My Oregon Mystique

Caitlin H.

September 30, 2009 - 10:43 AM

I look forward to fall term for reasons I imagine are similar to the average college student. I love being on campus again and seeing all the friendly faces - it's like a long awaited homecoming. The leaves are just turning colors, and there is crispness to the air that puts a bounce in your step - the world is beautiful and it sets you on fire. Plus I have a personal devotion to finding the crunchiest leaves on the sidewalk to step on. There is a sense of adventure to regaling your summer excursions to your peers, and hearing of their adventures just waiting to inspire you for your next holiday. And of course, there's always football season to look forward to, wondering if this will be the year we make it back to the Rose Bowl.

I had my first week back at the University of Oregon planned out perfectly with all kinds of pomp and circumstance leading up to the actual first day of classes. My life was drowning in a strong sense of adventure, enthusiasm, and excitement. My grand vision for a beautiful, sunny first day of classes could not have been clearer...

My last weekend of summer and I spent it cheering

on the Ducks in our Pac-10 opener against Cal. What a win!

...it was raining when I woke up for classes on Tuesday... First year students, "Welcome to Oregon!"

I've spent some time thinking today about what the late Governor Tom McCall called the "Oregon Mystique." When I walked out the door on a drizzly morning for my 8:30am Climatology course, I realized something for perhaps the first time; all of this, the people, the sights, the smells, the sounds, everything down to a rainy first day of fall term, is all part of my Oregon Mystique. For me it isn't just a handful of great things, it's the whole package that makes Oregon special to me - even when it includes an unexpected rain cloud passing through my once presumed perfect vision for fall term. Thinking about this sent me digging to find out what the Oregon Mystique has been defined as for other people, reasons why other people have thought Oregon is special, hoping it would inspire me to know what to say here. And that's how I found out something even more exciting: Tom McCall was a ‘Victory Lap' student at the University of Oregon too!

That's me. My name is Caitlin Hutchison and I'm a college student that didn't graduate in four years. I proudly worked four years on my undergraduate degrees and I won whatever race I was running. Now I'm taking a final fifth year to wrap it all up - my victory lap. I think sometimes I just like the imagery of imagining myself like the famous Steve Prefontaine running a mile race at Hayward field - four laps around the track, each one symbolic for one year of college. And now this is the year where I really get to make the most of it and complete an experience that has been truly special - the victory lap. Or if you like, we can just say I learned a fun fact for the day: I have something in common with Tom McCall.

I am originally from Ridgefield, Washington - home of the Spudders! (It's a potato). Having avegetable for a high school mascot more or less defines small town America for me, so as you can imagine when deciding what university I might attend size was of the essence. In the fall of 2005 I enrolled at Western Washington University. While I'd considered the U of O, Western was smaller and at the time I thought that would mean a stronger sense of community. As it turns out Western was a fantastic school but it wasn't the perfect fit for me. It lacked the sense of community that I thrive on and the type of campus involvement I was looking for. That's when I made the decision to transfer to the University of Oregon.

I first came to the U of O in the fall of 2006. I lived in the Bean complex in Parsons hall, made some pretty amazing friends and found plenty of things to get involved in on campus. I hope to tell you some of my Oregon story and the adventures I've had that have brought me to this point, as well as some of my adventures as they continue to unfold before me in the coming year. I hope to continue to share with you throughout this academic year, but for now I'll leave you with some insights of what might be to come:

I'm currently an undergraduate student working towards Bachelor of Science degrees in environmental studies and geography major with minors in business and geology. I've held a variety of student employment positions on campus including time working in the Zebrafish laboratory with the Department of Neuroscience, a Student Ambassador, and most recently as an International Peer Assistant. In 2007 I spent a semester studying abroad at La Trobe University in Bendigo, Australia taking classes in Outdoor Education and Nature Tourism. I have a passion for being involved on campus and with over 250 student organizations there has been much to try. In the coming year I'm looking forward to exploring more with the Outdoor Program and finally getting into the Craft Center, something I've always wanted to do but just never seemed to find the time. I consider myself an outdoor enthusiast and this year I have decided to explore the local running paths/trails in new ways; I have devoted myself to training for the Eugene Marathon this spring. While I'm always looking for something new to try around campus or in the Eugene area, there are a few I love to return to again and again. I am a true Duck fan and am determined to one day become a Daisy Duck, but in the meantime find myself singing the fight song over and over again at most Duck athletics. I also adore the Oregon Festival of American music every summer, and other productions at Eugene's Hult Center.

I love many things about the University of Oregon, but among the greatest would be the opportunities to get involved, diversity of experiences available to UO students, and the sense of community I have found here. Hardly a day goes by when I don't bump into someone I know just passing through the student union building or walking down 13th Ave, and in a population of 21,000 students, I think that is a powerful statement. My advice to all incoming freshmen is to attend a Duck sporting event at least once, and to try the LLC chicken cob sandwich, and of course, to get involved.

The University of Oregon, the city of Eugene, and the state of Oregon have so much to offer. It would be impossible to in one sitting capture everything that is so meaningful to me about this very special place. So I encourage you to explore with me and on your own what the Oregon Mystique means for you. I encourage you to stay connected to what campus is like today and to find new ways for you to become involved.

Enjoy whatever beautiful weather Oregon unfolds for you today, and of course,
GO DUCKS!