETING

Shelly Rondestvedt X303 srondestvedt@dailyemerald.com

CREATIVE & TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Anna Smith X327 creative@dailyemerald.com

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Lola Tagwerker

Cori Caplinger

Cooper Gast

Taylor Baumgardner

ON THE COVER

Shanie Jorgenson is the codirector of the Nontraditional Student Union at the University of Oregon. The NSU provides resources and services to help nontradtional students balance life and school. (Molly McPherson/Emerald)

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Welcome back to campus!

It’s supposed to be another classically rainy week in Eugene as students return to UO for the first week of classes (as editor-in-chief, I take no responsibility for changes in the weather between now and the time of this article’s publication!). It’s an opportune time to reflect on the year ahead.

Since I took over this job in June, the biggest misconception I’ve dealt with has been countless friends and family asking me what it’s like to “work for the university” — whether I’ve signed my union card, who I report to and more. It’s always a mild surprise when I tell them the Emerald is, in fact, not financially affiliated with UO at all.

The Daily Emerald has been an independent publication since 1971. We receive no funding from the university administration or the journalism department; in fact, our only source of UO funding comes from student fees recently negotiated with ASUO. Our media company, Emerald Media Group, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that derives most of its annual revenue from print and digital advertising, fundraising and donations.

Independent student media is like a unicorn — increasingly rare and particularly exciting. It allows us to deliver impactful journalism and storytelling to our readers and the campus community without sacrificing editorial autonomy. Over the years, Emerald reporters have pushed boundaries, held local institutions accountable for wrongdoings and helped define what it means to be a student journalist.

There’s a lot of news happening in our community. There’s an impending election process that could create the largest undergraduate student workers’ union in the country right here in Eugene. University athletics’ move to the Big Ten has stoked simultaneous excitement and outrage, with enormous implications for student travel times and class schedules. And, of course, there’s a new president on campus — many are wondering how Scholz and his team will address tuition hikes, salary negotiations for faculty and graduate employees and other pressing issues.

The Emerald has a key opportunity to reassert itself as the paper of record on the key issues facing our community. Let us help you make sense of it all –– and offer an independent, student-led voice to help move us into the future.

IN OTHER NEWS

(Summer-Surgent-Gough/Emerald)

While UO freshmen are required to live on campus, few are prepared for the exorbitant costs that come with living off-campus, where students can often pay upwards of $1,000 a month in rent alone.

Evan

Reynolds Daily Emerald Editor-in-Chief

HOW IT’S REPORTED

“NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENTS PROLIFERATE AT UO” BY

DAVID CHANDLER

David Chandler, a senior English student and nontraditional student correspondent for the Daily Emerald, wrote about what the umbrella term of “nontraditional student” encompasses.

Chandler originally wanted to report about upcoming events hosted by the non-traditional student office in Oregon Hall. However, as he began writing the story in late June, there weren’t many events occurring over the summer. Chandler also noted that the event schedule can change “from day to day, week to week,” so he opted to focus on the subject in a broader sense.

BY EMMA J NELSON • DESIGNED BY LIZ BLODGETT

“Something around 40% of the American university population qualifies as nontraditional,” Chandler said. Even Chandler was unaware of who all counted as a nontraditional student, he said, citing DREAMers as an example.

“I just want all these people who might feel out of place — like I kinda do cause I’m more than twice the age of your average undergraduate — to know that there are other people like them,” Chandler said. “I got a whole lot of other ideas for shorter stories.”

Chandler has been an A&C reporter for the Daily Emerald since June and this is his first cover story.

UO student workers will be eligible to vote in an upcoming union election from Oct. 5 to 24. If over 50% vote to certify the UO Student Workers’ Union, UOSW will become their exclusive representative.

We want to hear from you:

Email editor@ dailyemerald.com to submit a tip or a letter to the editor. The ideal length for a letter is 200-500 words, but we publish letters of various lengths online.

(Stella Fetherston/Emerald)

MEET THE EMERALD’S NEW PUBLISHER

BY JASMINE SABOORIAN • DESIGNED BY ESTHER SZETO

The EMG Board of Directors has selected Eric Henry as the new publisher and executive director, and he officially begins on Oct. 2.

Henry spent the first 15 years of his career working in different departments of community newspapers and publications such as editorial, sales, production, distribution and management.

For the last 15 years, Henry has been a significant part of business-tobusiness media marketing through online and digital sales, product and audience development, marketing, operations, planning and analysis.

Henry started his reporting career as an undergraduate student reporter at the Kansas State Collegian.

“I loved being in the college newsroom environment back when I was in school,” Henry said. “It’s really stuck with me. I like the energy and the creative ideas and the commitment to independent student-run journalism.”

Henry said he is very passionate about the role that the EMG and all independent college publications play in society today, and his goal is to maintain the independence that the EMG has long held.

“My goal for my time here is to continue to make that independent student-led media group possible and to help it thrive,” Henry said. “So that it changes with the times that we find new, creative, innovative ways to be better at what we do.”

Lois Davis, incoming board chair and head of the search committee, had expressed that there were five factors the search committee was looking for in an ideal candidate for the publisher and executive director position.

First, someone who was passionate and had deep experience with journalism. Second, someone who was passionate about college media and the importance of students working in college journalism. Third, someone with a vision for the future. Fourth, someone who was a good fit for the culture of the EMG, Eugene and the university. Fifth, someone who understands the state of journalism today and where they perceive it is going.

“I think we all were immediately struck by what Eric would bring to the EMG,” Davis said. “Every time I talked to him I was just more excited about his potential and he was more excited, which told me a lot about him.”

According to Davis, Henry made an impression on the search committee and board of directors that showed the position was more than just a job to him, but also a passion.

Henry and Davis both mentioned that Henry’s career path became clear to him once he began undergraduate reporting for the Collegian.

“When I was talking about this position to Lois and the board, I told them how within the first hour that I spent with people at my college newspaper, I knew I wanted to do everything I could to make sure I get to hang out with these people all the time,” Henry said. “And it’s been that way my whole career.”

The EMG’s current publisher and President, Bill Kunerth, worked with Henry back in the mid-1990s in Lake Tahoe, Cali., for the Tahoe World newspaper.

According to Kunerth, they won the First Place General Excellence Award for Best Weekly Newspaper in the state of California while competing against newspapers three times their size.

“During that time, I was so impressed with Eric’s journalistic chops along with him just being a natural leader, motivator, team player and innovator,” Kunerth said. “During my four decades working in the journalism profession, I’ve always put Eric near the top of my favorite people to have worked with.”

According to Kunerth, he believes that Henry has a lot of abilities in the fact that he is very creative, analytical, high energy and enthusiastic, and his desire to “get things done” really stood out to the Board of Directors and Kunerth.

According to Kunerth, one of the things that the EMG has to improve on is having a greater online and digital presence, and Henry’s experience with B2B Media will serve the EMG well in that department of development.

According to Davis, another factor that the board of directors was searching for was

someone who had financial experience raising money for a newsroom and publication.

Henry stated that he has had experience with newspapers in the past that needed extra funding and was successful in providing that.

“Throughout my career, I was publisher of small papers for a while and there’s always been financial challenges for newspapers,” Henry said. “A big part of my job has been managing the financial parts and working with all the creative people on staff to refine our processes.”

According to Henry, he has followed and admired the work EMG has done in the last five years and is looking forward to extending the business and creative ideas.

“The work that the EMG has done in the last five years or so is nothing short of remarkable,” Henry said. “The stability that you all have been able to find along with the growth and transitioning of new ideas is pretty special and I am looking forward to being a part of it.”

Eric Henry officially begins as the Emerald Media Group’s new publisher and executive director on Oct. 2

(Photo courtesy of Eric Henry)

TRESNIT: CONFRONTING THE ORIGINS OF YOUR FOOD

BY SADIE TRESNIT • DESIGNED BY RYAN EHRHART

As I write this article, I’m eating a peanut butter and pickle sandwich, an orange, a handful of sea salt and vinegar chips and an exorbitant amount of watermelon for dessert.

Except for the pickles (hailing all the way from Boston), I’m patting myself on the back for eating only things from the West Coast. The peanut butter comes from Washington, the orange from California and everything else is from Oregon. The bread is particularly local, made fresh at the grocery store near my apartment. I never used to be a nut about researching the origins of my food, but after taking a course on environmental ethics —ENVS 345 — I think it’s something everyone should take the time to do.

Given that we’re all living beings, it’s safe to assume that eating is an essential part of your day, regardless of how it fits into your schedule. Maybe you look forward all day to savoring a fancy meal you cooked from scratch. Maybe you’re at the stage in your life where getting up just to eat peanut butter out of the jar feels like an accomplishment. Maybe you’re like me, and you pretend that adding chopped garlic to instant ramen counts as cooking. Regardless, when was the last time you took the time to figure out where your food comes from?

I don’t just mean researching the location where each company you buy food from is based. This information is usually readily available and still important to find, especially since food miles (the distance food travels from where it is grown/ produced to your home) impact climate change. However, food often travels much further than you might guess, so just the information on the brand’s headquarters isn’t necessarily enough. Some estimates point to an average travel distance of nearly 1500 miles for conventionally grown food. It’s much harder to find the total distance your groceries have traveled, but it’s worth it to

try. And, of course, locally-grown produce doesn’t have this issue. Check out the farmers market for some great options!

As harmful as long travel distances for produce can be, America’s factory farming system is almost unquestionably worse. Packaging from big brands is often deceptive, depicting happy animals frolicking in wide-open meadows with no cages in sight. As it tends to be, the reality is considerably darker.

Factory farming refers to the practice of raising animals for meat in confined spaces, prioritizing profit over humane treatment. Many of these animals have specifically been bred to be larger over the years, often at the cost of their health. They cannot move at all for most of their lives, crammed into tight cages and pens before they’re killed. The system is also cruel to slaughterhouse workers, who experience physical and mental distress while on the job.

Thankfully, some smaller local farms still produce food ethically, even animal products. One of the highlights of my environmental ethics class was our field trip to the Deck Family Farm in Junction City. As a lifelong vegetarian, I initially dreaded the trip but it opened my eyes to how meat production can actually be humane and ethical.

Hearing directly from the family about their work and lives, it was clear that they truly cared about the animals and their wellbeing. They were adamant about providing their animals with decent living conditions and using every part of them when they were killed to prevent waste. Though the cruelty of profit-driven factory farms can be staggering, it’s important to remember that it’s not entirely hopeless. There are still people doing the right thing.

For those unable to visit and learn about a local farm, independent online research is still a vital step. It can be daunting to start learning the origins and ethics of the food you consume, but UO Professor and Ethics Minor Director Erin

McKenna believes it can be made easier by starting with a few issues that especially concern you.

“Researching one issue usually leads one to start to see the web of ethical concerns related to everything we eat,” McKenna said. “This then gets us all thinking — every day.”

She recommends the Cornucopia Institute as a helpful resource. The website provides scorecards for various types of foods (think cottage cheese, granola bars, etc.) and gives information such as organic status and parent company of the brands that make them.

“One may find a brand that addresses many of their ethical concerns but not know that that brand is owned by a larger corporation with a bad record on those same concerns,” McKenna said. “One may find a label that seems to assure them that certain practices are not taking place, but unless there is third-party verification, it is hard to know if one can trust the label.”

Unethical food practices are often hidden well by the companies that rely on them, and taking the time to dig into the issues thoroughly is the only way to be sure about what you’re eating.

Learning the truth about the American food production system doesn’t mean you need to change your consumption habits overnight –– if you decide to make a change at all. In a society that’s so influenced by big corporations, it can be incredibly difficult to find fully ethical options at the grocery store. I remember going shopping one night and having a mini crisis in front of the eggs after finishing my ethics class.

That said, it’s essential to at least be aware of the truth. Really take the time to consider how your food was grown, prepared and transported so you can make informed decisions when you shop. “We tend to value cheapness and convenience above all else. These come at a great cost that is often not visible unless one wants to look,” McKenna said. It may not be a pleasant reality, but we have no excuse for ignoring it.

Opinion: it’s time to look closer at the American food system. No more ignorance.

The grocery store has a whole section with countless options of organic greens for customers to choose from.

(Jonathan Suni/Emerald)

9/22/23

UO VOLLEYBALL VS OSU MATCH

Maya De Los Reyes (22) listens to her teamates pep talk before the game. Oregon Ducks volleyball won rivalry game against Oregon State Beavers 3-0. (Kemper Flood/Daily Emerald).

Cristine Cline (13) stands along the sideline cheering during set point. Oregon Ducks volleyball won rivalry game against Oregon State Beavers 3-0. (Kemper Flood/Daily Emerald).

Maya De Los Reyes (22) hypes her team up after scoring a point. Oregon Ducks volleyball won rivalry game against Oregon State Beavers 3-0. (Kemper Flood/Daily Emerald).

Karson Bacon (42) sends the ball across the net. The University of Oregon Ducks volleyball team defeated the Oregon State Beavers in a home match at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore., on Sept. 22, 2023. (Eric Becker/Emerald)

Kate Thibault (2) serves the ball in the second set of the match. The University of Oregon Ducks volleyball team defeated the Oregon State Beavers in a home match at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore., on Sept. 22, 2023. (Eric Becker/ Emerald)

Oregon Ducks volleyball won rivalry game against Oregon State Beavers 3-0. (Kemper Flood/Daily Emerald).

AHSOKA IS PUTTING STAR WARS BACK ON TRACK

The newest installment in the Star Wars universe, “Ahsoka,” hopes to secure a bright future for the franchise

BY JACKSON BUCKLEY

On Aug. 22, Disney released the first episode of its new “Star Wars” series, “Ahsoka,” on its streaming service.

The series follows the Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano in the time period after the fall of the Galactic Empire — after the events of the original “Star Wars” trilogy. She is in search of a re-emerging threat that she had faced with her companions long ago. The show is almost finished with its release schedule, with its eighth and final episode premiering on Disney+ Oct. 3. So far, fans have received the show quite well.

Due to the fact that Disney has not had a theatrical release of a “Star Wars” film since “The Rise of Skywalker” in 2019, they have turned to strictly television-oriented “Star Wars” content. With overly negative responses to “The Rise of Skywalker” and the sequel trilogy as a whole, fans were left disappointed with where the “Star Wars” universe was going. But with the success of Disney’s liveaction series, can fans continue to stay optimistic about the ambitious future of “Star Wars”?

So far, “Ahsoka” has been a step in the right direction by incorporating beloved cinematography elements from prior films and storytelling that is diegetic. When George Lucas created “Star Wars” in 1977, he took inspiration from the 1958 Akira Kurosawa film “The Hidden Fortress,” using thematic features in his films which easily bear resemblance to Kurosawa’s work. In Lucas’ prequel films, these features are continued through the beautifully choreographed duels between characters and the correlation between the ways of the Jedi and the Bushido Code. “Ahsoka” has now returned to that style of filmmaking with similar duels as the prequels and cinematography reminiscent of samurai films.

“Ahsoka” has also been able to pull fans back into the world that was established in the original trilogy while expanding that world with a depth of lore. The series continues the knowledge fans have from those films but also brings plot points into the series that were explored in the animated shows like “The Clone Wars” and “Rebels” . Taking story elements from these animated shows has allowed Ahsoka to have more depth as a character because of the amount of material she has in the animated show – especially her relationship with

her master Anakin Skywalker.

“Rebels” has also given background and complexity for side characters like Sabine Wren and the main villain of the series, Thrawn. This series has also been able to have subtle nods to other films and television shows in the “Star Wars” universe without it just being nods to get a reaction and publicity out of fans.

The return to the “Star Wars” world building and cinematography combined with the new addition

of lore is what has made this show great so far. With the ambitious future of multiple series and films run by Dave Filoni, who has worked on “The Mandalorian” and “Ahsoka,” this series can set the tone for these projects and get fans invested. But with Disney’s track record of having mediocre finales for their shows, don’t get your hopes up quite yet.

• DESIGNED BY LIZ BLODGETT

(Ellyce Whiteman/Emerald)

NONTRADITIONAL STUDENTS PROLIFERATE AT UO

BY DAVID CHANDLER • DESIGNED BY RYAN EHRHART

Donielson’s job is “to support non-traditional students on campus by helping them discover and navigate resources, by building community through non-trad events, by providing education and skills through workshops and presentations and by advocating for this population of students in various ways,” she said. Contacting her is a good start for anyone interested in learning more about the opportunities and resources available for non-traditional UO students.

ARE YOU A STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON?

Given that you’re reading this article, it’s a good bet that you are. Are you also a student who transferred here from another college or university? Are you older than 24? Are you a veteran? Do you have any children? Are you, perhaps, the first member of your family to attend college?

If any of these qualifications apply to you, then you are what’s known as a non-traditional student. This diverse cohort of the student body is large and expanding. Fortunately

for those of us who fit into the nontraditional category, UO offers many services to help us out.

First of all, the university has an office dedicated to non-traditional students. This grant-funded office, officially within the purview of the dean of students, is located in Oregon Hall. The current director is Whitney Donielson, who herself was a non-traditional student here at UO, graduating in 2011 with a B.A. in English.

UO also has the Nontraditional Student Union, an ASUOrecognized student group. The office is located on the second floor of the Erb Memorial Union (rm. 212) and relies mostly on volunteer student staff to keep it running. The hours vary, but when it is open, whoever’s at the desk is invariably welcoming and helpful. They have a variety of flyers, leaflets and other written materials relevant to non-trads to peruse or take home.

The co-director of the Nontraditional Student Union is Shanie Jorgenson. Jorgenson herself is a non-trad, having transferred to UO from Butte College, a community college in California. A biology major and

earth sciences minor, she describes herself as “somewhere between a junior and senior.”

With many non-traditional students having cobbled together credits here and there from different colleges and universities over time, the “somewhere between” this-or-that year can be a common descriptor. The typical four-year trajectory of undergraduate college education is not always typical for non-traditional students.

The NSU office also has a weekly produce drop. Jorgenson is still working on coordinating that for this term, so student drop-in hours are yet to be determined. Free school supplies are also sometimes available.

The nontraditional office and the Nontraditional Student Union work together on many projects, including putting together a monthly email newsletter. One upcoming event will be done in conjunction with the Men’s Resource Center, which is conveniently located next door to the NSU.

For transfer students, there is no dedicated office at the university, but there is an active social media presence. The Instagram account for the first-year transfer community at UO is @uofye_transfer.

This term, UO is offering a

Non-traditional students at uo are a diverse group with a variety of resources available to them

Shanie Jorgenson is the co-director of the Nontraditional Student Union at the University of Oregon. The NSU provides resources and services to help nontraditional students balance life and school.

(Molly McPherson/Emerald)

ONE IN 10 COLLEGE STUDENTS IN THE U.S. IS AGE 40 OR OLDER

seminar for transfer students called “Finding Your Path.” It’s being held on Friday afternoons at 2 p.m., and will be led by Scott Broussard, UO’s transfer transition coordinator. More information can be found by contacting the Nontraditional Student Union.

For students who have served in the military or are currently serving in the military, UO has the Student Veterans Center. Located on the ground level of the EMU, the center is open from 9 to 5 p.m. every weekday during the term. According to their website, the center offers “a variety of services and resources including study and meeting space, computer and printing stations, staff to assist with personal and academic needs, and community veteran service providers.”

Student Veterans Services is also under the umbrella of the Office of the Dean of Students. Much more information can be found via the Dean of Students’ website, including scholarship availability, how to connect with peer advisers and further support information.

As for another non-traditional student segment, about “one in 10 college students in the U.S. is age 40 or older,” according to the National Center for Education Statistics. For older students, there are occasionally special workshops that

can help to assist them with their particular needs and challenges.

One recent workshop centered on the concept of “imposter syndrome,” which is a “psychological pattern in which people doubt their accomplishments and have a persistent, often internalized, fear of being exposed as a ‘fraud,’” according to Wikipedia. This condition can be especially acute for students who are older than the average undergrad and feel out of place in the youth culture of college. Other factors can also place students within the non-traditional category, such as being married or divorced, working full-time, being either low income or financially independent or having a disability. According to further data provided by Donielson, an estimated “40% of the current undergraduate population at American colleges and universities are non-traditional.”

Non-citizen immigrant students who qualify for the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program are also considered non-traditional. “Dreamers,” as they have come to be known, have a welcome night event for them. It will be held on Thursday, Oct. 5, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. More information can be found via the NSU or the Instagram account @ uodreamers.

Special scholarships are also set up specifically for non-traditional students. These include the Bernard Osher and Crankstart Re-Entry scholarships. Additionally, there is the TRIO program, which offers support for first-generation and low-income students.

However, as Jorgenson pointed out, a problem with these and other scholarship opportunities is the GPA barrier. A particular challenge with non-traditional students can be achieving and maintaining a high grade-point average, which is generally a mandatory prerequisite for receiving scholarship aid for any student. To help with such academic issues, students may qualify for receiving special accommodations through the Accessible Education Center. These can include being allowed to record class sessions and being afforded extra time to take exams.

Last, but definitely not least, are the student parents. This is the group Jorgenson is the most enthusiastic about and would like to focus on more. The challenges these students can face include juggling a job with classes, homework and the complexities of day care. To help alleviate the last of these stressors, there is a childcare subsidy offered through the basic needs program.

Jorgenson is “excited for fall

term and to do more outreach” to non-traditional students. She is currently working on setting up what she calls a “reverse symposium” focusing on “research opportunities for non-trads” in both the sciences and the humanities.

More information on the various resources available for nontraditional students can be found at the NSU Engage site as well as the Nontraditional Students page on the Dean of Students homepage. You can also sign up to receive the monthly nontraditional newsletter by contacting either the NSU or the nontraditional office.

If you are a non-traditional student, it would certainly not hurt to visit the NSU office in person to avail yourself of the resources offered there. Sometimes they even have coffee and donuts. Don’t be shy.

(Note: If you are a non-traditional student here at the UO who has any ideas for stories to cover about the non-traditional community, please contact me at: dchandler@ dailyemerald.com.)

The Nontraditional Student Union provides resources and services to help nontraditional students balance life and school. (Molly McPherson/Emerald)

NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STUDIES

THREE SNACKS AND TREATS TO MAKE IN YOUR DORM

Many know the awkward meal schedule of back-to-back classes when you don’t have time to return home for some grub. When those $2 granola bars from the EMU start to add up and drain your bank account, these easy snacks might come in handy.

Whether you have access to a full kitchen in off-campus housing or are stuck with the classic microwave and mini fridge dorm room kitchenette, midday snacks don’t have to be as dull as that measly granola bar you bought in a 20 pack from Costco.

The first snack is a play on granola bars but without the dry mouth, crumbs in your lap experience. A little sweet and packed with protein and carbs to power you through the school day, these are a great snack to tide you over until lunch.

For those with a sweet tooth, this second snack might suit you better. Imitating a Snickers bar without processed sugars and added proteins, date chocolate bark is a nutritious midday treat.

I had this third snack every day for breakfast my sophomore year of college, but it’s also extremely portable for a midday munch. You’ve likely seen hundreds of overnight oats recipes, but this one hits every mark of nutrition and deliciousness; even after months of eating them every day, I couldn’t get enough.

Tired of buying overpriced granola bars at the emu between classes? These easy snacks are great for on-the-go and only take a few minutes to make.

SNACK ONE: ENERGY OAT BALLS

PREPARATION TIME: 5

MINUTES

SERVINGS: 3

Ingredients:

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 banana

1 and 1/2 cup oats

1 tbsp choice of sweetener

1 handful of chocolate chips

Your choice of additional mix-ins—chia seeds, nuts, and dried fruit all work great!

Instructions:

In a bowl, mash the banana with a fork until chunk free. Mix in the peanut butter and sweetener until smooth. Add the oats and toppings and mix until combined. Refrigerate for one hour until solid enough to separate and roll into balls. Place in tupperware and leave in the fridge overnight to let the oats soften. Enjoy!

SNACK TWO: DATE AND PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE BARK PREPARATION TIME: 5 MINUTES

SERVINGS: UP TO YOU!

Ingredients (portions up to cooker discretion):

Dates

Peanut butter

Peanuts

Chocolate

Instructions:

Separate and pit dates. Lay out the dates flat on a plate and cover them in a layer of peanut butter. Sprinkle peanuts over the top of the peanut butter. Microwave chocolate until melted, stirring every 30 seconds to ensure the chocolate doesn’t burn. Drizzle the chocolate over the dates.

Cover plate with tin foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate until chocolate hardens. Tear or cut into pieces and enjoy!

SNACK THREE: OVERNIGHT OATS PREPARATION TIME: 5 MINUTES

SERVINGS: 3

Ingredients:

2 cup oats

2 cups milk of choice

3 heaping spoonfuls of greek yogurt

3 tbsp chia seeds

A shit load of cinnamon

3 tbsp maple syrup

Frozen blueberries

Instructions: Mix oats, chia seeds and cinnamon in a Tupperware container until combined. Add milk, syrup and yogurt into the mixture and mix until combined. Top generously with blueberries.

Place the lid on Tupperware and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Optional: top with peanut butter when serving and enjoy!

BY JESS MCCOMB • DESIGNED BY RYAN EHRHART

McComb enjoys energy oat balls with a honey drizzle. (Jess McComb/Emerald)

A SMALL TOWN FILLED WITH BASEBALL’S FUTURE STARS

Five former Eugene Emeralds are now shining in San Francisco

BY NINA-GRACE MONTES • DESIGNED BY ESTHER SZETO

A catcher, two infielders and two outfielders who spent most of the 2022 and 2023 seasons in Eugene, figuring out how to climb the minorleague baseball ladder to San Francisco, have finally made it.

The Eugene Emeralds, the High-A level affiliate of the Giants, is one of the most critical development stages across minor league baseball. The jump between Low and High-A is vast and shows prospects how much adjustment is needed every step of the way.

But, Patrick Bailey, Casey Schmitt, Marco Luciano, Luis Matos and Wade Meckler faced the challenge head-on, and look where they are now. Four Emeralds — Bailey, Schmitt, Luciano and Matos — were a part of the 2022 Northwest League championship team. With the addition of Meckler, who spent some time in Eugene this season, all made their major-league debuts this year and immediately impacted a Giants’ team that was playing at their peak, which was in large part to their contributions.

The first out of the group to get called up, Schmitt, hit his first major league home run during his debut.

While in Eugene last summer, Schmitt spent 93 games with the Emeralds and led the team in four offensive categories including runs, hits, batting average and RBIs. He led the Northwest League in OPS (.984) and was not only named to the Northwest League All-Star team but was awarded

a MiLB Golden Glove.

Meckler was drafted in the eighth round of the 2022 draft and by the time August rolled around, he was in San Francisco. While he was in Eugene, he was by far the best player on the team by putting up freaky numbers: .456 batting average, 36 hits, 14 runs and 17 RBIs in 79 at-bats. Those numbers are the reason why he is a major leaguer after 92 minor league games (and a full minorleague season at the High-A level is 166 games).

Luciano, the Giants’ top overall prospect according to Baseball America at the time of his promotion and a top prospect in all of baseball when he arrived in Eugene, missed most of the 2022 season due to a low back strain. Before his injury, he was only hitting .217 with one home run in 36 at-bats, but when he returned with two weeks left to go, he had a hit in seven of the last eight games including his first professional grand slam.

Ryan Walker, Kyle Harrison and Keaton Winn, three pitchers who also made their debut for San Francisco this season, made a short appearance in Eugene before being called up. The Giants’ 2022 first-round draft pick, two-way player Reggie Crawford, also spent a few weeks in Eugene this season before an injury ended his season.

Seeing all of the success that the rookies are having this year is a great motivator for the latest round of top prospects in Eugene, which is one of the four main minor-league affiliates for San Francisco and a step up from the lowest level in San Jose.

Matos and Bailey didn’t have stellar seasons in Eugene. Matos finished the season hitting .211 with a .619 on-base plus slugging percentage. Bailey played for the Emeralds in 2021 but was demoted back to San Jose and returned to Eugene during the start of the 2022 season. He finished with a .225 batting average and paired it with a .761 OPS, which was an improvement but wasn’t outstanding.

However, after having strong performances in Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento, they both got the call in the early months of the summer and made an immediate impact.

“We’re open-minded with whoever can help our major-league team,” Giants farm director Kyle Haines told The Athletic. “Sometimes it happens really slow for players, sometimes really fast. You can struggle in High-A, and the next thing you know, you’re in the major leagues.”

“High-A has always been a critical development stage. You can go through some pretty tough blows. It’s not easy. You’re facing good competition. You need that runway to make changes and tinker with what works and what doesn’t. It’s a great growth level,” Haines said.

Jared Duere celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a home run. The Eugene Emeralds finished their homestand with a win against the Vancouver Canadians by a final score of 6-4 at P.K. Park in Eugene, Ore, on June 25, 2023. (Eric Becker/Emerald)

MONTES: VOLLEYBALL IS GROWING AT A RAPID PACE AND OREGON NEEDS TO CAPITALIZE ON IT

Opinion: After the incredible success of Nebraska volleyball’s game at its football stadium, the Ducks have the opportunity and resources to do the same thing

BY NINA-GRACE MONTES

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DESIGNED BY LIZ BLODGETT

That was the total number of fans who showed up to Nebraska volleyball’s preseason matchup against Omaha at Memorial Stadium, the Cornhuskers’ football stadium.

With music blasting and flashing lights, head coach John Cook led the team out of the locker room with outside hitter Merritt Beason and libero Lexi Rodriguez by his side. With their entrance showing on Memorial Stadium’s video boards, fans started to scream and clap. When the team left the tunnel and the gates with a giant red “N” opened up, it got even louder.

“Ladies and gentlemen, here comes your Nebraska Cornhuskers” rang throughout the stadium while every single athlete stepped foot onto the court with a smile on their face.

Watching this moment live, I smiled so hard my cheeks hurt. Growing up, I played sports in a small town that barely had room for one set of bleachers and they were rarely full. Playing in front of a big crowd was something I always thought about, but 92,003 people felt impossible — and I have always been a dreamer.

Selling out stadiums has always been normal for Nebraska. When Cook took over the program in 2000, he won a National Championship. The year after that — and pretty much every single year following — Nebraska volleyball was selling out every game. In 2011, when the men’s basketball team was getting a new arena, Cook took their old one, put $20 million into renovations by adding more seats and adjusting things for volleyball, and continued to sell out every game in that arena.

In the state of Nebraska, volleyball is the hardest sport to get a ticket to.

Last year, the Cornhuskers were second in ticket revenue to UConn basketball at $2.12 million, according to Sportico. Their average ticket prices are $25 for adults and $5 for high school students and younger. If half of the crowd was in each price, they made $1.38 million dollars in one game, which ended after three sets.

UO athletics has the same ability to offer its teams the same resources, if not more with its connection to Nike and other major sporting companies. Businesses and investors are finally starting to realize the benefit of investing in women’s sports, so why aren’t colleges? It’s time for that to change and it needs to start with Oregon volleyball.

On top of the general momentum with the sport right now, there is specific hype around the Ducks right now. They are currently heading towards the highest peak of volleyball and arguably the best this program has ever been, after finishing last season with an Elite Eight appearance that ended with a heartbreaking five sets. They ended their regular season 23-5 with 17 conference wins — surpassing the 16 conference wins from the No. 2 ranked 2012 team. The Ducks won all of their home matches and ended the season with a 16-game win streak before being

knocked out of the tournament.

As I sat in the media row of Matthew Knight Arena covering every home game last season, I watched the crowds get bigger and the student section get louder. More unique signs and costumes started to come through the door and fans got more passionate as the season progressed. There is no doubt in my mind that this team could sell out Autzen Stadium.

It has been proven time and time again that people want to watch women’s sports, and that’s true in Eugene. Our women’s basketball team draws in better crowds than our men’s.

If the athletic department puts in the same marketing and branding resources that it does into football or men’s basketball, Oregon volleyball will break down walls. They already have. The largest crowd in program history at 7,334 was at their home opener this season against Oregon State. And that’s what Oregon wants to be known for, right? Rulebreakers and go-doers, creating new standards and setting the bar even higher? Then use the elite athletes right in front of you and bet on them. I promise you that they will succeed. Make Oregon a volleyball school. Create a season ticket holder list that is so long that people don’t mind waiting years for an open spot. Generate fans that will build their schedules around when the Ducks are playing. Think big and do even bigger than that.

What 92,003 people did on a midsummer, mid-week night will not be forgotten. Girls across the country who watched this event live, whether it was in person or on TV, will now grow up not being surprised by an event like this because this is the new normal. They’ll be used to the idea that world-class female athletes draw sell-out crowds. No matter the gender, athletic greatness deserves the biggest stage and some of the greatest volleyball players in the country can be found in Eugene.

Kate Thibault (2) serves the ball in the second set of the match. The Oregon Ducks volleyball won rivalry game against Oregon State Beavers 3-0. (Kemper Flood/Emerald)