5-13-2024 Emerald Media Group - ODE

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LUNDQUIST COLLEGE OF BUSINESS SEARCHES FOR NEW DEAN

IN OTHER NEWS

OPINION

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Ellerbruch

Fetherston

BUSINESS

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ON THE COVER

Edward Schiessl is the managing director of Eugene’s premier indie theaters, Metro Cinemas and the Art House. (Alex Hernandez/Emerald)

The semi-finalists in the national search for a permanent dean of the University of Oregon Lundquist College of Business have been selected.

The search was announced in September 2023 and launched in January 2024. There are currently 10 semi-finalists and the search committee is set to select four finalists to visit UO in the weeks of May 13 and May 20. In each set of interviews with semi-finalists and finalists, the search committee plans to identify “strengths and weaknesses” of all applicants.

The new candidate will replace current Lundquist Interim Dean Bruce Blonigen.

Laura Lee McIntyre, Dean of the College of Education and Castle-McIntosh-Knight professor, is the chair of the search committee for the new Lundquist dean.

BY JASMINE SABOORIAN DESIGNED

EVA ANDREWS

Laura Lee McIntyre, interim dean at the UO College of Education, is part of the selection committee for the new dean of the Lundquist College of Buisness. (Courtesy of Chris Larsen)

Trey Trunnell, a member of the selection committee for the new dean of the Lundquist College of Business, sits outside Lillis Business Complex. (Miles Cull/Emerald)

“I was asked by the Provost to serve as the chair of the committee,” McIntyre said. “And then there’s always representation from faculty, tenure track faculty, career instructional faculty and because the business school also has programs that they offer in Portland, there’s a faculty member from Portland, at the Portland campus and then their staff from the business school.”

According to McIntyre, the committee also has members from academic affairs and diversity, equity and inclusion and a member of Lundquist’s advisory council.

“The goal of any search committee is to have representation, but also ensure that the committee is not so large that it becomes challenging for just the logistics of conducting a search,” McIntyre said. “The search committee is not responsible for selecting the next dean.”

Graduate student Trey Trunnell is also a member of the search committee to represent student perspectives.

“I’m a very social person, and so it was just like I was in the right place at the right time to be asked if I wanted to be a part of [the search committee],” Trunnell said. “I think they might have thought that I would bring a pretty cool perspective from a student’s side of things.”

According to McIntyre, three listening sessions were held with faculty, staff, students, alumni and external members prior to the

start of the search to engage with the Parker Executive Search firm and provide feedback for criteria wanted in the new dean.

From a student perspective, Trunnell said that his biggest criteria for the new dean was personality.

“I think something our Lundquist College of Business needs is a leader with a very strong personality,” Trunnell said, “someone who’s visible to the students because I feel like not a lot of students get to interact with the dean. It gets harder the bigger the school gets, especially if there’s only one dean.”

Criteria like Trunnell’s and other members of the search committee helped prompt the development of a rubric for interviews and applications, McIntyre said.

According to McIntyre, during the finalists’ visits, public presentations will be held by the finalists that are open to everyone and live-streamed.

“There’s an opportunity for campus constituents to provide feedback and all of the feedback will be reviewed by the search committee,” McIntyre said. “We make our sort of our final set of strengths and weaknesses and then the Interim Provost, along with our incoming Provost, who’s not here yet, we’ll make the final decision.”

According to McIntyre and Trunnell, anonymity is important throughout this process for the candidates so their identity is not disclosed to their current employer.

The Provost website will provide the names of the finalists set to visit and other information on the search.

The ASUO Senate passed a Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions resolution on May 8 after nearly four hours of discussion.

The UO Native American Student Union’s 56th Annual Mother’s Day Powwow took place on May 10 and 11.

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(Alex Hernandez/Emerald)

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SUPREME COURT TO MAKE LANDMARK RULING ON CAMPING CASE SUPREME COURT TO MAKE LANDMARK RULING ON CAMPING CASE

BY JESS CORONADO & TAREK ANTHONY • DESIGNED BY ADALEAH CARMAN

Since the City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson case concerning sleeping outside has reached the Supreme Court, members of the homeless community in Eugene have voiced their concerns

On April 22, the U.S. Supreme Court heard what is expected to be a landmark ruling regarding whether fining, ticketing or jailing someone for sleeping outside when they have no other place to go is “cruel and unusual punishment,” and therefore unconstitutional under the 8th Amendment.

The case, City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, stems from a long-running legal battle in Grants Pass, Oregon, a city approximately 140 miles south of Eugene. The case dates back to 2018 when the city was sued by homeless advocates for issuing tickets to people sleeping outside, even though the city only had one shelter, the Gospel Rescue Mission.

One of the leading arguments against Grants Pass in the Supreme Court case has been its potential infringement of the 8th Amendment, which states “excessive bail should not be imposed, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted.”

In 2013, Grants Pass began to issue fines — sometimes up to $300 — to people sleeping outside. The cost of the fine would then double if it went unpaid. The city also threatened to arrest individuals for trespassing after their second offense. In arguments before the Supreme Court, attorneys for Grants Pass argued that punishing people for outdoor sleeping was necessary to maintaining public health and safety.

“Laws like ours, they really do serve an essential purpose,” Theane Evangelis, an attorney for Grants Pass, said before the court. “They protect the health and safety of everyone. It is not safe to live in encampments. It’s unsanitary, we see what’s happening and there are the harms of the encampments on those in them and outside.”

However, some opponents of the Grants Pass laws argue that the fines are an attempt to push homeless people out of the city. Homeless advocates have cited a statement from 2013 where City Council President Lily Morgan seemed to cite a different reason for implementing the new laws.

“The point is to make it uncomfortable enough for them in our city so they will want to move on down the road,” Morgan said during a 2013 city council meeting.

While the Supreme Court’s official ruling is not expected to be decided until late June, some observers believe that the court is leaning in favor of siding with Grants Pass. Such a ruling could potentially create a legal precedent for cities around the country, including Eugene, to take similar action to Grants Pass by fining people who sleep outside.

Kelly McIver, communications manager for

Eugene’s unhoused response, commented on the current laws of sleeping outdoors and the possibility of the Grants Pass case affecting laws in Eugene.

“Essentially, there is no citation or anything like that,” McIver said. “People aren’t arrested.”

Currently, Eugene restrictions on camping or sleeping outside follow state laws, specifically ORS 195.500. This law gives directives for city officials when camping poses a safety risk such as camps erected in the public right of way or on streets.

“When there is some sort of camping that is not allowed by city code, the process for that is usually, if it is reported to the city, there will be a response to that to take a look at the situation,” McIver said.

Once a report has been filed, the city will send an official to post a notice in the area following state law. Workers from street cleaning agencies remove and impound property found at the location.

According to McIver, the city’s clean-up response typically occurs from between 72 hours to one week from the time an official notice has been issued.

“Intervention from law enforcement is sometimes necessary to address public safety and health or equitable access in specific situations,” McIver said, “But our community needs more shelter, more housing and more support services to give people a realistic chance to stabilize and prosper.”

Amber Fitts, a Eugene resident and member of the homeless community, voiced her thoughts on the Grants Pass case.

“If this goes through there will be so many of us out there who will be affected by that,” Fitts said.

Fitts described her daily life living without a home as a challenge for myriad reasons. These reasons included the few widespread resources available for shelter, bathing or addressing mental health needs.

Fitts described facing challenges with crime as well.

“I’ve had my stuff stolen repeatedly, to where I have to start all over again,” Fitts said.

According to Fitts, for those living as homeless or unsheltered, the challenges they encounter daily would worsen with interventions from police and the city.

“You want to fine us for trespassing or for illegal camping and bring us to court,” Fitts said. “We’re homeless and have no income and can’t pay our fines.”

Jetty, an advocate for the homeless community who goes by an alias for personal protection, spoke on the consequences of the possible ruling in June and the ostensible lack of services in Lane County.

“If I am using my imagination they will go to jail, which is going to cost taxpayers money,” Jetty said. “There’s not enough shelter space. It doesn’t make sense. There’s not enough sheltering. There’s not enough housing. Where do they go? That is cruel and unusual.”

According to Eugene resident and member of the homeless community Josh Gebhart Trempe, the criminalization of sleeping on the street would “exacerbate” the issues homeless individuals already face.

“It becomes intensely difficult,” Gebhart Trempe said when asked about the process of incarceration. “On top of that you have no great place to keep paperwork, to keep your cell phone charged [and] your modes of transportation are usually limited to walking or a bike.”

Tim Black, emergency response coordinator at St. Vincent De Paul, shared his perspective on the issue.

“Studies show that homelessness is directly tied to a lack of affordable housing options in a community,” Black said. “It’s not about how much mental health [services], it’s not about how much substance abuse [and] it’s not about if you have good programs to help the homeless... It’s about how much housing you have in your community.”

For Black and unhoused community members, the issue of homelessness seems to be able to be resolved by providing affordable housing and housing assistance.

“We did not get here overnight and we are not going to solve this overnight,” Black said. “I am still convinced that the absolute cheapest thing we can do for taxpayers using the least of their money if we did it right is also the most compassionate thing and that is to provide some basic housing on all basic levels.”

“No Camping” is written on a freeway post in Washington Jefferson Park in Eugene, Ore. (Lulu Devoulin/ Emerald)

THE POWER OF STUDENT PROSE AND POETRY

Unbound Journal released a paperback version of its 14th edition on April 30, the first time the journal has been printed in a decade

BY HARPER MAHOOD • DESIGNED BY GABRIELA MARTINEZ

On April 30, Unbound Journal came out of its decade-long print hiatus to release a paperback collection titled “Unbound Volume XIV Spring 2024.” Unbound Journal is a University of Oregon-based, student-run literary arts journal that publishes undergraduate and graduate prose, poetry and visual art.

Founded in 2008 as part of the Clark Honors College thesis project, Unbound Journal has primarily existed online as a bi-annual publication. This year’s co-editors Brynn Lemons and Nathan King decided it was time to push the journal back into the physical realm.

“In past years people haven’t been reading it and haven’t known about it because it’s online,” King, a Clark Honors College student with a creative writing minor, said. “It’s a lot easier when you can see it, so we really focused on that.”

As part of its mission statement, Unbound Journal strives to “foster the development of all students at the University of Oregon, regardless of major, by serving as a platform for outstanding creative expression.”

“Just having a space for student work to be published is really important,” Lemons, an English major, said. “Everybody writes privately, but I think it’s an important part of the writing community and the creative process to share it with others.”

Lemons explained that going through the process of submitting to a journal — getting rejected or accepted, receiving revision critiques and possibly being published — is a great professional experience for students.

“There’s a lot of opportunity in getting to hear other people’s perspectives on things and broadening your mind,” King said. “Getting that through other people’s creative writing is an aspect that you don’t get very often and you won’t get in general in the future when you’re not on a university campus.”

Unbound Journal practices blind submissions, meaning that outside of Lemons and King, no members of the editing team get to know the identity of the authors.

“When the journal comes out, all the editors get to see who wrote what,” King said. “It’s a very exciting time.”

Lemons and King assumed their roles as co-editors at Unbound Journal less by choice and more by chance.

As an ASUO-recognized club on campus, the journal had elections last spring. Lemons was elected senior prose editor and King, senior poetry editor. However, no one assumed the role of editor-in-chief.

“That was never elected and we were never able to fill the position,” King said. “We came to fall and were like ‘Oh, we have to start making a journal, there’s no one to do that.’ So we just agreed to take that role over together.”

Balancing their subsequent roles as poetry and prose editors while also holding the title of co-editor-in-chief has not been an easy feat for Lemons and

King. Outside of editing student work, the pair also deals with the bureaucratic aspect of the journal, juggling finances and also working with the art directors. Despite the weight of their roles, the process has been a fruitful learning experience for the pair.

After months of editing student writing, learning how to print a journal and working with creative arts director Micah Primack, Lemons and King produced a final print project, which is available for free by campus newsstands. Additionally, students can email unboundjournal@uoregon.edu to receive a hand-delivered copy from Lemons or King.

“I’m so excited that we got to give life back to this journal that’s been around for so long,” King said. “It’s quite the honor to be in this position and even though we were thrown into it, it’s been very exciting.”

For students looking to get involved in Unbound Journal, Lemons said, “There’s no harm in submitting.”

“It’s a really safe trust fall,” King said. “We’re not going to tear your work apart, it’s free and it’s an easy process for authors to get into.”

Unbound Journal also hosts weekly community writers events every Friday in PLC 361 from 12 to 1 p.m.

Brynn Lemons and Nathan King, co-editors of Unbound Journal, hold up their recently published issue. (JR Quint/Emerald)

BLOCKBUSTERS to BINGE-WATCHING

The campus environment can spark artistic enthusiasm, but streaming services appeal to students more than local theaters BY

The college experience is a vibrant stepping stone for artistic enthusiasm, exposing students to new perspectives, cultures and methods of creative expression. From literature to fashion, music to poetry, we adapt to independence by developing passions that fuel our identity. Sometimes, these interests become formative pieces that help establish our lives, careers and relationships.

When I sat down amongst a spirited, sold-out crowd to watch “Everything Everywhere All at Once” during my freshman year, I realized my love for cinema was more than a hobby — it was an opportunity to apply my passions to my education and future career. Now as a film-obsessed writer who can’t escape the theater, I’ve grown curious about the typical UO student’s relationship with film.

Though I try to get to the theater as much as possible for new releases, the bulk of my film and television consumption stems from streaming services. After all, juggling school work and a social life is chaotic and time-consuming. In an increasingly digital world, the convenient accessibility of streaming platforms widens the margins for media intake — a context that has fundamentally altered the way society engages with film. Considering the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in tandem with the streaming boom, movie theaters are no longer the primary way people watch movies.

UO junior Tayten Torgrimson, a journalism major, said that his admiration for film grew once he arrived on campus and experienced the abundant, versatile content available on streaming. “[Streaming] has made me watch older films and shows,” Torgrimson said. His increased consumption translates into movie theater visits, where he typically books tickets for “whatever is popular at the time,” Torgrimson said.

Sophomore Wilder Lewis, also a journalism major, echoed a similar idea, observing an upturn in his passion for film since coming to UO. Lewis described his occasional trips to the theater as chiefly social activities, seeing films he “and [his] friends have a mutual interest in … that would be better viewed in a theater.”

Though their relationships with cinema may have matured and tightened since joining the flock,

students evidently require a social or communal event to win them over. The quaint indie flick might seem appealing for a comforting night in, but not for the big screen. More popular films, specifically blockbusters curated for the movie theater experience, are more likely to put butts in seats.

Edward Schiessl, managing director of Eugene’s premiere indie theaters, the Art House and Metro Cinemas, encourages students to broaden their horizons with moviegoing. Beginning as a projectionist in high school, Schiessl “always wanted to do something in film,” he said. When the opportunity to purchase the Art House, formerly known as Bijou Art

“IT’S EASY TO FORGET HOW MUCH BETTER A MOVIE EXPERIENCE CAN BE WHEN YOU’RE IN A CAPTIVE SITUATION. THINGS ARE SCARIER AND FUNNIER WHEN YOU EXPERIENCE THEM WITH A GROUP MENTALITY.”

EDWARD SCHIESSL, managing director of the Art House and Metro Cinemas

Cinemas, fell into his lap, he jumped at the opportunity.

“This is a place I came to sneak out on school nights to watch midnight movies,” Schiessl said. “It’s always been an important part of my social life.”

A cozy, two-screen cafe-theater hybrid with Spanish mission style architecture, the Art House offers a diverse assortment of films, events and live performances.

In 2013, Metro Cinemas was built in the heart of downtown Eugene as a supplemental sister cinema — the city’s first and only locally owned and owner-operated multiplex.

“It’s always been a really positive relationship,” Schiessl said. “We do whatever we can to familiarize students with both theaters, to get them in the habit of going out and seeing movies while supporting any events we can.”

SEAN AVERY • DESIGNED BY LIZ BLODGETT

Schiessl commented on the college demographic’s relationship with film, reiterating several points made by students.

“The movies we see younger audiences turn up for are big screen movies like superheroes and dinosaurs,” Schiessl said, introducing the concept of “eventizing” hyped-up movies designed for social outings. “The typical indie movie tends to skew older.”

But it hasn’t always been this way. “If you look back 20 years ago, [the Art House] was 70% student population,” Schiessl said.

In the wake of streaming service dominance, Schiessl discussed its ramifications for the theater industry. Studios are sacrificing money at the box office to put movies on streaming, leaving “no time for word of mouth to build,” Schiessl said. “Many people won’t go see films in the theater because they know they can watch them at home in a few weeks.”

But the streaming wars don’t just harm theaters; their impact also radiates to audiences. “Very rarely will [a studio] take a risk on any more provocative or original material,” Schiessl said. Unless the project is backed by an established brand, character or franchise, it will be difficult for theaters to draw people in.

However, there are some positive takeaways from these evolutions. Streaming platforms provide smaller filmmakers with a lower cost of entry to get their work out there, building a home for niche content and subject matter.

“[Streaming services] give us more diversity of voice in the filmmaking world,” Schiessl said.

While Netflix, Hulu, Max and the rest of our favorite services are available at our leisure, it’s essential for students to get off the couch and immerse themselves in the movie theater environment.

“It’s easy to forget how much better a movie experience can be when you’re in a captive situation,” Schiessl said. “Things are scarier and funnier when you experience them with a group mentality.”

Venues such as the Art House and Metro Cinemas offer students a human opportunity to experience art with their community in a way Regal, Cinemark or streaming cannot. We live in a city and attend a university littered with opportunities for collective artistic encounters. Explore your creative passions and talk about them with your peers. There’s something out there for everyone, whether under the dimmed theater lights or elsewhere.

Edward Schiessl poses for a portrait at the Art House, a movie theater inside a former church, on May 4, 2024.

(Alex Hernandez/Emerald)

Stephanie Yang/Emerald

HOBBS: BIKINI SEASON COMES WITH A TAX

BY MONICA HOBBS

DESIGNED

BY

EVA ANDREWS

Summer is just around the corner, which means swimsuit season is here. Like the pop culture slogan: ‘suns out, buns out.’ But with the warm weather comes the expensive swipe of our credit cards.

Maybe you want to show off that summer body and invest in a new bikini. You could have a tropical vacation planned. Or, you simply saw a cool suit online and wanted to splurge. Unless you plan to drop a good amount of cash, it’s unrealistic.

The swimwear industry has taken a hit in recent years due to inflation. Despite the scant fabric, swimwear prices have skyrocketed and transitioned into luxury items. Some buyers are faced with swimsuits that cost up to $200.

“I truly do not know how many more times I can handle clicking on a cute swimsuit ad and it’s like $100 for the top and $100 for the bottom,” TikTok user @allyrooker said. “Why does my algorithm think I would spend $200 on a bikini? Forget avocado toast, I will never own a home because of bikiniflation. Swimwear brands are becoming more competitive and drastically up-charging their products. The pink tax is an undeniable factor in the matter.

OPINION: The swimwear industry struggles with pink tax, high prices and poor quality

A pink tax is when a company sells a feminine product at a higher price than the masculine version.

The additional revenue goes solely to the company — not the government. This doesn’t refer to products that mostly women use, such as tampons.

The pink tax is a repetitive element, tying it back to bikinis and swim trunks. In 2021, the average bikini retail price ranged from $40 to $120, compared to men’s swim trunks which cost between $20 and $90.

The worst part is that bikini bottoms and tops are usually sold separately. That’s right. You must spend $40 on a pair of cheeky bottoms plus another $40 for a triangular bra. What am I supposed to do with just a pair of cheetah print bottoms? I’m forced to buy the top.

In comparison, men pay a lower price for a lot more fabric in the equation. Because, in some way, swim trunks are deemed cheaper than a bikini set.

Aside from the pink tax, inflation is causing buyers to turn to Shein. If you haven’t heard of fast-fashion Shein, let me sum it up in two words: child labor.

Shein’s labor practices and carbon footprint have been investigated for years. People worldwide acknowledge the catastrophic reality of the company. Yet due to the low prices, consumers keep coming back.

An online shopper can find a cute bikini set for around $8 on the Shein website. Is the quality awful? Yes. But women on a budget end up caving to the low prices.

Then just don’t buy from these companies, one may say. Unfortunately, these are the two main options in the swimsuit market. It’s either eco-friendly and pocket-draining, or cheap and unethical.

All in all, the bikini industry has evolved into a money-losing situation. Consumers are willing to pay high prices for better quality. And the lower class is left with cheap swimsuits that’ll break in a few months.

Rather than excusing the pink tax and fabric differences, bikini sellers must take accountability for the absurd prices and level out the cost of swimwear.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

This week’s picks...

FRUITION (5/14)

The band Fruition will be performing this Tuesday at 8 p.m. at WOW Hall! The three-part harmony and impromptu performance has been enchanting the Pacific Northwest for the last 15 years. Tickets are available online or the UO Ticket Office in the EMU.

SHREK RAVE (5/17)

Ever thought of going to a rave all about your favorite ogre? Buy your tickets for the Shrek rave this Friday at WOW Hall at 9 p.m. Tickets are only $15-30, so go have some fun!

CROSSWORD

Not much (of)

Belief that all beings have a

“Wasn’t me!” and “I didn’t do it!” 42 Greek god of love 43 Perch for a frog in an ornamental pond

Al or Bobby of auto racing

“Pinkie promise!”

Great pain

Fencing thrust

Muscat’s land

“Take this”

1998 Sarah McLachlan hit

Oklahoma city west of Tulsa

“__ guacamole!”

Closest peeps

Company abbr.

Lipton drink

SUDOKU

© 2023

The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

COX: EARL AND HAMILTON RESIDENTS DESERVE ELEVATORS

For incoming freshmen, selecting a residence hall is no small task. There are so many details to consider: location, nearby dining options and price just to name a few. No matter how much planning you do, there’s one amenity that slips your mind: whether a dorm has an elevator.

At UO, the only two current residence halls without elevators are Earl and Hamilton. Considering that both halls are four floors tall, this can have vast impacts on the lives of residents.

When residents shell out thousands of dollars per term to live on campus, it is an absurd fact that there are still dorms without elevators in the year 2024. To guarantee university-heralded accessibility and general convenience for residents, elevators should be added to both Earl and Hamilton.

My primary complaint surrounds the current inaccessibility of Earl and Hamilton. For students with disabilities, stair-only residence halls aren’t an option, restricting them from two of the most conveniently located and cheapest options on campus.

For reference, a double with a standard meal plan costs $14,386 per year in Hamilton and $15,858 in Earl. In newer dorms with similar locations, doubles can cost as much as $18,000.

UO prides itself on a commitment to “creating a diverse learning and working environment that is inclusive and accessible for everyone,” but how can we excuse such ignorance when it comes to students’ living environment?

OPINION: ALL RESIDENCE HALLS SHOULD GUARANTEE ACCESSIBILITY AND CONVENIENCE

BY GRACIE COX • DESIGNED BY ADALEAH CARMAN

And for the benefit of those who do choose to live in Earl and Hamilton, the steep prices other students pay for housing could subsidize the costs of constructing elevators in each wing of both halls. Such renovations would be expensive, but students contribute more than enough funding to improve these facilities.

On a more trivial level, the inconvenience of

constantly hiking up endless amounts of stairs also warrants renovations to Earl and Hamilton.

Stairs are exhausting. Laundry days are all the more dreaded for Earl and Hamilton residents, as they have to journey to their building’s respective basements for washer and dryer access, and stairs are the final provocation in this series of unmotivating events.

The truth is, we can’t. All students deserve elevator access no matter what residence hall they choose to live in. Nobody’s dorm choices should be limited by whether a hall is suitably accessible.

“We need an elevator in Earl; it would make living here so much easier,” first-year student and Earl resident Nate DeLage said. “One time, a girl on the floor above me broke her leg and was forced to walk up four floors. Unfortunately, I didn’t know my dorm didn’t have an elevator until the day I moved in.”

So, what’s holding the university back from renovating these residence halls and adding elevators?

Most theories surround the age and inevitable tear-down of Earl and Hamilton — that it’s not financially feasible or logical to make such drastic changes when both halls will be redone in the near future.

Despite this, renovations to older dorms are within the university’s wheelhouse. For instance, in 2014, the school spent over $6 million on upgrading bathrooms to be all-gender.

The question of redoing Earl and Hamilton is always up in the air with little clarity on exactly when the deed will be done. There is little clarity on just how long residents of these halls will have to live elevatorless lives under the guise of eventual renovation.

We spend thousands of dollars to attend this university and even more to live on its campus, so I see it as a reasonable expectation for all residence halls, and campus spaces in general, to properly accommodate all students and their needs.

Hamilton dorm resident McKenzee Manlupig sits in the Collier Wing stairwell. Hamilton Hall and Earl Hall are the only dorms without an elevator. (Anna Liv Myklebust/Emerald)

SPORTS OREGON ACROBATICS AND TUMBLING, THREE WEEKS FROM FINAL

Breaking down the Ducks’ acro season with coach Taylor Susnara

There’s a team whose eight-game schedule includes only top-10 teams. The group is nearly one-quarter freshmen, and the coaching staff is learning too. Their record at the end of the season sits at .500, but they still made it to a national semifinal, where they lost to the nine-time defending champions.

At season’s end, two amongst them were AllAmericans, they captured individual awards beyond records and lost out to the eventual victors. It’s a great season, right?

But, for all of that, there’s a different question that lies at the heart of the season for that team. In the eyes of Oregon acrobatics and tumbling, was it a disappointment?

Ducks head coach Taylor Susnara doesn’t think so now.

“Honestly,” she said, “I think if you asked me before the championship, I was highly disappointed — having the three losses on our record and going forward to the championship after being ranked second last year…as the head coach I wasn’t necessarily fully disappointed in the team [and] I think I’m growing as a head coach.”

Oregon’s schedule was among the hardest in the nation. After the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association (NCATA) Championships, it faced No. 1 Baylor three times, No. 3 Quinnipiac once, No. 5 Mary Hardin-Baylor once, No. 6 Azusa Pacific once and No. 9 Hawaii Pacific twice.

None of the teams that it faced were unranked, or even outside the top 10 at season’s end.

For all of that, a final record of 4-4 might just be reasonable. It’s not quite the level that the Ducks’ preseason No. 2 ranking implied, but it was enough to push Oregon to a national semifinal where they very well could’ve advanced.

It’s just always about the Baylor Bears.

“They are a very talented program … they’ve been ranked number one for years,” Susnara said. “I think it’s no secret that Coach Fee [Felecia Mulkey] and her staff is doing something really bright over there in Waco, you know, and it’s something that I have a fire to just kind of end to put it lightly.”

That’s not to say success didn’t come. On the final day of the Championship, when individual event titles were competed, the Ducks captured four trophies. They dominated, too.

Ava Gowdy, Brylie Hoover, Italie Macchiavello and Cami Wilson brought home the open toss — one of Oregon’s strongest events this year — before the team captured three titles in the tumbling section.

Mallory Kent and Rachel Furlong posted a 9.575 in the duo tumbling pass, and Kaylie Barrera, Alexis Giardina and Rickelle Henderson’s 9.175 in the trio tumbling pass grabbed that one for the

BY OWEN MURRAY • DESIGNED BY LIZ BLODGETT

Ducks, who’ve now won it four times straight. Their success continued into the quad pass — Emma Keogh, Katie Keogh, Camille Mantoani and Riley Watson punched in an 8.55 to capture the Ducks’ third trophy of the event. The four overall titles are the most Oregon has won in a single iteration since 2019.

“It’s definitely actually not something that we talked about much,” Susnara said. “We talk a little bit [mid-season] about how you can qualify for event finals and what that means for the championship. We ended up qualifying for 10 total heats, which is a pretty big deal, and to get four of them is huge.”

Makena Carrion and Giardina were named All-Americans in the wake of the championships. They’ve both been influential throughout 2024 — Carrion’s role as a top in the pyramid and acro events saw the Ducks score a perfect 10 in the regular season, and Giardina was everywhere for Oregon. Listed as a top, base and tumbler (the three available positions on an acro team), Giardina competed

regularly in eight heats across the disciplines.

“We definitely knew it was a goal for Makena,” Susnara said. “[And] Alexis — she just works really hard. She wasn’t super forward about wanting to be an All-American, but her work ethic and her overall impact on the team just kind of led her to that and I think it was well deserved for both of them.”

For all of that individual success, it was a successful season for the team’s culture.

“I think this season was unique in that we didn’t necessarily have the best results throughout but we felt really satisfied at the end,” Susnara said. “I’ve been here for a long time, and I think if you asked any of our athletes, they just felt like this year was kind of the first year that they really felt like the culture was really solid and that we were kind of a big family and so for me pulling on my heartstrings was kind of the highlight for me.”

That’s what Susnara’s focused on next year: holding onto everything they’ve built, on — and off — the mat. Plus, maybe stick it to the Bears.

Makena Carrion (36) holds in place as the Ducks perform the last event of the match, the Team Routine. Oregon acrobatics and tumbling defeated Hawai’i Pacific in the season opener at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore., on Feb. 10, 2024. (Kemper Flood/Emerald)