Ducks @ Oregon - University of Oregon

Free Tickets or Free Busses?

Trafton B.

November 29, 2009 - 1:29 PM

I try to keep up with current events around campus, and I'm not going to say it happens on a regular basis, but I have been following one heated topic recently. With the current economic downturn, most universities are struggling to make ends meet and some programs have been cut over the past year. Oregon is braving the storm fairly well from what I gathered working with the admissions office last year. And talking with some high school classmates that are attending various UC and Cal State schools, we're doing extremely well. We still offer your fun and exciting yoga, ultimate Frisbee and backpacking PE classes, so that's a good indicator.

The debate on campus isn't about PE classes; it's about how to use the student incidental fee. Do we want student tickets for athletic events or year round bus passes on the LTD?

I'll brief you on the details as far as I know them. The 2009-10 ASUO budget for the student incidental fee roughly $3.5 million; $1.5 million is allotted to the athletic department for student tickets and $900K is paid to Lane Transit District for bus passes. In short, we need to cut down money spent in either of those programs.

The editorial in last Tuesday's Emerald lays out the qualitative info nicely. "Ducks athletic tickets and Lane Transit District bus passes are two very different service covered by student incidental fees. One inspires popular outrage from a fraction of the student body that will do anything to go to a football game; the other is an often-overlooked but necessary means of transporting students to class..."

There have been proposals to split costs between the students and the ASUO, where students would be charged $10 if they requested a ticket. Similarly, they have considered have students pay for half of the LTD fees, with ASUO paying for the other half, which would cut that budget in half but also put financial pressure on the students.

Personally, I don't want either to be cut. You all know by now that I take full advantage of the student tickets, and I ride the bus every so often as well. But if I had to compromise, I would want to see the bus system stay as is, with the same full coverage system that we are running now. I feel there's more leeway with the ticketing system and it wouldn't hurt to change it around for a few reasons.

First, the ASUO is paying the Athletic Department far too much right now for student tickets, especially considering that a lot of students are left out when we only reserve 5,000 - 7,000 tickets depending on the game. Plus, the online ticketing system is flawed. The quality of the student cheering section should not be determined by the power of your Internet connection the Sunday before a game. I wouldn't mind implementing a student season pack of tickets. Those that want to go to the games can buy a set of tickets at the beginning of the season, and if you can't make a game you can redistribute them online on a per game basis.

Also, I would hate to see the bus passes go away. It would put more pressure on the University to provide parking around campus, which is a horrendous situation already, and it would take away any credibility for being a leader in campus sustainability. Whether or not each student rides the bus on a regular basis, it is always nice to have the option, and I can guarantee you that if you had to purchase a bus pass beforehand, most students would decline. LTD would lose money, students would be stranded and the ASUO would be blamed.

There's my two cents on the issue. It's a little sporadic, but I oh well. If anyone out there has some alternate opinions on the matter, by all means I want to hear them. Write a comment if you please. If any one wants more information, you can always check out the budgets and news at the ASUO website or articles in the Daily Emerald online.

Now, I'm going to make some dinner and watch Dennis Dixon start his first official game in the NFL as a Pittsburg Steeler. Go Ducks!

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Thanksgiving in Yosemite

Trafton B.

November 28, 2009 - 9:25 AM

I've never been to Yosemite National Park.

There, I said it and now it's all out on the table. You see, being an outdoorsmen, it's been a personal blemish and a pang on my conscience that I'd never been to Yosemite. My mother tells me that I went once when I was in diapers, but I apparently blocked that from my memory. Better late than never, though. And what better way to experience Yosemite Valley than with my family and the Wagstaffes, our family friends, over Thanksgiving weekend. It was a holiday to cherish.

We stayed at the Evergreen Lodge, which is actually about 8 miles outside of the park, and, after the initial queries and jokes about the summer camp, ecotourism atmosphere, the lodge turned out to be a quaint spot to call home for a few nights.

Thursday morning, we woke up and heading out for a morning hike after a hearty oatmeal breakfast. We walked around Hetch-Hetchy Reservoir (aka - our drinking water for anyone from the Bay Area) to the Wapama Falls. It was a modest hike, nothing too special except for a little bouldering off the trail at the base of the waterfall. The reservoir was absolutely pristine surrounded by a few trees that still had some color to their leaves. And it was amazing to think that the water level was grossly low to its springtime norm.

Hetch Hetchy Reservoir  

Then it was off to Thanksgiving dinner at the Yosemite Lodge. Wine was drank, laughs were had and thanks was given. Some of us were thankful to be surrounded by nature, and others thankful just to be out of it. We were all grateful, however, to be in the presence of friends on the holidays. Just as with the faux Thanksgiving dinner in Eugene, it made me wish that I could stay at home forever.

Friday, we ascended to the valley floor one more time to hike along a portion of the John Muir Trail called Happy Isle. As we drove in, we caught a view of the entire park: El Capitan, Half-Dome, and a frosty Bridalveil Falls. We trekked up to Vernal Falls, near the southeast corner. It seemed a reasonable hike to begin with. Not even the weak of heart could complain about the paved trail that lead us to the bridge overlook about three quarters of a mile short of the falls. But the first half of the hike was shockingly inferior compared to the actually climb around Vernal Falls. After the bridge, it seemed like a slow, vertical trudge up natural stairs to the top. It reminded me a walking on the Great Wall of China. The view from the top was stunning though, and I kept that in mind the next day while I was rubbing my aching knees and calves. It was worth it.  

Friday night, we were back at Evergreen for dinner, after a tireless drive through fresh snowfall out of the park. I could go into detail about putting on and taking off the chains from our cars, but I don't want the thorns to take precedence over the roses of the trip. Let's just say, we started with four chains on the tires, and there were only three left when we finally arrived home.

As a believer and follower of the environmental movement, I have my own unease about the modern day outdoors. There was the famous photo hanging at the lodge of John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt standing atop a Yosemite peak claim in tweed suits before Yosemite Valley became Yosemite National Park...tourists welcome. Hetch-Hetchy was once a pristine valley before the O'Shaughnessy Dam was constructed in the 1920's. Vernal Falls might have been a little bit nicer had there not been hundreds of camera-ready, Ugg boots wearing sightseers on the bridge. But in the end, I'm really can't complain. Yes, I wish I could experience nature in the same sense than transcendentalists of yesteryear did, but I guess I need to search a little harder for it.

In the mean time, Yosemite was a great vacation. My feet are sore from hiking and my stomach is sore from laughing so much. All in all, I couldn't have dreamed up a better first trip to Yosemite. I'll be headed back over spring or summer break, without question.

But now, it's back to books for one last push before Winter break.

Me, my dad and sister at the top of Vernal Falls 

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Parkouring down Spencer's Butte and Turkey Burgers for Thanksgiving

Trafton B.

November 22, 2009 - 1:55 PM

First of all, some of you may be wondering why I'm not writing about the Ducks football game on Saturday. To be completely honest, it's because I'm still exhausted from screaming that hard at the television screen. I don't think I've ever been on an emotional rollercoaster with that many twists and turns and ups and downs. My roommates and I are actually watching it again right now (yeah, we recorded in on our DVR), and I still can't believe some of the plays that happened. Jeff Maehl, career game. Jeremiah Masoli, clutch player of the year. LaMichael James, setting more freshman records. And no LaGarrette Blount ... again.

Long story short, our Rose Bowl hopes are still alive and things are looking good for now. It all comes down to the Civil War. I'm not an expert on Oregon football history, but you can talk with my roommates. We don't think that the Civil War has ever decided who goes to the Rose Bowl. Mark your calendars, December 3rd at 6pm. Oregon State Beavers travel to Autzen to face the Oregon Ducks. Winner goes to Pasadena; loser goes home empty handed.

Anyways, let's talk about the other part of Saturday. It started off with a big breakfast and college football, as per usual in our house. Then, after a sufficient amount of lounging, we looked outside to see that it was actually a clear, sunny day. One might even venture to say that we were experiencing nice weather on this early winter day in Eugene. So, obviously we needed to take advantage of the weather and get outside; a perfect time for a hike up Spencer's Butte.

Spencer's Butte is a few miles southeast of campus, not too far of a drive or a solid bike ride if you're feeling ambitious. The funny thing is that I'd never been to Spencer's in my three years of living in Eugene, which made it all the sweeter. The view was absolutely stunning from the top, take a look at the pictures yourself. We weren't all too confident in attempts to name the surrounding peaks, but we could see the Three Sisters, Bachelor and we could almost make out the Oregon coastline. It was just a little bit too foggy near the water.

The more memorable part of Saturday's hike was undoubtedly the return trip down. Without really planning it, we all decided that walking down was much too simple. And running down got pretty dull soon enough. Instead, we felt the need to parkour down the hillside.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with parkour, it is the art of freestyle running. Professional traceurs, the title of parkour athletes, are known to scale large walls or buildings, do flips and spins out of second story windows and leap clear over stationary cars. Well, we obviously aren't professional traceurs, but we were able to catch air jumping off rocks, slide down slick logs and nail a few 360s off tree trunks. It was all good and fun until I finally tired out and crash-landed while jumping from a rock to a stump. My knee still hurts a little bit, but in a good way.

After Spencer's we headed home to freshen up for the potluck Thanksgiving we had been planning. The food was delicious. I think we were all pleasantly surprised at how well everything turned out. We had stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams. My house, being the only guy's house in the group, was in charge of bringing a meat dish. And as much as we wanted to make this feel like a true Thanksgiving, we realized that cooking up an entire turkey was a little bit beyond our skill level with holiday cuisine, not to mention our budgets as college students. Instead, we brought the next best things. Turkey burgers.

If it sounds a little odd, don't worry because you're not alone, but quirkiness is always embraced within our group of friends. And it really didn't feel that weird to be honest. The flavors still worked well together, even if it was more like a Fourth of July barbeque than a Thanksgiving feast. Everything tasted great in the end, and it was the beginning to a grand evening.

While dinner was being prepared, we tossed a football around in the back yard. I know, how American of us. Then we turned on the heater and sat around the living room while it started to sprinkle outside. I think we all agreed that it was a very homey atmosphere, and it made us that much more excited for the ensuing Thanksgiving break. After dinner ended, we started watching the Ducks football game, and well, you know how the rest of that story goes from there.

Now it's just back to the grindstone one more time at the library today and then homeward bound on Tuesday night. But it was certainly a Saturday for the scrapbooks.

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Feelin' the Week 8 Blues

Trafton B.

November 18, 2009 - 12:34 PM

Well, it's that time of the term again. Week 8. When pretty much every student sees the finish line, and starts feeling the strain of the previous two months of classes. Personally, I've hit some other roadblocks. I woke up yesterday morning with a sharp pain in my lower back and slightly on the nauseous side. If anyone can diagnose me with something other than pregnancy, please let me know. But I digress.

Fall term is especially daunting because the majority of the student body is still readjusting after a luxurious school-free summer break, and Thanksgiving break begins next Wednesday; usually earlier considering that most professors realize the futility of having classes on that Wednesday anyways. I'm sitting in the EMU Fishbowl right now and everyone I see is either staring blankly into their plate of food, or staring blankly into their textbooks. We're all a little bit worn out you might say. I know there's at least one Duck that wishes next week would come a little bit sooner. I could use a break from the books, yet, however close it may be, it seems so far away.

In the next week, this is what I have to look forward to, in no particular order of importance.
- Pick up my Pit Crew T-shirt Wednesday night (aka - tonight).

- Donating blood at the Civil War Blood Drive is interspersed somewhere in this week. Just one more way to take down those pesky Beavers.

- Hiking/Trail Restoration at Elijah Bristow State Park on Saturday morning with the Outdoor Program.

- Watching (and hopefully enjoying) the Oregon/Arizona football game Saturday night.

- Putting together a makeshift, college version of Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday with some friends. Turkey sandwiches anyone?

- Community Observation Paper due Monday for PPPM 325.

- Environmental Justice Presentation next Tuesday.

- Land Analysis assignment/presentation next Tuesday. (Yes, the same day as the previous presentation. Back to back classes actually).

Like I said, I can see the finish line, but there are a considerable amount of obstacles in my way. I'm actually flying home next Tuesday, so my schedule that day will be presentation, presentation, Eugene airport. Apparently my professors are making me earn my Turkey Day.

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Know Your Stuff! by Wen Lee

Trafton B.

November 15, 2009 - 6:15 PM

Ever wonder what your former classmates are doing with their lives? Well, I found out what one fellow Duck is up to when she came back to Eugene to screen the pilot episode of her television show, "Know your Stuff!

Wen Lee was the graduate teaching fellow for an Environmental Science course I took during winter term of freshman year. So to be fair, Wen was more of a former professor than a former classmate, but you get the idea. Anyway, Wen has been working for Free Range Studios in Berkeley, CA since summer and her latest project is writing, producing and directing a 45-minute video about the coffee farming in Costa Rica.

The show was awesome. The premise is to trace the production path of her cup of coffee from farming and harvesting to roasting and drinking. So, for four weeks she lived on a coffee plantation and worked the fields with the locals, and she also visited a coffee mill that pitted the coffee fruit and shipped out the unroasted beans. Not only was the show very fun and educational, but I was also really impressed at how little bias there was. When you're talking about topics like environmental impact, consumerism, and global trade, it's all too easy to just throw in personal opinions, which can be a major turn off for the audience. The show was just straight forward telling you the facts. Fair trade coffee means that more money is going to the famers; organic means no pesticides were used. But Wen never made any suggestions about which type of coffee we should buy, they just leave that up to the viewers to decide. Here's some information, do with it what you please. I really appreciated that.

It's pretty neat seeing someone you know on television, obviously, but it's also nice to see a product of your school doing something successful out in the real world. It gives me hope for finding work after I graduate, or at least it gives me someone that might show me the ropes and help me find a job.

Overall, Wen wants to turn this into a weekly show or a web show that follows a different consumer good - coffee, t-shirts, computers - each week. Personally, I think she's onto something good, and if anyone wants to check out the trailer for the pilot, I've included the link. There's an article about Wen on the Environmental Studies home page, too. In the mean time keep your eyes out for the next hit show on Discovery Channel. Know Your Stuff! hosted by Wen Lee.

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