Micah Atkerson, Evan Rice, Moriah Allen, Jackson St. Denis, and Cole Klapprott stand outside of Unthank Hall on campus. (Megan Snyder/Emerald)
Following their first few months of college and their first finals week, UO freshmen have gotten a glimpse of life on campus during their first term.
With 5,057 students, UO’s class of 2027 is the second-largest class in the history of the university. The Daily Emerald asked first-year students their opinions on topics including their favorite and least favorite aspects of UO, academics, campus rallies and President Scholz.
How have you adjusted from high school to college life?
A common experience shared by UO freshmen is that college is more academically challenging than high school, with some saying college requires a greater degree of time management skills.
Micah Atkerson, majoring in business, found that it takes more preparation to keep up with college than high school. “I can’t just sit down and dedicate 45 minutes to homework anymore,” he said.
On top of schoolwork, building a new social life away from home has also increased the need for effective balance in students’ lives.
“Balancing social life and time management for school has been pretty hard,” Evan Rice, a freshman majoring in product design, said. “I didn’t expect my [general education] classes, my non-major classes, to be as hard as they were.”
Majoring in journalism, Moriah Allen has experienced a similar struggle. “I have a hard time with time management,” she said. “I have a job, I’m in a lot more clubs and school has a lot more homework than it used to.”
However, other students expressed their gratitude that certain UO resources have made the adjustment process easier –– including UO Counseling and Academic Advising. “I think if you’re struggling, it’s not hard to find help,” Johanna Thebert said.
Riley Silvyn found that professors are much more open to talking with and helping students than she initially expected.
“There’s kind of this perception that in college, you’re on your own, and the teachers are very separate from you in comparison to high school,” she said. “I don’t think that it’s really the case. You can reach out to your professors.”
Willow Tobin has noticed that UO’s environment holds a different sense of unity than her previous school due to a shared goal among students to succeed academically.
“In high school I feel like [there were] a lot of people who didn’t exactly know what they were doing,” she said. “But I think here, even if people don’t know what they’re doing, they know they want to pursue higher education.”
What is your favorite aspect of UO?
The geographic diversity within the student body is something that some UO freshmen particularly appreciate. “I’ve met so many amazing people,” Thebert said. “[With people] coming from different places and different demographics it’s been really cool to interact.”
Similarly, Tobin views her move to Oregon as a way to branch out from the home she is used to. “I come from a school where everyone comes from the same background, but here, everyone comes from a different place and has different stories,” she said.
Atkerson’s favorite part of UO involves the social culture on campus. “All the professors and all the other students are welcoming,” he said. “It makes it feel like I have been here for more than three months.”
While she plans to leave the university to be closer to family, Lexie Devaul’s favorite part about UO so far has been the access to student resources and personal assistance.
“I am moving back home, and being able to talk to my counselor about it, being able to talk to housing about it, and making appointments — they’re all willing to work around my schedule for that,” she said.
Other students noted that Oregon’s seasons and the surroundings of Eugene made them feel more comfortable at UO. “Seeing the leaves change and all the green is very nice,” Silvyn said.
Some freshmen also appreciate their newfound independence, which gives them more time for extracurriculars. “I have a lot more time throughout my day to do what I want to do,” Atkerson said.
Several of the freshmen interviewed by the Emerald experienced their first college sporting event in the fall term. “The football games are probably the most memorable,” Jackson St. Denis said.
Cole Klapprott also agreed that his favorite part about UO has been the athletics, especially “the basketball games. I’ve been to a few, and the football games for sure,” he said. “Those are really fun.”
What is your least favorite aspect of UO?
Some of the students interviewed agreed that the university is lacking transparency and communication.
Mya Schnader experienced issues with UO Housing. Schnader lived in a triple bed and had a conflict with one of her roommates.
“We [Schnader and a roommate] had to go through RA [residence assistant] mediation to get our request prioritized, but apparently it’s not getting prioritized,” she said. “There’s a lot of miscommunication that happens in the housing department, and it’s frustrating.”
Schnader also said that the miscommunication came up because there’s “this long chain of telephone” between the housing department and the residential life community directors.
Ava Coppola had an unfortunate experience with advising. Coppola said that due to miscommunication between departments, she lost $1,000 for dropping a class.
“I only knew to schedule my academic advising because I had asked the girl at IntroDucktion,” Coppola said.
Additionally, Coppola said that IntroDucktion, the mandatory orientation program for UO freshmen, “acted like it was this mandatory thing that it was going to really help you out, but it doesn’t really help you out with much.”
Coppola also said UO did not inform freshmen about the deduction of meal points during the weeks of Thanksgiving and finals.
“That bothers me to high hell. I still need to eat the same amount,” she said.
Allen’s least favorite experience has been the smell of freshmen smoking in the dorms.
“Every morning, Justice Bean [Hall] has a funny smell,” Allen said.
How have you been involved on campus as a freshman?
The university provides a variety of ways for freshmen to get involved on campus. During Week of Welcome, UO’s Student Orientation team welcomed the incoming class of 2027 and new transfer students by hosting a variety of activities.
UO’s Student Orientation hosted a Flock Party on Sept 22 at the EMU Green where freshmen were introduced to more than 300 student clubs and organizations.
Some freshmen agreed that the Flock Party was a gateway to getting involved on campus.
“The club fair was super helpful,” Allen said. “I signed up for three things that day.”
Silvyn and Thebert both joined the UO’s Pre-Physical & Occupational Therapy Club in hopes of gaining experience in their future work field.
Additionally, Silvyn joined the Running club and the Pre-Med club.
Schnader is a human physiology major. She works for the Human Resources department as part of the recruitment and hiring unit. Schnader said that her job allows her to work with the football team.
Some freshmen also said that IntroDucktion helped them build friendships, including Allen, who said that her friends met their closest companions at orientation.
In October, freshmen had their first experience with the fraternity and sorority recruitment or member intake process. 919 freshmen joined a sorority or fraternity.
What has been your experience with protests on UO’s campus?
On Oct. 7, 2023, in the opening weeks of fall term, the Israel-Hamas war broke out. As a result, UO students and organizations hosted several pro-Palestine and pro-Israel gatherings and demonstrations.
Silvyn said she worried for her safety on campus when students gathered in support of Palestine because she’s Jewish.
“When I see it, it makes me nervous, and sometimes it kinda makes me feel a little unwelcome when they [pro-Palestine advocates] start saying antisemitic things and hating on [the Jewish population],” Silvyn said.
Silvyn believes that “there’s a lot of miscommunication and miseducation” regarding what’s said during the pro-Palestine rallies. She feels that Israel is not entirely to blame for the conflict.
Members of the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation have been in contract negotiations with UO administration since March 2023. GTFF rallied multiple times throughout the fall term, and voted in approval of a potential strike.
Allen said she believes that it’s a good idea for GEs to be rallying for better pay.
“I think it’s good that they’re protesting.”
However, some students the Emerald interviewed also said that they’re not educated enough to have an opinion on the GTFF rallies.
“I honestly haven’t heard enough about it to have an opinion,” Rice said.
What has been your experience with UO President Scholz?
UO President John Karl Scholz took office in July 2023. Some freshmen shared their opinions with the Emerald on their lack of interactions with the president.
“I’ve seen him in his emails,” Schnader said.
On Oct. 13, 2023, President Scholz sent out a statement via email to students regarding the war in Israel and Gaza.
Several students voiced their opinions on the lack of stance toward the war that the president voiced in the statement.
Salem Younes, a member of UO Students for Justice in Palestine, called the statement “painfully neutral.”
“He [Scholz] typed a bunch of nothing and then sent it out,” Younes said.
Silvyn believed that Scholz’s statement was worded in a way to keep the peace on campus.
“I thought he worded it pretty well, but he definitely did not make his stance clear,” Silvyn said. “Which, in this case, [is] kind of a good thing.”
Most students interviewed agreed that University Convocation during the Week of Welcome was the only instance where students saw Scholz.
Allen works for University Catering and has had a few interactions with Scholz. “I heard his favorite drink is Squirt, so we [UO Catering] always keep it supplied.”
Some students weren’t bothered at the lack of interaction with Scholz, with most agreeing that the president has other responsibilities than engaging with students.
“It would be nice to have a connection with him, but it’s not super necessary,” St. Denis said.
“There’s also so many students here, so it will take a lot of time, and I bet he already has a ton to begin with,” Atkerson said.
Allen disagreed and said “I don’t think it’s too many people because Puddles [UO’s mascot] sees everybody.”
“But [Puddles] is a mascot, and that’s his whole job,” Rice said in disagreement. “The president is deciding how our school is run.”
What do you think the university could improve upon?
An area that students pointed out the university could improve upon is technology, particularly involving engagement and communication with the student body.
St. Denis believes that UO should adjust the Duo verification process. “The two-step verification is so annoying,” he said.
Additionally, “they should improve the module system,” Rice said, referring to various modules like Get Explicit that first-year students are required to complete. “There’s so many required things to do and so many different sites that it’s spread across. It’s not super efficient.”
Students also found issues in communicating with certain departments on campus, and feel like improvements should be made –– especially regarding timely responses.
Schnader’s email involving her roommate conflict took over a week to get a response.
Allen called for improvements regarding dining options.
“I would like to see more gluten-free options,” Allen said. “I feel like they just do a two-in-one with the gluten free and vegan together.”
From dorm lifestyle complaints and struggles with time management, to an appreciation of the campus’ beauty and community, these student perspectives offer a snapshot of the freshman experience at UO.
Students and community members gathered to rally in support of Palestine in the EMU Amphitheater in conjunction with the University of Oregon’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine on Oct. 27, 2023 in Eugene, Ore. (Molly McPherson/Emerald)
