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CHOOSING TO GO VEGETARIAN IS DIFFICULT FOR MANY

who try to cut cold turkey. Options such as vegetarian restaurants and protein alternatives are among the many resources available to new herbivores.

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NEWS Sexual assault reporting policy has to have President Schill’s (Left) approval within 60 days.

Darci Heroy (Right), Title IX Coordinator at UO, says the policy will make the campus safer for everyone.

SEXUAL ASSAULT REPORTING POLICY PASSES SENATE, AWAITS SCHILL’S APPROVAL ➡ MIGUEL

SANCHEZ-RUTLEDGE The University of Oregon Senate allowed a new sexual assault reporting policy to be sent to President Michael Schill for final approval in November after months of deliberation. The policy is expected to move UO forward in its efforts to combat and reduce sexual assault rates and to respect the wishes of students who report misconduct.

The policy comes after several high profile sexual assault accusations – three basketball players were accused of raping another student in 2013, and football players Tristan Wallace and Darrian Franklin are accused of sexual assault and are currently under investigation. At the last Board of Trustees meeting on Dec. 1, Senate President Bill Harbaugh discussed the new policy when giving his report.

“My feeling is that this new policy and the new resources and strong hires that the administration has made for the new Title IX Office and in Student Life, and efforts to provide more confidential support services to the survivors of sexual assault will improve the campus climate regarding sexual harassment and violence,” Harbaugh said. “That said, there is much more to be done.”

The policy, if approved by President Schill, will create a three-tiered system for faculty members with different levels of required reporting obligations involving sexual assault. According to the policy, the faculty of UO will be moved into three

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groups: Designated Reporters, Student-Directed Employees and Confidential Employees.

Designated Employees are legally required to report any sexual assaults that are made known to them to the Title IX office.

Student-Directed Employees are not required to inform any higher up officials if the student reporting does not wish it. Student-Directed Employees can offer support or information for any student reporting misconduct. However, StudentDirected Employees do not have the legal authority to address any claims made to them.

Confidential Employees are provided with more legal leeway to oppose court orders seeking documentation of reported sexual assaults against the wishes of the student reporting the incidents. Confidential Employees are also able to provide the same amount of information and support to students as Student-Directed Employees are.

“This policy is intended to encourage reporting by students who have experienced prohibited conduct,” the policy document states, “because it clearly identifies ‘responsible employees’ for reporting purposes, respects the wishes of students when they talk to other employees, and makes all employees at the institution part of the solution to prohibited conduct.”

UO spokesman Tobin Klinger discussed the policy and how it seeks to make faculty at UO more easily capable of helping students NEWS EDITORS NOAH MCGRAW MAX THORNBERRY WILL CAMPBELL A&C EDITORS CRAIG WRIGHT CARLEIGH OETH MATHEW BROCK OPINION EDITOR ZACH MOSS SPORTS EDITORS KENNY JACOBY JONATHAN HAWTHORNE JARRID DENNEY PODCAST EDITORS FRANZISKA MONAHAN EMERSON MALONE

report sexual violence.

“Our previous definition has been to be as inclusive with the number of people who are mandatory reporters versus some places that are more excluded in certain areas,” Klinger said.

“The Senate, working in consultation with the General Councils office and Title IX, are trying to find what the right definition for those reporters on the University of Oregon Campus.”

Darci Heroy, Title IX Coordinator at UO, emphasized how the new policy will seek to make campus safer for everyone.

“The main hope is that we will create or help students understand that we have a safer environment for reporting,” Heroy said. “The goal is to have as safe of an environment as possible.

Part of that sense of safety comes from people knowing very transparently who has the obligation to report.”

The passing of the new policy to the next level of approval was met with applause from the large crowd at the faculty senate meeting. The policy now goes to President Schill for review and approval. He has 60 days to either approve and enact the policy or send it back for revisions.

“This demonstrates that we have come quite a way in the past couple of years because this was such a collaborative effort between faculty, administration and students,” Heroy said. “I think the process is really a good thing and a step forward for all of us.”

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đ&#x;‘? ENTERTAINMENT Emerald Recommends: The most disapointing releases of 2016

Characters from the animated movie Sausage Party.. (Creative Commons)

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As the Emerald releases its best of 2016 lists of films, books, concerts, songs and albums, we felt it was important to balance praising the year’s best works of art with pointing out which let us down. These are not the worst pieces of the year; these are works that showed great potential and fell short of expectations.

Sausage Party What could possibly go wrong in an R-rated animated comedy starring Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, James Franco and many more about a group of male sausages and female buns wanting to intimately get to know one another outside of their sealed packages?

Well‌ Where to begin?

The first few minutes of Sausage Party are downright hilarious. From there, it falls flat on its face in its attempt to be the raunchiest comedy ever created.

The R-rating grants Sausage Party a license to say whatever it wants — unfortunately, it dedicates itself to tactlessly using the F word 126 times in a mere 89 minutes in ways that do nothing to further the humor. Instead of being used as a punchline, the ceaseless onslaught of vulgarity becomes nothing more than distracting punctuation.

The villain is a literal (and yes, pun obsessed) douchebag voiced by Nick Kroll. A sausage smokes weed with a bottle of whisky [a red-flag of a plot

hole because if the food characters smoke marijuana, a plant, then they are no worse than the human woman who ends the life of the runaway baby carrots in the film’s third most traumatic scene]; there’s a 10-minute food orgy, and after a man smokes bath salts, he is able to magically communicate with food.

Perhaps over-analyzing the plot is missing the point, but Sausage Party’s flaws are impossible to ignore and spoiled what could have potentially been the funniest movie since This Is The End — a near comedic masterpiece.

Much like The Purge, this is a film that has a concept that sounds great on paper, but it was poorly executed. Crude does not alway equal funny, and Sausage Party is the definition of going too far without reason.

Read the Emerald’s initial review of Sausage Party. Chris Berg and Craig Wright have drastically different takes on the comedy.

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CRAIG WRIGHT, @WGWCRAIG

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

live it up with

Harry Potter is more than a franchise: it is a defining part of childhood for many millennials. When the world found out another movie would be released — one that was supposed to have grown up with the fans — the hype was intense; unfortunately, the film was not.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was missing the grandeur and scope of past Harry Potter films, perhaps because it didn’t take place in a very fantastical setting. More than that, this film fell short of the franchise in almost every area. In the past, stakes were always high and the tension strong, but in Fantastic Beasts the villain felt unimportant, and conflicts were often

resolved before they were even felt.

Harry Potter balanced innocent wonder and magic with dark adventures and haunting themes. In an effort to be more mature, Fantastic Beasts tried to rely on more realistic or adult issues like abuse, oppression and war. But these never felt pressing or epic, and the film was left feeling hollow.

Fantastic Beasts was supposed to have grown up with its fans, but instead it grew into the trap that all modern blockbusters do, pandering to the lowest denominator, delivering instant gratification and show-off graphics instead of building real tension — entertaining but not high quality material.

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b y Te d d y T s a i

January is a time of year for resolutions, and self improvement often tops the list.

For some, a change in diet is a must, but for those willing to convert to vegetarianism, it’s common to lose resolve as the year goes on.

University of Oregon student Zach Leherr decided to become a vegetarian at the start of his freshman year. According to the PEW Research Center, in June of 2016, 12 percent of Americans ages 18-29 identified as either vegetarian or vegan.

The process is not always easy. “I started craving meat about a month in. I was thinking of meat constantly at that time, but I stayed strong and pulled through,� Leherr said.

Besides the meat cravings, new vegetarians often struggle to make necessary substitutions in their diet in order to stay healthy.

Changing your diet in this way means having to consider where your body will get protein, what you will be able to order at restaurants, how you will turn down meat at a dinner party and what to say when people inevitably ask about your reasoning.

All of these issues can lead new vegetarians to a dietary relapse. “It’s very easy to eat foods that don’t have what you need, so you have to make sure

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NO M you are eating protein-rich and vitaminrich foods,� said Leherr.

One Oregon resident took matters into his own hands when facing the challenges of vegetarianism. Seth Tibbott founded Tofurky, a producer of vegan and vegetarian products, in Forest Grove, Oregon, in 1980.

Today, Tofurky products grace the shelves of more than 15,000 stores around the world, including those in Costa Rica, Russia, El Salvador and Iceland.

Tibbott recalls how difficult it was for vegetarians to find protein supplements when he started the business. “Back then you had to make everything yourself, from yogurt to veggie burgers,� he said. “It is so much easier now with the plethora of vegan and vegetarian products.�

One such option is tofu. Often given a bad rap for its squishy texture, tofu is made from soymilk, which comes from soybeans.

It can be added to a stir-fry, a soup or even a breakfast burrito. It can also be baked, fried or marinated to add flavor. Another alternative for vegetarians is tempeh, which is also made from soybeans and packs a protein-filled punch.

Besides these soy alternatives, many people forget about the protein possibilities from nuts and beans, such as peanut butter,

almond butter, pinto beans and black beans.

But Tibbott warns of other struggles beyond protein intake. “Eating out and eating with non-veg friends and family are still common challenges,� he said.

According to veganbits.com, Eugene is one of the more veg-friendly small cities in the nation, making the often daunting experience of visiting a restaurant a little less worrisome.

It is always acceptable to mention a vegan or vegetarian restaurant as an option.

Your friends and family members may have never tried tempeh or tofu before, thus your idea may be an exciting new option for them.

But if you end up at a meat-heavy restaurant, don’t be afraid to ask (politely) to make a substitution. You may have to get creative, but beef burgers can often be swapped for a veggie patty and sides of bacon or sausage can usually be replaced with toast or fruit.

For vegetarians, a restaurant like the Cornbread CafĂŠ can be a beam of light after a very dark trail of fast food joints, steakhouses and hamburger huts.

Sheree Walters, owner of the cafe, which is a 100 percent vegan diner in the Whiteaker neighborhood, has helped to

expand the niche of animal cruelty-free restaurants in Eugene.

“While our particular style of food isn’t very common right now, there are veg restaurants opening up daily around the country and worldwide,” Walters said.

Although navigating a restaurant can be a difficult experience for new vegetarians, dinner at a friend or family member’s house can be just as tricky.

In order to avoid an awkward moment, it is helpful to call the dinner host ahead of time to inform them of your eating habits.

Bringing along a veggie patty or two never hurts either, but Walters warns that it is criticism from the group that can be the most difficult.

“I think ridicule from peers and family is one of the biggest struggles vegetarians and veg-curious folks face,” Walters said. “Even though the movement is growing rapidly, there is still a stigma to vegetarianism.”

For some, not going vegetarian isn’t an issue of stigma, but a question of possibility. UO senior Cecilia Hassel has considered becoming a vegetarian many times, but worries about the difficulties that go with it.

“I love salmon too much to give it up,” said Hassel. The vitamin and omega-3 benefits that salmon provides are often

reasoning for people to continue eating the fish.

Despite her omnivorous diet, Hassel understands the need for more vegetarian options across the country. “The US isn’t really known for a healthy lifestyle,” said Hassel, “and especially not a vegetarian one, but I think it’s getting better and things will hopefully keep on that path as the generations are more aware of different lifestyles and environmental issues.”

Seth Tibbott feels that the sacrifices are worth the outcome of going vegetarian.

“You will never regret whatever changes toward plant-based foods that you have made,” he said.

Sheree Walters feels similarly, but adds that the reason behind going vegetarian or vegan is incredibly important to remember. “First and foremost, it is not necessary to abuse animals and human beings in order for us to eat, enjoy food and be healthy,” she said.

While there are many reasons people make the switch, one of the most

“I think ridicule from peers and family is one of the biggest struggles vegetarians and veg-curious folks face.”

SHEREE WALTERS

common is the humane aspect.

“There is not one good argument for torturing innocent, sentient beings, which is what is happening all around the globe,” Walters said.

Another reason is the environmental impact that raising animals for food has on the Earth. According to Tibbott, eliminating animals from our diets is “important to the survival of our planet which is struggling to produce such inefficient proteins from animals.”

Aside from the external positives, eating less meat has also been shown to improve health. Compared to those who eat meat on a regular basis, vegetarians are more likely to have lower blood pressure, cholesterol levels and body mass index, according to Harvard Medical School’s Health Publication.

Heman Bhojwani, the owner of Earthly Gourmet, a vegan food distributor based in Portland, is

excited to see more vegan and vegetarian options becoming available. For years, Earthly Gourmet was in a class of its own.

“We were the first all vegan and gluten-free foods distributor in the US focusing on both retail and foodservice,” Bhojwani said.

This growing community of vegans and vegetarians may be proof that your diet change resolution is possible to keep, despite the challenges.

Bhojwani has one piece of advice for those considering a vegan or vegetarian diet: “Be openminded. Ultimately you’ll figure out what works for you, but you won’t ever know until you try.”

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Identifying Discrimination Part II:

The bias of

Misunderstanding

In an effort to better understand the challenges facing some minority students at University of Oregon, the Emerald interviewed students of color and faculty who have devoted their careers to addressing diversity and inclusion. Some students have used their experiences to reflect on their own biases and have taken steps to change their own behavior. This is the second part of a series coming out this week examining the role of discrimination at UO. The last installment highlighted the student perspective, but this article focuses on the way bias affects the UO community.

➡ BRAEDON KWIECIEN, @BRAEDONJAMES ➡ ANNA LIEBERMAN, @ANNARLIEBERMAN

W

hen University of Oregon graduate Seela Sankey took an international studies class about her own culture, she knew the information the professor was teaching one day was wrong.

The professor was teaching students about female circumcision in Senegal, a country on the West Coast of Africa. Sankey, a Kenyan native and one of two Black students in the class, had spent 12 years rescuing girls from forced marriages and circumcision in Africa, and knew that the information being taught was inaccurate.

Sankey told the professor that what she was teaching was incorrect, and then the professor asked if she would like to teach the class instead. She did. Sankey stepped up to the front of the room and shared her knowledge in the hopes that the class could understand her own perspective, a view that would have been nearly impossible for them to experience.

She added that this ignorance isn’t entirely the students’ or teacher’s fault.

“It’s their background,” Sankey said of the students. “Because of what their mothers told them. It’s because of what their teachers told them. It’s because of what their teachers never taught them.”

When misunderstanding goes wrong, it can lead to hurtful forms of bias. Some students on campus have found a solution through conversation and an open exchange of culture.

According to ethnic studies professor Daniel Hosang, it’s okay to make mistakes since we have grown up in a deeply racialized society, but the

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important thing to do, he says, is talk about our differences.

Sankey recognized that some people are uncomfortable or defensive about talking about their identity, but she still wants people to actively question each other.

Sankey said that one of the first steps to having a more understanding community is to learn about each other and be open to conversation.

This happens through asking questions, yet the first step is to admit that you don’t know about someone else’s identity.

“Do not guess. Do not pretend you know. Do not assume,” she said.

This behavior is the beginning of what she called cultural humility, a term experts have used to describe the process someone takes to get to know others who they can’t relate to on a cultural level.

“The one thing we all have in common as a human population regardless of geography is our differences….

And it’s a very good thing. Even if it terrorizes you, it’s a very good thing,” Sankey said. “Because imagine if we were all similar. There would be nothing in this world to be there for.

It would just be an existence and not a living.”

The differences she mentions are part of what make her and other students proud of who they are, but for others, these can be a point of tension or cause for discrimination based on stereotypes.

Some of these assumptions are used in what UO law professor Erik Girvan calls implicit bias.

As Girvan puts it, implicit bias is

OREGON

a tendency to automatically categorize the world including each other and ourselves.

“Based on the way that we categorize people and the group in which we categorize them, we make assumptions, draw inferences and make evaluations positive or negative about those people,” Girvan said.

The assumptions are made based on an individual’s past experiences including their interactions with people as well as what the media says about them, and for some students, their past can deeply affect how they view those around them.

Awab Al-Rawe, a graduate student from Iraq, experienced implicit bias at UO. A student veteran at UO made racist comments to him as an undergrad, telling Al-Rawe he was worthless and that his home country was destroyed.

“The first impression I had when I saw students in military uniform was I was very uncomfortable,” Al-Rawe said.

When Al-Rawe came from a war

zone in the Middle East to UO seven years ago, he had a bias toward students dressed in military uniform. All he has ever known about soldiers is the destruction he witnessed in his home country.

While he was living in Iraq, his family had to stay with friends in Fallujah, Iraq after evacuating Baghdad when Al-Rawe was 13. When he was 16, he fled to Syria as a refugee, first to Zabadani, then to Damascus. Now in the U.S., his past has colored his perception of students with military backgrounds.

Al-Rawe realized that despite his initial feelings, he should give these students a chance. He believes that dialogue can be a route to overcoming prejudice and that conversation with those who are making the assumptions can benefit individuals on both sides of the issue.

Al-Rawe signed up for military science classes with students from the ROTC program and also spent time with more veteran students that he

“THE ONE THING WE ALL HAVE IN COMMON AS A HUMAN POPULATION REGARDLESS OF GEOGRAPHY IS OUR DIFFERENCES ... AND IT’S A VERY GOOD THING. ” SEELA SANKEY Univerity of Oregon graduate

IRAQ KENYA

met in his classes focusing on the Middle East and the war in Iraq.

Through dialogue, he reached an understanding with many of the people he would have otherwise felt negatively about. As president of the Arab Student Union, he started working closely with the president of the Veteran and Family Student Association to build stronger bonds between the groups.

“There are student veterans and veterans I’ve known personally who are absolutely amazing people, and we could talk very candidly and honestly about our opinions and we could reach a common point,” Al-Rawe said. “And I have with many of those people.”

Despite his initial bias toward students associated with the military, Al-Rawe’s commitment to broadening his perspective is something many students and faculty agree is essential to building a more inclusive and equitable campus.

Abigail Leeder, director of Experiential Education and Prevention

Initiatives at UO, said the biases community members have grown up with make the task of understanding people with different identities much more difficult.

“We’ve all been raised in a culture that isn’t necessarily that respectful to a lot of groups. And so, we’re sort of trying to create a new way to support each other,” Leeder said.

Leeder said that support can take the form of thoughtful communication about topics around identity.

“It’s about being willing to hear other people’s perspectives and willing to learn about each other and be curious about each other and to understand why people think the way they do.”

Students on campus agree with Leeder, including Sankey, who says discussing the topics around identity can be difficult but can help alleviate the biases present on campus.

“What about if instead of being so defensive about it, just be open about it?” she asked. “Let’s talk about it. Let’s inquire. Let’s actually bring it out.”

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⚡ SPORTS OREGON MEN’S BASKETBALL BEGINNING TO LIVE UP TO EXPECTATIONS ➡

Oregon Ducks forward Chris Boucher (25) slam dunks the ball in game against the Savannah State Tigers. (Adam Eberhardt)

Men’s Basketball

KYLEE O’CONNER, @KYLEETHEMIGHTEE

Senior forward Chris Boucher graced the cover of Sports Illustrated just days after the Ducks were ranked No. 5 in the AP Preseason Top 25 Poll, Oregon’s highest preseason ranking of all time.

It’s easy to say that the Oregon men’s basketball team had a lot of hype surrounding it coming into the season, but with such a high preseason ranking came high expectations that the Ducks had trouble upholding early in the season.

Now, in early January, the Ducks seem to be hitting their stride.

“It was tough at the beginning,”Boucher said after the Ducks’ win over then-undefeated USC in late December. “New guys trying to play with the old guys. We had to find a way to collect everybody together.”

Just two days before the win against USC, the Ducks took down another undefeated team in No. 2-ranked UCLA. That win was fueled by Dillon Brooks’ last-second three-pointer to give the Ducks the victory. Brooks led the team with 23 points.

The UCLA win sparked a streak of wins to start Pac-12 play for the Ducks, who are now 15-2, 4-0 PAC-12.

Since conference play began, Oregon’s depth has shone through. Brooks had a strong performance against USC with 28 points, accompanied by Dylan Ennis’ 20 points. Against northern rival Washington in Seattle, it was sophomore Tyler Dorsey who had a big night, scoring 28 points while Brooks was on the bench with foul trouble. Against Washington State on Jan. 7, Brooks was ejected from the game with a flagrant 2 foul, and it was big man Boucher who topped the point total scoring a career high 29 points off the bench. It was the third-straight game with a different leading point-scorer of over 25 points.

“I think we could be even better,” Jordan Bell said after the USC win. “I think we’re making the right step in the right direction to be the team I think we can be.”

Going into this season, everyone knew that the Ducks had depth. Now, that depth

seems like it is being utilized to its fullest. Yet, according to head coach Dana Altman, there is still so much room for improvement.

“It’s not negative, but just that we have so much room to grow,” Altman said following the USC win. “Block outs can get so much better, our transition defense could get so much better, so the exciting thing is that if our guys can focus and really trust each other, we’d get so much better in so many areas.”

The Ducks made it to the Elite Eight last March for the first time since 2007. If they can keep up this level of play going forward, this could very well be the Oregon team to take the next step and make it to the Final Four for the first time since 1939–the same year the Ducks won its only national championship.

Whether the Ducks get there or not, in the end, the preseason polls don’t matter. The in-season polls don’t matter. What matters is what the Ducks do once March rolls around, and Altman is confident in his players.

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