#1 Breaking News: UO FSL leader Leonard Serrato tells Trump voters on Instagram, “jump off of a f—ing bridge” by Ysabella Sosa
Following the 2024 presidential election, University of Oregon Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Leonard Serrato posted a video to his public Instagram page telling Trump voters, “Go f— yourself if you voted for Donald Trump.”
Among Serrato’s Instagram followers were UO students. Serrato was terminated from his position on Dec. 20, 2024.
A subsequent Emerald article was published the following day describing a response from Donald Trump Jr. to Serrato’s comments on social media, saying it was “disgusting but not surprising” that an employee of a state university would make these comments.
“The next day, we got the news that the president-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr., responded, because the story and the video was posted on ‘Libs of TikTok,’” Ysabella Sosa, campus news associate editor, said.
According to a third Emerald report, Serrato was placed on administrative leave following the comments. UO alumni and donor Chip Messenger responded to Trump’s social media post, stating he would pull a $100,000 donation to the university if Serrato was still affiliated with UO by the end of the month.
“As a journalist, any article that you’re going to write is going to get attention from people, and there will be engagement. So the most interesting part was to see the comments and engagement on the social media post and on our website,” Sosa said.
#2 City News: Elk Horn Brewery permanently closes Eugene location by Stephanie Hensley
Elk Horn Brewery has closed its Eugene location after 10 years of business. The announcement was made through a Facebook post which has since been deleted.
Inflation and the rising cost of materials were cited as a reason for the closure of many restaurants, among other factors.
“I spoke to the owner of Gratitude Brewing, and I was doing a lot of research on restaurants and other dining establishments. And in the end, I just kind of tumbled it into one article,” Stephanie Hensley, city news reporter and podcast producer, said.
#3 City News: Eugene’s early restaurant closing hours by Stephanie Hensley
Eugene is home to over 23,000 college students. Despite this, restaurants in Eugene have relatively early closing hours, with some restaurants closing before 10 p.m.
Brian Kaufman, one of the owners of Bo & Vine Burger in Eugene, said that competition and location were two reasons for Eugene’s early closing hours.
“(Kaufman) was saying that because it’s a one-way street, they don’t get a lot of traffic. There’s no point in keeping the business open past nine. So I feel like that’s something that could definitely be affecting other restaurants,” Hensley said.
#4 Investigations: The School of Music and Dance’s half million dollar question by Ruby Duncan
Toby Koenigsberg, a professor within the School of Music and Dance, allegedly made over a half million dollars in profits selling his self-published textbook, “Contemporary Songwriting” to students.
Koenigsberg was able to profit from selling his own textbook due to a “gray area” in policy, according to the article.
“I feel like there were a lot of things that kind of unfolded as I was researching. I think that was the most interesting part. I definitely learned a lot about the investigative journalism process as a whole, since (this) was my first story,” Ruby Duncan, investigative reporter, said.
Currently, students will be required to purchase a different textbook for the class, a less expensive one that Koenigsberg had no hand in writing or publishing.
#5 Sports: No honeymoon here in Eugene by Jack Lazarus
In October, Oregon football scored a close victory against the Ohio State Buckeyes with a final score of 31-32.
“As well as being one of the biggest games in Autzen Stadium history, the game had a lot of significance for Oregon’s season, as it was the hardest game the Ducks would have all regular season,” Jack Lazarus, sports associate editor, said.
The article discussed the remaining games in the season, how the Ducks would need to carry the momentum through the rest of the season and the possibility of another Ducks-Buckeyes matchup during the Big Ten Championship. This possibility became a reality as the Ducks and Buckeyes faced off again in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
“I tried to collect the feeling of any fanbase after an outstanding win and apply that to the rest of the season,” Lazarus said.
#6 2024 Election: 2024 Eugene, Lane County election updates by Lucas Hellberg and Mathias Lehman-Winters
Ballot Measure 20-362, a “gerrymandering” measure, failed, with nearly 75% of voters in opposition to the measure.
“A key part of this article was making sure that we were summarizing complex initiatives and candidates succinctly and accurately,” Mathias Lehman-Winters, city news editor and print managing editor, said.
Kaarin Knudson was elected Mayor of Eugene. Knudson, an architect and UO Instructor, ran unopposed.
“I think this article was widely read because people are interested in their local government. They want to know who their civic leaders will be come January and what is going on in their community,” Lucas Hellberg, city news reporter, said.
#7 Investigations: Big Ten, Big Ticket Demand by Ana Narayan
After the University of Oregon’s entrance into the Big Ten, students have struggled to obtain tickets to high-demand games. This has led to frustration among students, some of whom were unable to acquire student section wristbands, seats or tickets.
Ducks Sports Passes are sold to students for $150 for “priority access” to claim tickets. According to the article, 10,000 passes were sold, despite there being only 8,000 available seats in the student section.
“The idea that the Athletic Department knowingly is scamming these students out of tickets, it was just mind-blowing to me and I really wanted (the article) to be a story that would serve students,” Ana Narayan, investigative reporter, said.
#8 Campus News: A quacking new addition by Annie Biondello
A new statue of the Oregon Duck arrived outside of the Lillis Business Complex as students returned to campus for fall term.
The statue was sculpted by UO alumna Alison Brown, who also created several bronze statues of The Duck.
“It was so new and it was something that some students were coming (to campus) not knowing there had been a difference because they’d never seen campus without the statue. And then there were students on the opposite side and had never seen the statue before,” Annie Biondello, campus news reporter, said.
The newest statue was a donation from the Sauer family, a UO alumni family with several members who have graduated from the university.
#9 Breaking News: UO student reports on “unknown substance” in drink at Alpha Tau Omega party by Jasmine Saboorian, Ysabella Sosa and Riley Fox
A UO student reported their drink may have been tampered with at an Alpha Tau Omega fraternity party on Oct. 18, 2024. The UO sent out a Clery statement on Oct. 21, 2024, regarding the incident.
“When the statement came out, we wrote (the article) and tried our best to get comments from ATO, FSL (Fraternity & Sorority Life) and IFC (Interfraternity Council), but they ultimately didn’t want to speak with us,” Jasmine Saboorian, campus news editor, said.
The party was claimed to be under investigation by the statement. The report comes after several similar events occurred last spring.
“Everyone wants to be able to trust when they go out with their friends (that) they are in a safe environment where they can focus on having fun rather than protecting themselves from others,” Riley Fox, campus news reporter, said.
#10 Campus News: SNAP benefits program sees increase in income limit and benefits by Angelina Handris
As of October 2024, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program saw a raise in income limit and maximum benefits.
This was due to a cost of living adjustment, or COLA.
At the University of Oregon campus, Agate Street Market is the only store where SNAP is accepted. SNAP is also accepted at most other grocery stores.
